l really loved this post: If Jane Austen Got Feedback from Some Guy in a Writing Workshop. It’s got to be worth remembering when some irritating schmuck who really doesn’t get it, decides to tell you how you might improve your writing…
Month: October 2015
The beauty of the internet
Sometimes you forget, amongst all the dross that’s on it, that the internet can be the gateway to some really beautiful things. One of them, visually, is the new InkTears website. Check it out.
The Momaya Annual Review 2015
The Momaya Annual Review has just been published and I’m delighted that one of my stories – In the Frame – has been included. It received an honourable mention in the Momaya Press short story competition with the theme this year being ‘treasure’.
The foreword of the book starts with the words:
“You are holding in your hands a compilation of some of the finest short stories written in English this year.” Wow.
Writing and Reviewing on Taylz
Taylz is a new site for short story writers – and readers. Its aim, so it says is “to build a comprehensive library of the latest, most exciting new short stories available online. We want Taylz to be a natural port of call for readers interested in new voices in fiction, as well as a lively, creative forum where new and established writers can receive constructive feedback.
We’re interested in stand-alone stories that can be read in one 15-20 minute sitting (1500-8,000 words)– ideal for the average commute, lunch break, or as a bedtime read.”
Taylz is launching the site in two phases. Phase 1 is the story-building phase which is exclusively for writers. This will build up a bank of stories and writers, that can then be used to attract readers for Phase 2 – which will be aimed at the reading public across the English speaking world.
Please do take a look. This seems a very promising outlet for developing writers. Becoming involved in the site also provides a very useful reminder of how much one learns through the reviewing process about one’s own weaknesses.
Book or film – chalk or cheese?
I’ve just been galvanised into re-reading Bill Bryson’s A Walk in the Woods by having seen the truly dreadful film that it was based on.
I’m surprised to find that quite a bit more of the film actually emanated from the book than I suspected, but somehow events that seem amusing and entertaining in print have turned into toe-curling idiocy on screen.
I had suspected when I read the first reviews that I was going to be disappointed but with the Bill Bryson connection I figured that really, it would be okay…. Really, it isn’t.
In my experience, few good books translate well onto the big screen which is hardly surprising as they represent two totally different emotional and sensory experiences. Of course, there are many great films which have been based on books, but it seems that in general the two need to be seen as unrelated if they are to be fully appreciated.
Apparently, as you might expect, they are going to be making Girl on a Train into a film. It’s hard to see how most, if any, of the emotional detail that is its strength can be retained.
dianne bown-wilson 