What's Happening In The Colony Right Now...

Love In The Time Of Cholera.
In Forum: Reviews Section

What is most memorable about Gabriel Garcia's Marquez's novel Love In The Time Of Cholera is its insistent portrayal of love, particularly romantic love, as...

Interview with an agent
In Forum: Café Life

Since we've been talking lots about submitting to agents, I thought I'd share a wonderful interview with agent Nadia Cornier that was part of my...

Music while you write?
In Forum: Café Life

I wrote for a long time today...just me, a tree, and my IPod. I always listen to music while I write. I almost have to.

Does...

Africa?
In Forum: Ask The Agent

Is it okay to set a book in Africa?

I ask because at last year's Harrogate Crime Writer's Festival I managed to corner Lee Child (bestselling...

Introducing the Main Location
In Forum: Café Life

I'm troubled... not too deeply mind. I'm not that dizzy.

But I have an opportunity to have Chapter 3 take the protagonist to the...

Well done Shandy.
In Forum: Café Life

In case you don't venture into Dahl (oh, sorry, thats Cartland!) Anyway, here's some great news from Shandy. Hope you don't mind me blowing your...

Book Club - Get Voting!
In Forum: Café Life

Hi

I've just posted the short list for this month's Book Club in the forum.

If you'd like to get involved, please pop along and vote for...

Really daft question.
In Forum: Café Life

But, gonna ask it anyway.

When writing in 3rd person POV are "personal feelings" exchanged for "visual feelings?"

IE. She felt the waves of nausea rise. To....

Multiplicity
In Forum: Café Life

I am getting to grips with the key opening scene of my WIP. I know what needs to happen and where it needs to...

Podcast Show Notes - Litopia After Dark : Author 2.0
In Forum: The Litopia Podcast

photo credit: newhousedesignTonight on LITOPIA AFTER DARK we're delighted to have as our special guest an acclaimed author who could be considered a signpost to...

Mixing first and third
In Forum: Café Life

I'm currently having a bit of a crisis over the issue of mixing first and third person the whole way through my novel. The switches...

How you create stories.
In Forum: Café Life

I don't get to interact with other writers very often and I was wondering how others go about creating their stories. Not the circumstances they...

Is all publicity, Good publicity?
In Forum: Café Life

Hi guys,

I've been absent from the group for a while purely due to lack of time. Could go on a bit longer but I will...

Putting books in boxes
In Forum: Café Life

Does anyone else get deeply frustrated about the way fiction has to be pigeonholed into genre - and all the snobbery that this entails? Everything...

Guide to Critiques Is Now Available
In Forum: Colony Announcements

The Colony’s 16-page guide to the critiquing process is now available.

Entitled “CRITIQUES - A GUIDE TO GIVING & RECEIVING” it summarises the key aspects...

Book Club Litopia Launches
In Forum: Colony Announcements

As you will see from the main forums menu, we have a brand new forum today entitled “Book Club Litopia”.

...

Crucible Threshold & Virtual Conferences
In Forum: Café Life

I have a few questions about a comment made in a new Colony Announcement titled How To Become a Full Member. ...

Vote For Us!
In Forum: The Litopia Podcast

If you enjoy the podcast, please vote for us every month at Podcast Alley, the site that produces the "top ten" podcast charts every month.

Just...

New critique guidelines
In Forum: Café Life

Peter has posted new guidelines on how to critique in the main Welcome to the houses. A guide to giving and receiving.
Could everyone please have...

Podcast Show Notes - Special Guest Alert! Kate Pullinger
In Forum: The Litopia Podcast

photo credit: net_efektWe’re delighted to announce that this Friday’s special guest on LITOPIA AFER DARK will be Canadian-born novelist and author of digital fiction, Kate...

Blogs Now Working Again
In Forum: Colony Announcements

Pleased to say that Colony Blogs are now working again. To see yours, or indeed any member’s, simply click on “Blogs” in the main...

Dissolution
In Forum: Reviews Section

This is the first in C.J. Sansom's Shardlake series of murder mysteries. Set in the reign of Henry VIII, it tells of hunchbacked lawyer Matthew...

Midnight is a lonely place
In Forum: Reviews Section

Barbara Erskine.

My first time with a review so here goes.

After a broken relationship, Kate (a successful biographer) rents a remote cottage on the Essex coast...

Congrats to new Mods/Officers
In Forum: Café Life

As you may have seen Peter has posted a 'Colony Announcement' about the introduction of new moderators and officers.

I just want to give a bit...

New Moderators & Officers Announced
In Forum: Colony Announcements

I’m delighted to announce that we are appointing several new Moderators and Assessment Officers:

Moderators
Bep
SeaSerpent
Crowe
...

Writers Digest Annual Competition
In Forum: Café Life

Here's the entry for the latest Writer's Digest Competition:

http://www.writersdigest.com/annual/

Good luck!

How To Become A Full Member
In Forum: Colony Announcements

When you first joined the Colony, your status was set to “Registered Member”. At that level, you have right of entry to a...

Podcast Show Notes - Litopia After Dark : A Big, Sexy Package
In Forum: The Litopia Podcast

photo credit: Mea Culpa Merlin Your book is written, re-written, checked and double checked and you're ready to find it a home. But...

Query Letters
In Forum: Ask The Agent

I've read books and internet articles about how to write query letters and whenever I submit to a specific agent, I follow their rules exactly....

Who would narrate your audiobook?
In Forum: Café Life

On the Podcast on Friday the topic of audiobooks for kids was discussed (listen, it's very good!). Anyway, I watched [i]Have I got News...

Terminology
In Forum: Café Life

I'm interested to know people's thoughts on appropriate terminologies. For example, terms like "fat", "blind", "crippled" etc are usually studiously avoided by journalists, politicians and...

Question from an ammeture who wants to be more...
In Forum: Café Life

I have written several novels and dozens (perhaps hundreds) of short stories all my life, but I am just now getting to the place where...

'Voice'
In Forum: Café Life

We are always told that as writers we need to develop our own unique 'voice'. It is always something which scares me, as I suspect...

Too close to home?
In Forum: Café Life

Does anyone - apart from me - worry about writing about things that are too close to hme? About people around you imagining that things...

the road of the dead
In Forum: Reviews Section

this is a YA I have read as part of my ongoing research into the YA market. Its a very good read that grabs...

writing scenes
In Forum: Café Life

When it comes to scenes, almost everything that applies in screenwriting also applies to prose fiction. There's a ton of really good information and lots...

Where is Cartland's Mod?
In Forum: Café Life

It used to be Bevgray, but now there is nothing but a big empty blank spot. Come back Bev, all is forgiven.
I know it's only...

Tomorrow's Special Guest Is Simon Flynn of Icon Books
In Forum: The Litopia Podcast

Whose website is here:

http://www.iconbooks.co.uk/

They're an independent British publisher, nice people and a good list.

Do join us to listen to Simon Flynn, their publishing director, and...

Descriptions
In Forum: Café Life

Hi,

I'm looking for feedback on a character's description in my current WIP. How it can be improved or modified, or how you see the...

comment on exposition
In Forum: Café Life

I posted this in Cafe Grande before I realized there were two "cafes" and I don't understand what the difference is supposed to be. Is...

The contemporary English novel - Blenheim Orchard and On Chesil Beach
In Forum: Reviews Section

Just finished reading these two recent paperbacks by two of the country's best writers of contemporary literary fiction, Tim Pears and Ian McEwan.

I should start...

The Joshua Files
In Forum: Café Life

I got my copy, and my daughter is already 1/4 of the way through. It is attracting a lot of interest in her classs...

Like the look!
In Forum: Café Life

I've been absent. Only a day or so, well okay, yesterday, but wow, look at the colony. Fabarooney.

Hello Goodbye
In Forum: Café Life

Hi all,

tomorrow is my 21st day on Litopia, and I've apparently failed to collect even one of these little green point thingies, so it looks...

Well, gor blimey
In Forum: Café Life

I've just finished a detailed chapter-by-chapter plot and subplot outline of The Mappe of Murders. It's all sort of fallen into place and when semester...

Books you should have read, but never got round too.
In Forum: Reviews Section

We all know we're guilty of it. There are books out there that everyone has down as classics, and that we know we'd probably love,...

Sensitivity
In Forum: Café Life

Hi guys,

I wanted to expand on something Peter Cox covered well in his audio introduction to critiquing. I think he said it better than...

Goodbye from Flick
In Forum: Café Life

Hi

I've had an email from Flick to say she's been blocked from accessing the site. Obviously she's not been accepted as a member, which is...

HELP! Title ideas
In Forum: Café Life

My editor has told me that the marketing team don't like my title for my third novel. I had called it 'Accidents of Geography' which...

Podcast Show Notes - Litopia After Dark : Virtual Dinner Party
In Forum: The Litopia Podcast

photo credit: Théo La Photo Dinner parties! Soul food for the chattering classes (if you’re a writer that means you). Don't you...