Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today
There are some posts you really don’t want to write but know are coming and you write them as a way of expressing apprecation for a life well lived.
My tribute to Barbara Large, MBE, who founded the Winchester Writers’ Festival and Hampshire Writers’ Society, comes into that category.
I cannot think of anyone else who has done so much to support and encourage so many writers in our area. Barbara will be much missed.
Glad to say I’ll be having a new story up on Cafelit in a couple of days’ time. Will share the link. Do drop by and visit the site. There’s a wonderful range of stories on there in terms of mood, setting etc.
I must admit one reason I’ve developed a real love for classical music is its breadth of style and mood. Am currently listening to The Planet Suite by Gustav Holst. Bliss! I find classical helps me relax and when I relax I write. I wonder though what inspired him to use the planets as inspiration for his music. What matters in the end though was that he did!
However you get your inspiration for story ideas, keep going! Try to produce something as special as you can. One of the great things about writing and reading is, regardless of anything else, it adds richness to your life.
My CFT post this week will be an appreciation of Barbara Large, who founded the Winchester Writers’ Festival as it is now known. When I first went, it was under the name of Winchester Writers’ Conference. So many writers have learned so much here (and plenty have been published as a result too) and it is all down to Barbara’s vision and her drive to make that vision happen. Link up on Friday.
Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again
Am currently drafting a 750 word story but also want to have another go at the 75 word ones!
I do love the freedom flash fiction gives you. Yes, there is a strict word count but you can choose what it is to a certain extent. There are markets for 75 words, 25 words, 100 words etc etc.
Have recently discovered a possible one to try which goes for 53 words, yes 53. New one on me but may well give it a go! Mixes things up nicely though. Now to find the time… (There are times I really could use Hermione Granger’s time turner device).
Tips for finding your character’s voice:-
1. Write a short scene and just dump the character in it. What is their FIRST reaction? It can be exactly how you’d react. It could be the exact opposite. But once you know what that reaction is, you will have a good idea of their general attitude and approach. You will have that in mind as you write your story.
2. Ask yourself questions about your character. For example, what are their political beliefs? If they don’t have any, what do they believe in and why? Get your character to explain themselves to you! Interviewing your character can be a great way of producing an outline for the story and helping you discover hidden depths to your people. Most of that may not go into your story but you will write with more conviction because YOU know what your people are really like.
I suspect one of the major reasons for the increasing popularity of flash fiction is due to how easy it is to read on a screen, regardless of the latter’s size. The drive in technology, especially mobiles, tablets etc, has helped flash fiction spread. Naturally I’m all for that.
My hope is reluctant readers will be tempted in by an easy read on a screen and then go on to read longer works later. I was saddened though by a recent FB cartoon showing people poking and prodding at a book, not knowing what it was. I only wish I could be certain that would never happen!
But online markets give writers more opportunities to get their work out there. I would far rather people read online than not read at all.
Talking of online reading, I’ll have a new story up on Cafelit on 16th March. Will share the link once I have it. Keep reading!
Fairytales With Bite – Influences and a Life Well Lived
My CFT post this week pays tribute to the late Barbara Large, MBE, who founded the Winchester Writers’ Festival (as it is now known) and the Hampshire Writers’ Society. I cannot think of anyone else who has done so much to help so many writers over so many years. She will be much missed. I first met Barbara many years ago and her encouragement made a huge difference. So many writers will say the same (including the children’s author, Anne Wan, whom I’ve also interviewed for CFT).
Influences matter to a writer and can make all the difference to whether someone keeps going or gives up. This applies to our characters too. What influences are your characters under or swayed by? Are they positive ones? If there are negative influences about, what do your characters do to fight that?
Barbara’s life was very much a life well lived and that is something we should all aspire to do.
As for our characters, what do you want your people to aspire to be? What drives them? What gets in their way? Answer those questions and you have the very essence of a good, drama driven story. And isn’t that what we all want for our books and stories?
Image Credit: A big thank you to children’s author, Anne Wan, for supplying the images of Barbara Large. It has been a real pleasure to interview both ladies for CFT at varying points.
This World and Others – The A to Z of Story Essentials
A = Action – without this there is no story. Something has to happen!
B = Belief – this can be the belief of the character, the beliefs held by the world in which they’re set or both of course. The lead character has to have belief in what they are doing to be able to follow it through.
C = Credible Characters – there has to be characters a reader can get behind, whether it is to cheer them on, or hope said characters fail. (It is cathartic to boo on the villain!). We should be able to understand why your characters are the way they are/acting the way they are even if we don’t necessarily agree with them.
D = Dialogue – also has to be convincing. Accents and dialects are best used sparingly. The odd word will give enough of a flavour of the relevant accent/dialect without overdoing it. Dialogue in characters should sound natural (read it out loud to see if it does flow well. If not, edit!)
E = Editing – this is the writer’s friend, honestly. Nobody produces a perfect draft first go. Shakespeare didn’t. Dickens didn’t. We’re not going to either. But put work aside for a while so you can come back to it and look at it with a fresh eye. Remember editing is not just about spotting the typos and grammatical errors. There should be structural and story edits to ensure the structure and the story holds together and works the way they should.
More next time…
Allison Symes: Collected Works 