Saying hi!

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by Mark Robson

It's always nice to see more authors here.

Well, I'm not up there with the great and the good just yet! Give me a couple more years

[Knulp]

From where I'm standing working on my first novel (2nd draft), you've already reached the giddy heights!

[Anne Lyle]

I'm still working on the 2nd/3rd draft of the first rough draft I've liked enough to finish. Submitted a couple of short stories, but really and truly I suck at short fiction - I get too interested in the world and can't confine myself to just 5k or 10k...

"I write novels. I write 'em in crayon... Haven't had any published yet, so I'm in a mee-ean mood!"
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, by Douglas Adams

EDIT: I've changed "author" to "writer" in my profile - I wouldn't want anyone to be misled. I'm a published non-fiction writer, and a wannabe pro fiction writer (working danged hard on it about 20-30 hours a week, like it's a second job), if that's clearer

[Mark Robson]

Well those of us who have made it onto the shelves have all been there, Anne. Stick at it and you'll get there in the end. A lot of it is practise. Just got off the phone from my Editor about the third draft of my next novel. I heaved a sigh of relief when she said she loved the changes I'd made, only to then get the gut wrenching twist when she added, 'but there's just a few little things that still need work...'

Aaaahhh! I just can't seem to get this one the way they want it. It's most frustrating, but I think I'm nearly there now. At least I've been given the nod that the ending is good, so I can get on with drafting the next one while the Editor ponders how she is going to dice this book further. The story has changed out of all recognition from the one I started with.

[The Ace]

Hi and welcome aboard.

[Anne Lyle]

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys.

Mark - practice I've had a lot of, though I'm happy to do more. And edits/revisions - as long as the end result is something I would be happy to see my name attached to, I'm certainly open to input. My problem is I've reached the stage where my writer friends can't find anything drastically wrong with what I'm running past them, which means I know it's good enough to make it to the top of the slush pile but probably not good enough yet to snare a picky agent or editor. I reckon when I've pinned down this next draft I need to dust off my Donald Maass and give the whole thing another thorough going-over... *sigh*

[Havlen]

I just finished going through something I'd written years ago. It quickly became quite clear how much I'd learned about writing in the intervening time. But I liked the story and wanted to bring it up to par, so I found myself rewriting large sections.

I'll say that's the most grueling thing I've done. I've rewritten a book before, but I started with a blank page and felt free to change plot, story, etc. This time I was just writing what was already there only with different words. But, because there was something there, I had to at least make it better than that, which is what made it grueling. Usually if I am writing something there's no pressure to make it 'good' because it can be fixed on an editing pass.

[Jon George]

Originally Posted by Ian Whates

I'm vice chair of the Northampton equivalent, which is chaired by the author Ian Watson.

Do you know of any in Suffolk?

[Ian Whates]

Originally Posted by Jon George

Do you know of any in Suffolk?

Sorry, Jon, I don't. I do know that the BSFA (British Science Fiction Association) run a series of email-based writing groups -- their 'Orbiter' groups which are very useful, and free to join for any member of the BSFA (membership is £26.00 a year or £28.00 for two people sharing the same address, if you're not already a member).

I can highly recommend the Orbiters if you're seeking advice/critiques on your work and struggling to find that sort of help locally. If interested, let me know, and I'll pass on the email address for Terry, who runs the Orbiters.

Best of luck with the writing.

[Leisha]

Originally Posted by Anne Lyle

Hi Leisha - can't sleep either, huh?

Sorry - I always get PMed on a night, so I don't get much time to post on the boards. Yeah, there are quite a few of us here with unnatural sleeping times.

You'll find we all gather in the Quiet Room and chat, or the Playrooms, and it passes the time until your eyes won't stay open any longer. (Yes, I've known people who wake up with QWERTYU imprinted backwards on their forehead. )


Hope to see you in the QR sometime!

[Jon George]

Originally Posted by Ian Whates

BSFA -- their 'Orbiter' groups which are very useful, and free to join for any member.

Thanks for that Ian – I’m already a member of BSFA, but felt the Orbiters wasn’t quite for what I’m after. (And anyway - with all due respect to any Orbitors reading this - I now have the wonderful John Jarrold taking care of the critique of my future novels!) Actually, it’s more the occasional pub-and-chat I’m after – and hopefully something that doesn’t require a trip to London and which isn’t on a Wednesday. (I meet up with some drinking mates every week, and it’s habit difficult to break – you do something twice in Britain and it becomes a tradition, don’t you know.)

[Ian Whates]

Originally Posted by Jon George

Thanks for that Ian – I’m already a member of BSFA, but felt the Orbiters wasn’t quite for what I’m after. (And anyway - with all due respect to any Orbitors reading this - I now have the wonderful John Jarrold taking care of the critique of my future novels!) Actually, it’s more the occasional pub-and-chat I’m after – and hopefully something that doesn’t require a trip to London and which isn’t on a Wednesday. (I meet up with some drinking mates every week, and it’s habit difficult to break – you do something twice in Britain and it becomes a tradition, don’t you know.)

lol. Yes, I do know, Jon.

That's one thing the Orbiters haven't been able to crack yet -- the beer and chat that inevitably accompanies the Northampton get-togethers (not to mention the Chinese meal beforehand!).

Congrats if John is your agent -- you couldn't be in better hands!

If you ever find your drinking mates unavailable on a Wednesday sometime, come along to one of the BSFA Wednesday meets in any case -- they're always fun. I had the pleasure of interviewing artist Anne Sudworth at one a couple of months ago.

[Anne Lyle]

Originally Posted by Leisha

Yes, I've known people who wake up with QWERTYU imprinted backwards on their forehead.

In my case, that would be ',.pyfg (Dvorak layout)

I'm more likely to be up at the butt-crack of dawn* rather than being a night-owl - but it works out the same!

* a new idiom - up there with the rather older "sparrow-fart"

[Giovanna Clairval]

[quote=Leisha;914282]
You'll find we all gather in the Quiet Room and chat, or the Playrooms, and it passes the time until your eyes won't stay open any longer. (Yes, I've known people who wake up with QWERTYU imprinted backwards on their forehead. )


Hi, I'm new too.

I checked my forehead lately and I found AZERTY... will you accept me (and love me) all the same?

For the chronicle: at the beginning of my scrambled keyboard experience, I had a really hard time trying not to type q in the place of a and vice versa.

[scalem X]

I share you keyboard preferences, giovanna.