northie

Lone, your sonnet might be, dear friend. That doesn't in anyway lessen its qualities. Its message is one for these days we live through indeed. Twitter (my preferred social media) can sometimes come across as a nest of vipers. At other times, the sense of community spreads warmth, concern, and a desire to raise as many people together as is possible. I'm glad to occupy part of the same garden as so many other GA members, including, of course, you. 😘

In my experience, Gary, this has happened only spasmodically. It gets offered and then the amount of extra work it causes, means it doesn't get offered subsequently. @Valkyrie or @Cia are the final arbiters. Or try asking the question in the Antho question thread.

My longest antho entry is 16.5k. Shortest, a little over 2k. Having first been famous for loooong stories, I now seem to have veered the other way and am now producing work in the 2-4k region. Partly, this is due to time constraints. As for chapter lengths... I used to feel obligation to produce a certain amount of wordage per chapter. No longer. Nor am I now particularly convinced by a need or convention for consistency. How much of that is driven by the mentality that your readers only have 20 minutes at a time to spare for reading, therefore you must make your chapters fit? Doubtless, there are arenas in which this is a consideration. But I've also read plenty of (commercially produced) books where the author couldn't give a toss. My current book has chapters ranging from 8 mins to 48. (I listen.) In my current (non-antho) writing, I'm letting the chapters fall as fits the story without worrying about how I'm going to post on GA. 🤨 Maybe I'll regret this later. We'll see. 😄

@Valkyrie I'm writing, I'm writing.

Ever thought of being a horror writer? 🤨😄 You've got the background features off to a 'T'. Crows are clever, inventive, and could easily be the villain of any piece. I love how this darkness (and menace?) is offset by robins (US or UK) and the coming of dawn. Your observations of the natural world never cease to paint such vivid pictures, dear friend.

As Myr says, it's intermittent. I've had the full range across the day.

Thank you all for your kind wishes. I know I harp on about this but without GA, I (probably) wouldn't be a writer. I wouldn't now be at ease with myself. And I wouldn't have met a bunch of friends who get me for who I am. First and foremost amongst these has to be @Parker Owens. It's his fault really that I'm a writer. His punishment has been to accompany me along the way. He gently pushes me to improve, to stretch myself. Though I do a fair amount of that to myself as well. Anyway

I agree. Getting strange configurations with Chrome on mobile (Android) while the desktop version is fine. Not adding screen grabs as there seem to be plenty.

Hi - yes, submitting to an antho can be quite daunting if you're not used to it. Val's produced a 101 'how to' guide here:

This. ⬆ Whether or not you are fortunate enough to have a regular editor, having someone else look over your work is an education. Yes, you might not agree with everything, but it makes you think. I've learned plenty that way.

I agree that anthos can be the place for experiments, for trying out the unusual, for giving yourself space. They certainly have been for me. Why else would I've made my first ever entry a quasi film script retelling of a kind of mediaeval fairy tale? 👀🤨😄 The Bard's Tale is still around, if you feel curious. Another theme brought forth Willpower, a story of love denied against a backdrop of Alzheimer's which remains a story of which I am most proud. Having said all that, if a HEA romance grabs you - great. There's always the freedom to make of a theme whatever you will.

And this mythic air-con is what exactly? 🤨😄 No air conditioning here. I fully expect to be spending the next couple of days with the curtains closed. All day.

Hot and due to get substantially hotter over the next couple of days. ☀☀ We're allegedly heading for 36 degrees (celsius) hereabouts, though south and east, they're maybe looking at 40+. If it does get to 40, it'll be a new record for England and UK. 🥵

I'm English and famous for my non-endings, European style. I do a 'slice of life' usually. There's a plot and my characters develop and experience stuff. There's always a conclusion, but it never closes things off. Readers are free to imagine the 'what next' for any particular set of characters if they wish to. Am I likely to change? Don't think so... 🤨😄 Write what suits your style of storytelling.

I'm writing to the theme. But I'm unsure whether it's going to be ready in time. It's certainly getting my creative juices flowing. That's what I love about the themes - more often than not, they push me in directions I wouldn't otherwise have considered.

👍👍 My current WIP is in the 3rd person present. New for me. If it ends up being chaptered, then the chapters will be shorter than my norm. It's what fits the storytelling. There's little point being a latter day Charles Dickens and padding everything out to reach an expected word count. Something I suspect I've been guilty of earlier on in my writing career. 🤨😄

🙄😄😘 I've started something. Whether it's going to be ready by the deadline is quite another matter. 🤨 At the moment, it's feeling longer than shorter. I'm almost always inspired by Antho themes. I appreciate them a lot, whether I manage to get something done by the deadline or not.

You and me both.

Publishing a book as a whole means you can experiment more with chapter lengths. Especially if you'd like to play around with very short chapters. Perhaps in a story with multiple viewpoints. Here, that wouldn't work. 🤨😄 It is something that attracts me though...

😘😘 Of course, you're under no obligation to continue reading. I would say this is about as dramatic as Book 2 gets. There is an overwhelming assumption that coming out or achieving peace with yourself will be positive. I guess there has to be times that's not so.

If I can see the reason for the changes, that's fine. I don't appreciate change for change's sake. 🤨😄

There was a significant gap between books 2 and 3. It's up to you whether you continue to read Eric's story. It's certainly not meant as a 'hard' read although I get it might bring on thoughts or memories which are unwelcome.

My recommendations come from Audible but they'll be available in other (paid for) formats: Gregory Ashe: Hazard and Somerset series (16 books so far) - present day police procedural / mystery / life in Missouri smallish town. Great, honest writing. KJ Charles: mostly historical romance (British). Takes the major tropes, queers them, and adds in historical accuracy. LA Witt: contemporary (US / Canadian) romance (sometimes with kink). Engaging and well written.

Yes, I'm not sure Eric realises that. Each person he's interacted with has been changed to some degree as a result. Thanks for keeping us company, Tim.

I missed this somehow. Sorry. What a great story. Maybe Eric would prefer telegraphing? Not that he'd have many recipients though.