| Author | Message | ||
     Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Folks, I never really know whether my writing is: a) Totally boring b) Reasonably decent *"It's totally boring," shouts the world.* So...I've written a short story (3849 words) for submission to an e-zine and, as my work is deliberately old-fashioned, I wondered if anyone who likes pseudo-Victorian supernatural stories would read it & give me their opinion. I'm not asking for something time-consuming like a proper critique, just for your view whether the piece is atmospheric enough and, more importantly, whether you fell asleep whilst reading it. In the unlikely event that anyone's interested, please write a mail here: stevejensen@hotmail.co.uk ...and I'll send the story to you. Obviously, I'll return the favour if you ever need critique from a literary moron. Thanks.  | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.76 |
Steve - mate, stop putting yourself down. Send it to me at frannypl@yahoo.co.uk and I'll read it. I'm no expert, but I'll tell you what I think. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Thank you, chief. The Manuscript from Hell will be winging its way to you shortly. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.67 |
Steve - got it. Just got back from a late supper, so I'll start reading it in bed now, and then e-mail my thoughts on it | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.4.18.104 |
I'd love to read your story Steve and get in on the ground floor of the creative process as it were. Send it to me at swalsh123@hotmail.com I promise nothing but a serious read and genuine constructive (gushing if you're lucky) comments afterward. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Lord Frank: The weight of a ton of italics will cause your bed to tip up at one end.  Seriously, thanks, chief. Stephen: Thank you very much! Prepare to cry at the humorous bits, and laugh at the serious bits. I'll send the MS now, mate. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
Go on, send it me as well at efilsgod_at_hotmail.co.uk | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Thank you, Weber. It's on its way now. | ||
| Stephen Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
Read your story this morning in work Steve and very much like your style of writing. I've emailed first impression comments to you directly. Hope you're okay with them as I'm not a trained reviewer. Yep, I'm not that busy today lol... | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Thank you, Stephen. I've replied to your email now, mate. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
Just sent you my comments matey. Nice little story. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Just replied, Weber. Thanks again. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
I'd like to appeal - ok, make that beg, lol - for readers again, folks. Frank, Stephen and Marc have all helped me a great deal and I'm grateful for that; more, please. Even if you actively hate the story and want to assassinate me, that would still give me some insight. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
I would, Steve, but I just haven't time at the moment as I have some assignments to mark by Monday, things to edit for what will be the last ever Pantechnicon, etc. Not to mention washing, ironing, shopping, gardening ... Sorry.  | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
The last ever Pantechnicon? Why's that, Caroline? | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
It's a long story, Steve. It hasn't been announced formally yet, but the site's been offline for ages - quarantined with a virus. It looks like it's not going to be possible to fix it, and people have moved on, got other things going on, etc. I have sorted out a way to publish the final one, as we'd accepted stories and non-fiction so we couldn't just turn round and say "sorry, can't publish you now". But, unless we find some other way to keep going, I'm afraid it's over and done with after that. PS: It's not Pantechnicon you're doing the story for is it? | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.97 |
Steve - just e-mailed you. Like Stephen, I'm not a professional reviewer or anything, so be kind to my waffle. BTW, it's all good, matey. Caroline - now young lady. Are you involved with writing in some way or other because I thought you said you didn't write. And are you a teacher of some sort? You mentioned marking something or other. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Cheers, Mr Frank. I'll take a look now. Caroline: Nope, it wasn't for Pantechnicon - I might have submitted to PCon before now, but I could never get on the site without Google Chrome warning me that a virus was going to kill my pc, me and my cat...or something like that. Have you any plans to publish PCon in another guise, like, on Wordpress, Blogspot and the like? | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Gah! Look at the critique Frank gave my story! And me also: Dear Mr Jimjams or whatever your name is, Your story stinks - I blew my nose in it & threw it in the bin. Ps I have it on good authority that your socks smell like pants & your pants smell like socks. Love, Frank xxx | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Frank - well, I'm "sort of" involved - like I said to you before I think, I dabble a bit. Pantechnicon is/was an ezine which I got involved with right from the start, doing interviews mainly. And I do a little flash fiction too - I've got a few pieces lying around t'internet somewhere. But I've never been paid for anything (except a tenner for a letter in the TV Times about the Coronation Street serial killer!), so I don't consider myself a "proper writer". Oh, and I ended up on the editorial team at Panties (as we affectionately called it). I enjoy editing. * thinks: I wonder if anyone here might be looking for a keen but inexperienced assistant editor, preferably for non-fiction * And, yes, my "day job" is a part-time freelance university lecturer in Management and Organisational Behaviour. I went part-time freelance when I had to give up full-time work because of my health problems 10 years ago. I have more control over my workload that way. So I ply my trade at various universities in the North of England, or doing online tutoring. Steve - has that virus problem been a problem for you for a long, long time or is it just the last few months? You're making me wonder if we've had the problem for longer than we thought. Oh heck, I wonder how many people we've infected?  As for publishing Panties some other way, it's been mooted as a possibility, but we really need somebody who could take on the entire editorship (with a team of willing helpers behind them, myself included). Trudi Topham, the original editor, had to pull out, and we've been running with a kind of makeshift team of people for the last couple of issues. But we also need someone who can do all the computer/technical stuff - and there's really no-one left with the technical skills nor the time/know-how to take it all on. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Hi again, Caroline. Oh, I didn't receive a virus from Pantechnicon - each time I tried to visit the site (in the past couple of months) a warning appeared onscreen: 'This website may be a phishing operation' or something like that; so I never actually got to visit Pantechnicon, sadly. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Ah, right! So you didn't see it before then? Pity. It was nice. You'd have liked it. Oooo, it's no good - I've just got to mention my interviews I did for it. From here, I did Ramsey and Des, and I also interviewed Steve Gallagher (my first!), Peter Duffell (director of Amicus' "The House That Dripped Blood") and Charles Black of the Black Books of Horror, along with a few Doctor Who-related people. Great fun. Some of the interviews have now gone elsewhere, but some (including Ramsey's) are currently unavailable anywhere. I'm hoping we can rectify that at some point. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Blimey, that's a truly impressive list. Sounds like you really should have been editor-in-chief, Caroline. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.100 |
Caroline - I'm going to have to rethink our relationship. Your secrecy has taken me by surprise. I'm not sure where I stand in relation to the giants you've just interviewed. Did I mention I once attended an Xmas bash at Ramsey's three years ago? Does that count? Steve - just sent you an e-mail, governor. I know I said I'd be resting up, but I took the laptop to bed for a short time. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Thanks, Steve and Frank, for your kind comments on my interviewees ... but don't forget, you haven't read the interviews yet! Frank: >>Did I mention I once attended an Xmas bash at Ramsey's three years ago? Does that count? << It certainly does. I'm impressed. >>but I took the laptop to bed for a short time.<< .. and where is your girlfriend, I hesitate to ask?  | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
What the great and good of the literary world are saying about Steve Jensen... 'Stop submitting rubbish stories to me or I'll call the police.' Ellen Datlow 'I've never heard of him.' Peter Straub 'I didn't say this.' Stephen King  | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
That really made me chuckle, Steve. Don't tell Frank you made me chuckle or he'll be jealous ...  | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Wait! There's more! Edgar Allen Poe after reading Steve Jensen's latest worst-seller 'Frankendracula in Space': 'I'd be spinning in my grave if it wasn't against Health & Safety laws...' Yes, where is Frank lately? Last I heard he'd pulled some ligaments after being taken for a walk by his dog. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
On this thread, Frank hasn't been seen since he went to bed with his laptop. I hope he hasn't short-circuited something! | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
I just hope my story didn't scare him off. Come baaaack, Fraaaaank! | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
Can anyone give advice for where I can send a story wot I writed? It's a fairly effective tale of obsessive love from beyond the grave and just under 3000 words. Thanx | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Dark Recesses might like your (excellent) story, mate. DR Submission page linked below: http://www.darkrecesses.com/?page_id=7 | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.79 |
Weber - try The Ethereal Gazette, they are always open to submissions, and try their sister mag, Tabloid Stories. They've printed 4 of mine, so I'm sure they'll be happy to read your work...(: Steve/Caroline - I never went away, I was always here...watching... Steve - did you have time to read any of my 'stuff'. Just curious??? Hope the cold has gone. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Funnily enough, mate, I'm just reading A Universal Heritage. I did write to you a short time ago about your work (not sure if you got it or not) but wanted to read the rest before writing again. I'm that impressed that I changed your name to mine on the manuscripts & and am submitting 'my' stories to all and sundry. Hope you don't mind; I'll send you a postcard from my St Tropez penthouse when I'm rich and famous. Or rather, my butler will. Seriously though, I've now read stories written by you and by Weber, and your stuff makes me feel like a total amateur. Why on earth you two aren't more serious about your writing I'll never know (this is not a reprimand of any kind - just a desire for good work to get its reward). | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
By the way, if by chance anyone wants to read a story featuring Oscar Wilde, Sherlock Holmes and Jack the Ripper, I'll gladly send the MS along. Don't all rush at once. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.79 |
Steve - I'm off out in a minute, but why don't you send it to me and I'll gladly read it. Will get back to you within the day. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Ok chief, thanks very much | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.71 |
Steve - about to read your story. Give me an hour or so. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
He needs to find the knife, the booze and the strong painkillers for afterward. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
If any female writers (or readers) would consent to reading my story, I'd be very grateful. Two reasons for this request: 1. The story's 'told' by a female narrator, and I'd like to know if the voice is convincing or not. 2. I'd like to see if a female reader 'gets it', understands the theme of the story. I have a short version (around 2000 words) or a longer version (3500-4000 words) available. If interested, please drop me a line at: stevejensen@hotmail.co.uk Thanks. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.106 |
Sexist pig. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
| ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 213.158.199.100 |
Steve - have you finished your new story? The one in a contemporary setting? | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Steve - how soon do you need comments? If you could give me a few days, I'd be able to have a look at the shorter version I think. I'm not really much into "historical" stuff though, and I might be too much of a "dumb blonde" (actually, I'm dark - well, when I cover the grey I am) to get it. But if you want to give me a go, email it to me at callag at blueyonder dot co dot uk (you know, with the right bits in there - spam-stopper, etc). | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Hey, Steve - got your story, thanks. Might be tomorrow (Tues) or later before I get the chance to have a read and get back to you. A bit tied up with things today ... | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.47 |
Is that a typo for Thongs? I know Frank said he was popping round to your place? | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
No problem, Caroline, there's no rush. Gawd, that Frank is insatiable. | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Steve - have you finished your new story? The one in a contemporary setting? Yes mate, and it's as terrible as all things contemporary are. I have sold my soul in order to gain a magazine credit; break out the violins, folks. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
"A bit tied up with things today ..." "Is that a typo for Thongs? I know Frank said he was popping round to your place?" Eeeek! Have you been spying on me again, Weber? * shock * No, I'm actually busy writing a case study to help students learn introductory management - the nearest I get to creative writing for my work. | ||
| Alexicon (Alexicon) Username: Alexicon Registered: 10-2009 Posted From: 88.106.45.242 |
Introductory Management? Ah,Carolinec I now see why you adore horror fiction so much - a restful diversion from the true horror that you're actually engaged in. lol Alex | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
>>I now see why you adore horror fiction so much - a restful diversion from the true horror that you're actually engaged in. << Yep, my students are true horrors! | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.244.100 |
I'm just finishing a new script myself. It is called I LOVE SATAN. That is not a joke. Yes, it is a comedy - an irreverent teen-comedy/loose-biopic/quasi-giallo, set in 370 A.D. Again, no, that is not a joke. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.56 |
I've got another story wot I just writed if anyone is interested - big if if they've just read that one I put on the Christmas horrors thread... | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.56 |
Anyone? | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
Send it to me if you like, mate, and I'll pass it on to Frank too. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
Are you and Frank an item now?  | ||
| Steve Jensen (Stevej) Username: Stevej Registered: 07-2009 Posted From: 82.0.77.233 |
It's just that Frank's not about much lately, as his girlfriend has been ill. So I thought I'd send Weber's story on to Frank, as we both enjoyed the last one Weber wrote. | ||
| Weber_gregston (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.56 |
Ta, I've sent you the story now. Sorry Steve W, I got you and Mr J mixed so you've got it as well. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
>>Are you and Frank an item now? << Yes, Gary, Frank tired of me and has gone off with Steve now. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Oh, being serious for a moment, just noticed the bit about his girlfriend being ill - sorry about that, hope she's OK. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 188.147.14.66 |
Caroline - she's fine now, my lady of the board. Steve - mate, emailed you. Weber - look forward to reading your story, pal. Would have offered earlier, but I've been off the board looking after my girlfriend. |