WE HAVE A NEW ONLINE HOME!

So we have been doing some renovation works. First we have changed our name and we are now


We are hoping this new name will represent us better.

Then we decided to do some major improvements to the blog. To do so, we finally decided to move. Now you will find us HERE. With this move, we hope to be able to have a more dynamic place online and an easier way to connect with our visitors. We're still redecorating, but at some point we'll have everything set up there and we'll place a redirection here so that it's easier for you to find us. Please note that our contact email address has changed too. We'd love your feedback on our new site, so please come have a look!

Prompts

Hello again, fellow writers! The days are longer, the weather is fairer, and yesterday we had our first meeting after the group's Annual General Meeting. One of the things that was decided in this AGM was to provide collectively a series of prompts or exercises for us to work on. We have got our suggested exercises box full now, and will be taking one out of it at every first meeting of each month so that those who so wish can give the exercise a go.

We are going to share the prompts here in this blog so that you can try them too. And if you want to share the results, you're welcome to do so!

Here it goes then:

Prompt #1


"I listened to the distant thunder, the clatter of approaching hooves, a bodiless whinnying."

Happy writing!

Show, don't tell

This is one of the writers' tenets, but it can be difficult not to succumb to the temptation of simply saying what we want the reader to see. In the article Ten Tips to Help You Avoid Telling Writing, you'll find some interesting, useful suggestions to put it in practice.

Happy writing!

Let's talk style

When we're talking literature, you know that form is important. First, you make sure you are using the grammar and punctuation properly so that it isn't just you (provided you do) understand what you have written, so that readers can enjoy the power of your words.

Another aspect is the choice of words: repetitions, ambiguities, cacophony... are some of the effects you want to avoid in order to make the reading more pleasant. Look out for those. Whereas you may feel proud of having produced a 500-page manuscript, if most of it is straw it isn't that great.  Less is more. So get armed with some knowledge about what you can do with words. To begin with, here is an interesting list of superfluous bits that we tend to add to our writs. They're like sugar, the more you use the more you want to use, but then comes your guest, tries your dish, and the shock sends them into an insulin coma. Measure your ingredients.