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The good morning, good night thread

Started by Ed, October 22, 2007, 03:49:05 AM

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Geoff_N

#4620
December 19, 2014, 05:45:18 PM
A few years ago AK asked me to help him track down a hacker in his critique forum. Like you and Ed say his manner is brusque and I couldn't agree with some of his methods of smiting newbie writers as his critique was more destructive than constructive but it was kind of like you were stronger if you survived. A fundamental difference between him and Neil Marr's approach. I found his hacker, who was arrested by the FBI for similar hacking elsewhere although the prosecution was only really successful on a tax evasion angle!

marc_chagall

#4621
December 20, 2014, 03:37:32 AM
Neil was a lovely bloke, sweet as pie, but his approach often did my head in. He would agree and be absolutely charming about anything you said. Then he'd do something entirely different, and ultimately, through his lack of judgement, he lost me hundreds of pounds of royalties which I'll never retrieve. With AK, at least you know exactly where you stand all the time, and I really value that. Also, underneath all that brusqueness and exceedingly dry sense of humour, he's a genuinely nice bloke, kind and generous to a fault - and I realise people who've left Bootcamp in a huff won't have seen that side of him, but I've been there for two years and that's been my experience. It's a good place to be if you're serious about improving your craft. Its writers (including people like Vanessa Gebbie, Monica Ali, AK himself, etc) have produced AT LEAST 40 mainstream books plus well over 150 first prizes in literary competitions. For people for whom his methods work, they REALLY work. My 'hit' rate has certainly gone up since I've been applying his methods.

But yes, when you get SUCH a strong personality, there are bound to be clashes, so Ed's view of AK is pretty much matched by AK's view of Ed  :2funny:

marc_chagall

#4622
December 20, 2014, 04:34:34 AM
But enough of all that. It's Christmas! Here's a cat being abducted by aliens https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=945352788823612&fref=nf

Ed

#4623
December 25, 2014, 12:53:52 PM
Merry Christmas Doomers  :santa_grin:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

elay2433

#4624
December 26, 2014, 02:01:10 PM
Merry Christmas, Ed.  :afro:

marc_chagall

#4625
December 27, 2014, 03:42:17 AM
Merry Christmas all, and a Happy New Year.

Gorgeous sunny morning here. No snow, not even any frost. Feels springlike. First bulbs are already poking through, while the last asters are still flowering.

Ed

#4626
December 30, 2014, 11:24:42 AM
Bbbrrrrrrr :shocked: back from Egypt this morning. Tad cold here for my liking. Had a very enjoyable Christmas in the sun (28C and sunny all day every day -- lovely). Hope you all had a good one, too. Not doing anything I know of for New Year, but something may crop up yet :afro:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

Geoff_N

#4627
December 31, 2014, 04:38:52 PM
Wife and I have been on a hectic family rush around centred on an icy, snowy Peak District. Pretty but dangerous - just as I like it :) Glad to be home though and have a bash at some more stories.

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all Doomers.

elay2433

#4628
December 31, 2014, 06:25:18 PM
Happy New Year!  :cheers:

marc_chagall

#4629
January 01, 2015, 04:42:20 AM
Happy New Year! My brother and his wife have also been doing the Peak District, and the photos look delightful. Was clearly the place to be.

Ed

#4630
January 01, 2015, 07:14:54 AM
Happy New Year everybody :cheers:

I hope you all have a great 2015.
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

delboy

#4631
January 02, 2015, 08:49:52 AM
Happy New Year everyone! Had a very quiet Xmas and a storming gig New Year's Eve. Haven't eaten or drinken much at all this festive season so I need to catch up  :cool:
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker

Geoff_N

#4632
January 08, 2015, 04:06:38 PM
On a roll for getting my stories into horror anthos.
I think my Zen Buddhist monk punk story was critted here on Cafe Doom. That was published last year or the year before but along with another horror story of mine about a Sufi Pirate, it's been republished in an omnibus edition edited by Aaron French. I think two other Doomers are in this too and I've put the TOC on my blog here
https://geoffnelder.wordpress.com/2015/01/07/dont-bite-my-finger/

Let the 2015 good horror times roll.

Ed

#4633
January 09, 2015, 03:17:52 AM
Nice one Geoff :afro:
Planning is an unnatural process - it is much more fun to do something.  The nicest thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise, rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression. [Sir John Harvey-Jones]

delboy

#4634
January 11, 2015, 02:02:29 PM
This time last year my new resolution was around writing - I probably wrote 100 000 words last year but I never finished anything and I never sent anything off. I must try and get a few shorts finished this year, or maybe another western.

Meanwhile, I have written something.... a song. It's about the fact that although I'm not one of those people who dance easily through life maybe I haven't done too badly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoI6b0gQlL0&list=UUC8q8eaAqXe29NM0-knBCpA

Cheers
Derek
"If you want to write, write it. That's the first rule. And send it in, and send it in to someone who can publish it or get it published. Don't send it to me. Don't show it to your spouse, or your significant other, or your parents, or somebody. They're not going to publish it."

Robert B. Parker
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