#Mastoprompt #gutter
‘We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars’
But my friend, have you considered
how the detritus of the gutter
has constellations of it own?
Remote
Anna Orridge
@GreyElm@mastodon.online
mastodon 4.8.0-nightly.2026-10-06#writer of #poetry, #ecofiction and #horror
Works in sustainability in education
#corvid fan
Aiming to be the literary equivalent of a mug of hot, sweet tea. With maybe just a drop of brandy.
Eco-horror novella Phengaris out with Nefarious Bat Press now: payhip.com/b/58paC
She/her/hers
#FreePalestine
1294 Followers
994 Following
24 Posts
Joined November 01, 2022
#WritersCoffeeClub May 14: For characters, plots, ideas, settings, &c: how much is too much? // May 15: Follow-up: and how little is not enough?
As quite a few people have said, it's a bit of a 'how long is a piece of string' question. A lot of it depends on expectations of genre and your desired reader. I mean... Dostoevsky and Dickens weren't wrong to have huge casts of characters and labyrinthine plots. And Camus wasn't wrong for having a rather bare/stripped down story.
#WritersCoffeeClub May 7: Do readers need to understand a character's motivations to understand the story?
I think it would be difficult to write a novel in which the reader did not get an insight into at least one character's motivations. But you certainly don't have to lay it out like you're doing a mind map. I mean - our motivations are often quite murky, even to ourselves.
#WritersCoffeeClub March 6: Is there a local writing community near you?
There almost certainly is - Croydon is one of the biggest London boroughs. But I've kind of got comfortable with my online writing group, which spans Europe and the Americas, lol.
Part of the problem is that it's difficult for me to attend in-person events because of childcare issues.
27. If you had to pick one, would you say writing is a more exciting or cathartic process for you?
Right now, I'm in the final editing stage of a novel, and quite honestly that's just plain painful, lol.
I think exhilaration might be the more common feeling than catharsis for me. I explore things I'm passionate about in writing, but it tends to be from something of an emotional distance.
#WritersCoffeeClub 4/7. Do you combine poetic fragments and prose paragraphs in your work?
I must admit, I tend to keep prose and poetry separate. However, sometimes if I have a poetry fragment I don't think is working, I'll turn it into prose or vice versa to see if it works better :) It's a fun way to generate ideas. In fact, the next story I'm due to have published evolved in exactly that way :)
#WritersCoffeeClub day 25: What’s a unique habit you have while writing?
I think I've probably got the habits most people do. I write longhand for first drafts and tot up the word count for each page, before doing a bit of reading/research. But that's hardly exciting.
RE: @goodahmad@mastodon.social
Ahmed's looking for help sourcing food and treatment for his mother, if you have anything to spare.
Replying to
The other one that's hard is physical fight scenes, especially if they involve more than two people.
RE: @zkrisher@tweesecake.social
Yes, this novel made a profound impact on me.
RE: @noreenfarwna@mastodon.social
❤️ Please support this family if you are able to.
RE: @marahismail@mastodon.social
Marah's looking for help to evacuate. She's exhauted and malnourished and could really do with some support.
RE: @Sakhergaza13@mastodon.social
Reem's had a serious operation and really needs some help to recover.
Replying to
I think often a first long form work is something you sort of need to get out of your system - emotionally, intellectually.
RE: @Sakhergaza13@mastodon.social
Reem continues to struggle with her health after an operation. All help appreciated.
RE: @raphaellakay@mastodon.world
FAO the Palestinians who are following me.
RE: @Mithqal@mas.to
🙏
It was very fun to do this interview with Maggie Slater about my story 'Layby-rinth' in the upcoming collection 'HOPE: The Thing With Feathers' for @Metaphorosis@writing.exchange
https://maggieslater.com/2025/07/08/three-questions-anna-orridge/
RE: @reem_osama@mastodon.social
Reem continues to need help to pay ongoing medical expenses for a condition that's causing her a lot of pain and fatigue.