Monthly Archives: July 2013

Wednesday Write-in #50

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Welcome to the Wednesday Write-in!

CAKE.shortandsweet runs a write-in every week to writers to practise their skills, and get chatting to each other about their work. Everyone is welcome to join in, and the more people you tell, the more everyone will get out of it.

Prompts

recycled  ::  hindsight  ::  manic  ::  pair  ::  button up

Guidelines

There are no hard and fast rules, but here are some brief guidelines:

  • You can use the prompts as inspiration or try to work them into your story somehow. Use as many as you want.
  • When your story is done, post it online (your blog/twitter/in a comment here), tag with #wednesdaywritein if you like, and comment with a link so we can read it.
  • Please take the time to read and comment on as many other stories as you can.
  • If you want to write a poem, a script, or something completely different, feel free.

Get Involved

Look for us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up with the write-ins, or click the follow button to get blog updates!

Join our CAKE.writers group on Scribophile, a free online community for writers to give and receive constructive criticism.

Read our Previous Issues and check out the Submissions page if you’d like to be a CAKE.author!

Any questions? Otherwise, have fun writing!

CAKE.shortandsweet @ Mancstercon this weekend!

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That’s right, there’s a brand new indie comics convention taking place in Manchester this weekend, and we’re going to be part of it.

Mancstercon poster: http://mancstercon.wordpress.com/

As many of you know, we’ve been working on some short story pamphlets which will be sold at the con to raise money to support CAKE. Editor Sarah Grace Logan will be selling these along with a pamphlet of her own work, and an e-book will be made available soon.

The part you’re really interested in, however, is that we’ll be selling homemade cakes and other baked goods on our stall!

Like these irresistible butterhorns. Mm.

Like these irresistible butterhorns. Mm.

We’re also part of Sunday’s programme and will be delivering a writing workshop in the afternoon. This is in place of our usual meeting at Nexus.

So, just to be clear: the writing group will not meet at Nexus this Sunday, but at Madlab. This will require you to get an entry pass for the convention, but it only costs £3 on the day, and CAKE.writers will get a free cake from our stall as a thank you for coming! If you want to come for the whole weekend, £5 gets you a weekend pass, including entry to the pre-party on Friday night.

madlabmap

Check out the map here.

New Writing Workshop @ MCDC

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From this Friday August 2nd, I’ll be running a creative writing workshop to tie in with the Forming Words exhibition currently being held at Manchester Craft & Design Centre.

Manchester Craft & Design Centre’s latest exhibition, Forming Words, showcases a selection of contemporary craft objects which have been inspired and informed by text. Each work in this exhibition was specially commissioned by Flow Gallery, London, and responds to a piece of writing of the artist’s choice, from poetry to a letter to lyrics. MCDC is the exhibition’s first touring venue outside London.

The exhibition features 17 international artists from the UK, Ireland, USA, the Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden. Each artist has approached the theme differently, resulting in a thought provoking exhibition showcasing the inspiration that text can provide.  It showcases a variety of disciplines including jewellery, ceramics and enamel.

Forming Words will be open at Manchester Craft and Design Centre on Saturday 13 July 2013 – Saturday 9 November 2013

The workshop will run 11-1 every other Friday for a couple of months (I’ll update when I know exactly how long it’ll run for!). Take a look at the Facebook event page to find out more.

You don’t need to bring anything except paper and something to write with. People sometimes bring laptops or tablets to my workshops; this is okay, but I do often end up making people do things that can only be done with paper!

The workshops will respond to the exhibition, and look at a range of different creative writing skills and techniques. The focus will be on short stories and longer fiction, but poetry and script writers are encouraged to join in. There will be no pressure to read work out, and inexperienced/new writers are very welcome.

Wednesday Write-in #49

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Welcome to the Wednesday Write-in!

CAKE.shortandsweet runs a write-in every week to writers to practise their skills, and get chatting to each other about their work. Everyone is welcome to join in, and the more people you tell, the more everyone will get out of it.

Prompts

inside and out  ::  tessellate  ::  starvation  ::  floral  ::  sweat

Guidelines

There are no hard and fast rules, but here are some brief guidelines:

  • You can use the prompts as inspiration or try to work them into your story somehow. Use as many as you want.
  • When your story is done, post it online (your blog/twitter/in a comment here), tag with #wednesdaywritein if you like, and comment with a link so we can read it.
  • Please take the time to read and comment on as many other stories as you can.
  • If you want to write a poem, a script, or something completely different, feel free.

Get Involved

Look for us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up with the write-ins, or click the follow button to get blog updates!

Join our CAKE.writers group on Scribophile, a free online community for writers to give and receive constructive criticism.

Read our Previous Issues and check out the Submissions page if you’d like to be a CAKE.author!

Any questions? Otherwise, have fun writing!

Trouble commenting?

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I’m not sure if WordPress has upped its spam-catching radar lately, but a lot of comments have been disappearing into spam. If your post doesn’t show up right away, let me know either in an email to cake.shortandsweet@gmail.com, or on facebook, and I will free it as soon as I can.

A lot of spam comments are just jargon sentences with long web links. So, one way to avoid your comments dropping into spam by mistake is to embed your web links within the text. This is easy, I promise!

Type <a href=” “> </a>. That’s easy, no? It’s just working out where to put what.

You put your link inside the bracket and the text you want to appear between the two brackets.

<a href=”https://cakeshortandsweet.wordpress.com/2013/07/17/wednesday-write-in-48/“>Wednesday Write-in #48</a> will end up looking like this: Wednesday Write-in #48.

I hope that’s useful – if anyone is still having problems, please let me know!

Wednesday Write-in #48

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Welcome to the Wednesday Write-in!

CAKE.shortandsweet runs a write-in every week to writers to practise their skills, and get chatting to each other about their work. Everyone is welcome to join in, and the more people you tell, the more everyone will get out of it.

Prompts

toxic  ::  imprint  ::  fluorescent  ::  cream  ::  water pressure

Guidelines

There are no hard and fast rules, but here are some brief guidelines:

  • You can use the prompts as inspiration or try to work them into your story somehow. Use as many as you want.
  • When your story is done, post it online (your blog/twitter/in a comment here), tag with #wednesdaywritein if you like, and comment with a link so we can read it.
  • Please take the time to read and comment on as many other stories as you can.
  • If you want to write a poem, a script, or something completely different, feel free.

Get Involved

Look for us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up with the write-ins, or click the follow button to get blog updates!

Join our CAKE.writers group on Scribophile, a free online community for writers to give and receive constructive criticism.

Read our Previous Issues and check out the Submissions page if you’d like to be a CAKE.author!

Any questions? Otherwise, have fun writing!

Forming Words at Manchester Craft & Design Centre

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From the first Friday in August, I’ll be running a writing workshop at the Manchester Craft & Design Centre, based in the Northern Quarter. They are hosting the Forming Words exhibition, and have invited CAKE to use their new events space throughout the course of the exhibition.

MCDC is having a free launch event this Saturday, between 2 – 5pm. There’s going to be live music, plus food and drink served in the café (which I can confirm is all delicious), and of course a first look at the exhibition. If anyone is free, it would be lovely to have a CAKE contingent there!

I’ll post more later about the workshops, which will begin on Friday 2nd August and will run from roughly 10am – 12pm. 

For now, here’s a little more about the exhibition itself:

Manchester Craft & Design Centre’s latest exhibition, Forming Words, showcases a selection of contemporary craft objects which have been inspired and informed by text. Each work in this exhibition was specially commissioned by Flow Gallery, London, and responds to a piece of writing of the artist’s choice, from poetry to a letter to lyrics. MCDC is the exhibition’s first touring venue outside London.

The exhibition features 17 international artists from the UK, Ireland, USA, the Netherlands, Finland, and Sweden. Each artist has approached the theme differently, resulting in a thought provoking exhibition showcasing the inspiration that text can provide. It showcases a variety of disciplines including jewellery, ceramics and enamel. 

Forming Words will be open at Manchester Craft and Design Centre on Saturday 13 July 2013 – Saturday 9 November 2013

Wednesday Write-in #47

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Welcome to the Wednesday Write-in!

CAKE.shortandsweet runs a write-in every week to writers to practise their skills, and get chatting to each other about their work. Everyone is welcome to join in, and the more people you tell, the more everyone will get out of it.

Prompts

charm  ::  inverted  ::  herb garden  ::  mistaken identity  ::  terrorist

Guidelines

There are no hard and fast rules, but here are some brief guidelines:

  • You can use the prompts as inspiration or try to work them into your story somehow. Use as many as you want.
  • When your story is done, post it online (your blog/twitter/in a comment here), tag with #wednesdaywritein if you like, and comment with a link so we can read it.
  • Please take the time to read and comment on as many other stories as you can.
  • If you want to write a poem, a script, or something completely different, feel free.

Get Involved

Look for us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up with the write-ins, or click the follow button to get blog updates!

Join our CAKE.writers group on Scribophile, a free online community for writers to give and receive constructive criticism.

Read our Previous Issues and check out the Submissions page if you’d like to be a CAKE.author!

Any questions? Otherwise, have fun writing!

CAKE. short story submissions

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I’m going along to an indie comics convention in Manchester the first weekend of August, and have been asked if I’d like to sell some books there. You can read more about Mancstercon here, and of course do come along if you’re in the area! It just costs £3 for the whole weekend. It’s at Madlab in the Northern Quarter. 

I’d like to put together a short story pamphlet of work by CAKE authors to try and sell at the  con (with money going towards printing the monthly issues again).

The only catch is that I need stories by the end of the weekend. If you would like to submit a story, please email it to cake.shortandsweet@gmail.com by midnight on Sunday*. Submissions should be 500 words or less.

If you want to submit something you’ve already written for the Wednesday Write-in, that’s fine, and I’m very happy if you want to edit it before submitting.

I’m also hoping to move the writing group over to Madlab for the weekend so we can get involved with the talks and festivities there, and meet some new people. I’m currently chatting to the organisers, so I’ll get back to you nearer the time about whether or not we’ll be there.

 

Any questions, just let me know!

 

*that’s just midnight wherever you are – I’ll check them on Monday morning 🙂

Wednesday Write-in #46

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Welcome to the Wednesday Write-in!

CAKE.shortandsweet runs a write-in every week to writers to practise their skills, and get chatting to each other about their work. Everyone is welcome to join in, and the more people you tell, the more everyone will get out of it.

Prompts

hamlet  ::  prescription  ::  sorting  ::  missing person  ::  cocoa

Guidelines

There are no hard and fast rules, but here are some brief guidelines:

  • You can use the prompts as inspiration or try to work them into your story somehow. Use as many as you want.
  • When your story is done, post it online (your blog/twitter/in a comment here), tag with #wednesdaywritein if you like, and comment with a link so we can read it.
  • Please take the time to read and comment on as many other stories as you can.
  • If you want to write a poem, a script, or something completely different, feel free.

Get Involved

Look for us on Facebook or Twitter to keep up with the write-ins, or click the follow button to get blog updates!

Join our CAKE.writers group on Scribophile, a free online community for writers to give and receive constructive criticism.

Read our Previous Issues and check out the Submissions page if you’d like to be a CAKE.author!

Any questions? Otherwise, have fun writing!