intelligent life

Mandylifeboats - no offence. As I began this thread by suggesting I'd seen plenty of stuff which deserved to be published, is heartening indeed that many of us actually seem to have been. My main point is that we should have a party *searches out underline function on computer, curses as underline does not work here* on the next publication of an abcer, even if it is only in TaChucks. (Though I think the macaw may be spiking the miltonics) Hitch - I will take that as an invite. Not that I have anything to shout about, but I see that we are all still shy. I have had one very kind rejection for my book, which actually had some constructive criticism, rather than just **** off, and I have had four lengthy pieces published in Family Law, which is a magazine for, erm Family lawyers. Not very exciting, except for me, to open up the contents page and see amongst all the Gods of my profession, and Professor this and Mr Justice that and QC whoever, my name. The really odd thing is, cf websoap, one of the articles was on the conjoined twins, Mary and Jodie. I haven't really got much of a clue what to do with the fiction I'm currently generating. As I've said before, I never expect to live off it, but I enjoy writing it and I'd quite like to see one piece of fiction in print. Now, this is hardly boasting, and I WAS invited, as per rules. Anyone want to start something ? My macaw has a VERY sharp beak.

So, if some people on here are actually published - please can one of you give me the name of your agent? With a reference? Please..................

...supposing we have one, of course.

*gulp*

Erm, it's brainstorming. Personally this forum has kicked my writing back off again. Initially it was nice to think that the site was somewhere to post your stuff and see the numbers go up (albeit slowly in my case), but now when I post something, I am submitting it not only for the potential readers in the ether, but for fellow writers whose opinions I respect. And I would include everyone in that, from the serious to the frivolous, to the caustic and to the mad. At least now I'm posting about writing and fiction and not just about Diffrent Strokes, Mr T and Scrappy Doo, as I have been known to spend many an hour doing on jumptheshark.com

oooooooooooh phew ... top response uncle andrew ... at risk of sounding Very Soppy Indeed ... i have begun to think very differently about my own writing since getting involved with ABC ... and awed sometimes by the sheer brain power on here ... i suppose hand on heart ... if i spent all the time i spend talking emailing and posting on here i could be churning out loads of poems ... but that isnt how it works for me ...

Is very strange. My first instinct at posting to a site with a bunch of unpublished writers was - these people are the competition. Am quite pleased at how many genuinely pleasant and interesting people are on the site. At risk of offending Mississipi, I am deeply looking forward to the day when one of our abc folk get published properly. Suggest pact that whoever manages it first invites all to Bucks Fizz style reception (by which I mean drink, rather than girls pulling off skirts... although...) When you look at all the Bridget Jones knock-offs that get published, I have certainly seen stuff on this site - by robert, andy barratt, karl wiggins, andrea, richard w, sooz, fishwife herself, liana etc which is certainly good enough to be published.

blimmy unc ... was that meant to be a COMPLIMENT???? hahahahahaha

Carefully reads Mr Pack's final paragraph for the tenth time. Nope.... Damn.... Considers suicide..... Decides to knock off Bridget Jones instead. errr ... I mean.....

also unc ... please define *published properly* (hoping there may be some retrospective celebrating to be got down to)

Fishwife - bring bubbly to meeting on Wednesday, I will look after it for you while you behave like serious business-woman type. It wasn't really meant as a compliment, or an insult - just an observation. The cynic in me says that being published is largely a matter of chance, but I think a lot of stuff here would be good enough, if you could actually get someone to sit down and read it objectively, rather than going, 'are you already on television, because we're only publishing novels by famous people these days?' Stormy - no offence, I just haven't got round to reading your stuff yet. (I tend to spend most time in the Story Gallery, so I don't always spot poets) I've had writing published, but not fiction. I did get paid though.

You might be pleasantly surprised at how many contributors to this site already have a 'slim volume' or two to their credit. Further, I'm sure that we have competition winners here and people who have had their work broadcast on radio and TV. Trouble is, like Liana, they do not boast about it, so we don't get to hear about their triumphs. We could embarrass the socks off some of these people by publicly 'outing' them. ha ha ha.

Oh, good point, Fish 'n' Chips. Was wondering that meself, having been...um...slightly published, like. (I'll just crawl off into the nearest corner to await accusations of boasting, shall I?). Thanks Andrew, by the way, for including me in your list...

andrew i have champagne ready for meeting on wednesday (i will be the woman at reception in the serious business type suit) ... be warned i have developed a new habit of falling asleep under people's desks ... hitch makes a good point ... i saw a fine review of fiona's collection in that rather delightful mag for writing women Mslexia only the other day ... and i know of other's "slim volumes" also ... tis no surprise to hear that you are published andrea ... it's a bit tricky this old trumpet blowing business ... hmmmmm .. do you think it is a case of false modesty?

It's surely not boasting to answer someone's interested question. And I am interested. Notice to carpers on the forum who think that having some sort of success makes you a 'boaster', steer clear of this thread and let me hear what people actually have to say. Maybe it should be a vampire type rule for writers on the forum - you can only talk about the 'published' word if you're invited. And I invite you. If it really, really bugs anyone that much, there are plenty of other threads out there to read.

Andrew, would you mind if I asked you what publications you have to date? Any books? Any work in magazines? Have you won any competitions or had any work broadcast? Have you in fact judged any competitions? I hope these questions do not embarrass you, but we are all interested. (Except those who have a vested interest in dumbing-down this site). What is wrong with everybody knowing how great their fellow contributors are? And their fellow contributors knowing how great they are?

hitch - i am tipped that you are the alter-ego of whom i now think of as the finest writer on this site, indeed the very same person to whom i recently sent fanmail!...i rather thought that andrew's question was a fair one...i'd be interested too, and i don't think he's suggesting that it should be compulsory or owt...

andrew - flattered you mentioned me in such dazzling company, but i've only been writing a few months and haven't written anything that i would attempt to get published... however several years ago i suffered a form of madness that caused me to think that i could earn my living writing crap for magazines...fortunately it lasted only a couple of weeks but during that time i WAS published - my hackneyed words were on the centre-pages of a football magazine, under the sub-heading "why one villa fan thinks that teenager dwight yorke has a big future"...i was chuffed to get thirty quid but with hindsight i reckon i was robbed...

Andrew - Sir Pack Tread without fear A leetle joke Very small beer Last time I looked Wouldn't ya know it Was just an old hack Never a poet See what I mean? Anyway, permission requested to stay among exalted company please? Otherwise I'll have to bugger off to Ta Chucks and wait for you all to finish.

*en-route to ta chucks* enlighteningly cryptic stormy!

did anyone read a while ago that article about the blokes who write The League of Gentlemen? what i liked most about it was that they had justified their childhoods of sitting on their arses watching telly ... i found that very cheering ...

Er, Andrew...what makes you presume we are unpublished writers? Is being unpublished a prerequisite of posting here?