Tag: Accountability

The Writer’s Wish List

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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. Lady has seen friends and I’m spotting more spring flowers out. Writing is going well too. Hope to edit a story for another competition over the weekend.

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Hope you have had a good Friday. Lovely to see some sunshine and more spring flowers out.
Pleased to share my latest post on Chandler’s Ford Today – The Writer’s Wish List.

I share five things I would wish for and this includes my thoughts on AI, tiredness. and finding out useful writing information plus much more.

Hope you enjoy the post. Comments always welcome on the CFT box.

The Writer’s Wish List

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Hope you have had a good day. Lady got to see her Hungarian Vizler friend again today and I am spotting more crocuses out both cheery things to celebrate I think!

Will be sharing The Writers’ Wish List on Chandler’s Ford Today. Link up tomorrow. See above.

Had a lovely session of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group on Zoom last night. Good to see everyone.

I’ve been revisiting some of my Flash NANO stories from last year and sent a couple of those out to competitions, having polished and edited them. Now to wait and see.

Also happily working on future articles and a long term project. Hope to get that submitted soon.

Writing Tip: Even if you’re happily reading everything fictional you can get your hands on (and why not!) with the aim of writing plenty of fiction of your own, don’t forget to include non-fiction in your reading. Not only are the articles etc interesting, I’ve known non-fiction works spark off ideas for stories for me. Why not see if it can do the same for you?

Mixed bag weather wise today. Lady and I got wet this morning though we did see her Hungarian Vizler friend which cheered us up. For this afternoon’s walk, there was glorious sunshine. I guess that is proof – spring is on its way! In further good news, my first daffodils are out in the garden.

On Friday, I’ll be sharing The Writer’s Wish List on Chandler’s Ford Today.  See further up. And I hope to bring another smashing author interview before too long. More details nearer the time.

Looking forward to the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group meeting his evening on Zoom. Will be looking at Using Popular Themes as a topic. Glad to say the session went well. Nice to welcome new members to it too.

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It’s Friday once again and I’m pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with my latest tale, Memory Issues. You know how you can see a face and swear you know from it somewhere, well so does my character here. Is he right or wrong though? What could be the consequences of being right?
The Bridport Prize has described flash fiction as “the art of just enough” which I think is a brilliant description of flash fiction. (Their competitions are open again incidentally. Deadline is the end of May).

It’s a great challenge to respond to and I’ve found it has helped my other fiction and non-fiction work. How?

Simply because I’ve got into the habit of thinking does the reader need to know this? I’ve got used to justifying every part of my stories and/or articles and/or blogs etc being included and ruthlessly cutting out anything which isn’t. Writing flash so regularly has helped sharpen my editing skills (and indeed has helped me lose all fear of that).

Other than for Friday Flash Fiction, where I always write 100 word tales, I do like to mix up the word count I use across the flash fiction spectrum. I do this to keep me on my creative toes but also because certain markets and competitions have specific requirements here.

I can think of markets which ask for strictly 75 words only, including the title, and another one which asks for 53 words. There are all kinds in between too all the way up to the 1000 word limit. And it is a funny thing how often I gravitate to the 1000 words mark.

For my Writers’ Narrative articles, these always come in at around the 1000 words mark. My shorter Chandler’s Ford Today pieces come it at about the same limit though my longer ones (such as author interviews) can be double that.

Word count then plays a huge role in my writing life though I like to mix it up. It keeps life interesting!


Fairytales with Bite – Turning The Tables

One of the things I’ve always loved about fairytales is you know things will work out all right in the end, usually with some magical assistance from a benign magical being. Turning the tables on the unkind and cruel can be guaranteed. Just ask Cinderella!

But we need to know early on in the story that such magical assistance is going to be possible. So we needed to know Cinders had a fairy godmother though she had been unaware of it until the lady deigned to turn up! I’ve always thought I would’ve understood Cinders if she’d greeted the lady with something like, “Where the hell have you been? Do you know what’s been going on here?” Well, you just would, wouldn’t you?

For tables to be turned, we need to know then that such a thing will be possible. Hints and clues need to be planted to the alert reader to pick up (and for the less alert ones to go back through the story later and then spot them – we all do this at times! It’s no bad thing either. You always pick up more on a second read and writers can learn so much from that).

With fairytales, there is the general expectation tables will be turned but you do need to see how this happens. In the case of Cinders, we know things will become better once that fairy godmother does turn up (and that magic will be the way forward here).

In other stories, look for the pivotal moment of change. Study what leads up to it. There will be things here we can apply to our own fairytales and magical stories. Often there is an early hint when we discover the setting is not of this world so that too is a huge clue magic or some other force for good will turn up at some point.

The fun thing here, of course, is you get to decide what clues to plant where. Then you can get your characters to reveal more. It’s why I love writing, as well as reading, what I call fairytales with bite. They’re a great source of entertainment and a small comfort in a world where justice is so often not done.

This World and Others – Accountability

With great power comes great responsibility (or should do!) and there should be some accountability as to how a character uses their powers. This isn’t meant as a commentary on what is going on right now but it perhaps reflects on us that accountability is always needed, I think.

In an ideal world (which ours definitely isn’t!) the most powerful have to have some restraints on what they can do otherwise there is no story. They would just get their own way all the time. There is no story in that.

I’ve long believed there has to be some hope in any kind of story (e.g. justice will be done in crime stories in some way) and I feel this should be just as true for science fiction and fantasy tales. Perhaps especially so since there is access to powers we don’t know here.

We understand power struggles here so can relate to those going through the same thing in the fantastic worlds we create. It is the characters, I feel, which draw us into reading the stories.

I rooted for Frodo and Sam in The Lord of the Rings and the details of The Shire, Mordor etc were fabulous but without those characters drawing me in would I have gone on to read the rest? Possibly not. Having said that, having sense of the setting in which they were travelling added to the story. Knowing Sauron could be brought down (and I refuse to believe that is a spoiler after all these years) gave hope. I was rooting for those hobbits to ensure Sauron did face his accountability even though it took an unusual way of doing it. It was vital Sauron had a weakness that could be used against him – therein the accountability and that evil would not triumph.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

Two issues here this time – the February one as we leave the month behind and the March one as we go into that month. Happy reading!

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Swanwick 2024

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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. A huge thanks to all who contributed to the pictures for my Chandler’s Ford Today post about Swanwick this week. I especially appreciate those of me taking part in events. Always tricky to do those shots yourself!
Hope you have had a good few days. Weather all over the place once again. My Chandler’s Ford Today post this week was a particular joy to write – well, it was on Swanwick 2024 a subject close to my heart. I hope the post gives you a good flavour of what makes Swanwick special for so many writers, including this one.

Swanwick 2024 - Open Prose Mic Night and Lift Up Your Pens

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Hope you have had a good day. For those of us having a bank holiday this weekend, hope it proves to be a good one.

I’m delighted to share Swanwick 2024 as my Chandler’s Ford Today post this week. This one was a labour of love! I review my week there, share something about what makes The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick so special, and celebrate its 75th anniversary.

I also got to have an almost red carpet moment with fellow Swanwicker, Dave Bromley, but find out more about that in the post. Link below.

Swanwick 2024

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Not great weather today though it didn’t stop Lady having a lovely time with her Hungarian Vizler chum this morning. Mind you, I got to reprise my excellent impersonation of a bedraggled rat! Wasn’t quite enough rain to be a fully fledged drowned rat!

My Swanwick 2024 post is up on Chandler’s Ford Today tomorrow. If you want to know something about why The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick is so special, do check my post out. See above.

My next events will be the Association of Christian Writers’ Autumn Gathering In October and the Bridge House Publishing event in December, both of which I’m looking forward to already.

Don’t forget my author newsletter will be out again soon. I know. It’s hard to believe we’re so close to September, one of my favourite months, (and only one more Bank Holiday to go in the UK before…. Best left there I think).

Oh and a sneak peak at a lovely moment from Swanwick. I was delighted to get to present a Swannie to Dave Bromley this year. To find out more about Swannies and what this was all about see my CFT post tomorrow.


Hope your Wednesday has gone well. Looking forward to the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group meeting later this evening. Also looking forward to sharing Swanwick 2024, my post for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Link for that up on Friday. See above. The next best thing to being at Swanwick is to write about it!

Character Tips: Especially for my flash fiction, I need to know the character well. They are my way into the story. It doesn’t mean I have to know every last detail though. I just need to know enough to help me picture them and envisage the sorts of situations they would end up in and how they would react to these.

So often working out answers to a couple of pertinent questions such as what would you never do and why will reveal a great deal about my character’s attitudes and assumptions and I can make good use of those. I can, of course, make them have to face the thing they don’t want to do but I will know their reasons for this and I think that helps me create a more believable character.

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Friday Flash Fiction is currently closed for submissions, understandably taking a break after their recent competition. I look forward to sending pieces in again to them soon but what I am especially grateful to them for is helping me rediscover the joys of the drabble, the 100 words flash fiction type.

I started in flash fiction writing 100 worders (for CafeLit) but then branched out into writing the longer forms of flash and short stories (which I still write). The discovery of Friday Flash Fiction led me back into writing the 100 worders regularly and I am loving doing this.

I like the discipline of creating a brand new 100 word story for them most weeks of the year. I also appreciate the feedback and support from other writers on the site plus I get to enjoy a thoroughly good read every week. What’s not to like about that? If you would like to check out my stories here do follow the link.
Screenshot 2024-08-23 at 19-24-27 Friday Flash Fiction - Search Results

One of my favourite comments about flash fiction comes from the good people at The Bridport Prize who refer to it as “the art of just enough”. I think that’s a great summary of it.

I have it in mind when I’m drafting my stories. I think about what the reader needs to know and give them that and nothing else. They do get the “just enough” so they can make inferences needed, where appropriate.

I know when I’m reading I don’t want the author to spell out everything. I want them to give me enough, regardless of the length of story, so I can figure some things out too. It is always fun going on to find out whether I’m right or not.

Allison Symes - Flash Fiction Collections

Hope you have had a good day – has been trying here. But knowing how I feel when days are trying is something I can transfer to my characters when I put them in trying situations. (I make sure I do of course!).

Drawing on what you know in terms of how you feel when things go wrong or disappointment hits is something you can transfer to your characterisation. It makes for believable characters readers will identify with because they know where the character is coming from and why they are feeling the way they do. We’ve all been there. Our characters can go there too!

One of the great comforts about reading, I think, is when we read characters going through hell and high water and think well at least it isn’t us or we know how the characters feel. Stories are fabulous for encouraging empathy like that.

Do I find it relaxing when I put my characters through the mill? It can be amazingly therapeutic at times but my goal is to ensure it all works out and becomes a good story a reader will enjoy. That’s the challenge and I love rising to it.

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Fairytales With Bite – Accountability

With my writing, I find having deadlines makes me accountable. I have to get columns done by a certain date, stories off to competitions and/or markets by a certain date and so on.

Leading on from that thought, in your world, when a task (magical or otherwise) has to be done, who makes sure it gets done and in the right way? Who follows through? Who reports back X has been done in the right way? Who reports back when it hasn’t been?

What you are looking for here are story possibilities from the chain of command which must exist. Even in the most democratic of fantasy settings, someone does have to give the orders, there will be others below them and so on.

There would be room for humorous stories here too. It doesn’t have to be deadly serious. As ever, I will flag up Discworld here where there is no doubt about who is in charge of Ankh-Morpork but so much humour does come from those wonderful novels. I’m especially fond of the Sam Vimes books here. He knows he’s accountable to Lord Vetinari. Doesn’t mean he has to like it though! When Moist von Lipwig comes into the stories, he finds himself accountable to His Lordship and to an extent Vimes as well (see Raising Steam).

So who would you have accountable to whom? How does this work?

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This World and Others – Record Keepers

Every society has its history and archives. Some treasure these more than others. Every society has its good and bad history. Some acknowledge this. Others definitely don’t.

In your setting, which records are kept and why? Who can access them? Are there any secret records only a privileged few can ever access? Have any records been destroyed and, if so, which ones and on whose orders?

Are the record keepers treated well or are they kept under the thumb by dictatorial bosses? How did the record keepers get to hold that position in the first place? I would envisage connections working here – the old boys’ network perhaps – especially if there is anything which has to be kept secret from the general public. You would want someone you could trust in positions like that.

Also give some thought as to how far the records go back and in which manner they’re kept? Is technology used or is it all kept on scrolls? When you have a character needing to look something up, how easy or otherwise would they find doing this? Do they find the information they’re after?

Records matter. They’re used for all sorts of things including family history research. Would your characters need to look up some of their ancestors and, if so, why? Would they be pleased or horrified at what they find out?

Story ideas there!

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WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

Well, given my editing course at Swanwick recently, I thought the April 2024 edition of Writers’ Narrative on that theme was the best one to share this time! In the magazine my article asks Editing: Do You Love It or Loathe It? Always a timely question!

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Getting Lines Right

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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. Had a lovely trip out with other half and the dog on Friday. Did us all the world of good. Looking forward to running a flash fiction workshop for a writing group on Saturday. Plenty of editing work done too so a good week here.

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Pleased to share Getting Lines Right for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. I look at opening lines and suggest ways to create memorable ones. Hope you find it useful.

Getting Lines Right

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Must admit the temperatures have come back to the level the dog and I prefer – early 20s. Starting to see the autumn leaf colour change. There is a fair amount of Virgina Creeper in my part of the world and it is lovely seeing that turn to red at this time of year. Mind you, the wildflower meadow in our park is still in full bloom so summer hasn’t quite had its last hurrah.

Am looking at Getting Lines Right on Chandler’s Ford Today tomorrow (see above) and will run a flash fiction workshop on Saturday morning on Zoom.

Writers’ Narrative will be out again before too long. Written by writers for writers it is packed full of information. If you want to sign up to make sure you get the forthcoming October issue (and future ones of course) do sign up at http://subscribepage.io/WritersNarrative

 

Lady got to play with the lovely Coco, Kyaha, and Kitima today. Fabulous “puppy” party had by all. Three happy but tired dogs went home. It is lovely watching them being so pleased to see each other.

Looking forward to sharing Getting Lines Right for Chandler’s Ford Today later this week. Will be looking at opening lines especially. Hope it will prove useful to people. Opening lines are crucial hooks for any form of writing but for the short forms especially flash, they really do have to punch their weight. I’ll be sharing some thoughts and tips in my post on Friday. See above.

When I am writing my first draft, I jot down what I think will be a good opening line but I inevitably end up changing parts of it later when I realise with the character in mind, a better opening line would be this rather than what I started with. That’s fine. I just need something to kick me off and I expect to change things. What matters for me always is getting started. The fine tuning happens later.

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My latest tale on Friday Flash Fiction is Time Travel. Hope you find it moving. My sympathies here are with both characters.

Screenshot 2023-09-15 at 19-00-56 Time Travel by Allison Symes

I sometimes start a flash fiction piece (and indeed a longer short story) by asking a question or getting my character to do so. It is an excellent hook to lure the reader in because that question has to be answered in some way by the end of the work. So story structure is set up as well here – win-win as far as I’m concerned.

The question has to intrigue in some way (and I look more at this in my Chandler’s Ford Today post on Getting Lines Right which will be live tomorrow – see above). But this can be a simple intrigue.

In my The Recruit (from Tripping the Flash Fantastic), I get my character to ask Can Jim do this? The story then takes off from there given the intrigue is what the answer to that question is, who is Jim, and why does this matter.

BB - Flash with a Dash for TTFF
I often read some examples of my published flash fiction work when I run a workshop on flash. I do this and then break down how I wrote these pieces. When I’ve read author interviews where they do this, I found I learned so much from it.

Understanding why someone has done something with their writing is a great way of working out whether that would work for you or whether with slight adjustments to the technique, you can get something which would suit what you do. I know I have learned so much this way. It’s a fun way to learn too as you get to listen to or read stories too!

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Fairytales with Bite – Magical Malpractice

In your setting, what would count as magical malpractice? If you had a world run by old style evil witches, would they consider any magic used to help others or overturn evil to be magical malpractice?

In a world where there is a balance between evil and good magical powers, what rules does each side stick to (mainly to prevent their world falling apart altogether. For me, that would be the only reason the evil side would agree to any such rules. If their own survival depended on doing so, you would think twice about wrecking that, wouldn’t you?).

How would each side govern its own? What would a fairy godmother, say, have to do to be seriously out of step with her colleagues and her ultimate boss? What would her punishment be? Losing one’s wings could take on a whole new meaning here.

Likewise on the evil side, what punishment would there be for someone who stepped out of line there? It is mind boggling to think what would count as being out of line but there would be something – mainly challenging the boss for power I would have thought.

But there would be a great story in working out how that could happen, what happened to be the being trying it, and if they were being what we would know as a stalking horse for someone else.

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This World and Others – Accountability

Who is accountable for what in your magical setting? Ultimately there will be some “head of state” but what about lower down? How is your world governed? Do “ordinary” beings get to have any say in how this is done?

When things need to change, as inevitably they do from time to time, how is this done? Peacefully or by violent overthrow? Would this mirror what we know here (given we have both types of change of government on our planet)?

In more “ordinary” settings, such as in towns and villages, is there a system of local government? How are things done? Who is responsible for ensuring these things get done? This can take in everything from ensuring people/beings get to eat (and therefore dealing with supplies) to managing the local Council budget. If money isn’t used, what would be?

Where folks have got power, is there a way of ensuring they use these things properly? Even the smallest of villages will have some sort of pecking order. In a magical setting, does the magic help things run more smoothly or make things more difficult? If magic goes wrong, how would that change the running of things? Who would be held responsible for things going wrong?

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WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES


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