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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Discuss writing from ABCtales.com

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Lollipop (2024), directed and written by Daisy-May Hudson.

Posted by celticman on Wed, 28 Jan 2026

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002pvjy/lollipop Wikipedia Lollipop is a film with a simple enough plot. Molly Brown (Posy Sterling) is a recently paroled mother. She wants to get her kids back before she does anything else, which is heart-warming. A familiar fix for the 60%-70% of the 3500 women imprisoned in England and having children under 12, mostly serving sentences of less than 12 months. Unless you’ve got money, are comfortably...

The Kindness of Strangers (2019) written and directed by Lone Scherfig.

Posted by celticman on Tue, 27 Jan 2026

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Kindness_of_Strangers_(film) Sometimes we don’t know what to write. I thought this film would be shite, but it was really good, sums it up. Nobody really cares. The Kindness of Strangers others that. It’s the basis of most religions. We are what we give. Not in the hope of receiving, or as a morality play (although that may be part of that thing we call being truly human) or even the anguished cry of Marlon...

Please Win Us This Money!

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Tue, 27 Jan 2026

Soulfire77 has posted a puzzle on his blog. He's written a 'frankenplot' mash up of the plots of three novels, all by world famous authors If someone can solve it by February 1st, he's promised to donate $25 to ABCTales If you could all put your thinking caps on it would be much appreciated, and a very big thank you to SoulFire! https://www.abctales.com/blog/soulfire77/frankenplot

Frankenplot

Posted by SoulFire77 on Tue, 27 Jan 2026

Who wants to play " Frankenplot "? This is an excellent game to play with your well-read friends (if you have any). It's also a great way to stumble across new and interesting plot combinations for your own work. Here's how to play: I have mixed up the plots of THREE novels by world famous authors. All you have to do is GUESS which three novels I have used to create this new "Frankenplot". I have tried to make this first one a humorous...

Elvis v Priscilla.

Posted by celticman on Mon, 26 Jan 2026

Elvis v Priscilla. https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002nzws/elvis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_(2022_film) https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002b8kn/priscilla https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Priscilla_(film) Music and me, we don’t talk or do that walk. If the slim-hipped whip of a boy is someone the old dears in The Mountblow watch doing Karaoke turns out to be a bulky and grey haired John Brady, they never let on. I guess mums...

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.

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