ABCtales Critiquing Service - good reports!

Posted by tcook on Mon, 26 Mar 2012

Over the years many of you have asked for a critiquing service and it has taken a long time to find (a) someone good enough to do it well and (b) someone who will charge what we regard as a reasonable fee. Finally, we've done it! Lorraine Mace is a freelance writer, columnist and tutor for the Writers Bureau. Winner of the Petra Kenney International Poetry Competition (comic verse category), Lorraine's fiction, features and humour have appeared...

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Dr Tony Redmond (2021) Frontline. Saving Lives in War, Disaster and Disease

Posted by celticman on Fri, 23 Jan 2026

Dr Tony Redmond (2021) Frontline. Saving Lives in War, Disaster and Disease Bertolt Brecht, Life of Galileo (1939) Andrea: “Unhappy the land that has no heroes.” Galileo: “No. Unhappy the land that needs heroes.” Dr Tony Redmond is no fictional hero. But we kind of already know him. Born into poverty. A man that wants to help others—no matter what or where they are. He’s paid the price. Almost a millimetre from total paralysis, the discs in his...

Story and Poem of the Week and Inspiration Point

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Fri, 23 Jan 2026

This week’s picks have been chosen by marandina: Sadly, the wonderful onemorething is recovering from a broken ankle so is indisposed at the moment. So here am I guest appearing to choose this week’s picks. There were many pieces to consider including some absorbing works-in-progress. Do have a look at: ‘Bron’ by Ivan the OK-ish part 7 at https://www.abctales.com/story/ivan-ok-ish/bron-7 ‘An Expedition To The Pole’ by HarryC part 1 at https://...

rabipalatdocmind

Posted by rabipalat on Tue, 20 Jan 2026

The mind is like a vast ocean with trials and tribulation taking it all, in a state of contiuous flux. To steady it is an hercuelian task but not impossible. In all my short stories ,i write about the mind and its ramificatios .positivily affecting us ,with a peck into its negativity also. Read all my stories, experience it and send a critical assessment, from which i wish to learn more and apply.

Sub Drama and Baby Talk

Posted by TJW on Sun, 18 Jan 2026

Black grandmas in the South are the best. Went to a sub shop to get a veggie sub and there’s this sort of counter thing in front of the toppings bar. Don’t know why. This black grandma came in with her grandson; all this I’m assuming based on appearance, age difference, dig? The kid grabbed the counter thing and pulled himself up, guess to get a look at the toppings, and his grandma said Boy, git yo ass offa dat man’s counter! The man making the...

The Camaraderie of Men

Posted by TJW on Sat, 17 Jan 2026

This past Friday I was operating a crane and my foreman comes on the radio to inform me that when the particular cargo ship I’m unloading is unloaded he wants me to come down and do some “receiving work” - moor incoming ships. I replied “Roger” and he replied “Well, don’t sound so fuckin’ thrilled about it, sweetheart. And don’t think that just because you’re cute I won’t kick your gloomy ass.”

Crowe returns this week

Posted by Robert Craven on Sat, 17 Jan 2026

Crowe returns this week. Its been a busy two week run, genrating interest and positioning THE PAYOUT GAME's visbilty for its release next Saturday 01,24.26. The ARC feedback is very positive, before Christmas I made a few adjustments and rewrote several scenes to reduce the occasional 'clunkiness' that slips through. Then you walk away from it. Here are my key takeaways form promotiong your own work 1. Consistency is key - same blurb, same...

Julian Hoffman (2019) Irreplaceable. The Fight to Save our Wild Places.

Posted by celticman on Fri, 16 Jan 2026

Julian Hoffman is trying to find a place in our ponderous world for wonder, or what he terms ‘radical amazement’. The beauty of connection in the age of desolation. ‘When it’s gone, it’s gone,’ he argues. He asks what are those special qualities that make us human? Our sixth sense, writer Rebecca Solnit calls it. Cultural as well as natural meaning. Lived experiences that act as in internal compass mapped by memory and spatial awareness. I think...

The Young Boy of Tal Al Zaater

Posted by celticman on Thu, 15 Jan 2026

In Northern Gaza’s Tal Al-Zatar, hungry stray cats wander war-torn streets. They seach for food among the debris and for the young boy who always cared for them. They stumble upon his charred remains, a life gone astray. Mohammed Moussa, The Face Before You: To Write Poetry on Genocide. Notes. ‘Listen to yourself,’ wasn’t some piece of New Age advice when we were younger. A whack on the lug was the remedy. My wee brother, Bod wasn’t one to...

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