Topic: Group News / The Short-Stories Group

Hi all,

Thanks for supporting the Short Stories group.

Fleece has signed on as a host. He’s an excellent writer and a committed Red Bubbler.

I’d still like to see at least one more of you become a host before I step down.

Happy New Year to you all,
Matthew.

Topic: Group News / The Short-Stories Group

It’s not been long that I’ve discovered this goup, I would hate for it to close. I could be available to help with some hosting if I know that others would be there to also help. If that helps.

Topic: Group News / The Short-Stories Group

I think with hosts a balance needs to be hit between too many, and too few- about three is about right depending on the availability of others. I host three groups atm, and I am struggling (in some cases I think that hosting is a bit of a summative work for what I manage to do), though it would be nice to host a writing group I don’t think it fair to offer.

Having a group that has a nice varied acceptance policy (within the bounds of short story) is a great group to have- lets keep it if we can!

Topic: Group News / The Short-Stories Group

Hi Matthew

I think the time of the year is the reason why you have not had any takers. I and can imagine many are similar like myself and are on the "Festive Train’ with all sorts of trips and station stops going on.
Could the group continue to run without features so people can still read each others work?
And in the New Year I feel it would then be a more opportune time to attract hosts, in fact I would consider this role if there were a few hosts on board as I am not ‘reliable’ time wise and could not realistically host alone. It seems this group could do with a group of hosts.
I hope others read this and consider putting their name in the hat too with the idea the more hosts the better the group could be and less stress for all.

Topic: Group News / The Short-Stories Group

Actually I think that there aren’t enough writing groups at all. I haven’t found one that deals with short stories specifically… Please don’ t close the group!

Topic: Group News / The Short-Stories Group

Thanks homeartist. I have put the call out for new hosts but have not had any takers as yet. I agree, the Short-Stories group is a real gem. I haven’t done much to nurture it, but, in the right hands, I’m sure it could really flourish.

Topic: Group News / The Short-Stories Group

We would all hate this diverse group to shut down. Can you not ask other hosts to take over? I am sure the shutting down process can be postponed a bit before a host offers to take it up. Sorry for this trouble you are going through.

Topic: Group News / The Short-Stories Group

Hello all,

Last week I mentioned that I will be standing down as host of Short-Stories. I haven’t found anyone to take my place yet and am considering closing the group.

I appreciate that there are plenty of active writing groups on Red Bubble. Perhaps the short-stories group had its day? Please leave your feedback below. Or, if you prefer, send me a BubbleMail.

All the best,
Matthew Dalton.

Topic: Group News / Group Guidelines

Hello fellow Short Story writers,

A number of members have asked for clarification of the group guidelines. Here they are:

Short Stories has members of all ages, so use the ‘Safe Filter’ if applicable.

Please, no non-fiction that doesn’t tell a story: no essays, memoires, or thoughts on the meaning of life.

We don’t accept serialised novels, novellas, or stories that are less than 150 words. We also don’t accept poetry.

Short Stories is not an image group. However, images with a strong link to writing are okay (i.e. the image has a written work in the description; was created as a collaboration with a story; promotes a written work; is an image of writing).

Journals posted to the group will relate to writing. Please promote, sites useful to writers, tell us about your own success (or failure), your writing methods, what inspires you.

Thank-you for sharing your stories.

Matthew.

Topic: Group News / A challenge collab call for the Challenge Cafe group

Hi short stories group,

There is a competition running for one more week in the Challenge Cafe group, wanting entries that come from an image artist and a writer, on a halloween theme.

Either write a story based on an image, or find an artist to create an image for your story, then enter the image into the challenge, linked to the story, and both people will recieve a prize if they win.

More info is Here

Topic: Group News / A shiny little bit of something wonderful for Short Stories writing challenges.

Along with developing our next challenge, something I’m currently working on for our group is some little cyber trinkets to decorate your words with when you win or place in our group writing challenges. I think acknowledgement is really important, and while our prize offerings at the moment are having your winning work featured on our group overview page (which of course makes you extremely fabulous) I’d like to have something else I can add to your work so that long after the features have changed, there’s a shiny little bit of something wonderful to leave behind that will hail your accolades and participation in Short Stories.

So bear with me scribes! One step and then the other…

In the meantime… here’s a little writing exercise for you…

You often hear of writers who rely heavily on their daily journals of their own lives to feed their fiction. Helen Garner has bookshelves of journals that she has kept and used as a main resource for her novels. Often though, keeping a journal can be a difficult task to start if you haven’t diarised your thoughts before. To approach this concept, try this:

Write “I Remember” at the top of a page and start fleshing out the first memory that springs to the front of your mind. Why did you recall that memory first? What are the specific thins you remember? If you take a step back from the narrator, what is their story?

Spill your ink without any caution you glorious mob of wordsmiths!

Holly

Topic: Group News / A little introduction: keeping the Short Story wheel turning...

Hello wordsmiths and scribblers,

Between the change over in our group hosts earlier this year and the continuing changes that have been made to Red Bubble (particularly to the disruption of group/host communications) getting myself started as a new host of Short Stories has been a little bit of a mish-mashed dog’s breakfast.

At first, I thought I would try and pick up where the incredible efforts of Damian and Kate left off… so I poured through old forums and challenges to get a feel for the Short Stories pilot controls. We had a challenge in over the April Easter long weekend that received three entries – thank you so much to Alison, Zolton and Dark for jumping in and participating. Since then, activity has been waning in the group and I realised that I needed to start a-fresh here, especially since the changes to our Bubble feeds and interactions with each other seem to have settled (for now).

My grandmother always told me that the best way to start anything new was to take a wander first for fresh air. So today, I’ve wandered through the last ten pages of stories in our group and plucked a fresh now bouquet of snappy pretty lovely little words as our group features, along with featuring the authors as well. Nothing like a little injection of kudos and motivation to get the wheels turning.

You might also have noticed that works submitted to Short Stories are moderated now: this is mainly because there was too much poetry clogging up our short story shelves. I love poetry… but this is not the place to best display your delicious stanzas. The same goes for artwork – any artwork accepted will have to relate very obviously to the craft of your short story to be accepted. This is group has an amazing collection of words and a strong group integrity so I don’t want to go diluting it now.

Make sure you keep an eye on this new forum thread for all future group news, chatter, musings and what not, and the next group challenge that’s on its way. Also, keep your pretty peepers watching for new group messages in your My Bubble group listing as that’s the only way I can alert to you group goings on without bmailing you all individually ;) For maximum exposure, when the next writing challenge is launched, I’ll be posting details and forum thread links on our group overview homepage.

If you have any suggestions, please make sure you plonk yourself here and let them be known.

However it’s unraveling, I hope today’s the wordy kind for you. What part of it could be the first few strands of a new story…?

Holly :)

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Sorry it has taken me so long to answer your question!! I thought the prompt was wonderful. Broad prompts give way to so many possibilities and I love how everyone interprets it differently. You’re doing a fabulous job!

Topic: Group News / Short Stories: new era, new challenge, new host all kitted up and on board...

Am new. Can hardly wait for the next one(only partially joking). I think I like the idea of casting my work amongst the hungry dogs of the writing world. Hopefully, I’ll improve. JH

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

I think the prompt was great! It was not too limiting. I liked it! Thank you for hosting. : )

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Hey Holly – I thought the prompt for the challenge was good. The fact that you could write about it in any format was good. Not too sure if I will always be successful in matching my thoughts to the prompt but keep them coming.

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Hey little scripters,

The Gift challenge has come to a close and I wholeheartedly thank Zolton, Dark and Alison for their entries. With only three pieces, it’s a little difficult to select a ‘pool’ of work for features and what not – never the less bear with me over the next couple of days and the challenge outcome, new features and treats a plenty will be unveiled.

How’d you find this prompt for the challenge? Broad enough? Did it get ideas stirring and waking in your imagination? Any thoughts or ideas on challenges for the group in general? I’m currently in the process of looking at the Short Stories group forums to see if there’s the room or opportunity for a little be of reorganising in line with this new mybubble/group news format we’re working with. Stay tuned!

And Jim, thanks for popping in and saying hi. Welcome! Our short story challenges usually run for a few weeks to allow writers to flesh out their choice of word length which is generally 500 -2 000 words. Challenges will be launching generally twice a month and the door is always open for suggestions or ideas or requests of group members.

My notebook collection is silly. One beside my bed for the dreaming stories, one in my handbag, one at my work desk, one in my car. They follow me everywhere hoping to catch a word or two falling from my mind… and occasionally my aim is right and I get them down in ink :)

You need to buy yourself a box of pens, I think.

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Have just joined. Unfortunately a day late and this time, two dollars short. Be real nice if you increased the frequency of your writing challenges. Perhaps I will get an opportunity to burn off some words that could possibly arouse enough interest for someone to read them. Have recently submitted something new for me, a short short story, ie “The Coyote Howled” and “CATASTROPHE.” Don’t get me wrong. I am new to writing and am just beginning. Get most of my ideas while dreaming and rush to write them down when I wake. Hope this source continues, because I have a few written down.
How about you? Do you wake up at four in the morning with a short story crashing through your head? I do. Maybe I should take something, but writing them down can be weird. My pen keeps running out of ink when I’m trying to write lying down in bed. Got to work on that.

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Hi Nancy,

Creating a link to a piece of work is very simple and easy to do.

Before you start, select and copy the full address of the piece you want to create a link to.

For example: http://www.redbubble.com/

Then when you’re ready to create your link in this topic thread, all you have to do is put quotation marks around the word you want to link to your piece, followed by a colon.

Once you’ve done that, paste the address of the piece you want link to next to the colon. Make sure you don’t have any additional spaces.

When you click on ‘save reply’, you should see the word you included in quotation marks in a different colour and when you run your mouse pointer over the word, you’ll see it’s able to be clicked on.

For more information, refer to the little Formatting Help examples underneath these text boxes when you click on ‘Reply to this topic’. If anything’s unclear, feel free to bmail me.

Cheers,
Holly.

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Well knock me off my feet with a feather!

I’ve been watching the forum thread topic on this challenge, thinking to myself, goodness, there’s work to be done on waking everyone up again to the well-round vibrant mob of writers this group houses… I thought my launch of this challenge had fallen into the black pit of the ether… only to check this group news section today (I’m still finding my way around the new group bmail/notice system) and find THREE entries! Z, DarK and Alison, thank you so much for your participation – you are completely fabulous.

There are still four and a half whole days until this challenge closes!

The Gift…

… any way you want to interpret it, anything your mind wants to turn or twist it into…

Get crack-a-lackin’ little spherical scribes!

Holly.

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Ebb and Flow

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

The Gift of Tears and Love

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Real Friend

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

I’m not sure how to post a link – help, please.

Topic: Group News / Short Story Challenge: The Gift

Good luck everyone!