nostr:npub1kkz4g387fk2fau6yj6rg5c8av38evzhyvj6cdtagpusg58zpjclswvw5rs Exactly! I offered her a choice of terrible rich person to see not getting away with murder: a retired general with a yacht (Dead Weight) or a smug art critic (Suitable for Framing), and she chose the general. I was tempted by Blueprint for Murder though, because it has such a great 'trap' at the end


She described it as 'dreamlike', which I can absolutely see. And she was fascinated by the audience's relationship to Columbo, as we're so often with the murderer's POV rather than his, and he's so enigmatic. We know him completely, but also know nothing about him. At one point she asked 'where has he come from? is he even with the police? is he real?' Immediately picking up on that slightly supernatural quality which makes Peter Falk's role in Wings of Desire so perfect! 😊


I've switched to Filen from Dropbox, happy with it so far https://filen.io/


nostr:npub15qfm3w3zezjan74fw82q7gnnjv2zfcmkwt7t2u3mskctl9n8au7samwmjf huh! Maybe, or maybe there's a regional variation here, or maybe everything's just blending 😊


Long day 😴


Now a free booster for everyone else pls


nostr:npub1qwfwcf70zzmjx6m4q03tx454jp9zdl57vzl3xmr7fy332lkntkdqvstac7 Today I've been listening to this album of 80s Peruvian synth pop music and I thought of you! 😊
https://buhrecords.bandcamp.com/album/viva-el-s-bado-hits-de-disco-pop-peruano-1978-1989


Last chance to join my Write The Uncanny workshop tomorrow - there's only one place left!! 😮

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/write-the-uncanny-tickets-682760423807

#AmWritingHorror #Uncanny #WeirdFiction #WritingCommunity


#WritersCoffeeClub 6 Oct: Self-published or trad-published? How's it going?

I write short stories and poems mainly and they've appeared in magazines and anthologies so I guess trad published? (Full list here: https://sarah-i-jackson.ghost.io/writing/)
I am thinking about self publishing a collection of my short horror stories though, as I'm finding it hard to place them anywhere as reprints.


nostr:npub1y2my82c5lg4c0gznvkhuxtr3funh65gkjcthjqarm69nnznvrfssk5kxr8 is there a non-Amazon place to buy the paperback?


Sharing chapters regularly with my novel group was helping a lot, but that has fallen apart slightly (due to unfortunate life stuff happening to multiple members) and I've drifted away from it again. But I'm down to share another couple of chapters in December, so I'm hoping to make some progress before then 💪🏻


#WritersCoffeeClub 5 Oct: What are your writing project goals?

Get to a complete second draft of my novel which I can share with beta readers. That feels such a long way off I am struggling a bit, even having broken the work down into small tasks. I know I'll get there, it just feels daunting 😐


#WritersCoffeeClub 3&4 Oct

Book jacket photos: if you like?

How I write the time: I think I'd probably write it five o'clock or 5pm but not than 5 o'clock or five pm, but I don't think it has come up yet


Finished all the things 🥱 Day off tomorrow! 🎉


Oh nice, two drabbles accepted for Shacklebound Books 'Programmed Hearts' anthology! On one of my favourite topics, too: robots and feelings 🤖❤

(Submissions are still open as far as I can see https://shackleboundbooks.wordpress.com/submissions/)

#MicroFiction #ScienceFiction


Second of two long, busy days today. Just chugging along 🚂😴


nostr:npub1lrtyjapq0p6h8ykd20z6pxh6l2p3lv2asc78v9dje7068q7xzvesaf2upz Gorgeous 😊 I feel like the #lichensubscribe and #mosstodon folks would appreciate these!


I'd love to get a few more sign ups for my metaphor course before we kick off in 3 weeks ✨✒✨

As well as looking at what makes a really good metaphor, we'll explore the opportunities (and challenges) offered by speculative genre tropes 🧝🏼♀🧟♀👩🏿🚀

More info and booking here: https://crowcollectiveworkshops.com/2021/11/15/metaphor-2/

#WritingCommunity #AmWriting #CreativeWriting #WritersOfMastodon


nostr:npub1kurdxkkjs35jchkt45nh6nzvg2cpal42mcr85vjyck4ge4rc4l6qxwva9q ha ha, it's true! So poetic


nostr:npub1y7z9m2cpffwa083uh25cu6evlc34kut4czdhcd4cacxmaa8tdmrqha6qmn thank you! 😊


nostr:npub1tms32tyfx5tnr9jd9u6az9j5cw3falcap3awch2j2rkxuhqzhrfqrysf6x there is some passive aggressive tea drinking! 😆


nostr:npub13u2tt66484zzex8f424q80hmrrfdv7rjqqhmx8g8ayfaeagr808s2266cv at one point they dance a devastating minuet 😆


#WritersCoffeeClub 1 Oct: Shameless self-promotion. What's your WIP? What's it about?

My big WIP is a historical fantasy novel set in 18thC London, in which a siren teams up with a tailor's apprentice to steal a fortune, using magic, murder, and impeccable manners 😊


I saw an October rose, in a clifftop graveyard overlooking the North Sea

#bloomscrolling #florespondence

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/158/482/790/222/730/original/3b28f981f9dbaed5.jpg


I also paid my respects at Anne Brontë's grave. While I read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre in my teens, I didn't read The Tenant of Wildfell Hall until recently. She was only 29 when she died 😔❤📚

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/158/419/689/563/669/original/12191d43c06ea7e7.jpg


I'm in Scarborough this weekend! I took a selfie with the castle

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/158/380/906/286/280/original/2161e428de518d0c.jpg

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/158/381/672/972/037/original/70d4fed8395a1327.jpg

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/158/382/661/428/097/original/69cf1c8e05e46192.jpg


#WritersCoffeeClub 30 Sept. What foolish things do people say when you tell them you're a writer?

None so far! Everyone has been really supportive, which I'm grateful for; I know that's not everybody's experience.


nostr:npub1sff49z2hysgt5r65rwxfqdkdx3pgevncncsv9ne0x9qt6cgaug6qxm24g2 thank you! It was a stunning view, glad I could capture something of it


#WritersCoffeeClub Sep 29: How do you format scene breaks in your writing?

Hashtag, centred.


nostr:npub1jxh77dw9flzhlr0e0nz5mnu808qktdeq5supffu5usnn0fqj6ycq22e7wy ha ha, or foolhardy perhaps 😄


nostr:npub1j66rxzmz6q5hcnap4aq0s6xxsa76mgtuc57fkem2ulvspcmpx52q73krh0 it's definitely a good problem to have! 😄 I could renew them if I run out of time, I guess, but I feel bad for all the people waiting


Erk, all my library audiobook holds have become available at once! 😅 Currently working my way through The Goblin Emperor, She Who Became The Sun, and A House With Good Bones at once


nostr:npub12qe6scz2z70xuxfpwrsslzxaamfg2gg2mlr4egqw6xe9cp39x7kq7a9guv it's true! I'd never thought of it like that before, discarded treasures


nostr:npub1vmndh4m5e4s0vwwhqkvwmt49hsmyqf3uvfuwptlyqmntl2xf8htqu9l97t woop! 🥳


nostr:npub12qe6scz2z70xuxfpwrsslzxaamfg2gg2mlr4egqw6xe9cp39x7kq7a9guv I have done so a total of one times


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 28 Do you practice “kill your darlings” in your work?

Yes, as needed. If I particularly like something though I'll usually save it in another document in case it might become something else later.


nostr:npub19h3fr2lqqvumtkc6qvfqr8y97e6w7fq4y07fj7msphrj9me9765s6ckqdg I'm sorry you're having a rough time, I hope things improve soon and the fluffy onesie helps a little ❤


Also kind of jealous, tbqh 😒


Argh, I have so much to do but I'm transfixed my cat in her sleepy fluffy majesty

#CatsOfMastodon

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/137/191/940/049/974/original/793601246dca7c4a.jpg

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/137/192/657/569/064/original/4c292d33fcdb9420.jpg

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/137/193/402/914/408/original/1ba5455285a1bf5a.jpg


(Largely tooting this as a reminder to myself as I steadily chomp through my to-do list.)


This week is very densely packed with work and errands because I'm away to the seaside on Friday for a friend's 40th. We're staying in Scarborough, which is one of my favourite places! Not least because it has a castle, a funicular railway, and a geology museum 🤓


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 27:
What's the strangest research you've done for your writing?

Probably reading a bunch of property surveyor reports 🤣 It was for a horror story about London property developers which is told through a series of documents.

It appeared in issue two of Archive of the Odd, which is a lovingly created 'found fiction' horror magazine https://archiveoftheodd.bigcartel.com/


Signed up for a teacher training course! Just a small one, but it will be useful, I hope.


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: Have you used a MacGuffin in your writing? Be honest.

Yes, there's one in The Willingham Bay Witches and in my novel WIP. Although in the novel the characters kind of know it's a MacGuffin, if that makes sense? It's a means to an end without much inherent value for them, as well as for me.


nostr:npub1fs40qcy6yfl4f4p6f077t0xnajhpq0jwrmuyc0qxq6wchwnkxdhs96207m aw, that special kind of stinky love ❤


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 25: What keeps you striving concerning your writing goals?

I was going to type out a long complicated answer but really it boils down to pleasure and curiosity.


nostr:npub13vquk7d3a9zur5n0zjwxgpcxc2fcpkpep9pgc5l09ac2petpl8ds05cct8 I love this 😊 I had to stop striving for mental health reasons and it turned out to be brilliant. Now I'm in a phase of softly striving, but I still try and prioritize joy


nostr:npub19lt4284mghqxekzm6n5njxurnxrxhqhrva2leusdsuu5ja5jeycq66qfjk Thanks! 🌱


nostr:npub1ct5725prg69wpzc4affrupv82g0sdj5ddls325tzlhepvz5vp04sr8m6n9 Take care, hope you have a good break and a chance to rest ❤


nostr:npub1aw9ee3qkw5rn9uvpcx7mc3dgh2g7kd48xv5ecwfq9cjgntakdftse3tpuq ha ha! I think that's your prerogative 😁 I suppose if there were any general observations you'd like to make about them that could be a compromise?


nostr:npub1aw9ee3qkw5rn9uvpcx7mc3dgh2g7kd48xv5ecwfq9cjgntakdftse3tpuq Thank you! How interesting


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 17: How do you promote your writing?

Haphazardly! I'm much more organised at promoting my writing workshops, and nostr:npub1z6wjf4juvk0aqfmwtl6r4vqg7y5u356xdwsjafcufhagudk8zx3qns2e2d. But I do share anything new I have coming out on here and in my newsletter. Here's all of it so far, anyway! https://sarah-i-jackson.ghost.io/writing/


My newsletter is going out tomorrow with some discount links for nostr:npub1z6wjf4juvk0aqfmwtl6r4vqg7y5u356xdwsjafcufhagudk8zx3qns2e2d subscriptions if that was something you were considering...

(It's a once a fortnight round up of interesting links and other bits and bobs, here's an example: https://sarah-i-jackson.ghost.io/email/0bdfcbd7-bdc9-47ff-b5c2-8c95e81d7328/)


Btw the poem that just got accepted somewhere is the one I was writing when I invoked Mr Rogers, which feels neat 😊

https://wandering.shop/@sarahijackson/110601308851114103


I'm extra pleased because both of these are science fiction, which I still feel a little nervous about writing, as someone who nearly failed Maths and didn't study any STEM subjects after GCSE. I won't stop though!


Oh WHAT a poetry acceptance now too?! 😃 I was fairly confident about this one but still, a lovely surprise 🎊


nostr:npub1tms32tyfx5tnr9jd9u6az9j5cw3falcap3awch2j2rkxuhqzhrfqrysf6x Excellent! 😊


#WritersCoffeeClub 16. Do you have prologues? How do you feel about them?

Another brief, boring answer today: I haven't had the opportunity to use one yet, and I have no particular feelings about them 😊

While you're here, can I interest you in nostr:npub1z6wjf4juvk0aqfmwtl6r4vqg7y5u356xdwsjafcufhagudk8zx3qns2e2d magazine? Opening for submissions for our first issue in two weeks! 😮


nostr:npub1ymh9yj43xk2apsed9yys5gud3tykwdjgr6ssl69a0rls9susgyys49geqx Thank you! 😄


nostr:npub1yk7q3f8crkvs5t0wkg9a7l0hrynvc8q5n9d209dq0h3dnun9gvmq7q8h8e Thank you! 😊


nostr:npub1kusyczza6c9nr95xl0kxug2nskp64m5yyj2r3s7sathxw025wpqswh9czk ha, thanks! 😄


nostr:npub1vmndh4m5e4s0vwwhqkvwmt49hsmyqf3uvfuwptlyqmntl2xf8htqu9l97t Thank you! 😊


Story acceptance, woop woop! 🤸🏼♂ It's the one I was feeling a bit  iffy about too 😊


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 15. Which conjunctions do you use the most? Does it matter?

I don't know and don't much care I'm afraid! 😄


nostr:npub1w4h7p7rmzf0vy5wqalttn8nkq5fcav722jlmpte40mjezz69vjjs87sk60 science fiction, fantasy, and horror 🙂


There's an absurdly good selection of affordable, inclusive writing workshops and courses open right now at Crow Collective, and I'm not just saying that because one of them is mine!

Take a look: https://crowcollectiveworkshops.com/category/workshops/

#WritingWorkshops #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #WritersOfMastodon


nostr:npub1d8jmymfve90zlqekc7ay2a7fp9zdc48kt7yhug9mpst5cnftur4qvg04lj that's so cool, congrats! 🥳


nostr:npub1yp2jn5k6jy0fwmhjuyv8h3j258ahk3kr6nqnt7pptykj69tw4jdspfdn9p Thanks - not much to go on! 🙄


I'm not sure if they have alt text on their images though? Guessing not because of the GitHub link to suggest it? I'm sorry if that's so. I use masto in my mobile browser to save on app space and since I moved instances I can't see which pics have alt text or not, or at least I haven't found a way to tell.


I get so much pleasure from nostr:npub18q47y65jzpra27wh6sr2rmchfyp2d9lq54famnc0yml7u5h9jsps7v0ewg. I just love seeing all those little fuzzy guys yelling their heads off 🥰


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 14.
Have you ever written about an ex-partner and changed their name in your story?

Recently I wrote a poem about an abusive ex, but I didn't include his name. I was holding onto a lot of unfelt anger about our relationship, and it was very helpful to put some of that rage into words. (I used SFFH metaphors, my favourite trick! 😆) It's on hold somewhere at the moment so hopefully it will be out in the world at some point.


Ooh, a hold notice, how nice! For a story I don't have a lot of confidence in, too. Nice to know someone likes it 😊


Feeling a little sad now that I'm not writing very much at the moment 😞 I'm still catching up with day job work, and teaching too (which also brings me joy, happily!) plus some volunteering, and preparing to open nostr:npub1z6wjf4juvk0aqfmwtl6r4vqg7y5u356xdwsjafcufhagudk8zx3qns2e2d... It's starting to even out again now at least!


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 13
Do you derive joy from writing? In what way?

I've really enjoyed reading everybody's responses to this one 🥰

Writing brings me joy too, in lots of ways. Just for example:
🌟 that silent satisfying click when you find the right words
🌟 when you meet your characters for the first time, really meet them
🌟 being able to show people around a little part of your brain
🌟 the sheer hecking wonder of having made something *out of thin air* that has the power to move people


nostr:npub1yp2jn5k6jy0fwmhjuyv8h3j258ahk3kr6nqnt7pptykj69tw4jdspfdn9p I thought you might appreciate them! 😄 *midmod five*


nostr:npub150z4kztu3mz252hwq5algk9vdrqucsexg3te45zy6ehyznqy9v8sewehc2 I'm so pleased! Means I can replace some 'just ok' plates as well


While I'm showing off trinkets I also got these decidedly unvintage midmod style double walled glass mugs at Wilko recently for  around £3.50 each! 🤩

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/057/840/890/735/419/original/68276e029b3c0e5f.jpeg


I love the design!

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/057/798/651/832/506/original/f924f7a51de53227.jpeg


Oh ~hello~ vintage Wedgewood plates from the charity shop 🤩

£3 each! I took all six although one is 'crazed'

#MidMod #ThriftStoreFinds #CharityShopFinds

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/057/754/474/532/493/original/9bb2560b48b18bdd.jpeg


Dream Foundry do all kinds of great projects across the "speculative arts" (not only fiction, but games, comics, art...) including contests, an online conference, and a large, well-moderated Discord server which has been a fountain of useful information and interesting conversations about writing, editing, and the SFF world at large.

Find out more about DF at nostr:npub14p2zdr8xquh7rzygp6s9kdwf9ac44jht3q2t6r4ld2wdfaqujqxscw82n5

And here's the invite link for the server: https://discord.com/invite/dreamfoundry


(It was "Yankee Doodle", I think)


#WritersCoffeeClub day 9.
Have you ever abandoned a writing project that wasn't working? What went wrong?

BUT I also abandoned stories repeatedly, in the past. Every time I tried to write something, in fact. The reason is that I wasn't emotionally equipped to write, I think. I had a very painful untold story, and I couldn't make any other stories 'stick'. Then when I did try to write my own story I kept hitting a wall. Now, knowing what I do about both trauma and writing, I understand why. 2/2


#WritersCoffeeClub day 9.
Have you ever abandoned a writing project that wasn't working? What went wrong?

Not recently, apart from a couple of flash pieces that didn't take off. But I might still go back to them, you never know! Once I've put the work in to develop an idea I will almost always keep going with it until it sees the light of day somewhere. It makes me sad to think of it sitting hidden away in a folder. 1/2


Phew. Gradually catching up with myself and my to-do list. Finished off a couple of bits of client work today, sent some emails, submitted some invoices 😴


nostr:npub166xqrfd8ntxr8hrjp352wk2tph6ttvxupxszpn5vshhupwwa0mkqr6vys4 ahh how lovely! ❤ did L have a favourite book? do you have a favourite?


nostr:npub1eeuda68pptpk52ddtkhm27euhplf8jm8nya524k2vzkvpszq88hqtt4aku Matilda in particular was very important to me, but I loved them all (except Danny Champion of the World, never could get interested in that  one)


nostr:npub1cj92tqzzazrr02v7grt9hxdkwufx3qp8wckemtfjgg2fsq9rerhqe9s25q Yay! I think they've been a bit overlooked tbh, although there was a great bbc radio adaptation recently


#WritersCoffeeClub Day 8: Did you like to read as a child? Which books were your favourites?

Yes! Books were my refuge.

My fave series included:

⚔ Song of the Lioness, Tamora Pierce
🏞 Dark Is Rising sequence, Susan Cooper
🕸 Snow Spider trilogy, Jenny Nimmo
🧙🏻♂ Earthsea, Ursula K. Le Guin (especially The Tombs of Atuan)
🐭 Redwall, Brian Jacques
🧙🏻♀ The Witches of Whitby, Robin Jarvis

Plus Narnia, Moomins, Alan Garner, Tolkein, Roald Dahl. Some standalone faves pictured too! ❤

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/028/328/953/120/104/original/cbbc1745cc25b22b.jpeg


nostr:npub1275kh7gxx6rtavvk4u8k3uawu4ca3mcw80akjtg6mwxl9vujepvsh4dgaf that's awesome, congrats! 🥳


And there's a café! It's the sweet, slightly chaotic community centre-type cafe that I love and always feel deeply at home in 😊Plus it's air conditioned and not that expensive, although still London so I wouldn't describe it as "cheap"


There were a lot of other things I liked about it compared to my poor, tatty local pool:

- big gender-neutral changing area with individual cubicles 😭(there were also women's and men's areas)
- reasonably clear signage (something that always stresses me out in health centres, I hate wandering around, dripping, trying to find my way into the right pool)
- you need £1 for the lockers but *you get it back* 😮


nostr:npub1q8wufp7jnrnd47wtcsv8dgfx2ag49peemc69gfhqyz05a4jf2l0sz37yd3 Yeah, it's one of the best things they did IMO. Midday, midweek in term time it was very quiet too. Briefly I had a whole 50m lane to myself 😮


Eleven years after it opened a 10-minute bus ride away from our house, I finally went for a swim in the London Aquatics Centre, aka the olympic pool! 🙌🏻🌊 It was designed by Zaha Hadid, and I've always admired the outside but inside was beautiful too (not my pics).

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/024/418/129/869/492/original/f62e20c43c5a0931.jpg

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/024/422/834/661/795/original/9517bfe088d3acfd.jpg


nostr:npub1av4nppkv3dxrwyvnld8l5uam527r2css2ej0ektkpthynhktzadsm994ku happy birthday! 🥳


#WritersCoffeeClub day 7.
Share an image of a favourite book cover design, other than your own.

I always liked the cover of this edition of Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel. It's striking and witty and  apt for a novel which blends the mundane and the supernatural. For me there's something about the medieval style which hints at the darkness of the story as well as the humour. Maybe associations with morality, mortality, witch trials, plague...

https://stockroom.wandering.shop/media_attachments/files/111/022/853/113/809/794/original/d1803b6a8803943e.jpeg


nostr:npub1yp2jn5k6jy0fwmhjuyv8h3j258ahk3kr6nqnt7pptykj69tw4jdspfdn9p (Tribbles, I mean!)


nostr:npub1yp2jn5k6jy0fwmhjuyv8h3j258ahk3kr6nqnt7pptykj69tw4jdspfdn9p It is such a good time tho 😊


nostr:npub1gfp69ey8xl9uv0k9upzvrjpr3k05ajglmugj6wlpftg82v7qpvxsqm7dx9 yes! So good. I love the Romulan reveal, and the submarine war vibes, and it's always nice to see Mark Lenard


nostr:npub1h69wx80lu0f9xnlez9md8cr9x90lgyw5fsgy9qnwzh6qncrwx37sg0v89m That makes sense!


Sarah Jackson

Writing SFF and horror. Offering friendly, supportive, and trauma-sensitive writing workshops and courses. SFWA, HWA, Codex member.

Likely to be tooting about ghosts, robots, feelings, books, moss, Star Trek. She/they. Bi/pan. 40ish.

Pic shows a smiling white person with short, dark green hair and an orange shirt.


Whenever nostr:npub155v5x2l9jyf44zxppky9arufn3zh5y92kpu2xquw65rh4fxz7fjqrtg6vj's away I tend to pick a comfort watch TV show and kind of inhabit that world for the week. This time it's Corner Gas 😊Wanda is my tiny smartarse hero ❤


nostr:npub1mxkqn7tt893sn78tskkqcx46rgjn7fcal4nkus5rl8nwhr2qmstsgqalwe YES I adore it and wish more people had seen it! Incredible script and acting from the two leads.


I missed my novel writing group call 🙁 But I did manage to meet up with the excellent nostr:npub19zk4yqup552zetey9wkymdrt66j4fvdqttu7drasheexl0e2w9aq46ynfj for a drink around the corner 🙂


nostr:npub1m3yycjz7vy8s9h84k552lj8r2744f96vxgkrefdfxke7gn0rryqqm2lm5r no idea! I would guess it's natural. Just a pattern in the bark worn in by the weather maybe