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Welcome… I’m New Here! Greetings from Singapore

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wrightstuff

wrightstuff

Full Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2024
Location
Singapore
Singapore
Hi.

I've just joined, to have a look around and find out what this is all about.

Originally from the UK, I've lived in Hong Kong and now Singapore, for about half my life.

I've recently got my (hopefully first) novel to the point at which I can't make improvements without help.

Some of my favourite authors: Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, Jane Austen, Jasper Fforde, PG Wodehouse, John Le Carré, Terry Pratchett, Josephine Tey, David Lodge, JRR Tolkein, Ian Rankin, Susana Gregory, Laurens van der Post.

Hope to connect to people I can bounce ideas off, learn from, and grow as a writer.
 
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wrightstuff said:
Thank you. This is as far as I have got so far...

Any advice on what to do early on?
Click to expand...
Have a look at some of the discussion threads - pitch in if you've got something to say.
There's a good blog post just gone up today from @Claire G about dystopian fiction - worth a read and share your thoughts.
Or have a look at some of the work in the writer's lab that members have put up for critique. Always good to see what people are getting up to.
@Jonny will no doubt be adding a welcome message on here for you shortly, as he tends to do for new folks, with all the info you need to get started.
 
Hi @wrightstuff And a very warm welcome to the colony.

Nice to have you here and hope you find Litopia a fun and informative community.

This is a good place to check out (How-to guide) to see a lot of what goes on and how to navigate the site.

If anything is unclear do please contact me and I’ll be happy to assist if I can.
 
Greetings (from Hong Kong). Lots of shared bookshelf space with your author list here.

You need to be a full member, but know that we do a "Huddle South" once a month, at an Asian-friendly time, which is well worth the price of admission.
 
Ed Simnett said:
Greetings (from Hong Kong). Lots of shared bookshelf space with your author list here.

You need to be a full member, but know that we do a "Huddle South" once a month, at an Asian-friendly time, which is well worth the price of admission.
Click to expand...
Thank you. That's good to know. Finding out this sort of thing is why I'm starting with Basic Membership - I've been unable to participate in a lot of events in other communities (not just literary) because they're 3 or 4 in the morning for me...
 
Jonny said:
Hi @wrightstuff And a very warm welcome to the colony.

Nice to have you here and hope you find Litopia a fun and informative community.

This is a good place to check out (How-to guide) to see a lot of what goes on and how to navigate the site.

If anything is unclear do please contact me and I’ll be happy to assist if I can.
Click to expand...
Thank you. It's encouraging how warmly (and quickly!) people are welcoming me.

I'm in the process of working my way through the start guides and information - looks helpful, though I am likely to ask for clarification...I'm a bit of a questioner.
 
RK Wallis said:
Welcome aboard @wrightstuff :) What genre is your book? btw, congratulations on finishing your first book!
Click to expand...
Thank you. Finishing the novel wasn't too hard - weaving in texture and signposts was! Maybe I need to improve my editing skills.

Defining the genre is something I need help with.

The structure is a murder / crime plot that turns into a spy novel, but it's more a psychological study of the protagonist as a half-insider, half-outsider. It looks at what triggers radicalisation, by examining it from the other side...hopefully without blatantly slapping the reader in the face with it.

So...a lot going on.

Maybe Contemporary or Literary?
 
RK Wallis said:
Shhh...don't say that around AgentPete, lol! You have to be careful you have promises and payoffs in any book. You don't want to promise readers (for example), a romance that turns into a Sci Fi (extreme examples). A Sci Fi that contains a romance sub plot is fine though...
Click to expand...
OK...I really just wanted to say I don't really know how to classify the novel's genre. What I've seen on the subject has been, well...subjective...
 
I've had similar deliberations about my writing. Can't find an obvious genre, although I've settled on bildungsroman for now.
I like reading literary fiction, but the problem with it as a genre label is that literary is not supposed to be a word to describe your own writing, only something you want other people to use to describe your work.
 
Sedayne said:
I've had similar deliberations about my writing. Can't find an obvious genre, although I've settled on bildungsroman for now.
I like reading literary fiction, but the problem with it as a genre label is that literary is not supposed to be a word to describe your own writing, only something you want other people to use to describe your work.
Click to expand...
I agree, hence the question mark. I had a number of beta readers say that I write well, and I've worked hard on improving the flow and depth of meaning since then.

Usually, I'm reluctant to even discuss genre, since it doesn't neatly fit into one - hence the catch-all Contemporary, which I don't think helps anyone understand what to expect. By adding Literary I'm really just indicating that I do attempt to write at a reasonable level, and that there is, for the alert reader, subtext and (I hope) food for thought. I'm going to have to find a way of doing that in a more comprehensible way that isn't pretentious or arrogant. That's part of the motivation for joining Litopia.
 
wrightstuff said:
I agree, hence the question mark. I had a number of beta readers say that I write well, and I've worked hard on improving the flow and depth of meaning since then.

Usually, I'm reluctant to even discuss genre, since it doesn't neatly fit into one - hence the catch-all Contemporary, which I don't think helps anyone understand what to expect. By adding Literary I'm really just indicating that I do attempt to write at a reasonable level, and that there is, for the alert reader, subtext and (I hope) food for thought. I'm going to have to find a way of doing that in a more comprehensible way that isn't pretentious or arrogant. That's part of the motivation for joining Litopia.
Click to expand...
I get where you're coming from.
I've been in Litopia six months and haven't found the answer to this particular question yet. But I've learned loads, improved my writing significantly and met lots of friendly, helpful and brilliant writers.
 
Hello @wrightstuff hope you're finsding your feet :) Fyi, we started a new Huddle variant, Huddle South, some months ago now, and it’s going really well. It’s specifically scheduled for folk in Singapore / Aus / NZ times zones. Currently monthly. :) p.
 
AgentPete said:
Hello @wrightstuff hope you're finsding your feet :) Fyi, we started a new Huddle variant, Huddle South, some months ago now, and it’s going really well. It’s specifically scheduled for folk in Singapore / Aus / NZ times zones. Currently monthly. :) p.
Click to expand...
Thank you for following up. I seem to be...I'm jumping in both feet first and taking the advice/warnings of more seasoned members on board... Still looking around and learning.

The Huddle South is good news, and has already been mentioned to me! What day/time does it usually happen?
 
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