Challenges from Chris Fielden and Friends I’ve been following Chris Fielden’s website for many moons, at https://www.christopherfielden.com/ and have twice entered short stories in his annual To Hull and Back competitions. It’s a lighthearted and responsive website. Chris is generous with advice, offering listings of current competitions and advice about entering them, among other things. Since I first … Continue reading A Diversion
Author: Cathy Cade
I live with my husband and dogs in the Cambridgeshire Fens most of the time - and in the shadow of London’s Epping Forest some of the time. As a librarian, I penned instruction leaflets for students with only annual reports to exercise my imagination. In retirement, I have turned to a different kind of fiction, with short stories published in Scribble magazine, shortlisted in a local competition and longlisted in a national one... so far.
Life of a Lady magazine
I enjoyed this post from Ernestine Marsh at https://alwaysalaugh.com/
I know my writing group will too – looking forward to more.
Dear Aunty Jean,
I am writing to ask if you believe in curses. I know that seems like a strange question, but I have had such a run of bad luck, that you wouldn’t believe it.
I was a very wealthy window of 76 before meeting my new husband while on holiday in the Bahamas. I couldn’t believe that he was attracted to me, being an Adonis of 23. He was a waiter at the hotel I was staying at and could have had any girl he wanted, but he took one look at me and said it was love at first sight for him!
We had a whirlwind romance and were married before my holiday was over. We went straight on to Paris for our honeymoon, briefly stopping in London so I could change my will with my solicitor.
It was in Paris that this bad luck began. My…
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Commaful
Just a quickie... I found a new site yesterday - new to me, anyway. It's called commaful. You post stories or poems or just random thoughts and add pictures (supplied by the site). It's best used for shortish works - I added a twenty-line verse I haven't looked at for ages (but it's the shortest … Continue reading Commaful
Roome Bay
It’s too hot for thinking up blog posts. Summer is for reading… on the beach. Well, maybe not the beach – not this year anyway. This year our motorhome trips have given way to hospital appointments as my husband awaits a major operation. We daren’t stray for too long in case another appointment arrives, requiring … Continue reading Roome Bay
Comma Conclusion, Part 4
I thought I knew about commas before I started looking into them. It’s been a learning curve. I’ve recently revisited some of my short stories, and there have been a lot of changes. This concluding article in the series tidies up some odds and ends in situations where commas confuse. But, and other little words that … Continue reading Comma Conclusion, Part 4
Comma Conventions, Part 3
How are you managing with my comma compilation so far? Needless to say, there is more. Some words, such as who, which, and whose, bring comma-plications of their own. Essential or nonessential information? Whether you use a comma or not often depends on whether the clause is essential to the sentence, or nonessential. For instance… … Continue reading Comma Conventions, Part 3
Continuing Commas, Part 2: Comma Categories
I started making notes about commas after a former colleague asked for help with a job application. I made notes for him on my edits and when I wasn’t sure why I wanted to change something, I checked online. That was when my investigation ran away with itself; there was much more to commas than … Continue reading Continuing Commas, Part 2: Comma Categories
Comma Conundrums, Part 1: Rotating Sentences and the Oxford Comma
Do you remember when they told you at school that commas indicate a pause in the sentence? Wrong! (Okay – maybe it was only primary school…) I have a piece of editing software. (Mine is ProWritingAid; other editing software is available.) I use it for a final check, and its reports regularly tell me I’ve … Continue reading Comma Conundrums, Part 1: Rotating Sentences and the Oxford Comma
Swimming with Sharks
I spent a lot of time searching blogs and support websites for advice when I began writing my ‘practice novel’. (Of course, I didn’t realise back then it was a practice novel.) It was daunting to discover how much I had to learn, but reassuring to find I wasn’t alone in trying to swim before … Continue reading Swimming with Sharks
Looking for Clues
Since taking to the keyboard, I've found that basics I thought mastered at school have deserted me. When did commas become so complicated? I don’t have all the answers, but they're out there somewhere. Here are some things to keep in mind while you're looking for them. Seek a second opinion – or three. Some … Continue reading Looking for Clues
