We try to be as transparent as possible.
And in doing so, we need to address some common themes / problems / issues / irritations that keep coming up.
Okay – In respect of Doug – Problems – They are all problems!!!
I’m starting to get senility within my senility due to repetition!
Maybe that double negative will keep me sane??
…Doubt it!
I suppose it all goes to show that none of us are as individualistic as we think we are.
So for the umpteenth time I want to address a few things.
First off we have the ‘Wannabe edgy’.
I don’t understand them.
I don’t get how folks can touch on something and not follow it through.
For example, the fu**wits that do that. If you are going to swear in your writing, fucking swear, don’t think you are not going to hell if you write fuck as &uc*. You just come across as a knob.
If there is a god, I very much doubt if he (Don’t get me started!) gives a fuck about your use of the word fuck.
It’s the same with topic, if you are going to write something unsavoury (That depends on lifestyle and outlook) go for it all guns blazing. Don’t water anything down. If you have a paedo character, don’t hint at him buying lollipops, state what the freak is, tell it in all it’s nastiness. Hinting isn’t real life. Real life is brutal so if you choose to write this type of story don’t pussyfoot about, go for it. Any PG shite comes across as some sort of bible group trying to be all edgy. It’s just shite.
Commit folks!
Commit to your story!
Commit to your unsavoury characters!
Commit to the nastiness of the situation!
Commit to the reality!
…To do anything else is cowardly and as false as a pair of perfectly round paid for tits!
I used to think that folks putting whatever letters they have after their name was annoying. Personally I would like to have seen RIP after them all, but I must admit preferred pronoun in brackets is just as annoying.
Initially our letter of acknowledgement either has your name or the word ‘you’ on it so maybe leave the pronoun declaration for your biography. That is the section that is all about you.
I never thought I’d ever say this but in this mad fucked up PC world I think there is something to be said for blind reads. When I first came across this and someone asked if we wanted them, I thought, ‘What a strange request’ as we don’t give a fuck who or what you are. But seemingly not giving a fuck can be looked upon as us being some sort of …ophobe to the declaration twats!
Think on it this way – If we asked for gender or sexuality with your submission – How would that be looked upon?
With positivity??
As being accepting??
– No sodding chance!!
Before I get to the stories, I need to send our deepest sympathies for the twentieth anniversary of the terror attack on America. Those images will always stay with me.
It was lovely to hear that the queen (Isn’t she wonderful for her age? Being looked after by the best doctors in the land since she took her first shit has absolutely fuck all to do with her long life) sent a message of condolence to America’s President. But not many people know that there was a PS that said,
‘And don’t be thinking you’ll be getting oor Andrew.’
Poor bastard hasn’t been sweating since the papers were served!
I’ve just heard that his lawyer has stated that the allegations are baseless. I actually miss-heard and thought they said ‘Faceless’. Pity that wasn’t what was said as that is such a relevant phrase. Faceless as in their subjects and faceless as in so many victims of the establishment.
It’s been busy sending out messages – It sent one to Emma Raducanu and the young lady stated that she was honoured as the queen is an inspiration. Emma got that so wrong – Emma is the inspiration – That other person is someone who is harbouring a paedophile.
Onto this week’s stories.
We had two new folks and we extend them the usual welcomes.
The other three slots were for three old friends.
Our topics this week include; a candle, a haunting, compliance, teaching and reversed roles.
As always our initial comments follow.
First up was Jane Houghton who is a very accomplished story teller.
‘The Girl With The Feet‘ got us up and running.
‘Jane has a wonderful profane touch.’
‘Great ending – It wasn’t overplayed.’
‘I enjoyed the touch to his drink filled paranoia.’
Samantha Carr was our first new writer.
‘The IT Guy‘ was next up on Tuesday.’
‘Clever ending.’
‘You do a double take with this.’
‘The ending couldn’t be telegraphed, Samantha judged it perfectly.’
Lately, a week wouldn’t be a week without the inclusion of Yash Seyedbagheri.
‘Evaluation‘ was his latest offering.
‘So well observed!’
‘I enjoyed the poignancy.’
‘Yash has plenty of ability.’
And a site legend was next up.
Tom Sheehan continues to astound us all out with his quantity of pure quality.
‘From An Appalachian Peak, A Small Red Star For Me And My Father.‘ was published on Thursday.
‘Very moving.’
‘The language is perfect for the story.’
‘Dignified and sincere.’
We finished off with our second new writer.
Loredano Cafaro completed the week with ‘The Lighthouse Keeper.’
‘This had some magic in it.’
‘What a wonderful imagination.’
‘I like the dark energy.’
To finish off, I’d like to mention that for whatever reason, we are getting quite a few submissions written in Second Person.
It’s not a POV that has much success. To be honest none of us really enjoy reading these.
If you are writing about how someone has treated you, then it can work. But when there are phrases like ‘You feel’, ‘You remember’, ‘You worry’, ‘Inside, you are crying’ – They all raise the same question…How does the narrator know? When that question is in the reader’s head, it starts to scream at them.
The other thing is it is always overkill with the use of ‘You’!
It’s strange that we’ve had a few of these. We do sometimes think there are prompts around and that is why we get some of the same.
Prompts can be fun but I think for them to work, you really do need to think outside the box. A prompt is just asking for some common thinking and there is nothing worse if you read the same bloody knife dripping onto the floor in four or five stories.
That is just crying out for some sort of murder. Wooah! Do you think anyone has thought of that???
Maybe out the box thinking would be a well talcum-powdered prince having a rare steak in celebration of never seeing America again.
Hugh
(Or fuck it, stick with murder and just go with an escalation from his next conquest!)
literally stories 
Evasive language is often caused by the shock and the awe of the original thought. You think up something crackling, then doubt creeps in, and that crackling thing just sort of fizzes out.
This can happen at any emotion, even rage.
For example, a few years back, I overheard a man yelling a string of profanities into his phone. Then he lost steam, his vacant eyes suggested shutdown, perhaps from cussing overload. All he could do, for what seemed to be his big finish, was squeak “Fuck you, fucking fucker.” The shame of failure colored his face, and I doubt that he has been the same since.
Excellent, honest post as always.
Leila
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Hi Leila,
Thanks as always.
I think there are lots of examples of emmm, double negative swearing, if that’s a thing.
I remember in my younger day being with a group of friends in a bus and one said to the other, ‘Your fucking language is atrocious, fucking behave yourself, there is a wee lady in fucking front of us!’
…His heart was in the right place!
Hugh
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Second person POV usually doesn’t work for me either. It often seems like an effort to create the illusion of a piece having weight that’s not really there.
Having commitment in writing is like having confidence in life. It can’t be faked.
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Hi Dave,
I’ve read your comment on the POV and also seen Marco’s and I agree with you both. If it is used to do anything other than tell the story it becomes tedious but on the very rare occasion that is where the story takes you, then it works.
And I totally agree with you regarding commitment. It is easy to spot because you don’t question emotion or intent from the characters.
Thanks as always!
All the very best my fine friend.
Hugh
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“Problem” something is wrong, like cancer. “Issue” something open for discussion.like health care.
About offensive characters – two writers I think that were great – Patricia Highsmith (I always say Hitchcock first because of the bowlderized movie version of “Strangers On A Train”) and Jim Thompson wrote stories in which everyone was unsympatheric. Rejection of my “Transformer” about a perfectionist asshole – the narrator offended me. Mentally I responded W(orld)T(rade)F(ederation).
I don’t use singular they or them.in writing, and I don’t see it in the books that I read. Once for entertainment I made a list of substitutes for the singular versions without using him or her, including but not limited to – sapiens, that person, the friend, the person’s name, unnamed individual, somebody unknown to me, human being, title of person.
This rant was approved by the ranter.
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Hi Doug,
Would ‘mutant’ count as an alternative??
I’ve come across a few of them. It must be coincidental that all of them were wearing suits!
It is always a pleasure to be in contact with you my fine friend!
Be happy and well!
Hugh
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Mutant as an alternative to the less evolved?
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Hugh,
Problem: Second Person POV is a bitch-on-fire Alien to get right. I love it when it’s right, but that is blue-moon seldom. And yes, I use it when the story is telling me that’s how it’s going to be. What can I do, I’m just a scribbler.
Marco
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Hi Marco,
Yep, I totally agree. As I ‘said’ to Dave it all depends on the motive of the writer. You are right, if the motive is simply that it went that way, then you’ve probably got something.
It’s great to see that you have stories in the pot for later on!
All the very best my fine friend.
Hugh
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