OF HOME AND WORLD

WELCOME TO SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS - The magazine post for writers
What’s on: A post inspired by Totally Optional Prompts. Have you had a go yet? … PLUS … Lots of links to posts of interest. After reading the main feature, why not come back when it’s quiet? This is a magazine, not just a post!
YOU KNOW IT’S THE WRITE WAY

OF HOME AND WORLD

The wind howls, skating the top of the moor;
I watch its barren landscape,
from the protection of the green fields of my birth,
of fruitful trees,
of wheat standing tall,
of weatherbeaten ancestors, shaping the land

I played on this land in childhood,
cocooned in my small market town;
in adolescence, I began to get bored, wanting more,
those weather beaten faces like the weather beaten land,
forever unchanging, whilst I wanted change

To the city I went, vibrant and transitory,
and from there I watched so much, experienced so much,
lived!

The land of my birth was but a memory,
sometimes an irritation,
sometimes a brief moment of nostalgia,
but rarely a yearning, to relive,
but …

Experience and change become repetitive in the end,
when you’ve lived it all,
had the fun,
paid the price,
sometimes good,
often bad,
and the land of my birth became a yearning,
as the changes of age began to take me over

I’m back in the land of my birth, so many decades having past,
and it WAS changing, but slowly;
slow enough to be different, but retain that which I neglected,
thought I didn’t want,
thought I could do without,
thought I was different from

I’m back in the land of my birth, and feel whole,
having lived in different places,
having experienced different things,
having understood so much,
and together the land of my birth, and the life I have lived
combine
to make me of the land of my birth,
and the world

(c) Anthony North, April 2008

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SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS

INTRODUCTION

This is an occasional magazine post especially for writers. It features links to some of the writers’ tips posts in my archives, and just for a bit of entertainment, a short short story I’ve written in the past.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Tech v Literature - Has technology changed the way we write?

How To Do Proper Research - Here’s a few tips on researching things.

Whatsisname - A short story about irrelevance.

SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS - Issue Five

SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS - The magazine post for writers
What’s on: This weekly post will appear as close as possible to 9am GMT on Saturdays. It includes links to writer/prompt posts of interest, and a prompt about writing. Enjoy.
YOU KNOW IT’S THE WRITE WAY

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to Scribblers’ News. Well, the new form got off to a very slow start last week. It looks like it might be a long haul, but I’m sure the magazine post can offer a valuable service, once it picks up.
The idea of a central point for this writing community can have many advantages. As a reminder of what prompts there are around, plus a forum for you to have your say on writing and blogging itself, it can make sure you don’t miss anything.
I’m hoping this will become your magazine post, publicizing things of interest to you, and ideas from you. Below, you can find ‘NewsFlash’ and ‘Letters to the Editor’. Their function is explained just under the icons.
Anthony North

Below you will find links direct to posts on the writing/prompt sites that bring us all together into this writing community. By placing them in this one post, it will hopefully make it easier for you to see what is on offer, and what wisdom is being offered.
Any feedback on my handling of the links, please let me know, good or bad. My email address is on the About page. If you feel I’ve missed something of importance, let me know that, too. Simply email me the link and I’ll take a look.

SEE MID-WEEK UPDATE ON RATTLER’S TALE POST WEDNESDAY

Writers Island - What can you make of Spellbound? Matinee Muse is Awakening.

Sunday Scribblings - The latest subject is Smorgasbord. You can make a feast of that!

TotallyOptionalPrompts - Still time for Smoke and Mirrors prompt.

ReadWritePoem - Okay, guys, this week you’ve got to write as a tree. Seems fun.

Three Word Wednesday - Still time to go. Words are ‘apartment’, ‘began’ and ‘numb’.

Friday 5 - the words this time are ’sylph’, ‘rabble’, ‘fizzy’, ’suasion’ and ‘freckled’. Good luck!

Thursday Thirteen - I don’t normally like memes, but this leaves you so many possibilities.

Fiction Friday - This week a story about someone’s feelings towards animals.

Soul Food Cafe - This may be of interest. Helping you to write daily.

This is your chance to have your say about writing. It works the same as other prompts. Write something on your blog. Come back here and link to it as a comment. Then come back again and read what others have written, commenting on their blog.
What is the prompt about? It is not for fiction or poetry, but any thoughts you have to do with writing. Do you have some advice to offer? What genre/writer do you like, and why? How did you begin writing? Maybe you want to review something writing related.
Whatever you want to write about writing, here’s your chance.

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Have you tried my current affairs blog?

EYE ON THE WORLD

Stay informed! Super short comments! Now give me yours!
Latest Post:

Floods Not Due To Global Warming?

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SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS - Issue 4

SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS - The magazine post for writers
What’s on: This weekly post will appear as close as possible to 9am GMT on Saturdays. It includes links to writer/prompt posts of interest, and a prompt about writing. I hope you participate.
YOU KNOW IT’S THE WRITE WAY

INTRODUCTION

Back in the 1990s I edited a number of small press magazines, one of which was Scribblers’ News. Since I began blogging I’ve tried several times to resurrect it, but the idea was not quite right. Now, I think I may have done it.
Below, you will find ‘NewsFlash’ and ‘Letters to the Editor’. The former will hopefully bring together everything that is happening within this writing community, whilst the latter offers you the chance to really have your say.
If you have any ideas about this magazine post, feel free to express them.
Anthony North

Below you will find links direct to posts on the writing/prompt sites that bring us all together into this writing community. By placing them in this one post, it will hopefully make it easier for you to see what is on offer, and what wisdom is being offered.
Any feedback on my handling of the links, please let me know, good or bad. My email address is on the About page. If you feel I’ve missed something of importance, let me know that, too. Simply email me the link and I’ll take a look.

SEE MID-WEEK UPDATE ON RATTLER’S TALE POST WEDNESDAY

Writers’ Island - Main prompt this week is ‘Rising’. Can you rise to the challenge? Go back later for Matinee Muse prompt. Destiny is the subject. It is yours to do.

Sunday Scribblings - Loads to do here. Prompt is ‘The Experiment’. So get experimenting forth with!

Fiction Friday - The theme for this week’s short story is: you’ve got to start it with a fire. So get burning your key pad.

Totally Optional Prompts - TOP still need more for their prompt this week. Subject is Different Voices. Who else can you be?

ReadWritePoem - Here’s a review of Leilani Hall’s debut poetry collection, Swimming the Witch. Below that, the latest prompt is about ‘dreams’. What poem will you dream up?

Three Word Wednesday - You’ve still got time for this week’s 3WW prompt. Get your head around rest, sidewalk and twice.

Friday 5 - The words for Poefusion’s latest prompt are racket, snug, green, boggle and snake. Get over there - and good luck!

Thursday Thirteen - This is a huge meme. And there’s thirteen reasons why it’s popular. What are yours? Have a go today.

Cafe Writing - The prompt word here for March is ‘change’. Have you had a go yet?

Inspire Me Thursday - You should ‘leap’ to this post. Guess what the prompt word is?

Poets Who Blog - Want to play poetry tag? Here’s the post for you.

This is your chance to have your say about writing. It works the same as other prompts. Write something on your blog. Come back here and link to it as a comment. Then come back again and read what others have written, commenting on their blog.
What is the prompt about? It is not for fiction or poetry, but any thoughts you have to do with writing. Do you have some advice to offer? What genre/writer do you like, and why? How did you begin writing? Maybe you want to review something writing related.
Whatever you want to write about writing, here’s your chance.

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Have you tried my current affairs blog?

EYE ON THE WORLD

Stay informed! Super short comments! Now give me yours!
Latest Posts:

ID? I Don’t

Clinton Does It Again

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WRITERS’ ISLAND

SCRIBBLER’S NEWS - The magazine post for writers
In this issue: Why not take a look at Writers’ Island - a useful little blog … PLUS … advice on how to create a character. And another short short story for you.
YOU KNOW IT’S THE WRITE WAY

WRITERS’ ISLAND

I’m not normally one for memes. I’m a big believer that a writer writes what he wants, and should not be influenced by the ideas of others. Of course, in reality, this latter point is impossible. We are all influenced by a variety of sources.
However, whilst visiting Truth is Freedom, I noticed a link to Writers’ Island. I’d never heard of this before and decided to take a look. What I found was a simple, but excellent idea.

Each Saturday a prompt post appears, in which a subject is given.

The writer then has to write a piece based around the subject. It can be anything – essay, story, poetry. The freedom is total, apart from a quite expansive ‘subject’.
The Tuesday following, another post appears, inviting you to place a url to your piece in the comments. You then read and comment upon the pieces on the writers’ individual blogs.
This seems to me a good way to find an audience, and get feedback on your work. And there appears to be many involved in the project. I may even try it myself.

© Anthony North, January 2008

MORE RAMBLINGS FROM MY ARCHIVES

HOW TO CREATE A CHARACTER

Stories need characters, but if you simply match the character to the story, then it will fail. To create a successful character you need to be much more subtle, and take advantage of a rich storytelling culture that has been around for millennia …
… read more …

Fiction Xtra - THE WISH ROOM - A tale about what happens to the ultimate voyeur

He never realised it would be so lonely. For many years he had shunned people. He felt uncomfortable near them - alien; disturbed in their presence. So it was obvious he would become a hermit, alone with his dreams, his thoughts, his wishes. But even as a hermit it was often impossible to be alone …
… read more …

SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS - Issue Two

THE MAGAZINE POST FOR WRITERS
In this issue: A harrowing tale of Africa … PLUS … What happens after your last story is written? Is it correct that you should ‘write what you know’?
YOU KNOW IT’S THE WRITE WAY

WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?

Welcome to Issue Two of Scribblers’ News. If you missed the first issue, don’t worry, it was months ago, and I let it go. Now, however, I thought I’d resurrect it, as I have lots of writers’ posts in the archives that have never been read.
This is what my Magazine Posts are all about. This is the 529th post on Beyond the Blog, yet it is only in the last six months or so that I actually grasped an audience. So resurrection of my past is the theme.

I had an audience once before.

This was in the 1990s. I was a small press editor who published lots and lots of small press magazines – including, incidentally, one called Scribblers’ News, so this is nostalgic for me indeed.
Of course, my audience wasn’t as big as the one I’ve got now – something that I am most appreciative about. So what did my magazines cover in the past? A wide variety of subjects, a little like Beyond the Blog.

And it included articles on how to write – rather like this Magazine Post.

Now, seeing that I’ve never had any writing instruction myself, this may seem a bit of a cheek. But alongside the magazine I DID have hundreds of pieces published independently, and also a couple of books.
So maybe I do know a thing or two – or maybe not. You see, that’s for you to decide. There follows a short story and a couple of ‘how to write’ posts. I don’t claim to ‘know’ – it’s just the way it seems to me.

© Anthony North, December 2007

THE RAPE OF AFRICA

When Africa cried the jungle seemed to weep in sympathy. I could hear it now as I stood, ears pricked back to the noise. All about me untold sounds echoed - the birds, the insects, all joining in the omnipotent dirge …
… read more …

AFTER THE LAST STORY

The answer’s obvious. After the last story, the next one - and pretty damned quick. You see, there’s nothing quite like reading the finished piece, knowing you’ve created it – the plot, the characters, the descriptiveness, the dialogue …
… read more …

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW

Write what you know. That’s what we’re told. If we don’t know about it, how can we write about it? Actually, quite easily. Life is full of experience, and we have a mind to relate those experiences into many areas of our lives …
… read more …

SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS - Issue One

YOU KNOW IT’S THE WRITE WAY

EDITORIAL

This is an occasional post with links to my writing resources and news from the writing world. If you have any news, email me with details and url. While you’re here, why not explore the pages above, and The Second Level sub-domains, accessed from Blogroll?

HOW TO CREATE A CHARACTER

Stories need characters, but if you simply match the character to the story, then it will fail. To create a successful character you need to be much more subtle, and take advantage of a rich storytelling culture that has been around for millennia …
… read more …

WRITING COMPETITIONS

Below, find urls for some up-coming writing competitions. Closing date is next to url. You can find lots of on-going competitions HERE

http://www.bridportprize.org.uk – 30 Jun 2007
http://www.wrekinwriters.co.uk - 14 Jul 2007

WRITERS’ BLOCK

Writers’ block. I’ve heard of that. It’s some strange affliction where a writer suddenly finds he has no ideas and no ability to write. It can, it seems, be quite apocalyptic. Hemingway blew his brains out when it afflicted him. Or so they say …
… read more …

Click HERE for my complete Writing Blog

A POCKET FULL OF DOODLES – Fiction on Scribblers’ News

Whatsisname
Love & Marriage

… find more here …

HISTORY OF DETECTIVE FICTION

The detective story began with the creation of Poe’s Dupin in a trilogy of stories in the 1840s. Revolving around the solving of a puzzling crime, such fiction soon found favour with the reader …
… read more …

SITES OF INTEREST

Do you know of any fiction blogs worth paying a visit? Let me know and I’ll begin a directory. Here’s one to be going on with:

Owl Creek Bridge

The National Assoc of Writers’ Groups are holding their Annual Festival of Writing at St Aidan’s College, Durham from 31 Aug to 2 Sep. There will be 21 workshops. More info from:

www.nawg.co.uk

© Anthony North, April 2007

Visit my For Writers Page for lots more resources, competitions and publications. You can always access this, and future editions, of SCRIBBLERS’ NEWS from the For Writers page of North’s Review. See Blogroll.