Well, the smoke alarm went off in the middle of the night, so I am a bit groggy. I swear we have 15 smoke alarms, and I had to wander around waiting for the beep every 30 seconds so I could track it down. Sheesh.
Still, up and raring to go. A coffee and a leaf cookie please!
Good morning all. Yes Sara, we did miss you.
Hoping to finish the first draft of my comp entry today. There's some stuff in the middle I messed up, so I am by no means done. But I'm looking forward to finishing a first draft.
Talia took the day off. It's cool and drizzly here, but that makes it kinda cozy.
A coffee and a scarecrow cookie please!
Quote by Mendalla
I have both versions written. You're right, the "Nalia dies" version (that's the character's name) definitely packs more of a dramatic wallop. Eff, it hurts to write about grief, though. Been through a bit too much of it myself, I guess. I snuck a wedding of sorts into the "Nalia lives" version so it had me tearing up, too. Maybe I am just too sensitive to be a writer, eh.
I write about grief a lot when writing horror. I think a lot of horror is wrapped up in grief and trauma.
Anyway. Meaningless double header today, but I will watch. Playoffs start on Friday. (Sorry Red.)
Time to write the Noir! A coffee and a cookie!!!
Braves really kicked the Mets butts last weekend. I'm limping, and I only watched. Congrats on taking the division, Sara.
I slept well and woke up ready to rock. Another day, another comp. Ape, I think you should kill off your character - did you notice all the dramatic stuff you started talking about once you came across the possibility? Make strong choices. Read Lonesome Dove?
We saw Smile this weekend. I reviewed it on another thread here, but I'll repeat: scary and skillfully made.
Coffee and a cookie!
We saw Smile last night. Very, very good. Scary, and with some surprising realism, connecting the dots between trauma and horror. Perfect example of taking a premise and just following the string--no tricks, no wasted moves-- to a logical conclusion. Highly recommend it. Talia about ripped my arm off she was so scared.
I think providing both the positive and negative sides of religion in your world would go toward keeping it real, as well as adding more interest by exploring a really complex subject.
I've not done much world building, but I'm finding with the current WIP that the details are really best left to the second draft. Paint the world with bold strokes the first time around, then figure out what is working and what isn't. Then you can start editing and refining the world and its rules and its history when you tackle the next draft.
But I'm pretty new to all this, so I'm no expert, and mostly in learning mode on this one.
Nice contest, great turnout! Good job Molly, and thank you! I have read all the entries, and commented, and probably managed to hit the did-I-click-it-or-not like button about half the time. 
I really enjoy the conversation as writers read and comment on each other's work - the very definition of a writer's community. Proud and happy to be a part of it.
Read em all, and commented! Great comp! I THINK I hit like on every one, but I am colorblind and can't tell when the little heart has been clicked! If I missed yours, tell me, I will go back and hit like.
I'm guessing being the last contestant entering means not a whole lot of views. The price I pay, I guess.
Holy carp, there’s no coffee!!! No fear, percolator is percolating, and tea water is hot, with bags laid out. There’s cookies somewhere.
It’s all comps, all day. Entered the comp here last night, with nary a minute to spare. Read a handful of entries, I will finish tonight. Excellent company, I wish I knew how to write poetry. Spending the day working on the comp for another site.
Mets have a one game lead, with six left to play. Then, the postseason. Wagers?
A coffee and a cookie please!
Enjoy the vaycay Ape.
I just submitted my entry, so my guess is by the time coffee is perking tomorrow it'll be on the front page. I don't think there's a minimum # of likes or views, but I am cutting things pretty close to the wire. So read it if you find the time. Now that I'm done I am reading the other entries and enjoying them.
A decaf please.
Loved the original Avatar Sara, and am deeply psyched for the Way of the Water.
Nothing new here. Comp entry writing day. Followed by a walk and a Mets game. Same ol same ol. You are right James, finishing a long project, whether a book or anything else, leaves an emptiness when you are done.
Coffee and a cookie please.
Good morning everyone. Thanks for the setup James.
There is a blank spot in my head where the novel used to be. A book shaped hole. I'll be entering a couple comps this week--including the one here--though I am feeling a little rusty. So weird to live with something for a year and then just stop. I'll go back for a second draft eventually.
A coffee and a cookie please.
Quote by JamesPBear
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Hey Elyse! I just noticed a story in The Guardian – British newspaper – about Alan Rickman. I didn't know if you'd be interested, but thought I'd point it out anyway:
https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/sep/24/alan-rickmans-secret-showbiz-diaries-harry-potter
He was a versatile actor, and an intriguing person.
And good afternoon to everyone else. I'd like a cuppa Red Rose, and I'll mosey over to Sara's corner and see if she shows up.
James, thanks for that article. Fascinating! I really love Rickman, though I suppose most people do. My favorite quote: "The trouble is writers write from pain and Harold has closed up all his wounds, so all he can write now are these small things.” (Alan Rickman talking about Harold Pinter).
Time for Lego and coffee and a Lego-shaped cookie!
Hey E, hey Sara, hey Ape.
The first draft of the novel that began its life at this very site is finally done! Huzzah! Send it out to a few trusted eyes, slap it in a drawer for a couple months, write some short stories. Today I'm gonna kick back, have lunch with my daughter, get a celebratory haircut, take a long walk, and go out for Mexican food with the missus.
I have 7 lines of poetry! Looking forward to reading the others.
I hope everyone has a FABU weekend. Sara, I hope your ribs quit giving you grief.
A large coffee and a coffee cup shaped cookie! How meta!
Stormy and rainy here too, Ape.
Expecting to finish the rewrite today. I feel a good mental tailwind behind me, and woke up itching (figuratively) to start.
And I have the first line of a poem! I will try to write it this weekend, and then peruse the others.
I hope everyone is well. Sara, I haven't heard a peep from you about the Braves (sorry Red, I'm obsessive).
Coffee! A cookie! A visit from the muse!
Good Lord yesterday was a crappy day. Thank God it's a new one today.
Nice to see all the poetry entries. I won't read any til I submit - I actually have an idea, after my first attempt was so bad.
Outside chance of finishing the edit today or tomorrow. That's something to focus on. Should be a nice chill day.
Coffee and one of Sara's delish cookies!
Made my first attempt at a poem. It sucked.
Going to the doc today, no biggie, just a checkup.
I'm almost exactly halfway through this edit of the book, after which I'm putting it away for awhile. I'll write a story about tentacles in the basement while I get some reactions. I'm tired of editing. I want to write new content.
Coffee and cookie please!
Quote by gillianleeza
Moonfall on HBO Max. It was bad, a mash-up of themes from Independence Day, Armaggedon, and 2012. I'm not surprised it was a huge box office flop. I love watching Halle Berry, but she couldn't save this mess.
Oh, it's awful. I still liked it though. So weird and bad I couldn't look away.
I can't even think how to start writing a poem! But I'll enter! Promise.
Annoying errands today, and I didn't sleep well, so I'm a tad irritable, but nothing I won't get past. Releasing the novel into the wild this week, just the shaggy first draft, to a intrepid group of beta readers with a high tolerance for half-baked sci-fi.
Mets are back in first place, albeit by the skin of their teeth. Sorry Sara.
Back to the salt mines. A coffee and a cookie please!
Broke a tooth yesterday, and had to go to the dentist today, so I am irritable. Grrr.
We are having dinner on the patio at out fave restaurant before the first cold front of the Fall hits - 30 degree drop!
Thanks for the cookies Sara! A London Bridge cookie please! Plus the obligatory coffee.
Red, I'm not a real poet either, but I will submit 45 lines of poetry-adjacent doggeral.
No Talia Thursday. I've got therapy in an hour, plus a chip broke off a tooth last night, so I have to go to the dentist. Again. Wah. No pain at least.
Braves and Mets are fighting for first place. Fun to watch!
Coffee and 45 cookies please, one for each line of poetry.
