Peter CJ
I am a TEFL online tutor specialising in IELTS exam preparation, I also write songs and perform. I do leathercrafting and calligraphy when I get spare time, and of course, I write
Location West of England
Activity
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Peter CJ replied to Alex Airey
@MOYJAEAARON Hi Moyjae, with regard to your full story not being posted, do you remember that I said I would quite happily have a look at it, I can also share it for review with Diana and Alex if you would like, but it still comes down to you contacting me which you seem reluctant to do, so it's a shame because you could be a valuable contributor on the...
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@KathrinSpinnler Hi Kathrin, I have joined that one as well, good luck
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@MOYJAEAARON Hi, No, Although I have tried to send a message this morning, I'm in the UK Tuesday today, your number is not recognised, is there a country code? Something is wrong. Let's keep trying, you can text me on 0044 7481794749 and then your number will be on my phone, warm regards, PCJ
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Hi again, if you would still like to join the whatsapp group you will need to send me your phone number then I can invite you, hope to hear from you soon, Peter
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@MOYJAEAARON Hi, I think it would be great to have you in the group, I have some ideas going forward, and welcome ideas from all of you would-be authors, send me a text to 0044 (0)7481794749 and I will reply with the invite to join the group, now that I have finished this course I am eager to do more and share ideas. Hope to hear from you.
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@ElizabethReid Thanks for your encouraging feedback, there now three of us in the Night Owl Writers whatsapp group, if you would like to join us message me on 07481794749 and I will send an invite to join, good luck with your writing, it's great fun as well as hard work.
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Hi, as soon as you text me 07481794749 I will add you to the group, regards, Peter
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Hi whatsapp group is Night Owl Writers 07481794749, try it and if you cant find it then text me on this number and I will send you a direct link invite
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Peter CJ made a comment
I am already recommending this course to others, thanks to everyone and you can keep in touch by my FB page "talktodayonline" maybe get a blog page together, als my "Night Owl Writers" on whatsapp
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Peter CJ made a comment
After my feedback reflection I have decided to edit it a bit and make it part of a collection of short stories all under 1000 words each.
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Peter CJ made a comment
Thank you Moyjae Aaron for your feedback it was both encouraging and useful, I understand from your conversatios here that you story did not get completely uploaded, this is a shame after all the weeks working here, if you would like to send me the whole piece I would be happy to review it, I am on FB, search for "talktodayonline" message me, I also have a...
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Peter CJ made a comment
I wrote the story at one sitting just letting the ideas flow, then I wrote it up on the site and edited it as I wrote, looking back I have a couple of "typos" but generally feel good about it, let's see what you guys think.
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Peter CJ replied to Anna Fotiou
@AnnaFotiou Keep on writing!
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Peter CJ made a comment
The final lap is ahead now and I am just eager to get going, I "final" but we all know that it won't be the end, hopefully, we will go on and on, and eventually find our fellow contributors out there on the bookshelves. I have enjoyed it so much that I am going to take a course in writing for children, I found it on the internet at a reduced price.
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Peter CJ made a comment
When we receive feedback we can be sure that somebody has bothered to read our stories, very important because we may be writers but without readers, we are only halfway there.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I have been getting some honest feedback from my wife and this has helped shape my writing.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I hope to give constructive criticism, I try to use the same criteria for others that I would like to receive.
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Peter CJ made a comment
My story could go in a number of different directions, although the need to keep it quite short will determine my choice in the end.
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Peter CJ made a comment
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions and input, it is much appreciated.
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Thanks for the tip
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Peter CJ made a comment
My character has such a lot of complicated subplots it will be interesting to see what I have to cut out.
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Peter CJ made a comment
My story contains all the elements that I look for in other writers, I write what I would like to read. I am very influenced by Dickens, Hardy and Conan Doyle, in other words, I want you to "see" my characters and live through their lives and experiences.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I have read nearly all of Charles Dickens works and why I love them is the descriptive style and total immersion in not only the characters but also the locations, to me he was a "serious writer" along with Thomas Hardy.
If I start to read something that I don't like I will bin it straight away and will not waste my precious life on it. -
Peter CJ made a comment
Interesting to hear these different reflections on reading, I totally get Alex's thing about setting a scene then "homing in" on the characters. I tend to use this approach and then if I introduce another scene it will often be in"flashbacks or reminiscing" This partly due to my interest in writing plays where the focus is on the stage
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Peter CJ made a comment
I've had a great week, learnt a lot and had some interesting comments and feedback, you guys are great.
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Peter CJ made a comment
Eyes down for a full house!
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Peter CJ made a comment
It's now becoming clear that you can have a lot of ideas and inspiration but without technique to bind and to guide them, ah, they are just ideas, nothing more.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I am now building on the two characters and developing the story, feels good.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I tried this approach, here is a short extract.
I like this old coat, people stare sometimes I know, but some are curious, like this chap that came and sat next to me one evening. He touched the sleeve of my coat and asked in a very soft way "Tell me ol' fella, what's the story behind the coat, I've seen you around for the best part of twenty years and you...
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I suppose we all go through some character changes in life, so so yea, perhaps it would be interesting, thanks for your input
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Peter CJ made a comment
This was interesting, my character has "come to life" and seems more real than I first imagined him, this will certainly help with my story.
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Thank you, I am an English teacher and TEFL consultant and I love the English language, I started reading Charles Dickens when I was 10 years old and love his descriptive style. you can find me on F.B. "talktodayonline" message me there if you want.
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Peter CJ made a comment
The lack of physical description did not detract from the story, he made the point very clearly about the rushing to conclusions and then mistaken identity, we did not need much more than that.
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Peter CJ made a comment
This is about Donald, and despite his age, he doesn't appear to very grown-up, in fact, he lives in a fantasy world, certainly in this passage anyway, insecure and impetuous. The style of writing is very kitch and and dated, (well I suppose it would be because it is so old!) There are examples of personal histories but very little in the way of description for...
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Hi Jesus, well you have got me thinking now, it was just a short passage to submit to the course, but now I am thinking if I could develop it into a complete story, thanks for your input, I have started a whatsapp group with Diana from this course, if you would like to to join then look for the "Night Owl Writers" on whatsapp, we are not supposed to give out...
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Peter CJ made a comment
I really enjoy describing my characters in fine detail, I am trying to "paint" a picture with words.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I think that the most difficult part for me is being consistent with my character's personalities, to keep them on "the path that I have chosen for them.
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Peter CJ replied to Clinton Siegle
Hi, did you mean to say"stripped away"? and, are sure that George Soros did those things, or do you mean "alleged"? Just curious, that's all.
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Peter CJ made a comment
They are all very interesting to listen to and I can take something from all of them, "the characters just find you" ha, I love that bit, now back to writing.....
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Peter CJ replied to Clinton Siegle
@SheilaJenkins Hi, I still don't know what he is talking about
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Peter CJ made a comment
I show all of my characters in some setting or scene, it seems to help support and strengthen the character.
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Peter CJ replied to Clinton Siegle
Hi Clinton, is this part of a potential story, or are you using this platform to vent your frustrations and conspiracy theories, just interested to know, that's all, no offence meant
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Peter CJ made a comment
I quite often come up with very strong image of a character but when I try to put it into words sometimes it never quite portrays the same, anyone else find this?
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It's a problem I face, sometimes I lose track just walking from one room to another.
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Very good, I wish I had thought of that, I love it
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Peter CJ made a comment
How about, the charity worker giving up all spare time for others, he used to be the getaway driver for a criminal gang.
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Peter CJ made a comment
In the film we just see "normal" people going about their business or daily lives, I think we would need to observe them for longer, for example, if I see a man on the bus with long hair tied back I don't form an instant opinion, but if I were to sit behind him for twenty minutes I might have something more to go on.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I think that some characters appear to be flat but nobody is that devoid of any traits or mannerisms, they are there somewhere, we just need to "dig" them out.
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Peter CJ made a comment
One of my characters is a reformed petty criminal trying to forget his past misdeeds, only to be drawn back in against his better nature and finds himself trapped, but there will be a "twist" at the end, I have just got to find it, ha!
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Peter CJ made a comment
I have a list of characters all ready to go, they have a basic outline and they develop as my imagination starts to work.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I think that creating a "flaw" in a stereotypical character keeps the reader's interest, they want to know where it's going to go wrong at some point.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I have really learnt a lot about character development, also about myself as a potential writer.
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Peter CJ made a comment
Very encouraging feedback for my assignment, I feel that overall my portrayal of my charactor worked.
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Peter CJ made a comment
My characters have a lot of me in them, although they all different and from different time periods I can hear myself speaking through a lot of the characters.
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Peter CJ replied to Trevor Jenkins
I think I have met this woman, lol
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Peter CJ made a comment
I tried to show my character's stereotypical actions and reactions in a certain situation, only the reader will be able to judge whether I succeeded or not.
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Peter CJ made a comment
The day before the "lockdown" was to kick in, two elderly women were chatting on the doorstep of their sheltered accommodation. This early evening routine was disturbed by two teenagers, they were walking by swearing loudly at each other and being generally unpleasant. The youths finally went out of sight leaving the two women to continue in peace.
The women... -
Peter CJ made a comment
I have watched people come out of our local gym who have been there for hours, come out for a cigarette break. How does that work?
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Peter CJ replied to Diana Jarvis
@DianaJarvis I have watched people come out of our local gym who have been there for hours, come out for a cigarette break. How does that work?
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Peter CJ made a comment
The Writers Group "Night Owl" is live on Whatsapp, tel: 0044 (0)7481794749, Peter
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Peter CJ replied to Shirley Heelas
@ShirleyHeelas Forget about Mogg, he's just on your liked page that's all, so you must have clicked on something in the past, anyway let's move on. I am now in contact with Diana from this group and she is joining the "Night Owl" WhatsApp reading group which I formed last night; if anyone wants to join then they need to let me know their tel' number so that I...
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Peter CJ replied to Shirley Heelas
I have found you and this:Jacob-Rees Mogg - Updates & Opinions
Public figure comes up under "all likes" -
Peter CJ replied to Shirley Heelas
Great stuff!. I want to hear more, one of the other writers on this course has emailed me their address with the idea of starting a writers group, where we can share ideas and encourage each other, if you are interested, let me know. I will look again on FB for you.
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Peter CJ replied to Shirley Heelas
That's strange, it just came up as "friends", I must have got the wrong person, although I could only see 2, I have another look
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Peter CJ replied to Shirley Heelas
Hi Shirley, I looked you up on Facebook and was a bit concerned because I thought I saw Jacob Rees-Mogg as someone you were either following or friends with. I cannot associate with with him or anybody that respects him, sorry to be so blunt but there it is.
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@WonuolaOlutomi Hello, I am not sure I understand your reply, sorry
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Write on the frosty window, lol
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Peter CJ replied to Shirley Heelas
@ShirleyHeelas I am working on 5 stories at the same time, believe it or not, I want to finish the story of Angel and his mysterious envelope, I published the beginning earlier on in the course, it's a story about retribution in the justice system
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Peter CJ made a comment
Since joining this class I have learnt a lot, now I am going to go back over all my characters in all my writing attempts and bring more character and interest to each one, big job but hey, that's writing.
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Peter CJ replied to Shirley Heelas
Sounds good already, yes I would like to hear more of this
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Peter CJ made a comment
My stories tend to start off as one idea and then morph into something else when I can see situations developing.
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Hi, yes I have asked but no reply yet, I did read the conditions of service which basically says that you can direct people to twitter, facebook etc, but no emails with personal details etc, so maybe that's the way to go?
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Peter CJ made a comment
A very interesting article, help to see deeper into the skills needed to be a writer, a great challenge and one that I will persevere with because I know I can do it..........eventually.
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Peter CJ replied to Kevin Camp
I know what you mean about stereotyping and the way I deal with it often is to portray the stereotypical image at the start and blow it out of the water later with an unexpected twist, e.g. the heavily tattooed guy with the pitbull may turn out to be a volunteer for the Samaritans and he was taking the pitbull to a dog trainer because of its bad temperament,...
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Peter CJ replied to Kevin Camp
Just engage, there is so much support and encouragement here, everyone wants everyone else to succeed, it's so interesting to see the scope and range of ideas and stories, just keep your "irons" hot and ready to strike
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Peter CJ replied to Marwa Moudjari
@MarwaMoudjari As long as it is an enjoyable then keep going, you will find lot's of encouragement here amongst people in the same boat as well as experienced writers, best wishes.
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We could contact published writers to see if they would contribute something, even competitions, who knows, "the world is our oyster" or whatever that means. This phrase was coined by William Shakespeare and first appears in his play The Merry Wives Of Windsor. Pistol: “Why then the world's mine oyster/Which I with sword will open.”
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Ok, see what you can find out
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@DianaJarvis Why don't we start our own group? We could have a Whatsapp linked with zoom where we could discuss and share to our heart's content. I would be happy to "Host" the group and set up a website if needed, all the material shared would be the copyright of the author/s. What do you think? anyone else interested?
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Peter CJ made a comment
I have joined the Open Learn course, now I need to do some work, ha!
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So do I
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@DianaJarvis Would you be interested in swapping ideas, maybe reviewing each others work in more depth?, sometimes I feel as though I'm in a cultural vacuum, I wanted to join a local writers group but because of Covid they have closed down, do you know of any online groups?
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Peter CJ made a comment
Sometimes content can be difficult to read due to the subject matter, maybe worse than watching a film where the image is gone in a flash but the written word sometimes draws you back to re-read a passage, then the pain can be heightened.
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Thank you Diana for your kind words, I have great difficulty in writing something too obvious, I like a good twist at the end
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Peter CJ replied to linet sherly .l
Hi, if you are not sure about your grammar then why not use Grammarly or a similar app, it will point out errors and offer suggestions as you write, good luck
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Peter CJ replied to Agnes Izah
You mentioned "some years back" current news bulletins will show that it is the same today as it ever was.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I am just starting to get interested in writing children's books as I love to watch their expressions when they are being read to.
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Peter CJ replied to Kevin Camp
Sounds as though you could have a songwriting career ahead as well as stories.
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Peter CJ made a comment
I quite often get inspiration from song titles, trying to imagine a different story from the song lyrics and also from imagining a meeting between two famous authors. I am working on one right now, all hush-hush sorry can't give away the plot here as it is one I am hoping to finish and publish.
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Glad you like it, best of luck with your writing
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Peter CJ made a comment
Nobody would have guessed the reason that the well-dressed woman had a puppy in her handbag. She got on the bus I was travelling in with what looked like a Pekinese, the dog had its head sticking out with a red ribbon tied on in a bow. The woman wore a bright red sweater and matching lipstick.
Smiling at the other passengers she soon had an audience who... -
Peter CJ made a comment
I'm following up several ideas that are built around my own experiences and also what I might do if I found myself in certain situations, how I feel about some people and what they do, my prejudices, likes and dislikes. It's all in there somewhere, just got to get it out there. Making notes on these things is giving me something to build on.
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Hi, here is a link you might find useful: https://www.verywellfamily.com/a-teen-slang-dictionary-2610994
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Peter CJ made a comment
I like to research things that I should have known and not forgotten about, and research can confirm or deny my thoughts at the time of writing.
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That was interesting hearing about how too much research could be "sidestep from imagination" maybe distancing the reader from emotional contact with the narrative. But I think it is important to research fashions and peoples ideas and prejudices from a certain period.
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Well done
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Hi Nana, I noticed on your profile that you have done some IELTS training, I teach IELTS and run online courses in speaking and writing, currently working freelance and have regular students from Thailand.
