It's amazing the worlds a book can show you. Image via Pixabay.

FAIRYTALE JOBS YOU DON’T WANT

September 13, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Tonight’s post, Fairytale Jobs You Don’t Want, shows some of the roles in a magical world you really don’t want to be carrying out. That is, assuming you want a nice, healthy life span!

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

The Unglamorous Side of Magic is tonight’s post and looks at the fact that every world has its lowest of the low. In a magical world, this “honour” is held by the lowly minion, that poor so-and-so who collects eye of newt for his/her witch bosses and so on. (No gender discrimination here either, anyone can be a lowly minion). There really are some jobs in life you don’t want. That includes the fictional life!

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I discuss the joy of I-player and music tonight. I also talk about short story collections, particularly The Best of Cafelit 5. I have a flash fiction piece in this, Telling the Time, but felt it appropriate I should have my own Kindle copy of the book! I like the Kindle for all sorts of reasons but feel short story collections do work well on it, especially with the ability to bookmark your position and so on.

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The Kindle – modern reading for a modern era. Image via Pixabay.

Now here's a statue that I like! Image via Pixabay

TRUTH AND SYMPATHY

September 11, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I look at Truth in Fiction tonight and discuss the importance of having characters who are real and with whom readers can identify. I also mention Richard III. Am always glad to get a mention in for him as one of my non-fiction books which reveals a lot of research about him is called The Maligned King (author: Annette Carson) and I think the title sums him up well. Truth still matters, even after all these centuries. It matters in fiction too. If characters aren’t truthful or real in the way they’re portrayed, people simply won’t read their stories.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

I look at Sympathetic Characters tonight and discuss how I portray my “people” so readers are likely to be able to identify with them and want to read their stories. I also discuss what makes for a “good” villain and hero/heroine as far as I’m concerned. I also reveal what I really think about my rebellious fairy godmother character.

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I discuss Richard III tonight as I was delighted to find a free Kindle download of Clements Markham’s research into the king. This research helped inspire Josephine Tey who wrote The Daughter of Time, one of my favourite novels ever and which is one of the few to make me change my mind about a person, in this case Richard III. I reviewed this book some time ago for Chandler’s Ford Today but have included the link here.

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Richard III poster – image via Pixabay. One of my favourite characters to read about but NOT as Shakespeare portrayed him!

The world's most beautiful library perhaps? Image via Pixabay.

A MUSICAL NIGHT

September 10, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Tonight’s post is called A Peek Into My Writing World and also links into the second half of my Chandler’s Ford Today post by the same name that is up on site today. The title of the post gives a good description of the contents (as it should!) but I mention in it that as I typed it I was listening to one of my musical highlights of the year, The Last Night of the Proms. I wonder what role music could play in fiction and whether it could act as a kind of code too.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Tonight’s post is called Favourite Music and I look at what kind of music characters could like and whether is a direct reflection on their personality or not. I also talk about whether music could be suppressed by an austere government given almost anything can be expressed by music (and the arts in general come to that).

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I discuss the Proms again and link to my Chandler’s Ford Today post as well here tonight.

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CHANDLER’S FORD TODAY

The second half of my post for CFT this week is called A Peek Into My Writing World and I share why I have artificial roses on my writing desk, who I owe my love of stories to and the importance of never giving up. Rework your stories, test them regularly in the market but never ever give up. I mention this as my flash fiction book acceptance had made me look back into just how long I’d seriously been writing for publication – and it is at least 10 to 15 years. Can’t be more specific than that as I changed direction from novels to short stories (though I still hope to get my novels published one day).

The best advice for any writer. Image via Pixabay.

I write fairytales with bite. Image via Pixabay

KEEPING IT BRIEF AND BEING SHORT AND SWEET

September 9, 2016September 10, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

My post tonight is called Keeping It Brief and this refers, not just to flash fiction, but to the importance of telling the story and then stopping. Don’t ramble. Don’t let your characters ramble either.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

In Short and Sweet or Not as the Case May Be, I discuss the moods of my flash fiction pieces. I also discuss why I found Jo and Amy in Little Women easier to identify with than saintly Beth. Ilike my characters flawed and always found Beth a little too sweet.

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Talking of short fictional creations, tonight’s post on my author page links to my current Chandler’s Ford Today post and talks about flash fiction.

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CHANDLER’S FORD TODAY

Tonight’s post – Flash Fiction, What Is It? – is part 1 of a 2 parter with the second half due to appear on site tomorrow night. Tonight’s post explores what flash fiction is and I share one of my published pieces as an example. Tomorrow’s post will talk about my flash fiction book deal (exciting times!) and also reveal some of what is on my writing desk and the ultimate trigger for my writing at all.

Books are the gateway to other worlds – image via Pixabay

Is a fairytale world really magical to live in for those who find it hard to keep their chin up and fit in with the rest? Image via Pixabay

KEEPING YOUR CHIN UP

September 8, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

What happens when you live in a world which is very matter of fact, direct, says what is good and what is bad and has no qualms about it and yet you, as a character in that world, struggle with this? You don’t take things on the chin well. My post tonight called Keeping Your Chin Up has a look at this and discusses how do characters cope with tragedy and knock back after knock back?

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Ugly is as Ugly Does discusses just what is ugly in a fictional world and especially looks at ugly attitudes. Are the beautiful in a magical world really lovely? Would the genuinely physically ugly be looked down on? Beauty and the Beast looks at this to a certain extent though the ugly had to change to handsome in the end to be acceptable.

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I discuss what I’m working on at the moment and praise Scrivener’s Project Targets idea, given it helps me when I need to reduce a word count as well as being useful for when I’m writing a story and I need to see a target to work towards.

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Relaxing with a story – image via Pixabay

Mabel enjoying the view at Golspie, Northern Scotland. Image by me.

LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

September 7, 2016Leave a comment

Two short posts tonight.

LOOKING ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Looking on the bright side is not an easy thing to do at times. And those that can manage it can, at times, unwittingly irritate the hell out of those who can’t! I discuss certain phrases that characters might use to “cheer up” others as well.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

I discuss using character traits in this post. When I create a new character, I start off by asking myself what the dominant trait is going to be and take things from there. I sometimes cross traits too.

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General chat about the humidity in my part of Hampshire right now (the dog and I are not liking it!) but I also ask about weather in fiction. My main thought was of Dorothy’s literal whirlwind arrival in Oz but if you can think of other examples of the weather playing a major role in fiction, do say!

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Glorious Golspie on the Far North coast of Scotland, image by me.

CHANGE IS IN THE AIR…

September 6, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Tonight’s post looks at enforced changes and gives story prompt ideas as to what changes are enforced on your characters, who by and why? There has got to be at least a short story in that! I also look at how the darker evenings can affect characters – for example in terms of health (sunshine lamps etc are used to combat the increasing effects of the lack of light as we go further into autumn and then winter). That would be an enforced and unavoidable change on a character’s well being, even if it is only for a brief period each year relatively speaking. So how would your characters cope with that? And how would it affect their behaviour?

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

The dark theme continues with a look at the dark side in tonight’s post for This World and Others. I look at the seasons briefly but also discuss monsters and wonder what dark side of the personality your characters might be trying to suppress. Do they succeed? Who decides who is the monster? (They’re not always the ugly brute – see Shrek for more on this!).

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I discuss the Proms (as broadcast by Radio 3) and that the Last Night of the Proms is rapidly approaching, a sure sign autumn is here. I also discuss the effects the darker evenings have on me – I tend to read more! I like to escape into my fictional and non-fictional worlds and block out the fact the nights are drawing in far earlier than I would like.

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I loved the long, light evenings in the Far North of Scotland. Image by me.

YOUR CHARACTER’S WISH LIST

September 5, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I look at the changes of direction that can come to your characters, whether these are eagerly anticipated or forced on your hero/heroine by circumstance, the actions of others, mysterious documents turning up and so on. Indeed it would be a strange story if there wasn’t at least one forced change of direction your hero/heroine has to come terms with before then defeating it.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

I look at what your characters would wish for, if they were given the chance to have their say. (I know some of my characters would be ensuring they have more than their fair say).

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I discuss my love of swimming here tonight. I thought when I first started I’d use the rest periods to think out my plots and stories and soon discovered, instead, my mind goes a complete blank. But I do find I’m refreshed and reivigorated after a swim that that is the point of writing creative non-fiction.

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Helping out especially if there’s a change of direction to navigate. Image via Pixabay.

GLORIOUS BOOKS AND STORY FORMATS

September 4, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I discuss my favourite fairytale and collection of fairytales in my blog post called Books, Glorious Books (and they so are!). Working out what you like to read most can be a great aid to working out what you most want to write. Sometimes it can help you work out what you love to read but don’t feel “strong” enough to write. For example, I love crime stories. I’ve written a few short pieces but know I couldn’t make crime the main category in which I write. I also briefly discuss the inspiration we get from books and ask if what drives your writing is strong enough to sustain a novel or if it would be better for a short story.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

I discuss story formats in tonight’s post and stress the important thing is getting the story across effectively to people. The actual format in which that can be done varies of course. I’ve been inspired to read an author thanks to watching a great film adaptation of some of their work. Other times I’ve read the book and found the film a wonderfully enjoyable way of enjoying the story a second time!

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I discuss story formats again here and wonder what film adapters would do without books! I think the creative industries would grind to a halt without books – so more power to the book writers then!

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Some of the anthologies my work has appeared in – image by me.

Magazines are a wonderful read. I like the writing mags and some history ones. Image via Pixabay.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…

September 4, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Tonight’s post is called And Now For Something Completely Different. Much as I love humorous lists (reading and writing them), I thought I would look at the differences in the worlds you might create for your stories that would draw readers in. What makes the world you’ve created different from what we know? What is only all too familiar (but is easy to identify with)? These are some of the things discussed.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Talking of the familiar, I look at this in Right Under Your Nose, tonight’s post for my writing tips and prompts website. It is frighteningly easy to take for granted the familiar settings around you (and indeed the people!). Do your characters do this? Do they have cause to regret it? This post looks at this in a little more detail.

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I discuss what I’ve been reading, magazine wise, tonight and also a novel competition I hope to have a try for over the next few months. (Closing date isn’t until January 2017). I also raise the spectre of the “C” word, which I generally refuse to even think about until after the end of September, though I’ve seen so many cards and some seasonal parties being advertised already. (And I love the “C” season but in August? Really?)

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Overview of a local Extravaganza event, sadly not to be held this year. Image by me.