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The magazines arrived this morning.
Had a quick look and read Viv's article. Brill :)
I recognised some bits from Viv's comments on a TB thread.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest probably sometime this evening.
Congratulations to everyone who appears. It's almost as much fun trying to spot the TBers as it is reading it.
:)
Congratulations Jay, Dorothy, Viv, Rosalie, Glasgowgirl and any TBer I may have missed. Typically my mags arrived a day early but I've not had time to read them yet, just a skim through. :P
Congratulations to all who made the pages of the writing magazines this month There seems to have been a fair distribution of contributions around the pages. Always good to hear of people's sucesses.
Has anyone mentioned our MM was shortlisted in the Motorway short story competition? In case not, well done MM - a pat on the back for you x
I've only just got my magazines as they were delivered to my mum and dad's (that I'll change when we move to the new place), and I've read Dorothy's article - I thought I recognised the lady in the Victorian house so when you said it was you, I thought, 'Aha!' and felt very satisfied that I was right :D
What the heck was the point of the article on colour. Can't the mag get folks who can actually talk about writing? Another one who drives me crazy is the so-called sci fi expert. Has he ever actually written a science fiction novel? I don't think so! Also some of his science stuff is wrong. For instance there is no 'dark side of the moon'. I think I'll join the moaners and write a letter of complaint to WM.
TP, we hadn't mentioned MM's listing in case she was coming on the thread to mention it. But I did see it and wanted to say an individual well done to her. :)
Just got mags today ! Good letter Jay - I want one of those pens !! (ok, I know you have to write a letter - gimme time!)
Great article Dorothy. When I started reading it, at first I thought, uh oh, this is too stereotyped - but then I realised how well you had explained what you meant. I wonder what type of house or whatever you might "place" me in !
Viv's piece and rest of mag is my bedtime reading tonight. Well done everyone.
Candy
I was set the theme of 'colour' for a short story when I did the WN course. My first reaction was 'I want a real theme'. However, once I'd got past my own arrogance and knuckled down to think about it, thinking about colour led me to write probably the best short story I had written to that point. One which has just scored me 4th place and some prize money.
I thought the article was very good and will go back to it in an attmept to prod my imagination, to produce writing which is more alive and less monochrome than might otherwise be the case.
The only thing I stumbled upon in Viv's article was when she said water was colourless - have a look at a picture of an iceberg and it's naturally blue, so the sea is actually a shade of blue, as well. Apart from that, I liked it, too.
I wouldn't say it is any colour. If you scoop up a kid's sandcastle bucket of sea water, it generally looks clear. But when it is in situ it can be effected by the other elements present, as well as light. It can look green, grey, black, brown if polluted by silt.
Lexia wrote: who says writing is a serious business?
Ummm...how about the publishing industry - without which there would be no books,no writers, no writing magazines, no writing courses. In fact, nothing at all! And what a sad world that would be.
Hmm... reasonable point candy.
But if you had taken what I whispered to you as it was intended, I was asking you -who says writing is a serious business as opposed to therapy - which was your comment. Some people may want to write as therapy, and that is up to them, just as some people want to be objectionable, just for the sake of it. It's a funny old world !
I usually find that anyone who has had their writing published is proud to tell others about it, and also they are more than ready to be supportive of others , knowing the effort that has been put in. Don't you agree?
Well, I am back from hols now, and thanks for all the encouraging and complimentary comments about my WM piece on colour, which as many of you will remember was inspired by my earlier thread The Colour of the Sea and the wonderful responses I got to my question about your favourite sea descriptions. Candy, it seems you can't please all the people all the time. I'm just pleased the majority (and the editor) were able to see the point of my article. It sold - and that's surely what 'serious' writing is about - making a living at something you enjoy. I don't see anything about writing as therapy in my article, but let readers use it any way they like. It's a bit of (hopefully useful) fun.
I'm actually very slow of the mark this month and I've only just started to read WN, so forgive me if these topics have been covered already...
I'm about half way through now, sadly the markets I am seeing for my type of stuff is few and far between. I'm either to old, to young or (more often than not) the wrong sex. But maybe the second half of the issue will reveal something more interesting for me...
One comment that did attract my attention was the story of Kaz Jordyn who "couldn't wait" for the whole process of being excepted and published because it would take too long... I kept waiting for the bit where she would say 'assuming anyone at all was interested in my book...'
Have I been doing this all wrong? Sending out my book to a zillion publishers and agents just for the chance of getting a piss pot of money in return?
Other stuff that caught my eye was Youwrite's attempt to protest against Amazons self publishing agenda... I wish them luck, but I think Amazon have become a little like Ebay, in we can talk to them, but mostly they only talk to god...
The policemans story made me jelous - 800k for a 5 book deal... Sounds like a lot of work, but then 800k is a lot of money.... Assuming he sees it all... Publishers and payments are not my favourite topics right now... Still waiting for payment from one US company that bought my articles about 3 months ago... ANyways, I wish him luck and I hope he can remain fresh and full of ideas. I've an idea that a 6 book deal for me would be like looking into a barrel of money and finding a snake at the bottom :(
But that's just me.
MacMillian's New Writing is two years old... Yippeee... Bastards still won't accept my books though.. booooo
RG, the market stuff in WN varies from month to month- a lot depends on what they've been contacted about, so don't give up.
Consider the five book deal- he is tied in for x number of years until his five books are done, and there is no guarantee he will get much beyond his advance- after all you don't get royalties until your advance has been repaid.
Yeah, I know that one. Found the hard way when my Non-Fiction books tooooookkkkkk forrreeevvvveeerrr to get past the orginal up front royalties payment...
To be honest with you, I think I am just dry. But that's a topic for another thread.
I still haven't received mine. They used to arrive about a week after you lot in England started saying you'd got them, but that's extended to a month for the past two issues. Not happy!
They do advertise a fair way ahead, so I can't really use that as an excuse (though I usually do!) ;) But it is annoying seeing everyone discuss things I haven't been able to see yet. :(
Just finished the second half while sitting in the garden and I now seem to be lobster coloured :( Doh! But at least there seemed to be one or two more leads in the latter half of this issue, a few compos for me to enter and a couple of publishers to bounce my work off (bounce being the opperative word - I don't know why I don't just post the fecking MS to myself to save time...)
I did think this months winning story was a bit naff. Unrealistic characterisation, very poor character motivation, not much in the way of story movement... But I'm sure it will have struck a chord with some...
Grumpy Bookman was a little tame this month... Not sure what's happened to him. Come on mate, let rip again, it keeps me earthed when you do...
I don't know how you lot keep up. I'm still reading December's Writing Mag!
When one arrives I generally do a quick whip through to see if I've won anything, and to pick up news of future comps, then put it on one side to read 'later'. 'Later' usually turns out to be when I'm running a virus check on the computer, or doing a backup or a defrag.
I did get a shortlisting in June's WN though ;-)
richt, that 'quick whip through' is all WM and WN get from me, 15 minutes flat, then it's in an envelope ready to go out to a friend! How can you still have December's when there is so little to read??????
Congratulations on the shortlisting!
Having just got through WN (and not quite started on WM yet), congrats to RichT and MorbidMaiden for their shortlistings and to Jay for an impeccably well written and thought-provoking star letter!
Dorothyd: "How can you still have December's when there is so little to read?"
I don't quite agree with you about there being little to read, there always seems to be something that catches my attention and draws me in. What is really lacking is the time to read - maybe I should do virus checking/computer housekeeping more often.
I know some people find a lot to read in the magazines, unfortunately I don't. After I skip all the profiles, interviews, poetry, screen writing, children's, everything that doesn't warrant my attention for more than five minutes, it leaves a few markets to look at (which I rarely follow up) readers' letters, Stuart Palmer, Greta's computer clinic, the short story winners, occasionally Jane's queries if they are pertinent and the rest? Adverts. Pages of them. 15 minutes is about right, yes?
yes, I appreciate the need for advertising. What I did complain about to the editor was a TWO PAGE ad for the magazine which I was reading at that moment ...
Comments
But good to see TB's have maintained the high standard.
Had a quick look and read Viv's article. Brill :)
I recognised some bits from Viv's comments on a TB thread.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest probably sometime this evening.
Congratulations to everyone who appears. It's almost as much fun trying to spot the TBers as it is reading it.
:)
Viv and Dorothy - I read both your articles and thought they were excellent. Dorothy, I particularly liked the very touching ending of yours.
I've only just got my magazines as they were delivered to my mum and dad's (that I'll change when we move to the new place), and I've read Dorothy's article - I thought I recognised the lady in the Victorian house so when you said it was you, I thought, 'Aha!' and felt very satisfied that I was right :D
Great article Dorothy. When I started reading it, at first I thought, uh oh, this is too stereotyped - but then I realised how well you had explained what you meant. I wonder what type of house or whatever you might "place" me in !
Viv's piece and rest of mag is my bedtime reading tonight. Well done everyone.
I was set the theme of 'colour' for a short story when I did the WN course. My first reaction was 'I want a real theme'. However, once I'd got past my own arrogance and knuckled down to think about it, thinking about colour led me to write probably the best short story I had written to that point. One which has just scored me 4th place and some prize money.
I thought the article was very good and will go back to it in an attmept to prod my imagination, to produce writing which is more alive and less monochrome than might otherwise be the case.
Ummm...how about the publishing industry - without which there would be no books,no writers, no writing magazines, no writing courses. In fact, nothing at all! And what a sad world that would be.
But if you had taken what I whispered to you as it was intended, I was asking you -who says writing is a serious business as opposed to therapy - which was your comment. Some people may want to write as therapy, and that is up to them, just as some people want to be objectionable, just for the sake of it. It's a funny old world !
I usually find that anyone who has had their writing published is proud to tell others about it, and also they are more than ready to be supportive of others , knowing the effort that has been put in. Don't you agree?
:)
I'm about half way through now, sadly the markets I am seeing for my type of stuff is few and far between. I'm either to old, to young or (more often than not) the wrong sex. But maybe the second half of the issue will reveal something more interesting for me...
One comment that did attract my attention was the story of Kaz Jordyn who "couldn't wait" for the whole process of being excepted and published because it would take too long... I kept waiting for the bit where she would say 'assuming anyone at all was interested in my book...'
Have I been doing this all wrong? Sending out my book to a zillion publishers and agents just for the chance of getting a piss pot of money in return?
Other stuff that caught my eye was Youwrite's attempt to protest against Amazons self publishing agenda... I wish them luck, but I think Amazon have become a little like Ebay, in we can talk to them, but mostly they only talk to god...
The policemans story made me jelous - 800k for a 5 book deal... Sounds like a lot of work, but then 800k is a lot of money.... Assuming he sees it all... Publishers and payments are not my favourite topics right now... Still waiting for payment from one US company that bought my articles about 3 months ago... ANyways, I wish him luck and I hope he can remain fresh and full of ideas. I've an idea that a 6 book deal for me would be like looking into a barrel of money and finding a snake at the bottom :(
But that's just me.
MacMillian's New Writing is two years old... Yippeee... Bastards still won't accept my books though.. booooo
Consider the five book deal- he is tied in for x number of years until his five books are done, and there is no guarantee he will get much beyond his advance- after all you don't get royalties until your advance has been repaid.
To be honest with you, I think I am just dry. But that's a topic for another thread.
I did think this months winning story was a bit naff. Unrealistic characterisation, very poor character motivation, not much in the way of story movement... But I'm sure it will have struck a chord with some...
Grumpy Bookman was a little tame this month... Not sure what's happened to him. Come on mate, let rip again, it keeps me earthed when you do...
When one arrives I generally do a quick whip through to see if I've won anything, and to pick up news of future comps, then put it on one side to read 'later'. 'Later' usually turns out to be when I'm running a virus check on the computer, or doing a backup or a defrag.
I did get a shortlisting in June's WN though ;-)
Congratulations on the shortlisting!
I don't quite agree with you about there being little to read, there always seems to be something that catches my attention and draws me in. What is really lacking is the time to read - maybe I should do virus checking/computer housekeeping more often.