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Robert Cutillo

Taking Notes

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Edited by Robert Cutillo, Friday, 18 May 2018, 20:05

It's always advised you take notes in your own words, but for some reason I've always resisted doing this. I tend to copy everything out ad verbatim, which I know is hindering my learning. So from now on, I'm making a big effort to take notes in my own words. I'm also going to make the notes shorter.

I'm always undecided on whether or not I should plan my stories. I've tried both and yet still can't settle. I wonder why this is? Actually, I think it's because I'm unsure on whether I'm a good writer or not. I suspect I'm OK but not great. There's a lot of room for improvement. I think the best way to speed this up is to write more. Lately, I haven't been writing as much. I think it's because the last few short stories I wrote have been garbage. They're too simple, and the writing style is awful. I write my fiction with too many loose sentences, my ability to describe needs improving, and don't get me started on the dialogue.

I began reading Stephen Pinker's The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing. It has some interesting stuff in it, but he goes on and on about certain things. I think I'll put it down and read something else.

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Robert Cutillo

Assignment, Writing Competition, and a Bit of Poker

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I've just submitted my third assignment, and I'm glad to be rid of it. I found it much more difficult than the previous two, but I guess that was to be expected. I did have fun reading about Stalin and then Plato, however. I'm particularly drawn to logic, so reading Socrates' methods of finding truths was great. I think I'll take a break from uni work for the next couple of days.

I've entered a writing competition called the Bristol Prize. I don't think I'll win, but you've got to try I suppose. The story I submitted was only about 2,500 words, and it's about a man running away from the crimes he's committed. I'm also in the process of writing what I hope will turn out to be a book.

What else? I've been playing a bit of online poker recently. I hadn't really played for about two or three years but I fancied it one evening, and now I can't stop playing. I tend to play fixed limit games, as I find those more fun. I only play micro stakes, so I'm never in danger of losing anything more than $6, which is nice.

I don't think there's anything more to say. I'm just going to kick back and write some more of my potential book. Toodles!

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Robert Cutillo

Still Waiting

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I'm still waiting to hear back about my flash fiction submission, but that's expected, as usually it can take a good few weeks before hearing anything at all. In the meantime, I've been working on a short story. I've rewritten it so many times I've lost count. But I'm very happy with this version. All I need to do is finish proofreading it and then I'll submit it to some place.

As far as my second assignment is concerned, I've finished writing it and am now proofreading it. Overall, I'm happy with it.

Recently, I began doing audio transcriptions for a website called TranscribeMe. It doesn't pay well but it is fun. It means writing as well, which is good.

Not much else to write really. Hopefully, I'll have something more interesting to write next time.

Permalink 2 comments (latest comment by Robert Cutillo, Tuesday, 3 Apr 2018, 19:56)
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