Favourite contributors!

Mark, I share your comments about wrting and being published. As one who has,over the years, had modest succes in animal and yachting magazines, and still has a monthly column in a professional magazine, actual publication is vital- for me- to get that motivation. Even more important is to be PAID for your efforts (no matter how little) If you believe in your talent why should you always di it for nowt? Yes, I have enough rejection slips to paper a room, yet I go on-why? My better half thinks's I'm round the bend.Maybe she's right, but now I am trying to get children's books published-and that's the toughest genre. I may have to lok at self-publishing in the end. Keep on writing, and one day you may suddenly become another J.K. Rowling and a millionaire- we can all dream, can't we!

Great topic! I love Anne Fulham's stuff (http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewUser.cgi?u=annefullam) particularly Pretty Vacant - it's very dark but really hits home. Ranting Joe (http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewuser.cgi?u=ranting_joe) is deeply cynical and very funny - the set is called "How to be a student: a survivor's guide" but it's worth reading even if you've graduated (or hate students!) Pixy73 (http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/searchusers.cgi) Only one story (sadly) but very dark and very evocative Jenny Bean (http://www.abctales.com/abcplex/viewuser.cgi?u=jennybean) How ee cummings would have approached the short story . Stream of consciousness that strongly evokes a time and a place.

They do that at fanfiction.net, but the site's a little high on flamers (reviewers who only give out bad reviews, with little thought put in to them, ok so the basically swear at you) but don't be put off, some comments are really helpful (I use the same alias by the way ::wink, wink::

I'm about to look up these recommended authors but I thought I'd just give a quick mention to 'looli'. I think her poetry maintains the sort of consistently high standard that I can only dream about. (Her two stories are pretty good too.) One thing does worry me though, (maybe it should have its own thread?) and that's the ratings that are given by our fellow readers. I've been quite lucky, fingers crossed, but I've seen some very low ratings for work that I think is okay. I know we all have different tastes, but I look at the ratings for 'A Penny For Your Thoughts' which has one star from eleven readers, and then I see 'The Plopsicle' by 'dogplop' which eight readers have given an average of three stars. I'm not saying that one is 'better' than the other, but I would love to know what other people think about when they rate contributions. For me, I think a little about the style and structure (particularly when reading stories), but mainly I ask myself whether the poem has engaged me emotionally. What do others think?

I think 'The Plopsicle' is a great poem, and if you don't like it give it one star rather than publicly denouncing it. If you read the rest of the poems, you might notice that they are all tongue in cheek.

I seem to have started something here... Firstly, let me just thank the person who went through all my work rating everything with one star - very mature! In the interests of clarity, let me repeat what I said in my message, 'I'm not saying one is 'better' than the other', just that these two poems are completely different, so provide good examples for a discussion on ratings. I realise now that I didn't make that clear enough, so Dogplop has my unreserved apology. (As it happens, I think 'Jimmy and the Dog' is really funny.) Let the world know that I have just learned a valuable lesson in email etiquette. I would still be interested in what others think about when they give ratings so my original question still stands.

Jenn Thomas-Orr's essays are brilliant! Let's have something meaty and thought-provoking like this billed as story of the day please!

Yes rating is a very blunt instrument and I haven't done so yet for anything on abc. We all have a very personal response to poetry and creative writing in general and we all have very different reasons for sharing our work and for writing in the first place. However I think that we are able to say that some writing is better than other 'within the genre'. There are both excellent and terrible in humour, love, political comment etc. The better stays around because it engages the mind and expands our experience. It makes us think. So if I were to rate it would be an expression of my personal response according to those criteria and how they make me see things differently.

Personally on the rating issue- I rate stuff that I felt was 4 or 5, but if I didn't like it, I tend not to give a rating, just feeling that it wasn't perhaps right for me. There's plenty off stuff in bookshops that I would only rate one or two stars, so my feelings are no broad indication of quality. Giving something 1 or 2 stars doesn't really help the author know what was wrong with the piece, so if I read something which I thought had potential to be a good piece but was flawed in some minor way, I don't know, maybe I would e-mail the author with some constructive criticism. Hard to say. Personally, I prefer to get a short email saying what someone thought than them give it a star rating. On favourite contributors, Andrea is very good and I like Andy Barratt's stuff very much.

Hmm To tell you the truth chaps I don't really think anyone reads each others stories on ABCtales except for maybe the editors. Writing for many is an ego thing, it makes them feel good when someone responds to their work in a positive way, much of my own work on the site has been cherry picked but I doubt very much if many people than my friends have read them. I may be wrong of course in which case slap my wrists. Still love the site though.

I don't think that just the author's friends, family and the ABCTALES editors are the only ones to read the stories on the site. There must be more people out there who,like me,have not even contributed to the site but enjoy a cracking good read with their curly cheese sandwiches at lunchtime! I think ABC is a fantastic idea and maybe if I ever grow a bravery gland,I may put something of my own online! You have an audience,my friends!

My favourite contributor would have to be Sooz (Sue Simpson). I think she is a real talent. Quite often there's a sudden ending, which makes me think that she probably tells a good joke. She's also a little naughty - well, very naughty, and I approve of anything along those lines. Another story I enjoyed was Mark Say's tale of how he found his father on an Indian reservation. I agree with Andrew. I rate a story four or five if I think it's deserving, but I'd never rate someone one or two. I feel that's a bit low. If you don't like the guy's writing just move on to to the next story. We should all be here to give each other encouragement. If someone's spent their time creating a story, be it good or bad, then they deserve a little support.

I'd tend to agree with using a ratings system to encourage writers, because i know that i only rate a piece if i "rate" it, i don't like discouraging people since the only thing wrong with all the one star writing of this world is maybe that i don't "get" it. Any ratings system including the picking type used on abc is subjective and as such i shouldn't read too much into bad scores, for anyone who might be disheartened! ___ On the Favourite contributors" topic, i'd recommend liana and mark ashley . Liana is one of the best relationship poets (to pigeonhole her) in Britain, and Marks writing is always either haunting, surreal, disconcerting and often all three. i would heartily recommend a browse through their collection. ___ Cheers! Rick

Just been having a play with the random story function and as if by magic, the first piece turned up was by Andrew Pack. It's called 'Oh, I Know a Lot of Things' and I strongly recommend reading it - very dry, in style as well as substance (by which I mean cynical, not dull!) A few stories later, 'Worm that Turned' by Auntie Jackie showed up - great kids story - really sweet. Bargain Break by Liza Granville (Liza) is fantastic - I won't give the end away but it would definitely fit in any of the sci-fi/fantasy anthologies I've got - a great story.

Bob Parsons - did you ever live on Herbert Ave. in Toronto, Canada?

Haven't read a whole lot yet ... I like Barry Wood

Thank you ABCTales for introducing me to the sensuous prose and poetry of Ivoryfishbone. Read Drum and you'll see what I mean!

Thanks very much for your comments Emily. If you read "Bored Games" you might find out a bit more about the interviewer in "Oh, I know a lot of things". Very kind of you to say so. I have to say that Andy Barratt's "Noodles" is the best thing I've read in a long while, here or in bookshops. I understand it's going in the magazine, which is good news. Maybe we should all make a habit of sampling a random story every time we log in - sort of a netiquette for the site ?

I have to say that author 'Mandylifeboats' has just given me best laugh I've had for weeks, I just love the name, he/she has a great sense of humour, it's what's kept me from suicide for years!

russian rounetiquette?

i can tell you for a fact that bob parsons has never lived in canada ... but he HAS lived in melton mowbray ...

Well Ivy, someone has to!

Hey, Were you talking about me??? I'm dying to know!! :) --Andrea

I think it would be awesome if they had some sort of comment system where you could comment on the poetry and it would appear at the bottom. Sort of like what is used at deviantart.com (where I go by the name of neoMorph, I know, I know, it's a shameless plug...). That way you could actually tell an author how to improve his writing. But the user could turn commenting off, like you can the star rating system.

Reply to Andrea's posting - yes, I was talking about you. But in a good way... I'm enjoying this forum - although there have been a few gripes, I think it is very interesting that the topics on writing on the site and writing in general are far more popular than 'Getting published'. Maybe this is a mini-topic of its own - is having a book published still the be-all-and-end-all in this post-internet world? After all, the chances of earning enough to quit the day job is pretty rare. The book world is still bitching about the advance that Martin Amis got for The Information, which didn't strike me to be that massive for essentially two years work. The recognition is obviously a factor, as is the (no-doubt) sense of warm satisfaction when you go into Ottakars and see your name on a spine, or click on Amazon to see what reviewers are posting; but let's be honest, you have to weigh that up against the very high likelihood that your pile of reject letters are going to be more substantial than your actual work. Is it more important that you write something that gets some interest and recognition from fellow writers, or is publishing still the only goal in writing ? I'm not saying I have a definitive answer, hell, I'd like to buy a copy of my own book and watch the query float over the assistant's face as she takes my Switch card and checks the name, but I wonder what others think.

Reply to Andrea's posting - yes, I was talking about you. But in a good way... I'm enjoying this forum - although there have been a few gripes, I think it is very interesting that the topics on writing on the site and writing in general are far more popular than 'Getting published'. Maybe this is a mini-topic of its own - is having a book published still the be-all-and-end-all in this post-internet world? After all, the chances of earning enough to quit the day job is pretty rare. The book world is still bitching about the advance that Martin Amis got for The Information, which didn't strike me to be that massive for essentially two years work. The recognition is obviously a factor, as is the (no-doubt) sense of warm satisfaction when you go into Ottakars and see your name on a spine, or click on Amazon to see what reviewers are posting; but let's be honest, you have to weigh that up against the very high likelihood that your pile of reject letters are going to be more substantial than your actual work. Is it more important that you write something that gets some interest and recognition from fellow writers, or is publishing still the only goal in writing ? I'm not saying I have a definitive answer, hell, I'd like to buy a copy of my own book and watch the query float over the assistant's face as she takes my Switch card and checks the name, but I wonder what others think.

Dear Mark How come you can say bugger on here and I can't even have coccoon in a poem without it going through the censors?:-) Would you mind if I put some undiluted Shane Macgowan lyrics on the favourite lyrics strand? The vibe would be strangled in a daisy chain of asterisks

Fey - yes please do put some Shane MacGowan lyrics up, long as it's not that bloody terrible Xmassy song which has taken me years to forget and which I don't want to be reminded of. While I'm here, favourite contributors: Cellarscene - "Kiss" is a perfect poem, and "A Walk...(can't remember the full title) is a simple idea done brilliantly; buggered if I know why no cherry and so few hits, but it's got 5 well-deserved stars. Andy Barrett - well written and absurd short stories

I'm sorry but I disagree with you. I for one try to read at least as many of other peoples stories as I post of my own. I think that's only fair. My favourite way of reading is by using the random button. And I have to admit I still get a little buzz when one of my own stories appears.

Me? Naughty? How could you possibly sugest such a thing? Thanks Karl you have made my day and made me very, very happy. By the way have you heard the one about .... I don't think I know a single clean joke, but I do tend to make people laugh because I've got a cackle that can stop traffic and seems to be pretty infectious. However whether they are laughing with me or at me is something I try not to ponder too deeply. You are a lovely man who never seems to have a bad word to say about anybody. And you tell a pretty good yarn yourself.

I so agree with you. I think what stops them doing this is the fact that some of us beings tarred with the brush of humanity can be cruel. But let's face it you have to have a certain amount of guts to post your work for the world to see in the first place and by doing so you have to be prepared for some people to not be impressed. I write some complete and utter crap and am the first to admit it, but sometimes I write something that I quite like, and then very rarely I write something that I'm actually very pleased with and quite proud of. I love postive critisism BUT I like negative comment almost as much. Someone saying nice things about your writing is what spurs you on and gives you encouragement, but when they tell you what's wrong with your writing then it helps you make it better. If someone said to me "That was crap" I'd be hurt and disgusted by their lack of manners. But if someone said to me "That was crap because...." I'd write back and thank them for their help. I'd love to have a comment option.

Dear Mark Whatever Shane MacGowan's got (and he's got something, I promise) he has it with and without teeth. I've not heard much Joni Mitchel; what I remember is gentle and clever. But the SOUND didn't give me the feeling like my spine had turned into a waterfall going upwards, so I've never bought any of her stuff or read the lyrics. Change of subject. If you or anyone else watched Walk On By (not yesterday's - last week's, about Blues) do you know the names of any of the singers they had to illustrate the bit about a song writer who was waiting at a station when a man just began doing Blues next to him, and then the songwriter made it more mainstream. The stuff before what the songwriter did? I was too busy listening to look ROBERT It was the second half of Sea Shanty I had in mind. Thankyou for saying about cellarscene

mark, Re shane mcgowan, (Dear Robert and Fey, are you Mad? I can't take seriously someone's lyrics who makes an ugly sod like me look like Clark Gable); the value of someone's writing has nothing to do with their looks. Get a life and some critical faculties. You're supposed to be one of the editors here.

cheers andrew ... have tried andy barrett ... *impressed*