Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a good week. Lovely to have the temperatures matching the spring weather at last. Posts will be out at different times next week but am looking forward to my Scottish break. Will do hubby, dog, and I the world of good, as it always does.
Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today
Delighted to share Questions and Answers in Writing for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. I look at the value of a simple but timeless structure for writing, which works just as well for non-fiction as it does for fiction. I also share specific examples of good questions to ask for use in fiction and non-fiction respectively. Hope you find the post useful.
Questions and Answers In Writing
The spring sunshine has finally turned up with a lovely temperature to go with it. Lady and I are loving this.
Will be looking at Questions and Answers in Writing for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Link up tomorrow. See above. Post will look at how these work for fiction and non-fiction. They do make a useful structure for your writing.
Writing Tip: Mix up how you find prompts for your writing. It keeps things interesting for you by keeping you on your creative toes. No bad thing that. I like to use a mixture of the random generators, story cubes, books of prompts, proverbs and phrases etc. I have written stories, many of which went on to be published, from all of these methods.
Hope you have had a good day. Proper spring weather at last – Lady and I loved it.
I’ve mentioned before I use random generators of various types to help trigger ideas. They are the modern equivalent of story cubes (and I use those too!). I had a quick look at the random question generator tonight and came up with What is one of the great values that guides your life?
Now that could make an interesting blog post or non-fiction article but it would have uses in fiction too. You could use this as a theme, deciding on the value in advance and showing that being played out through your story. You could get your character to answer the question directly and then backing it up with their actions. You could also have fun here by showing them failing to live up to what they said. What would be the fallout there? There would be some.
Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again
Pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with my latest 100-worder, Artistic Inspiration. Talking of inspiration, this one is inspired by the old Tom and Jerry cartoons (which are always worth watching). Find out why via the link. Hope you enjoy the story.
Another great way to have fun with flash is to write what I call a “two-hander”. This is where one character is directly addressing another one who is reading what the first one has sent to them which is in the style of a letter, minus the usual greetings and yours sincerely bits etc.
My example of this is You Never Know from From Light to Dark and Back Again where my lead character is berating the unseen other character for envying them a luxurious life as a magical tour guide.
The story shows exactly why it is any thing but that. Would you fancy the Gollum special (the raw fish diet), for example, which my lead character has to have? Doesn’t matter if they get tired of it. Would you listen to Snow White’s advice to never eat anything red and glowing? (I can’t help but feel that is good advice outside of fiction as well!).
Fun to write but you need a strong lead character who has enough to say on the theme of the story and ideally does so with wit. (Nobody likes a whiner). You want your readers to end up sympathising with what the lead character is putting up with here. So think about who your two characters would be and how the second one would give the first one something to write to them about.
If you have a character with special powers or abilities, you do need to let readers know about this before any demonstration of those things.
In my Being Yourself (Tripping the Flash Fantastic), my character reveals what her special gift is, then demonstrates it, leading to a satisfying conclusion as she…. Well no spoilers here as ever but the point is I do set that special gift up ahead of showing it in action. To do anything else won’t ring true for a reader.
A reader will also need to understand why your character wants to use these gifts/powers. Doesn’t necessarily have to agree with the course of action being taken by the character but there has to be what I call good follow through in that a reader sees what is happening, understands why, and so the story will work for them.
Fairytales With Bite – Travels
How do your characters get around in your setting? Do they rely on broomsticks or do they have more sophisticated forms of travel? Do your characters regularly travel or is it something they only do out of necessity (such as with the hobbits in The Lord of the Rings)?
Are certain species banned from travelling and how did that come about? Is travel easy for most or only the reserve of the privileged few? Is magic used to power transport or is that saved for other more important things? You could have a combination of machines as we would know them with magical power saved for what cannot be done mechanically.
Which characters can fly directly? Which need to use a broomstick or other device? Can animals fly in your setting and would that be restricted to those who would normally be renowned for running such as the horse? (You could argue their flying would equal their running on the ground, they would just be “running” in the sky effectively).
Are there places in your setting where everyone loves to go? Where would they avoid and why?
This World and Others – Wonders
There are so many wonders on our planet, despite the ever grim news, it can be easy to miss them. From the glories of nature to the wonders of the universe above us (and getting to see even more of these thanks to the space telescopes) to the tiniest flower, there is much to wonder at and admire. But you do have to have an open mind and an appreciative heart to see this, I think.
So in your setting, do your characters see the wonders around them or do they take these for granted because they are always here? Would they suddenly realise how much these things mattered if they were taken away for some reason?
Wonders also span the scientific world in terms of discoveries in so many fields, including medicine. What would be the equivalent in your setting?
What is the view of your Joe Public here? Do they appreciate the wonders around them or do they need these pointing out? Who benefits the most from wonders where discoveries happen and new inventions occur? Do the benefits get down to the ordinary people?
WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK
AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWriting Tip: block out pockets of time where you will have brainstorming sessions for things like titles, opening lines, blog ideas etc. You will be glad of these later. pic.twitter.com/iEYcGouevV
— ACW (@ACW1971) May 8, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWriting Tip: I go through my notebooks regularly to see what I came up with for my brainstorming sessions. The ideas I still like, after time away from them, are the ones I then write up. pic.twitter.com/ThyZuihJxk
— ACW (@ACW1971) May 9, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWriting Tip: I like to mix up how I trigger ideas for blogs and stories. It keeps me on my toes. It’s fun too. Don’t forget the random generators, story cubes, books of prompts etc. I use them all. pic.twitter.com/ttf5NoROvp
— ACW (@ACW1971) May 10, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsArtistic Inspiration, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/JMAXkd7VZb Pleased to be back on FFF with my latest 100-worder, Artistic Inspiration. This one is inspired by the old Tom and Jerry cartoons (always worth watching). Find out why via the link. pic.twitter.com/pzf9fCTVaV
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) May 10, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsQuestions and Answers In Writing https://t.co/Ldba3zApDC Delighted to share Questions and Answers in Writing for CFT. I look at the value of a simple but timeless structure for writing, which works just as well for non-fiction as it does for fiction. Hope you find the post useful pic.twitter.com/4Vcmrp87cM
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) May 10, 2024