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northie

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Everything posted by northie

  1. I think your experiment generally works well. You delight in making language work for you. Having said that, in the spirit of constructive criticism, I felt the second stanza was slightly less effective. The imagery is great - hollyhocks, bees, and (your) trumpet vine, but the demands of the rhyme scheme mean the language is twisted about. To my eye / ear, it lacks the flow of the other stanzas. Elsewhere, I'm puzzled how Frere Jacques can be a rhyme for unlock and mock. Am I missing something? On this side of the pond, Jacques is Jack-es. Maybe I'm being cloth-eared. 🤨😄
  2. northie

    The Tale

    Another one I missed. 😳 Same here. I don't think I'll ever get the Alexa etc kind of system. Unless some change on my life forces me to. They do have their uses.
  3. northie

    The Story

    👀😱😄 Sorry I missed this. Thanks for the information... maybe. 😬
  4. I don't, yet I read this and loved it. 🤷‍♂️😄 It's the Gary charm - the story, the ambience, the characters. The writer in me admires and studies the craft on display. Short for Gary, this story is complete and well worth a read. That's not just my recommendation or spike's - Gary's legion of fans have made their views known.
  5. I've been lax in reading everyone else's contributions but wow, such a varied and impressive turnout. Anniversary as a theme was just about perfect. Unifying, yes. Allowing a multitude of interpretations, also yes. For me, that's what an antho should be all about. I think everyone involved can give themselves a celebratory thumbs up.
  6. northie

    Chapter 1

    Thanks, Gary. That's very sweet of you. Anthos are always a time for experimentation in my book.
  7. The venue's changed. The content hasn't. 🤨😄
  8. northie

    Chapter 1

    Excellent. 10/10 for deduction and observational skills. 😉😁
  9. northie

    Chapter 1

    😄😘 It did cause me to make some necessary additions, so...
  10. Don't worry - I'm winning. Stories read today (apart from my own) 0.
  11. northie

    Chapter 1

    Thanks, Carlos. I had great fun writing it.
  12. northie

    Chapter 1

    Thank you for reading the story not once, but twice.
  13. northie

    Chapter 1

    Tut, tut. Better luck next time... 😉😄
  14. northie

    Chapter 1

    I hope so. She had a great sense of humour, I think, and probably little time for fools.
  15. northie

    Chapter 1

    Yes, though it didn't start out with that intent. I like the lime green crocs as well.
  16. northie

    Chapter 1

    Way to dampen my writerly ego. 🤨😄 Thanks for your help as ever, dear friend.
  17. northie

    Chapter 1

    You're very kind. Thank you.
  18. northie

    Chapter 1

    Thank you! It was fun to write.
  19. northie

    Chapter 1

    I didn't want to make it too obvious - that would've spoiled the fun.
  20. northie

    My story

    So are so many people. It's one of so many things which can colour, plague, and sometimes warp a queer individual's understanding of themselves. Sometimes I think those who reach such an understanding should be congratulated. Or maybe I exaggerate... 🤷‍♂️🤨😄
  21. northie

    Chapter 1

    Lizzie forces open one of the large sash windows as far as her diminutive frame can push it. She’s greeted by a blast of super-heated summer air drenched in petroleum by-products. And the noise. Crowds of people talking, shouting, calling to one another in so many languages. Lizzie focuses for a moment, taking time to untangle some of the threads. She stops when her count of languages reaches twenty. Plus there’re some she doesn’t recognise. Even after a lifetime of travelling the world and meet
  22. Changed times need new thinking. Open minds. This applies anywhere and to anyone. Even to those who never thought it'd be their turn.
  23. northie

    Borderlands

    The image of the deer is so vivid. I need no extra imagination the visualise the scene. I hope they were just looking? Or maybe hoping you'd disappear off, leaving the fence unguarded. 🤨😄 Your (our?) fascination with the night sky is unabated. You, I feel, are much better placed to see the true splendour than I am.
  24. As a performer, to experience that is also special, even more so in such a fantastic space as Symphony Hall. You feel as though every single person is held in the same, oh-so-fragile trance. You do need a conductor with presence to help make it work though.
  25. northie

    September 2050

    Elements of this are already very possible in areas of the US - Florida and Texas come to mind. Here? 🤷‍♂️ The political dregs who are in charge currently will, I believe, get swept away at the next general election. But yes, illiberalism, censorship, and forced conformity never seem that far away. Difference, any difference, frightens some people. Thank you for this story. I like my dystopias to be disturbingly close to reality. 🤨😄 An action-packed 7k words gulped down in a trice. ✔😉
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