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Get tips on theatre and art from other Mumsnetters on our Culture forum.

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Get tips on theatre and art from other Mumsnetters on our Culture forum.

Culture vultures

Has anyone seen this?

82 replies

ponygirl · 26/04/2004 11:55

I thought it looked like a good exercise in its own right, with the prize potential as a bonus.

End of Story

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coppertop · 24/05/2004 15:56

Considering the amount of detail in the story beginnings, 1200 words just doesn't seem enough to actually do anything with. Everytime I re-read mine I found things that I wanted to change. In the end I decided to just send it off as it is. I posted my entry this morning. I'm not holding my breath though!

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coppertop · 24/05/2004 23:00

There's a thread about this competition over on the Get Writing website. It looks as though everyone else is having the same difficulty with the word count. The beginnings are 2,500 words long but we're supposed to develop and end the story in just 1200 words.

Their one big tip is not to send the story by Special/Recorded Delivery.

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popsycal · 27/05/2004 12:42

Well, after several edits and a very last minute change of ending (!!!- inspiration whilst driving DS to childminders this morning....), the final version is currently printing!!!

Needs a final proof read on paper since I am a rubbish onscreen proof reader!

Of to check out the get writing website whilst I wait!
)

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popsycal · 27/05/2004 12:44

coppertop - if you are about, could you do me a link to that thread?
cant seem to find it

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popsycal · 27/05/2004 12:55

found the thread i think!

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popsycal · 27/05/2004 14:47

printed, enveloped and off to the post office!

is it only coppertop and me who did this in the end?

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coppertop · 27/05/2004 19:31

I'm hopeless at links but there are 2 threads about this on Get Writing. The most useful one is in the Round Table area, in the section called Word Play. They've even done a poll on who has chosen which author. There's a second thread in the Round Table's "Newbies Room" but it's a lot more general.

It's a shame the prizes are so cr@p. I don't really have any particular wish to meet Fay Weldon and could really do without the hassle of travelling in the summer. Not that there's much chance of me actually winning!

Someone's just pointed out that the closing date is actually a Bank Holiday so there won't be any deliveries on that day. Typical BBC!

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popsycal · 27/05/2004 19:37

coppertop thanks for that!!

that is why i posted today - it will have to get there tomorrow!!!

off to check out the round table site thingy!!

now just panicking about it getting lost in the post

why does this writing malarky have to be so painful! give me childbirth any day!!! lol

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popsycal · 27/05/2004 19:58

haha just checked it out
every man and his dog seems to have done the story i have chosen

anyway, as i say to my class of 32 11year olds: think bananarama

it aint what you write, it's the way that you write it!

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coppertop · 27/05/2004 21:14

And that's what gets results!

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ponygirl · 27/05/2004 23:13

I did it too! Got there in the end. And tbh that feels like quite an achievement on its own for me, in the chaos that is my life! I finished lunchtime today and posted it right off. Thank God I did, as I hadn't clicked that the closing date was a Bank Holiday. Durr!

I don't have any delusions about being shortlisted, but I'll be interested to see what wins.

Well done Coppertop and Popsycal for doing it too - pats on the back all round!

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ponygirl · 27/05/2004 23:19

Excellent! I just checked the getwriting thread and my story has the least entries! If only 2 other people enter I must get shortlisted by default!

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willow2 · 28/05/2004 09:15

I did it, too! Am so pleased that I actually got off my backside - haven't written fiction since school so, as an exercise, I found it really interesting. Will be interested to see how the winner (as I doubt it will be me) approaches the one I did!

Regarding postal deliveries - the bbc (in London, at any rate)has its own postal set-up - so maybe letters will get through?

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coppertop · 28/05/2004 09:30

Well done everyone and good luck! (Especially those of you who chose a different story beginning to me. )

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willow2 · 28/05/2004 10:40

Aaargh - seems I chose the most popular one, too. Oh well...

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popsycal · 28/05/2004 10:41

don't worry willow2 - we both did!
haha

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willow2 · 28/05/2004 12:20

wonder how many entries they will get in total?

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popsycal · 28/05/2004 12:22

wonder if the website will give any feedback on that....

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coppertop · 28/05/2004 14:24

If any of us win, will we dare destroy our anonymity by announcing it on here? Fay Weldon's story was surprisingly unpopular so maybe I'm in with a chance after all.

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willow2 · 28/05/2004 16:10

Unpopular based on the getwriting thread? Not sure that the "poll" on there is much of a gauge.

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coppertop · 01/06/2004 10:36

For those who entered the competition, more info has been posted on the End of Story site. 3 entries will be shortlisted for each story-beginning. If you haven't heard anything by August then you haven't won.

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willow2 · 02/06/2004 08:58

Also, if you were wondering whether your entry will have got through the bank holiday post, the bbc have said that they will accept any entry postmarked 31st May or before.

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popsycal · 02/06/2004 11:24

thanks for that willow2 - very useful to know

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willow2 · 11/06/2004 22:49

If you go on to the bbc's get writing site you'll find that a lot of people have posted their entries. Makes fascinating reading to see how differently people have interpreted the same story.

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willow2 · 16/07/2004 19:11

So, has anyone been shortlisted yet?

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