Tag: Annuals

Broadcast News and Judging Stories

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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 lovely weekend. Family came down to visit so had a fantastic and busy time – we went to see a local lights festival. Lady loved seeing the family too. She is very much a “people” dog! Writing and editing are going well. Will be wrapping up for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday 19th December and then will be back in the New Year.

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Hope you’ve had a good day. Lady saw her Hungarian Vizler pal today so both dogs were pleased at that. Later on our evening walk Lady, other half and I came across her Rhodesian Ridgeback pal. The two dogs were so excited to see each other, sweet to see.

Character Creation Tip: You know your own likes and dislikes. Why not take those and swap them around for potential characters?

For example, if you love sprouts, get your character to hate them and then face a situation where they have no choice but to have some of the things. Could be a good fun story there but the general point here of taking what you know (your likes and dislikes) and using them for characters should be the means of generating plenty of story ideas for you.

Have fun!

Delighted to say the bumper December issue of Writers’ Narrative is now out. Pleased to have two articles in here – Real Characters, Please and Why Should Fiction Writers Read Non-Fiction?

The theme of the magazine is Diversity Matters and there are plenty of fabulous articles to enjoy, all of which will help you with your own writing in some way.

Hope you enjoy the magazine, all 52 bumper pages, link below. Plenty here to keep you busy for a bit!

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Have had a fabulous weekend with family visiting. Went to see a local light festival. That was great but the parking was abysmal. Traffic guidance (which was indicated by a sign saying there was police approved traffic control) was non-existent. Once parked though, we had a great time at the event itself. It was impressive.

Oh well. Great to catch up with the family though and it won’t be too long before we meet up again which will be lovely. (A riotous time is usually had by all including the four legged members of the family).

Next weekend will be busy too as will be taking part in Carols by Candlelight services and reading a beautiful poem at one of them. Looking forward to that.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing A Year In Flashback as my last Chandler’s Ford Today post for 2025. That will be up on Friday.

I did manage to get to listen to Three Minute Santas with Hannah Kate on North Manchester FM yesterday before the family arrived. Loved all of the stories. Am looking forward to congratulating via Zoom those members of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group who also had stories on here. We’ll be having a round up meeting on Wednesday sharing chat and stories, a great way to finish our year.

Character Tip: What would your character make of our Christmas celebrations, especially if they were not from this world? Could be some fun stories to write following that prompt. Have fun!

Am posting early today as am delighted to have family come down today. We’re off to see a local festive lights show this evening. Should be fun.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing my last Chandler’s Ford Today post for 2025 next Friday, 19th December. I’ll take a look back at my writing year and look ahead to the next one too.

Broadcast News: Am enjoying listening to Three Minute Santas on North Manchester FM as I post this. (Well, I was at the time, honest!). The show is hosted by Hannah Kate (as part of her Hannah’s Bookshelf programme) and I know I am going to love listening to the festive stories. There will be some from members of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group, including me, too.

North Manchester FM: Hannah’s Bookshelf 3 Minute Santas Special, Saturday 13 December, 2-4pm

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Flash is easy to share on social media and your website so can be an excellent marketing tool. I like to share some flash stories every so often, including the regular ones I share here, simply to show something of my writing style to potential readers. Besides which, I like doing this because it is fun!

I love it when other authors share their stories (or snippets). The tales in themselves are entertaining but you can learn so much from what other writers do. The writing community is very supportive here and I think a lot of that is because we know ideas spark other ideas. There will be never be just the one Christmas ghost story, for example (though Dickens did write a magnificent one in A Christmas Carol) but that particular famous tale will have and will continue to spark other story ideas.

What could our story ideas spark in others? I hope lots of other ideas that only those writers could come up with! I like to see this as contributing to the big world of stories out there. Also, we do build on what has gone before. I continue to be inspired by the classic fairytales for a start.

It’s Monday. It’s dark though I am enjoying seeing the Christmas lights when I walk my dog in the evening. Brightens the place up no end. Still time for a story though. Hope you enjoy my latest on YouTube – Who What When.

Discover who fell down a chimney, what happened when a collie became involved, and when this is going to happen. Hope you enjoy this fun Christmas story.

 

With my judge’s hat on, how do I pick a potential winning flash fiction story?

I look at how well the character grips me and then how do they deliver on the premise of the story. I am expecting the character to make me feel something/react to what they do (and it should be apt for the story of course). If the character stays in my mind after I’ve read the story, then that is a good sign and of course it is a challenge to me to make sure my characters do just that for my readers.

There should be heart and feeling in a story regardless of its length, I think. I’ve got to care about what happens to the characters after all.

Will be winding down the writing as we approach Christmas and intend to have a few days break. I appreciate the time off yet when I get back to my desk that’s no hardship and this is a good place to be. I am phenomenally grateful for discovering flash fiction. It is such fun to write and read.

Would like to try competitions new to me in 2026 (having ensured they’re reputable first, of course), as well as keeping up a reasonable number of entries. I do know my recent turndown is a story I would like to try and place elsewhere. Ironically, I am being a story judge myself again soon and again in February.

Does being a story judge sometimes help me with my own flash and short story contenders? It can do. I do know with my judge’s hat on I am looking for that special something which makes a story stand out. If I remember the story, that’s a good sign and it is a challenge to me to make sure my own are memorable too.

Goodreads Author Blog – Have a Lovely Reading Christmas and New Year

I hope the Christmas season brings you plenty of lovely new books to read. I put my list in early. Yes, there is always a list! There would be something wrong if I didn’t have plenty of books on my wish list.

Did you use to get annuals as part of your Christmas presents? Do you still get them even? My son used to love The Beano Annual (and yes I often took a peek or several, having loved many of the characters in there). D.C. Thomson are a fabulous publisher. My annual these days is the thoughtful The Friendship Book, which has been a yearly fixture for decades now.

As well as the books I’m looking forward to, I love the Christmas story itself. I also take part in Carols by Candlelight services and have read some wonderful poems based around the Nativity, which I hadn’t come across before. Beautiful words to read and the poems conjure up tremendous imagery, as do the carols, especially my favourite In The Bleak Midwinter (has to be the Holst tune though).

I suppose that’s what I love about words, stories, and books the most. They really do take you places through the power of your own imagination.

I’m looking forward to having my imagination re-fired by the books I find under the tree this year!

I hope to post again next week but in case that cannot happen, I will wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year and hope books to continue to play an important part in your life. I cannot imagine a world without books. Nor do I ever wish to be able to!

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WRITERS’ NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK 

Couldn’t resist putting the above magazine back in here too. This has been one of the highlights of my writing year.

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Flash NANO Update and Using Colour/Senses

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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.
The Remembrance weekend was so moving, as always. Some things should never be forgotten. Writing wise, you could work out what your characters would consider they HAVE to remember and why. Even if you don’t use it in the story itself, it will give you a clearer insight as to what motivates and drives them, what they would do, what they would never do etc. That information is bound to help you with your characterisation.

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Have been enjoying listening off and on today to the historic snippets from the last 75 years and classical music to go with them on Classic FM to celebrate HM The King’s 75th birthday (on 14th November 2023). Nice idea. The snippets have brought back many memories for me from the 1970s onwards, one of which was there being snow in the summer of 1975. Yes, remember that, and the drought the following year. They appointed a Minister for Drought as that wore on. Within days, the heavens opened. There’s a lesson there somewhere.

The Flash NANO challenge yesterday was the first where I’ve needed to go to the full word count for flash – 1000 words. The prompt involved a partial scene already laid out and it was a “what happened next” prompt. Bear in mind you could create a character and use the what happened next idea to create a story for him/her/it (I have occasionally had characters as “its” for good reasons).

Also bear in mind classic story ideas can and have come from the simple questions of Who? What? When? How? Why? and Where? (also known as Kipling’s serving men I believe). I like to add in What If? to that little lot. You’ve got yourself an outline right there. Now fill in the gaps! I love this kind of thing. It’s a fantastic way to trigger writing ideas (and talking of which that will be the very topic I’ll be writing about for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday).

Also to the good folk at the Medway Mermaids for making me so welcome last night at our Zoom meeting, thank you! I hope you find the editing thoughts and tips useful.

Also ask what if and does the reader need to know thisHope you have had a good Monday. Lady did – got to play with her two best buddies and the rain had stopped so that counts as a win.

Am looking forward to running an editing workshop for the Medway Mermaids later this evening on Zoom. (If I mention the word zoom to Lady, she’ll immediately assume she is up for the zoomies with her Rhodesian Ridgeback friend!). I look at editing from the viewpoint of an author, an editor, and competition judge as I am all three. I’ve learned so much from being all three.

Am enjoying the Flash NANO challenges so far. Might have to do today’s one tomorrow but you can always play catch up with these things. I found that handy last year. Word count is varying so far from 100 to just under 400, my natural flash “home”. Am not surprised by this. Found the same was the case last year.

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12th November 2023 – Remembrance Sunday

As ever it was a moving service where my family and I go. The village including the two churches gathers around the War Memorial. The poppy wreaths cover the steps. The colour stands out especially on a dull day.

On to writing, using colour or any of the senses sensibly can help readers picture your scenes better. It gives them a hook if you like. So if you are describing anything or getting your character to observe something, add in some colour or use a sense which seems most apt to them and your story.

I must admit that colour and sound are the two things I pick up on when noticing anything. Sometimes the lack of colour/sound/anything you would normally expect to find can be used to good effect, especially for horror tales.

On a lighter note, am so looking forward to meeting the Medway Mermaids on Zoom again for an editing workshop. Always fun to do these. And it was great fun too. Always pleased to spread the word about the joys of editing and there are joys to it, honestly!

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11th November – Armistice Day

Hope you have had a good day. Glad it stayed dry for the Two Minutes Silence today. Would like dry weather again for Remembrance Sunday.

Will be discussing Triggering Writing Ideas for Chandler’s Ford Today next week. As I am always writing flash fiction and blog posts etc., I am always keen to trigger ideas whichever way I can. I have several ways of triggering ideas and use them all regularly. I’ll be sharing some of the ways I use in this post next Friday.

Tomorrow is one of the days when I get a lot of flash fiction written and/or edited. It’s a lovely way to spend Sunday afternoons – in the warm, writing in the format I love most and with a decent mug of something nice (hot chocolate if it is cold, fruit tea if not) alongside me.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I enjoy creating story videos for my YouTube channel. I see it as part of my marketing and it proves my point, I think, that marketing can be creative and fun. I write the story and then create the video in Book Brush before uploading it to YouTube. Is also easy to share on social media. New subscribers to my channel are always welcome though. Do see the relevant link here.

 

Screenshot 2023-11-14 at 20-18-14 Allison Symes

It’s Monday. It’s been a tiring day. It’s dark far too early. And it’s Monday. Time for a story then. My latest on YouTube is Waiting To Write. Hope you enjoy finding out what my character, Tracy, does about poison pen letters.

12th November – Remembrance Sunday

Today is Remembrance Sunday. It is a day full of memories, rightly so too. I’ve long been a fan of the classic TV series, Dad’s Army, which is still shown regularly, gets good ratings, and is full of humour and often pathos. If there are two TV series to watch at this time of year, that is one of them. The other is Blackadder Goes Forth, especially the last episode, Goodbyeee.

Words have such an impact and perhaps we are more conscious of this on days like today. It is where we recall the writings of the war poets, the hymn writers like Isaac Watts, and so on.

Whether you write to entertain, to share a “message” without preaching, or do both, I hope you get much joy from your writing. Words matter. Stories matter. Stories can convey things long after the original storytellers have gone on. So write, enjoy what you write, and hopefully others will too.

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Just to say there’s a good offer on From Light to Dark and Back Again on Amazon at the moment. See link for details.

Am slowly getting a Christmas list together and there will be books on it. That won’t come as a surprise, I’m sure.

Yesterday’s Flash NANO challenge one was an interesting one and not of a kind I’ve come across before. You write ten sentences to make a story. You then change the order of those sentences to make another one. Great fun and the perspective of the story can change depending on your ordering. That I am sure is something which could be exploited to good effect by someone and I may well try this one again myself at some point.

Will be cracking on with today’s challenge later.


Goodreads Author Blog – Annuals

I’ve always loved annuals. They make smashing Christmas presents. I’ve enjoyed The Beano, The Bash Street Kids, and others in my time. These days and in a completely different mood, I love The Friendship Book. It’s a gentle, often amusing, and thoughtful read and a great comfort book. Other family members get the Private Eye annual. I know I turn to the cartoons first there when I get to look at it!

Annuals, I think, serve a great purpose in encouraging further reading. They are perfect for dipping into when you know you want to read something but don’t want anything “heavy”. I will add flash fiction and short story collections are also great for that but hands up, I am bound to say that, given I am published in both! It is still true though!

Which annuals do you enjoy?

D.C.Thomson, that wonderful publisher based in Dundee, are responsible for many of them.

Long may they continue.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Talks, Flash, and the Character -v- Plot Debate

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Image Credit:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated. Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Images of Lady, of CafeLit 10 books, and my stories in it, and screenshots all taken by me, Allison Symes.

Summer weather, a mini heatwave, finally here in the UK. The dog and I are busy keeping cool.

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Many thanks to the lovely people at #DundeeCityWriters for making me so welcome at last night’s Zoom talk. I spoke about short story writing as opposed to flash fiction this time. All great fun.

Looking forward to sharing my Chandler’s Ford Today post on Friday. It’s a local author news post this time about yours truly where I give an update on what has been happening/is going to happen over the summer for me. And I am glad to share news on both the fiction and non-fiction fronts for the first time here as well.

Lady, you’ll be glad to know, is keeping well and as cool as possible. She’s generally as daft as the proverbial brush but not when it comes to weather like this heatwave a lot of us in the UK are experiencing right now. (I know, it’s July, it is to be expected, but I have no way of telling the dog this!). She drinks plenty, stays in the shade, and enjoys gentler exercise sessions away from the main heat. She can go back to her usual athletic running about when the weather cools. And it will.

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Pleased to be speaking later tonight to the #DundeeCityWriters. Zoom is a wonderful thing!

Great to see so many lovely comments coming in on my #FridayFlashFiction story, The Unpaid Shift. Many thanks, all.

Working away also on my author newsletter. That will come out on 1st August. I share news, tips, writing prompts, and exclusive flash stories here amongst other things. If that sounds of interest, head over to my landing page at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com where you can sign up.

And if you head over to my From LIght to Dark and Back Again Facebook page shortly, you will find my latest YouTube video as well. See below!

(Lady keeping cool and drinking well. I’m drinking well but do feel as if I’m melting right now. But at least it is the kind of weather you expect for July!).

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Facebook – General – and Authors Electric

Pleased to share my post on Authors Electric this month. I talk about character -v- plot (and many thanks for the great comments which have come in so far).

I also look at a character I don’t care for much in this post even though I love the author. Mind you, this kind of thing is useful for me as I think about my characters. I do look at what I love and loathe about characters produced by other writers and I can learn so much from that. If a character is dire, I can examine why that is and try to avoid doing this for my own creations.

I also look at how a character makes me react and discuss series novels where a character can develop over time. I also name my favourite example of the latter as my top pick is a masterclass in how a character can develop over several books.

Screenshot 2021-07-20 at 19-35-10 Character -v- Plot by Allison Symes

 

Hope you have had a good day. A huge thanks for the wonderful comments on my The Unpaid Shift currently on #FridayFlashFiction. So enjoying writing the drabbles again. If you missed it, see the link.

Looking forward to sharing my Chandler’s Ford Today post next week which will be a Local Author News one from me where I have exciting updates to share.

Am also looking forward to sharing great author interviews later on in the summer. So plenty going on here.

But more immediately, I am looking forward to sharing my Authors Electric post tomorrow. This time I’m writing about the character -v- plot debate. Give some thought as to where you stand on that one and maybe pop a comment up when I share the post link tomorrow. See above.

Screenshot 2021-07-16 at 18-47-03 The Unpaid Shift, by Allison Symes

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Thanks for the lovely response to Self Defence, my latest YouTube video. These are great fun to write and produce. And they are a great way to use the mini-flash tales which are only a sentence or two. See below for video.

I was giving a Zoom talk to #DundeeCityWriters last night about short story writing but many of the techniques I use for flash I can and do use for the longer tales. For example, I have to have a rough template of what I am going to write and then off I go.

The main difference for a short story (anything over 1000 words) is I need to have some rough pointers for what happens in the central part of the tale so I avoid the dreaded saggy middle! (Not wanted in cakes. Not wanted in stories either!).

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Hope you enjoy my latest YouTube story video. It appears self defence can, in the right circumstances, apply to inanimate objects.


Thanks for the great response to my post yesterday about writing more in the first person for flash. I hadn’t anticipated doing this earlier in my writing career. I’m not sorry about the development as it had been a kind of writing I’d gone out of my way to avoid. Why?

Because all I could see were the limitations of it. You can only see through that one character’s eyes. Everything the character sees, hears, or could be reasonably expected to know is what you have to play with.

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What I hadn’t seen immediately was that kind of framework Is useful for stopping me head-hopping and in making me focus on the lead character. I can’t go off at a tangent here. That in turn encourages creativity as I work out what the lead character can see, hear, be reasonably expected to know etc.

I’ve also come to love the immediacy of the first person narrator.

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I’m writing more in the first person with my flash stories as it is a very easy way to “hit the ground running” with my character. I can literally take you right inside the “I” character’s head and show you their thoughts, actions, and reactions. I can’t “head-hop” either as I have to focus on just that one character.

But when I do have more than one character in a story (usually one of my 500+ word tales), I do work out who the lead character is and who the support will be. I still have to know whose story it is and why and what the role of the support will be. (Of course the support may do anything but support the main character but that’s fine. I just need a defined sense of who does what and why).

Goodreads Author Blog – Annuals

Did you use to get annuals when you were younger? Do you still get them?

I am fond of The Friendship Book (D.C. Thomson – those wonderful Dundee based publishers have produced this for decades). This is one of those books that is always on the present list at a certain time of year I won’t mention yet because we’re still in the summer. I refuse to think of the C word until the autumn at the earliest (and just wish the shops would do the same).

When my family was younger, they loved The Beano annual, and when we could get it, The Bash Street Kids one. They weren’t the only ones to read them either! I still have a soft spot for Minnie the Minx in particular. For anyone who might not know, The Beano is veritable institution amongst comics and again produced by D.C. Thomson and again going back decades. I think I’m right in saying it is well over 50 years old.

I’ve got no time for snobbery around comics, comic books, annuals etc. The important point here is they do get people reading (and the hope is of course they go on to read books with a higher text content later. My family did. What matters is getting that love of reading to develop and annuals and comics can be a great place to start).

I still like comics like The Beano. The world they take you into generally makes you laugh. And I count comics as much a part of the reading life as books.

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