Last Chance to Win
Hello everyone!
It’s hard to believe it’s already Thursday. A shoulder injury has me loathing computer work time a bit, and I will be glad once I am well and truly into the Australian long weekend.
Anyway, as you know, my first wedding anniversary was this past May 5th and since then I have been giving you chances to win some awesome prizes in celebration of the event. However, my goal was to get to 100 comments in one month.
…We aren’t quite there yet.
So here is everyone’s last chance to win some awesome Aussie prizes from yours truly.
As this is the last day and your last chance to win, I’m going to make things a little different.
You can still comment on the posts I have put up over this past month, but if you comment on this post, you must obey the rules.
This is a game of comment interaction. To keep the interaction going, you need to follow the rules: Answer the question of the person above you. Whenever you comment, you answer the question of the person above you (I will end this post with a question) and leave a question of your own.
You can also answer anyone else’s questions, but you have to make sure you at least answer the question from the person above you.
It’s as easy as that. Answer a question and ask a question in the same comment.
(I hope I’m making sense. Tiredness and shoulder pain may have gone to my brain.)
Try to keep the questions to the general site topic, but feel free to let the conversation flow. I will announce any and all winners tomorrow, so be sure to stop here throughout the day to join the conversation as well as stop by tomorrow to see if you have won.
My question is…
What is the best piece of writing-related advice you have ever been told?
June 5th, 2008 at 2:58 am
Never assume that you’re already as good as you’re going to get.
What’s the worst piece of writing you’ve ever been given?
June 5th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Answer to JM’s question: A friend of Beckett’s and Ionesco’s told young poet me: “Never use an adjective unless it’s surprising.”
Answer to Gillian’s question: As the publisher of a literary journal, I’ve received so many submissions I can’t bear to read, it would be impossible to pick the worst. If I can’t get past the first paragraph or two without wincing , I read no further. Bad writing is laden with cliches, bad grammar, and word abuse (eg, lay instead of lie, I instead of me, would’ve instead of had). Excellent writing exhibits the author’s understanding and love of the structure, rhythms and sounds of her/his language. Writers I love (eg Donald Barthelme ) are comfortable enough with their language to play with form and words in surprising and delightful ways.
June 5th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
As Carol did not leave a ? I will go back to this one…
What’s the worst piece of writing you’ve ever been given?
Recently my father who got me hooked in writing gave me an article he had written since his sobriety, and honestly it lacked everything he had going for him before. No passion, no rhthym and nothing that reminded me of my father. Kind of hurt to read it.
My question:
Where do you find your best inspiration from, reality or your mind?
June 5th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Oh, this is a tough one. Honestly, though, reality. Everything I write has stemmed from some sort of reality. The Australian landscape has been especially inspirational to me.
Who is your favourite character? (One you have created or someone else has created.)
June 5th, 2008 at 9:16 pm
My favourite character is the one I’m writing currently. In other words, it changes, regularly. I rather think that the creation of a novel depends on this fascination with a given character, for me.
What are your favourite plot devices?
June 6th, 2008 at 12:30 am
I like the ‘quest’ in stories, but I would have to say a MacGuffin is one I like best - especially when it’s a person.
What creative writing are you working on at the moment?