Introducing Rosemary Johnson – Wodka, or Tea with Milk: The Road to Publication

December 15, 2023Leave a comment

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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. Many thanks to Rosemary Johnson for supplying author and book cover pictures and images of her trip to Poland for the Chandler’s Ford Today interview this week.

Hope you have had a good week so far. Christmas preparations are coming along. So pleased to have my cards out! Mind you, it is lovely seeing the cards coming in. Nice way to keep in touch. Lady, as ever, will be looking forward to her Christmas dinner and inevitable toys. She is a great believer in Santa Paws. Writing wise, so pleased to be back on Hannah Kate’s Three Minute Santas show again and also to have another story on CafeLit (coming up later this week, will share on next post here).

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am delighted to welcome Rosemary Johnson to Chandler’s Ford Today this week to talk about her novel, Wodka, or Tea With Milk. Rosemary shares her road to publication, which has not been an easy one, and what she thinks about writing blurbs. There is much here for many writers to identify with!

She looks at what triggered her love of creative writing and much else besides. Do enjoy a cracking interview and, many thanks, Rosemary for coming on to CFT. Also thanks for a shout out on your blog (see second link) and for referring to me as a flash writer supremo!

Introducing Rosemary Johnson – Wodka, or Tea with Milk: The Road to Publication

Chandlers Ford Today

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Will be sharing a fabulous interview with Rosemary Johnson on Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Link up tomorrow. Do look out for it. See above. Rosemary will be talking about her book Wodka, or Tea With Milk, which is set against the backdrop of the Solidarity movement in the early 1980s, a time I recall well.

I love author interviews. I always learn so much from them. And even if you are not published yet (note the yet!), it is worth preparing for these.

Why? Because it gives you some useful practice in working out what to say about your book or story and to keep it succinct and interesting. That may well prove to help you in preparing a short description when you are ready to submit said work to a publisher. In reading/listening/watching other author interviews, you can learn from how they’ve done this. I know it has stood me in good stead.

Lady got to play with Coco today. Two happy dogs. Always nice to see that.

My story, I Do, I Don’t, will be on CafeLit on 17th December. This story started life as one of this year’s Flash NANO prompts. Link to come later in the week.

Looking forward to an informal Christmas chat/review of writing year with the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group next week. Glad to say three of us will have pieces on the Three Minute Santas show hosted by Hannah Kate at the weekend. This is especially nice as we managed this last year too!

Writing Tip: Festive flash fiction is the main seasonal writing I do. I’ve found it helps to focus on one thing – whether I’ll feature Santa or someone present at the Nativity etc. But for the other seasons, you can pick telling details to flag up to a reader the season in question.

For autumn, I could mention the nights drawing in earlier, or harvest events, or leaves changing colour but I would pick one as the detail for the reader to pick up on. I’ve never believed in laying it on with a trowel! One good thing about flash is the word count limit does stop you doing that.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Delighted to share my story, Breakdown, on Friday Flash Fiction. This is the second entry by me for the Christmas competition. Here you can find out why Santa needed to call out a mechanic. Hope you enjoy the story.

Closing date for the Friday Flash Fiction Christmas Competition is midnight tomorrow, Friday 15th December. Entries to be 75 to 100 words (and the word counts are checked!). So you do still have time to get something in for this one. More details in the link.

Have another story I want to enter for a competition elsewhere. It is almost ready. Deadline is the end of the year but I want to get it in this side of Christmas to make sure (a) I don’t forget to do it and (b) to follow my own advice to get a submission in about a fortnight ahead of the closing date!

If you are entering any Christmas related competitions, good luck! Even if you don’t win or get shortlisted, these are still good things to try as they’re fun and they get you working to a deadline and word count. That is always useful to practice.

Every so often I will use something I’ve seen in a film to inspire a flash fiction story. Where the Wild Wind Blows (Tripping the Flash Fantastic) is an example of that. The film in question is The Wizard of Oz. This is good fun to do because I can take the viewpoint of another character and run with that.

Indeed it is how I got into print back in 2009 with my A Helping Hand in Alternative Renditions (Bridge House Publishing). So give some thought to the films and stories you love. Is there someone you think has been unfairly represented and who deserves to have their story told? In my first story, I went for the viewpoint of the less unkind stepsister to Cinderella.

Think about the kinds of characters you love to read about. What is it about them that draws you? What can you take from that to put into your own creations? Inspiration comes from thinking about what you like yourself in stories. So the more you read, the more inspiration you’re opening yourself up to getting! That’s never a bad thing.

Fairytales With Bite – The Christmas Tree Fairy

Hope you enjoy the following festive themed tale of woe. Who would be the fairy on top of the Christmas tree?

The Christmas Tree Fairy by Allison Symes

They get me out of the big cardboard box once a year.
They need five minutes to get the dust out of my ear.
I am given the place of honour, you see.
I must sparkle and shine, every part of me.
I look down at the festive tinsel and lights.
While affixed, I get ladders in my tights.
I watch them scoff all the Christmas chocs
Then doze away by the telly box.
I try to make the most of what I can see.
Takes my mind off having been rammed on a tree.
Pleasant it is not, there are places pine should not go
But I’m just a toy fairy, they think, what would I know?
And then before I know it Twelfth Night is here.
Tomorrow I go inside for the next year.

Ends.
Allison Symes – 13th December 2023

This World and Others – Unexpected Visitors

In your fantasy setting, what would count as alien to your usual residents? What would they make of unexpected visitors? What do they expect to be “normal”?

In the Nativity story, I have every sympathy with the shepherds being terrified when the angels arrived. Well, you would be, wouldn’t you? The shepherds knew that bright light wasn’t a natural one (at least not natural to this world). But what would frighten your characters? Would they listen to whoever their unexpected visitors were?

Why would the unexpected visitors come to your setting? Is it a peaceful trip or is there sinister intent behind it? How would your main characters handle this?

I would expect fear, hostility but do you have characters who could see the potential of getting along with the visitors, seeing benefits to both worlds? Would anyone listen to them and give them the chance to see if that potential could be realised?

Definite story ideas there!

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Many thanks to @AllisonSymes1 for posting about Wodka, or Tea with Milk on Chandler's Ford Today.https://t.co/jsDkzLxC2g pic.twitter.com/O1RFtnLKH7
— Rosemary Johnson (@REJohnsonWriter) December 15, 2023

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Breakdown, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/DlWJCGlLfI Delighted to share my story, Breakdown, on Friday Flash Fiction. This is the second entry by me for the Christmas competition. Find out here why Santa needed to call a mechanic. Hope you enjoy the story. pic.twitter.com/CYDh9oub3B
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) December 15, 2023

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Introducing Rosemary Johnson – Wodka, or Tea with Milk: The Road to Publication https://t.co/rcF3i2WLqI Pleased to welcome Rosemary Johnson to CFT to talk about Wodka, or Tea With Milk. She discusses her road to publication, blurbs, and much else for writers to identify with.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) December 15, 2023

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Broadcast News and Interviews

December 12, 2023Leave a comment

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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. Many thanks to Julia Pattison for the image of me at Swanwick 2023. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.

Hope you had a good weekend. Had a lovely trip out to the West Country with other half and Lady plus a meal out with family which was great. Have had great writing news which I hope to talk more about in the New Year. Meantime, I have a story being broadcast soon and another one on CafeLit soon. So it has not been a bad few days!

Facebook – General

Hope you have had a good day. Right old mix weather wise today.

Am looking forward to welcoming Rosemary Johnson to Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday to talk about her book Wodka, or Tea With Milk. Her novel is set against the backdrop of the Solidarity movement. Now to me this seems this was only on the news yesterday but that definitely is an “age thing” on my part!

Rosemary will be sharing something of the joys and challenges of her road to publication as well. Great interview – do look out for it.

Talking of interviews, do bear in mind this can be a useful technique for finding out more about your characters to help you picture them well enough to write their stories up.

For my flash fiction, I find only a couple of pertinent questions are enough to help me picture my characters. Good questions to ask include things like what is your major trait and why do you think you have this one? A character has to open up to answer those properly. These can’t be Yes/No answers. Give it a go and see how you get on. I find it useful.

Am thrilled to say my story This Is The Partnership will be broadcast by Hannah Kate on her Three Minute Santas show on Saturday, 16th December between 2 and 4 pm. The link gives more information. I hope to share the link to the show itself early next week.

Huge congratulations to all of the other writers whose stories are being included in the show. I spied some familiar names (Rosemary Johnson and Jenny Sanders) too. Well done all!

North Manchester FM: Hannah’s Bookshelf, Saturday 16 December, 2-4pm

Pleased to say I’ll be on CafeLit later this coming week. More details nearer the time. Publication news is always lovely!

Have also had some great writing news elsewhere but hope to talk more about that in the New Year. I will just say it’s a great way to come towards the end of this writing year though!

Don’t forget the December issue of Writers’ Narrative is now out. Packed full of great information and interviews, it is an enjoyable and useful read for any writer. Do check it out. Link below.

Hope you have had a good day so far. Went down to Dorset with other half and the dog. Blustery but dry and it was fabulous to see West Bay again. Lady loves these trips out. Thankfully all three of our dogs have been good travellers. It helps, in Lady’s case, that she is a very nosy dog so the chance to explore somewhere different is always welcome!

In writing news, I am delighted to say I will be interviewing Rosemary Johnson, whose debut novel, Wodka, or Tea with Milk, came out earlier this year. She will be talking to me about her road to publication and shares some of her writing frustrations as well as her writing joys. We have all had our fair share of the former and would like far more of the latter! Looking forward to sharing this interview on Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday.

But one writing joy I am glad to share is that my festive flash fiction piece, This Is The Partnership, will be broadcast by Hannah Kate on her Three Minute Santas show on North Manchester FM on 16th December (between 2 and 4 pm). Am looking forward to sharing the link for this later.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Am so thrilled to be on the Hannah Kate’s Three Minute Santas show this coming Saturday with my flash tale, This Is The Partnership. Am so pleased people I know will also be on that show too. Will be sharing links, probably early next week.

This will be the third year in a row I have had a story on here and I am delighted there is a home for festive flash fiction. It is worth celebrating. It is huge fun to write and to listen to. Am looking forward to tuning in myself on Saturday. It is another way to have stories read to you after all!

It’s Monday. It’s dark. I can’t put on the Christmas lights early enough! It’s still Monday. It’s time for a story then. My latest on YouTube is called Satellite Navigation and I make no apology for the pun! Hope you enjoy the story.

One of the joys of anthologies and collections is they are perfect books for dipping into. They are also great when you know you haven’t got a lot of time for reading but want to keep your reading “going”. They’re also fabulous for introducing you to authors new to you.

I’ve been in a number of anthologies over many years now as well as having my two flash fiction collections out there. To find out more do visit my Amazon Author Central page.

Am always happy to sign books for people so please contact me via my website at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com/contact for more information.

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Sometimes I will use a well known phrase in the story. In The Power of Suggestion (Tripping the Flash Fantastic), I use a well known phrase as the penultimate line (and in case you’re wondering, the line reads There is a sucker born every minute).

Sometimes well known phrases suggest story ideas or a character for whom that phrase would indeed be the mot juste. I then flesh out the idea or the character more, depending on which thought arrived with me first!

If you’ve got a book of proverbs, keep hold of it! It is worth dipping into every now and then as I have had many a story idea this way. The phrases and proverbs have the advantage of being timeless truths which readers will always identify with.

For example, there’s a sucker born every minute is always going to be true, is it not?! It is a question of your story revealing who your sucker is and what they fell for. I must admit I love that kind of story. It’s good fun to give a character deserving of if their overdue comeuppance. In my case, the sucker did have it coming.

I do like poetic justice tales. Maybe this is a function of fiction. We often don’t see justice in life. We can see it in stories. We can also see why someone might act in a certain way. This can act as both triggering empathy but also as a warning not to go that way ourselves. I am sure the fairytales were meant as warnings in a lot of cases.

Goodreads Author Blog – Favourite Christmas Stories

There are always wonderful Christmas stories. I love the Nativity. I also love A Christmas Carol. The redemption theme will always be timeless. I am not at all surprised this wonderful work by Charles Dickens has never been out of print. I can’t see it ever going so either.

There are stories in the carols themselves. The First Nowell tells the Nativity pretty much from start to finish. Gabriel’s Message focuses on the Annunciation. While Shepherds Watched focuses on the shepherds and We Three Kings does the same for the wise men. (Yes I have sung the traditional and alternative versions of these!). The only carol I don’t really get is The Holly and the Ivy.

Film wise, I love the story of The Polar Express. I see that as a great all age story. It’s not twee (which I think Miracle on 34th Street is). And then there is the much missed Terry Pratchett’s Hogfather. Time to watch and/or read that again very soon!

Plus as I mentioned last week there is always the wonderful post Christmas reading to do. Christmas is full of stories. Not all of them are of good cheer (see King Herod for more on that) but the majority are and I find that to be a wonderful boost at a dark and cold time of year.

Jacob Marley comes back to visit Scrooge - Pixabay

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

liked Allison Symes's blog post: Favourite Christmas Stories https://t.co/PG267zDX69 via @goodreads I discuss some of my favourite Christmas stories for Goodreads this week and look at how many of the carols tell stories themselves. pic.twitter.com/rv40QkkRdw
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) December 9, 2023

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There are so many stories connected to the Nativity which make me wonder. For example, who did the shepherds speak to on their way back to the fields? Did anyone believe their tale? What happened next? Great stories come from answering that last question! pic.twitter.com/hxF8s73s2G
— ACW (@ACW1971) December 9, 2023

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I sometimes wonder whether any at the Nativity events would have still been alive 33 years later and witness Calvary. Did any of these witnesses become some of Jesus’s followers? What stories could be told here? The “what if” question could be used to great effect here. pic.twitter.com/Ep1tUGiBqk
— ACW (@ACW1971) December 10, 2023

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I love carol singing. Many of the carols tell a whole story in their verses. Now there is a writing challenge for you. Could you write the words for a carol? What element of the Nativity story would you focus on? pic.twitter.com/zPPkoWGgv2
— ACW (@ACW1971) December 11, 2023

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It’s Monday. It’s dark. I can’t put on the Christmas lights early enough! It’s still Monday. It’s time for a story then. My latest on YouTube is called Satellite Navigation and I make no apology for the pun! Hope you enjoy the story.https://t.co/glwYfBdSdv
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) December 11, 2023

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Remember, Remember – Author Interview: Richard Hardie

December 1, 2023Leave a comment

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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. Many thanks to Richard Hardie for logo, author, and book cover pics for a marvellous interview on Chandler’s Ford Today this week.

It has been a very cold week here, with some snow and sleet showers. Not that Lady worried as she got to run around with her best friends all week. I just put on extra layers and my big coat! Looking forward to the Bridge House Publishing celebration event on 2nd December. Will be lovely to see everyone again. (And it’s indoors out of the cold!).

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am pleased to interview Richard Hardie for Chandler’s Ford Today again. He is the author of the Temporal Detective Agency series (aimed at YA though I must admit despite not qualifying on that score for some considerable time, I find the books a great read too!). Today he launches his third book in the series, Remember Remember. This follows Leap of Faith and Trouble With Swords.

Richard discusses with me the challenges and joys of writing series fiction, his publishing company, Authors Reach, and what they have been up to since our last interview, and how Richard manages to keep details for his characters correct from book to book. This is a major consideration for anyone writing series. Plus there is much more useful information and great insights into the writing life here.

Many thanks, Richard, for a great interview. Link below.

Remember, Remember: Author Interview – Richard Hardie

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I am so pleased to welcome back Richard Hardie to Chandler’s Ford Today this week to talk about his new book, Remember Remember. This is the third in his Temporal Detective Agency series. The series is aimed at Young Adults but there are many who no longer qualify as such who also enjoy these books! Richard and I will also be chatting about marketing and other topics as part of this interview. Link up tomorrow (and Richard’s Facebook launch starts at 1 pm UK time tomorrow too). Interview above.

Two days to go to the Bridge House Publishing celebration event. So looking forward to seeing everyone.

I cannot believe today is the last day of Flash NANO 2023. I will be having a go at today’s challenge (aptly a thirty word story one) later on this evening. Have so enjoyed taking part in this again and the feedback and support on the Facebook page has been wonderful. Thanks, all, and also to Nancy Stohlman for setting all of this up.

Pleased to be back on More than Writers, the blog spot for the Association of Christian Writers. This month I talk about Story Formats. What would be your favourite – the hardback, paperback, ebook, audio book? I welcome different formats and see them as ways of getting people into reading at all. Comments welcome over on the MTW page. (Let’s take the opportunity to celebrate the written word in all its formats!).

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Author newsletter out earlier today. I know it’s early to wish everyone a Happy Christmas but my next one isn’t until 1st January which would be a tad late, I think!

Pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with The Lost Coin. Hope you enjoy it. See what you make of my Gran character in this. Is she harsh or does her grandchild deserves what happens in this one because they ….. Well, no spoilers here. Link here for you to check it out! And many thanks to those who have already commented on this one.

Had a fun time at the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction group meeting on Zoom last night. We drafted some stories based on the festive theme. Glad to see some of our group taking part in the Flash NANO challenge too. Hard to believe we’ve reached the end of that already.

Once I’ve completed tonight’s challenge – a 30 words only story – I will have written 46, 586 words over the month. This is not far short of the 50,000 set for NaNoWriMo writers. Am pleased with this.

I didn’t have an overall target in mind when I began this. I just wanted to respond to each day’s challenge. Some of my stories were towards the upper end of the flash range but most were in the category I most write to – the 100 to 500 words count.

Am NOT surprised at that but what Flash NANO proves is all those “little” bits of writing do add up! So don’t worry about only having short times in which to write. Have fun. Get something written. Edit later. You can get more achieved than you think by using pockets of time like this.

Don’t forget my author newsletter is out again on Friday, 1st December. (Just where does the time go?!). If you would like to sign up for tips, news, story links etc, please head over to my landing page at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

Meantime, I am looking forward to tonight’s ACW Flash Fiction Group meeting on Zoom. There will be more than a hint of a festive flavour about our flash writing this evening! It was great fun too!

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No acrostics are ages so here are two in one go! Hope you enjoy them. The second one sets some interesting questions for potential stories.

Fairytales with Bite – Festivities

F = Fairies, including godmothers, need to let their hair down every so often, you know.
E = Energy is drained by the continual use of magic.
S = Slippers, glass or otherwise, take a great deal of creativity energy – it’s not just a quick spell and away you go.
T = Time to have a party then for friends and colleagues so what does your average fairy do here?
I = Innovation is key – they invent spells to conjure up delicious food and drink without them having to lift a finger to do it.
V = Variety matters too – there will be spells for music, brightly coloured lights and so on.
I = Invitations are treasured for a fairy’s party – you know you’ve made it when you get one.
T = Timings of said parties are flexible but all start at midnight, it’s a traditional and a nod to Cinderella.
I = Imaginative dress is expected of the guests but this isn’t an issue – just don’t turn up as a wicked stepmother and you’ll be fine.
E = Expect to have a good time and an even better sleep when you eventually go home.
S = Strictly RVSP and no red apples whatsoever to be seen anywhere at a fairy’s festive do – it spoils the tone, you know.

This World and Others – Traditions

T = Traditions are a bedrock of any society so what would your setting have?
R = Revere the traditions or do your characters ignore or despise them?
A = Are there traditions based on religious or other festivals and does everyone take part?
D = Dancing – is this allowed in your setting and, if so, what form does it take?
I = Invented traditions – who invented them and why; what were they seeking to replace and why?
T = Timings of traditions – are these celebrated/commemorated all year or just in certain seasons?
I = In your world’s traditions, what would people do, eat, drink, and why these things in particular?
O = Ongoing traditions – why have people wanted these to continue?
N = New traditions – have your characters taken well to these and what purpose do they fill the old ones couldn’t?
S = Solemnity in traditions or super fun or a mixture of both? Which would your characters prefer and why?

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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There are so many ways to experience stories these days (eg paperbacks, e-books, audiobooks, films) as @AllisonSymes1 explains in today's More than Writers post. Which are your favourites and why? https://t.co/Z4kD0hdcXV
— ACW (@ACW1971) November 29, 2023

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More than Writers: Story Formats by Allison Symes https://t.co/pOR0CQsqvm What is your favourite format – hardback/paperback/ebook/audio book? I see them as ways of getting people into reading. Comments welcome on the MTW page. Let’s celebrate the written word in all formats! pic.twitter.com/XMGvv8hlCC
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) November 29, 2023

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Author newsletter out today. To sign up to receive it every month, please go to my landing page at https://t.co/4PWkpgevt3
For December's newsletter see https://t.co/6TEyIoWZJq pic.twitter.com/r6qPhFATjx
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) December 1, 2023

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Pleased to be on Friday Flash Fiction with The Lost Coin. See what you make of my Gran character. Is she harsh or does her grandchild deserves what happens in this because they ….. no spoilers. Many thanks to those who have already commented on this one.https://t.co/ppb2PpFyl9 pic.twitter.com/bWdzSgcBkq
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) December 1, 2023

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Remember, Remember: Author Interview – Richard Hardie https://t.co/kzo9hjdVa1 Today Richard launches his third book in his Temporal Detective Agency series, Remember Remember. Richard shares with me the challenges/joys of writing series fiction, and much more useful information.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) December 1, 2023

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When A Story Works

November 28, 2023Leave a comment

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 had a good weekend. Mine was lovely and could be summed up in three words – family, writing, Zoom. Great to meet in person and online – got to do both over the weekend though the advantage of meeting up with family in person is we got to have fish and chips together! Now counting the days to the Bridge House Publishing Celebration Event this coming weekend.

Facebook – General

Hope you have had a good day. Posting early today as off out later so my Flash NANO challenge for today might have to be done tomorrow. The good thing with these challenges is you can play catch up like that. Later, I will go through all the pieces I’ve drafted for this and work out what will go where, though I do have some ideas already for some of the stories.

How can I tell when a story works? There is no one simple answer to that but for me, it means:-

The story has gripped me and kept me reading.
I can’t see how any words could be taken out or added without something being spoiled.
When it is by an author, wishing I had written it is a huge compliment to them! (I can also imagine the time taken and editing that went into their piece so credit where it is due and all that).I cared about the characters and, ideally, would like to know more about them.

All of the above is a challenge to me too, of course, but that is a good thing. Writing should keep me on my toes. I want my stories (and blogs) to be as good as I can make them. Writing is so good for the brain because you do keep on learning how to improve.

Nice start to the week for Lady as she got to see her Hungarian Vizler pal today.

I mentioned yesterday I would be writing a post about themes for Chandler’s Ford Today. (See below). Well, that post is written and scheduled for later in December and I’m looking forward to sharing that. Hope it will prove useful.

But I am delighted to say for this week I’ll be welcoming back YA fantasy writer, Richard Hardie, to CFT to discuss his new book, Remember Remember. This is the third in his Temporal Detective Agency series and he has an online launch on Friday too so this coincides rather nicely.

I’ll share the CFT link on Friday but Richard and I discuss keeping tabs on timelines (he has two to handle in his new book!), tips on marketing, and much else besides. Looking forward to sharing that this week so do look out for it.

Pleased to say I did get my festive flash piece submitted over the weekend. See below where I mention I was getting one ready. Good fun to do, these things always are, now it’s fingers crossed time.

Even colder today, brrr! Am wearing thickest cardigan in the world too.

Will be looking at Getting the Most Out of Themes for Chandler’s Ford Today soon. So looking forward to the Bridge House Publishing celebration event next weekend. Will be great to see friends, old and new.

Writing Tip: When you’ve read a book or a story you loved, read it again and work out what it was you loved especially. I suspect it will be in the way the character(s) portrayal has been done.

Something would have engaged with you and you will be looking to do the same thing with your own characters so they engage with your readers. I’ve learned a lot by figuring out what I like about how characters are portrayed and, to an extent, from what I’ve disliked too.

With that at least I know what I don’t want to do. Besides reading (and re-reading much loved tales) is always a good idea, especially when it is cold outside.

Brrr… it has been on the cold side today. Lady got to do plenty of running around and met a young Dalmatian so she (and the Dalmatian) have had a good day. Looking forward to catching up with friends on Zoom later.

I’ve a piece of festive flash fiction to edit this weekend and hopefully submit during the coming week. I love writing festive flash. It’s always good fun. I’ll be talking about this topic for the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction group on Zoom this coming week and setting some useful exercises.

Can hardly believe we’re almost at the end of November (and Flash Nano) for another year. Have put in my book request list for Santa, as you do. The joy of the cold weather? Staying in and reading good books. Also staying in and enjoying drafting my own tales!

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Need to post early today as off to a meeting later. Talking of meetings, could one of those be the basis for a flash fiction piece? Who would meet whom and why? Friendly meeting or anything but? Set in this world or another? What would the meeting achieve?

Hmm… may need to give some thought to this one myself! There’s a good structure here.

Happy writing!

It’s Monday. It’s dark. It’s getting cold again. It’s Monday. Time for a story then, which I hope will put a smile on your face. My latest on YouTube is The Last Cookie.

Have edited a festive flash piece this weekend and submitted it. Will let you know later how it does. I do love writing these stories. I like tales with humour in them and many of my festive pieces reflect my tastes there.

I hope to be reading some of my flash fiction at the Bridge House Publishing celebration event next weekend. I love listening to what the other writers have produced too. Who doesn’t like being read to like that?

Will crack on with the latest Flash NANO challenge later on. The great thing with this is the prompts do encourage you to think outside of your usual creative box and you come up with things which you would not have done in any other way. It is a good way of being stretched a bit.

Thought I’d treat you today to something I’ve drafted for Flash NANO. This was in response to the challenge to write a flash piece in the form of an advert. Again, as with the police report style one last year, this isn’t something I’ve done before.

Last year’s police report one went on to be part of Hannah Kate’s Three Minutes Santas show on North Manchester FM. This advert one is too short for that (I have got something else in mind for potential submission to this year’s show) but I thought it would work well to share here. Hope you enjoy this (and many thanks to the great comments in on the Flash NANO Facebook page on this one). This one, Wanted, comes in at 53 words, excluding the title.

Wanted by Allison Symes
Help needed urgently! I need something to help me spot a big hairy animal with massive teeth in a dress is not my grandmother. Could never be my grandmother in fact. Can’t imagine why I missed this before.
Or do I need to go to the opticians?
Advice appreciated.
Little Red Riding Hood.
Ends – Allison Symes

Goodreads Author Blog – What Defines a Good Read For You?

Now this is a leading question, is it not?

What defines a good read for me is whether or not the book or story grips me enough to make me keep on reading to the end of it. I have abandoned a few stories and books which failed that basic test but am glad to say I can count the number of those on the fingers of one hand. Life is too short (and there are so many excellent things to read) I’m not going to waste time on what I consider to be “duds”.

Of course tastes are different but a good rule of thumb for me is if I don’t care about the character, the reading stops. I have got to be able to see where the character is coming from, whether I agree with them or not. There has to be sufficiently high stakes for the character to make me want to find out the outcome. And all of this is a challenge to me to make sure I produce those kinds of stakes, those kinds of characters, my readers will want to find out more about.

Mind you, even “dud” books have had their uses. They have shown me what I don’t like. Therefore, I make sure I don’t produce those kinds of things myself.

But on to good books. Nothing beats a good read, curled up, with a nice drink besides you, does it?

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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liked Allison Symes's blog post: What Defines a Good Read for You? https://t.co/lMdQqJ3DpU via @goodreads I share what I think makes a good read and discuss how even the odd "dud" read has helped me with my own writing. pic.twitter.com/doZK7b4gCK
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) November 25, 2023

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It’s Monday. It’s dark. It’s getting cold again. It’s Monday. Time for a story then, which I hope will put a smile on your face. My latest on YouTube is The Last Cookie. https://t.co/H0roqBQqym
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) November 27, 2023

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Author Interview: Jennifer C Wilson – The Joy of Writing Groups and Workshops

October 20, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

Many thanks to Jennifer C Wilson for her great author/writing group/book images for my Chandler’s Ford Today post this week. Other 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, as were images from The Hayes, Swanwick as part of my CFT post.

Hope you have had a good week. Got back to the normal routine relatively easily though I have missed my holiday lie-ins! Hope everyone keeps safe in the stormy weather. Autumn is here with a vengeance.

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am delighted to welcome back Jennifer C Wilson to Chandler’s Ford Today. We discuss The Joy of Writing Groups and Workshops, a subject close to both of us. Jennifer leads the North Tyneside Writers’ Circle. They have recently released their debut anthology, Black Coals, White Sands.

Jennifer shares wonderful advice on writing groups so if you are thinking about joining one, do check this out. She also discusses how to get the balance right when writers in a group are, inevitably, at different stages of their writing journey and write different things.

Jennifer, for example, has to balance the needs of poets and novelists in her group, just to name two. But it can be done and done well and North Tyneside Writers’ Group is a great example of this. Check out the post for useful information on writing exercises too.

The right writing community can do wonders for a writer’s self belief, confidence and, as a result, their writing skills.

Author Interview: Jennifer C Wilson – The Joy of Writing Groups and Workshops

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Apologies, folks. Meant to share my Authors Electric post yesterday and forgot. But good news – I shall share it now instead. I talk about Books on the Radio this month and discuss what I think about adaptations as well as what my favourite book on the radio is and remains. Hope you enjoy the post. Books are meant to be read or listened to and I do think radio/audio books are fabulous ways of continuing the oral storytelling tradition.

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Hope you have had a good day (albeit it a soggy one here in Hampshire, though Lady still got to see her Hungarian Vizler pal so both of them were happy at least!).

I love writing with classical music on in the background. I find the music relaxes me and when I’m relaxed, I write more. But I don’t bring music into my stories, funnily enough, at least to date. Haven’t felt the need to do so but it is something you could use as a character question if you want to find out more about your “people”. I put people in inverted commas simply because I have written from the viewpoint of a mother dragon so my characters are not necessarily human!

If your character prefers Beethoven to Mozart, you could look at why that was and if any particular piece by the former “hits the spot”. Likewise if there is a piece which they loathe, you could look at why that was. Could hearing it cause them to do something they might not otherwise have done, especially if they hear it repeatedly? (That could be something done deliberately by another character too).

Music may be the food of love but it could drive your characters round the bend if you have the right characters and plot!

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

My latest story on Friday Flash Fiction, On the Beach, was inspired by my recent week’s break in glorious Northumberland. Hope you enjoy it. It’s a lighter tale which I hope puts a smile on your face.

Many a writing exercise can be turned into a publishable piece of flash fiction. Writing groups/conferences etc always set these things and I find it fun practising writing to different types of exercise. This gives me more ways of producing more stories. Nothing to dislike there!

Talking of writing groups, I will be talking with Jennifer C Wilson (who leads the North Tyneside Writers’ Circle) about The Joy of Writing Groups and Workshops for Chandler’s Ford Today. Link for that up tomorrow. See above. Jennifer shares some great tips about finding the group which is right for you so be sure to not miss the post.

Meantime, back to the writing exercises!

Sometimes I use a well known phrase as part of a story. In my The Power of Suggestion (Tripping The Flash Fantastic), I use the phrase there’s a sucker born every minute. I used that to help me picture my character. Who could this saying apply to and why? Then having ideas for that, I got on with my draft. I’ve mentioned before I use phrases and well known sayings as themes and/or title but this is another way of using them.

Every so often I will refer to my old book of proverbs for ideas here. Themes are the most obvious use, I think, but there is plenty of stories to be told based on things like don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. You can show examples of where characters did count them too early and the results of that – a lesson learned the hard way, perhaps.

Fairytales With Bite – Tips to the Beginner Fairy

Fairy godmothers are not born. They are made. They are trained. So what tips would an experienced fairy godmother give to someone new to fairy college? My thoughts are:-

Do read your spell books properly. Many a mishap has happened when someone read out the wrong word or got things in the wrong order. You must be sure of what you are saying before you say it.
Don’t use the magic wand just because you can. You should only use these because you need to (and settling a score with a fellow student doesn’t count. Neither does showing off what you’ve learned. It would serve you right if someone else showed off and proved they are better than you).
Do use natural ingredients for spells where appropriate. They’re easier to source and it’s kinder on the environment. Yes, we too have to worry about that. Nobody should waste energy. Better still, grow your own natural ingredients. Time in the garden is good for all. You can also work out which creatures you have around you that might be useful for transformation purposes (briefly only) later on.
Beware of suspiciously shiny red apples. There is history here.
Where magic doesn’t have to be used, save your powers. You may as well and if getting around a table with a decent cup of tea, a slab of cake, and talking sorts out the problem, who wouldn’t prefer that?
Revise. Practice. Accept you will get things wrong.
Don’t upset the birds when you’re flying. Stick to your own flight path.
Remember people aren’t always what they appear to be. In our world, the animals might not be either. Approach with caution and politeness. You do not want to upset some powerful witch/wizard in disguise.
Your profession is a noble one so don’t let the side down. No dodgy magic. No cheating with magic. No use of magic to enable cheating in other ways. Magic is not meant to be used to help you get rich quickly, for example.
The humans have a saying discretion is the better part of valour. Applies to us too. We don’t want to draw attention to the existence of the magical world, do we? Humans are too inquisitive for their own good. We don’t want that here.

This World and Others – Learning the Trade

What trades exist in your fictional world, magical or otherwise? How did they come into being? What kind of training happens? Certain trades, such as agriculture/farming, will always be around. It will be a question of how it works in your setting. What would your world’s farmers grow, for example? Is water (or an equivalent substance) easily available?

Are there schools/colleges to enable people to learn their craft? Nobody just picks up a trade, even if it is a family tradition. In the case of the latter, do your characters carry on with the family business or do they want to do their own thing? How well or otherwise does that go down with their relatives?

Does your setting develop new technologies and, therefore, new trades? If your setting trades with other worlds, what are they looking to buy in? What would they exchange? How does the actual trading happen?

Lots of ideas for stories here. Don’t forget the creative arts too. There are plenty of trades here too.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

Authors Electric: Books on the Radio by Allison Symes https://t.co/CD1fop8WrD Apologies, folks. Meant to share my Authors Electric post yesterday and forgot. But good news – I shall share it now instead. I talk about Books on the Radio this month.https://t.co/tjSusmxva3 pic.twitter.com/ML9YWKgMQo
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 19, 2023

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Thanks you @AllisonSymes1 for hosting me and NTWC today!#WritingCommunity #amwriting #writinggroup

Author Interview: Jennifer C Wilson – The Joy of Writing Groups and Workshops – Chandler's Ford Today (https://t.co/QY5aahPGdc)
— Jennifer C. Wilson: Historical fiction with spirit (@inkjunkie1984) October 20, 2023

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On The Beach, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/ALF4i49w1q My latest story on Friday Flash Fiction, On the Beach, was inspired by my recent week’s break in glorious Northumberland. Hope you enjoy it. It’s a lighter tale which I hope puts a smile on your face. pic.twitter.com/WMfHpKBvH0
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 20, 2023

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Jennifer C Wilson – The Joy of Writing Groups and Workshops https://t.co/sxyOH4MEJ8 Pleased to welcome back Jennifer C Wilson to CFT. She shares fab advice on writing groups. She leads North Tyneside Writers’ Circle, whose debut anthology, Black Coals, White Sands, is out now.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 20, 2023

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Questioning Characters and Flash NANO

October 17, 2023Leave a comment

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, as was the photo from the lovely Kielder Viaduct in Northumberland.

Why is the first week after a holiday so tough to get through?! Has been lovely catching up with friends again (and Lady would say the same if she could). Autumn well and truly here now as the temperature plummets. I like crisp autumn days though. It’s the cold, wet ones I could do without!

Facebook – General

Hope you have had a good day. Managed to get a good weight loss after my week away thanks to plenty of good fresh Northumberland air and loads of walking. Temperature has plummeted at home but I guess I am already acclimatised to it!

When do you know a story is special to you? For me, it is when the characters stand out and I can easily quote lines from the tale. I’ll be talking more about this in my More than Writers post for the Association of Christian Writers later this month.

Meantime, I’ll be talking about Books on the Radio for Authors Electric tomorrow and will share the link then. Books are meant to be read and listened to, I think. I cherish memories of being read to as a child.

My love of books started right there (and is one reason why I was thrilled my late mother got to see my first story in print and, later, my late father got to see From Light to Dark and Back Again). Radio is a fabulous way of keeping the oral storytelling tradition going too.

Don’t forget to check out the October issue of Writers’ Narrative. As the nights draw in earlier, what more encouragement do you need to settle in for a great read?

I’m pleased to say Jennifer C Wilson will be back on Chandler’s Ford Today this week talking about The Joy of Writing Groups and Workshops. She leads the North Tyneside Writers’ Circle and their anthology, Black Coal, White Sands, has recently been released. More about this on Friday but she will be sharing lots of wonderful advice on what to look for in a writing group if you are considering joining one. Am looking forward to sharing this – I know it will be useful to many.

I mentioned yesterday I’d be writing about Scene Setting as well for CFT. (See post below). That I hope to post on 27th October. So plenty of good things coming up!

I must admit that writing regular columns, whether they’re weekly or monthly, soon shows me how quickly the year is passing!

Have spent the day catching up with various things after our break. Nice to get Lady back to her usual park walk and play. She loved it too. Managed to get some writing done too last night though back to normal routine today.

I plan to look at Scene Setting for Chandler’s Ford Today soon. One bit of sad news is that The Chameleon Theatre Group have had to cancel their production of Wyrd Sisters. I do hope they can come back to this at another time as I know they’d perform it brilliantly (and the story itself is so good). Their next production will be the pantomime in January. My wait to see a Discworld play goes on a bit longer then!

Anyone watching their weight may well sympathise with my character, Shelley, in Lucky Thirteen, my most recent tale on Friday Flash Fiction. If my Slimming World consultant is reading this, I was not guilty of this on my recent holiday, honest!
Now home from a great holiday in Northumberland. Very grateful for good weather too. Loved all the walking. Lady loved it too though was very tired each night. Mind you, we averaged a 5-6 miles walk each day. It is good to be home again though too.

Do you send your characters on holiday or enjoy reading works by other writers who do? I must admit I don’t do this myself but my favourite book along these lines is probably Nemesis by Agatha Christie. It’s amazing what Miss Marple can ferret out when sent on a coach trip!

Many thanks to those who took part in my recent poll over a topic for the next Association of Christian Writers’ Flash Fiction group meeting later this month. Votes noted and will be honoured! Next topic will be Marketing Your Flash Fiction.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I’ll be taking part again in Flash NANO which starts on 1st November. I did this last year and ended up with thirty new stories, some of which I have since worked on and submitted to online websites and to Hannah Kate’s festive flash fiction show. Find out more about Flash NANO at Nancy Stohlman’s website below.

I had a ball drafting my thirty stories last year and am looking forward to repeating that experience this time! Unlike NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) where you write 50,000 words over the month of November, with Flash NANO you are given a prompt for each day of the month.

I found it useful to draft something each day and then I came back later when I had more time to finish pieces off. Sometimes I completed the first draft on the same day but what matters here is getting something down. I also found the range of prompts interesting too, some of which I had done before, others I had not.

If you’re interested in flash fiction, I strongly recommend giving this a try because even if you can’t do it for the whole of November, you will still get more stories written.

It’s Monday. It’s my first Monday back after a much appreciated holiday. It’s cold. It’s still Monday. Time for a story then. My latest on YouTube is The View and is loosely inspired by my recent break. Hope you enjoy it.

I mentioned yesterday (see below) I ask questions about/of my characters but I also quiz myself when I’m outlining a story. I want to ensure I am committed to the idea and that it is as strong as I first thought. So I ask myself what mood I want the story to be, which character would serve that best and why, and whether it is going to be a 100 word story, such as I write for Friday Flash Fiction) or a longer flash piece/short story.

I look at why I want to write the story too. For example, if I want to write a funny one, is it because an idea has come to me that would work well humorously or do I want to write something to cheer myself (and hopefully others) up. Both views are fine but I need to be clear in my own mind as to why I am writing the story this way.

Then, with my characters quizzed too, off I go with the first draft. One joy of flash writing though is this process doesn’t take long but I have found, once done, I get that first draft done more quickly too.

Some questions I ask about/of my characters as I outline them include:-

1. What is your major trait and, more importantly, why? What kind of trouble could this lead you into?
2. What would you never do and why?
3. What do you want from life and why?
4. What drives you?

For a flash piece, my answers to these are kept short. If I was writing a longer piece, I would extend those answers as I would need further information. The joy of questions like these are their adaptability to whatever you’re writing. I find it is a question of working out what you need to know.

Goodreads Author Blog – Kindle

My favourite book format is the paperback but must admit you can’t beat the Kindle for when going on holiday. No more worries about how many books I can take with me. Also takes less room in the suitcase.

I recently finished Churchill’s Wizards on Kindle. Great read. Interesting look at trickery used against Nazi Germany.

Books like this (and non-fiction generally) often work brilliantly as ebooks, thanks to indexes acting as hyperlinks, making looking something up a doddle.

I also like being able to adjust fonts and font sizes and display on ebooks. What I need to remember to do when at home is mix up my reading to include the Kindle more so I don’t just use it when away.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

Screenshot 2023-10-17 at 19-53-12 Writers' Narrative eMagazine October 2023

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

liked Allison Symes's blog post: Kindle https://t.co/rDRgO1ucVH via @goodreads I look at the joys of using the Kindle for non-fiction reading for Goodreads this week. pic.twitter.com/TygnjTCwpH
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 14, 2023

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It’s Monday. It’s my first Monday back after a much appreciated holiday. It’s cold. It’s still Monday. Time for a story then. My latest on YouTube is The View and is loosely inspired by my recent break. Hope you enjoy it.https://t.co/TrcMCTGqAv
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 16, 2023

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It is always a peasure to visit the blog of @AllisonSymes1 Allison Symes. You can read our recent chat here. https://t.co/Fb0Ti7NeNG
— Val Penny (@valeriepenny) October 17, 2023

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Author Interview: Val Penny – Hunter’s Secret, Writing a Series, and Blog Tours

October 13, 2023Leave a comment

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 and photos of the lovely area of Northumberland taken by me, Allison Symes.

Coming to the end of my time in Northumberland as this goes out. Had a lovely time. Gorgeous scenery and the break has been much needed. Is lovely to be writing somewhere else now and again too. Lots of walking done – we’ve averaged five miles a day. Lady, because she has a fine line in zig-zagging everywhere like our dog, Gracie, used to do, has probably averaged at least a third again on top of that!

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am thrilled to welcome back Val Penny to Chandler’s Ford Today as part of her blog tour for her new book, Hunter’s Secret. Val discusses her latest book in her DCI Hunter Wilson series and shares fabulous advice on blog tours, useful information for all writers. She also shares great advice on what writers can do to help themselves in the run up to publication day. Do enjoy a great read and good luck with the new book, Val.

Author Interview: Val Penny – Hunter’s Secret, Advice on Writing a Series, and Blog Tours

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Another glorious day at the Druridge Bay Country Park though this time we took a different direction on that glorious beach and had a fabulous three miles walk towards Cresswell. Then it was time for our around the lake walk after lunch and then coffee/hot chocolate and cake before heading back to our cottage. This is what we call a good day.

Lady having a wonderful play on the beach and a calming walk after lunch is what she calls a good day (though she wouldn’t have minded snaffling some cake from the couple next door to us at the cafe. Fortunately they liked dogs! Lady didn’t have any. I brought her own treats for cafe time). We worked out we’ve averaged five miles a day walking while we have been here (and on one particular day we have cause to think it was closer to eight). We have all been sleeping very well. No surprises there!

Will be sharing a great interview with Val Penny tomorrow on Chandler’s Ford Today. Link above. She discusses her new book, Hunter’s Secret, and shares a wealth of useful information especially on blog tours. So do watch out for this if you are planning a blog tour yourself.

I know I’ve been grateful for all I’ve learned from author interviews over the years, whether I’ve conducted them or not. And learning like this can help save you a great deal of time as you work out what is likely to work best for you.

Smashing day out again at Kielder Forest and Water Park. There are so many different walks here and it was a joy to do some different ones today (as well as admiring the marvellous view over the Kielder Viaduct again). There was a wonderful sunset as we came back to our cottage too. Autumn in Northumberland is lovely.

Finished listening to Thud (Terry Pratchett) today and started Feet of Clay (also Pratchett – it is a fabulous crime story. All of the Vimes novels in the Discworld canon stand alone as detective tales). I love the characterisation in Discworld and the dialogue between regular characters in particular. Vimes has a fine line in sarcasm.

Talking of dialogue, this is another area where writing flash fiction helps you hone this. Dialogue in flash fiction needs to be kept to the point. I love getting characters to talk but the need to keep things concise means I ensure all I get them to say is relevant to the story. Anything else gets cut.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Pleased to share my latest tale, Lucky Thirteen, on Friday Flash Fiction. But is the number thirteen as lucky for my character, Shelley, as she thinks? Find out here.

Don’t forget my author newsletter will be out again on 1st November. To sign up do head over to my landing page at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

The November edition of Writers’ Narrative will be out soon too. To make sure you don’t miss an issue, do subscribe (for free) at http://subscribepage.io/WritersNarrative

I do follow a number of author newsletters. I love reading them and it is a great way of keeping up with authors you like. I prepare mine over the course of the month, adding in news items as I get them in, and find that a useful way of compiling the next edition. Doesn’t take too long doing it this way either.

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Looking forward to the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction group meeting at the end of the month. It’s always great fun and I love the way information is shared two way. Also looking forward to running an editing workshop via Zoom in November for another writing group. Zoom has been a great tool for workshops.

I’ve mentioned before that flash makes for a great writing exercise and you can use this in different ways. Firstly, you can choose which word count to work to. After all, if you like to start your main writing work by a warm up exercise, why not write a flash fiction tale to 50 words, to 100 words, to 300 etc? It gives you something else to try and get published later as well.

Secondly, in writing flash, you write concisely. You can apply that to any other form of writing you do. Thirdly, if you are writing long form work, there will be a time when you are resting that ahead of editing work. Why not have fun writing the short forms in the meantime?

Fairytales with Bite – Character Development

One of the things I love about Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is the way his characters develop over several novels. Sam Vimes, I think, is the best here. But what about our own characters? Can your characters develop even if they are “one-offs”?

For the vast majority of my flash fiction and short story work, my characters are “one-offs” but they develop over the course of the story I’ve put them in. After all, every story has to show change and that change is how our characters develop. Okay, the outcome might not always be a positive one but it will still be change. My characters are not the same at the end of the story as they were at the beginning and that is how it should be.

So in a magical setting, how would your characters develop? Is it a question of improving their skill sets, their ability (or otherwise) to get on with others, their growing realisation that magic is not always a good thing etc? Development takes many forms after all and our stories can reflect that.

What I want to see in characters I read is to see how they change. Sometimes I’ll root for them because the change they’re going through is, to my mind, the right one. There are others I want to scream at because I feel they’re taking the wrong path (and often in the story, later on, I am proved to be right).

What I never want to read or write are static characters. Where is the interest there? For magical characters, development can be enhanced or complicated by their magical skills (or lack of).

This World and Others – Supplies -Magical or Otherwise

How do your magical characters top up on supplies? Are there things which a wave of the old magic wand simply cannot produce? (I must admit if I was living in a magical world, I would want my food and drink produced naturally, the old school way if you like. I would be deeply suspicious of anything produced by magic which is meant to be edible. Snow White should have taken the same view!).

When your setting has things which have to be produced by means other than magic, how is this done? Is there agriculture, for example, as we would know it? Are the producers of non-magical items respected or looked down on? What is the attitude of the society around them?

Does your setting have to import its supplies from other sources (other planets, other countries on their own planet etc)? Does your setting ever have problems getting supplies in and how is that overcome? Does your setting trade magical skills to get in supplies from elsewhere? Who would organise getting those supplies? How would trading agreements work?

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

Lucky Thirteen, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/BZ35IrYVso Pleased to share my latest tale, Lucky Thirteen, on Friday Flash Fiction. But is the number thirteen as lucky for my character, Shelley, as she thinks? Find out here. pic.twitter.com/WpFtItV28d
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 13, 2023

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https://t.co/o8WDQIkAN1 Thrilled to welcome back Val Penny to CFT as part of her blog tour for Hunter’s Secret. Val shares great advice on blog tours and what writers can do in the run up to publication day. Enjoy a fab read and good luck with the new book, @valeriepenny.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 13, 2023

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Locations and Author Interviews

October 10, 2023Leave a comment

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 (and photos from wonderful Northumberland) taken by me, Allison Symes.

My post this week comes from glorious Northumberland where my other half, the dog, and I are enjoying an autumn break. Gorgeous scenery. Lots of walking. Cosy cottage to stay in. Bliss! Oh and I get to write as well. Lovely!

Facebook – General

Glorious day spent at Seahouses and Bamburgh. Wonderful beaches, great walks, and fabulous views of Bamburgh Castle. One tired and happy dog again – result! Also am enjoying catching up with Terry Pratchett audio books while we are touring. Today, we managed to get most of the way through Thud and should finish that tomorrow.

Will be interviewing Val Penny for Chandler’s Ford Today later this week. She’ll be sharing news of her new book, Hunter’s Secret, and sharing good advice on blog tours. Link up on Friday.

I was writing postcards earlier this evening and it reminded me that one of the many names for flash fiction is postcard fiction, the idea being you can only write what you can fit on the back of a postcard. Now I have tiny writing so I can get 150 words on there (yes, really). Others in my family have huge writing. They’d get 50 on!

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Had a wonderful day in and around the Kielder Forest today. Gorgeous woodland walks, superb lake views (Kielder Water). Again one tired and happy pup in Lady! Looking forward to another day on the coast tomorrow. We like to mix up beach play and forest walks. Weather has been good too.

Writing Tip: Little touches can add great depth to a story. Near where I’m staying at the moment is a lovely bench which reads “Sit and Chat Bench”. Anyone sitting there is open to having a chat. I thought it a lovely idea but there are stories here too.

Fictionally, and in a setting of my own, I could invent someone who set up that bench and explore why they did it. Which characters would sit on a bench like that? Who would they talk to? What would the conversation lead to (because it would lead to something)? Conversations can change a great deal!

Lovely day out and about at Druridge Bay Country Park. Great beach. Useful visitor centre. Great walk around the huge lake on the other side of that centre. A perfect day out for dog walkers! Lady has come back shattered but oh so happy.

Will I be using some of the locations I visit this week in future stories? Don’t know right now but I will have them in mind if I want to describe a certain setting. I often find though that the odd telling detail is enough. For example, I could mention my character walking along a lonely, sandy beach and you may well conjure up in your own minds where that beach could be. (I can think of several in Scotland as well as in Northumberland which would come to mind for me if I read that).

What matters to me is having a picture in my mind. I usually focus on character but sometimes that will show me their setting as well. I then work out what I need to share in the story so it makes sense to a reader. Still I am going to have some cracking ideas for future settings during my time in Northumberland and it is great to be back here.

Am staying in glorious Northumberland for a break with other half and Lady. Looking forward to lots of lovely walking.

Will be sharing a fab interview with Scottish crime writer, Val Penny, for Chandler’s Ford Today next week. She will be sharing news of her new book, Hunter’s Secret, and wonderful advice on blog tours, something which is a major part of marketing for many writers.

What do I look for in any author interview, whether I conduct it or not? I like to have the sense the interview is a proper conversation as useful tips and information comes out of that. I like to see how the author’s experience is helping them now when it comes to marketing. We all try different things. Some work. Some don’t work so well. All of that can save time, money, and effort for other writers.

I do know I am grateful for all I’ve learned from author interviews over the years. And they’re fun.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Many thanks for the great responses coming for Being Engrossed, my most recent tale on Friday Flash Fiction. In case you missed it, see the link below. Would you do what my character, Stephen, is planning to do here?

It’s Monday. It’s time for a story. Hope you enjoy Thirteen Hours, my latest on YouTube.

Flash fiction is great for use in various marketing ways. Firstly, I can (and do) create mini videos via Book Brush and YouTube to share on my social media timelines. Secondly, I can add these to my website. I sometimes create exclusive stories (video and plain text) for my author newsletter. I see all of that as advertising what I do.

When out and about at book signings, it is easy enough to share an example of flash fiction to people by reading out one or two. Doesn’t take long. Shows what flash is and what it can be capable of quickly. My experience has been people love being read to and I have made sales as a direct result of doing that!

And flash has helped me no end with my own editing. I am not afraid to cut where it is needed. I remember, years ago, being tentative over that. After all, who really wants to kill their darlings? They’re your darlings for a reason, right?

Hmm… writing flash sorted all of that out. If it doesn’t move the story on, out it goes and that’s that.

Flash focuses on moments but these can take many forms. An event is an obvious moment but so can be that moment of realisation when a character switches direction. What triggers that moment of realisation?
Also something a character says to another can be the spark for the changing moment. But the changing moment really does have to be important enough to trigger the required change. All stories show change.

Goodreads Author Blog – Writing Guides

Most writers, including me, have a number of writing guides collected over many years. The need for guides changes through a writer’s career. I started with the beginner guides and, much later, went to marketing and publishing books.

What I was after (and still am) is clear information presented in an entertaining way. I find I recall things better if I like what I’ve read. Also guides should be encouraging, otherwise why read on?

My favourite writing guide is On Writing by Stephen King. I am also fond of the Wannabe Writer guides written by the much missed Jane Wenham-Jones.

A good test of a guide is its readability (and re-readability). Which guides have you found useful?

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

liked Allison Symes's blog post: Writing Guides https://t.co/NKA8X21vF7 via @goodreads I discuss writing guides for this week's Goodreads post. pic.twitter.com/ysdKKEGtcc
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 7, 2023

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It’s Monday. It’s time for a story. Hope you enjoy Thirteen Hours, my latest on YouTube.https://t.co/uzV5im0Z1i
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 9, 2023

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Welcome to Writers’ Narrative Magazine

July 28, 2023Leave a comment

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. Many thanks to Wendy H Jones for supplying the Writers’ Narrative magazine publicity shots for the Chandler’s Ford Today interview. Many thanks to Janet Williams and Richard Hardie for the photos of me at the recent Book Fair.

It has been a busy week what with the launch of Writers’ Narrative and the recent release of The Best of CafeLit 12. Am also looking forward to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick which is coming up soon. It was also a delight to watch The Chameleon Theatre Group’s latrest production, Lilies on the Land. Review to follow in due course. In dog news, Lady has had a ball with many of her friends this week so all is well there too.

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am thrilled to welcome back Wendy H Jones to Chandler’s Ford Today for an in-depth interview called Welcome to Writers’ Narrative Magazine.

Wendy is the Editor in Chief and I am part of the editorial team. The magazine is written by writers for writers and covers all aspects of the writing world. Definitely not one to miss. Do check out the CFT post for more information (and handily there is a subscribe link in the post. Even better news, it is free to subscribe).

Welcome to Writers’ Narrative Magazine – Interview with Wendy H Jones

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Posting early today as am off out later to see The Chameleon Theatre Group stage their latest production, Lilies on the Land, which is a play about the Women’s Land Army. Should be interesting and it covers a side of history which is often overlooked. I’ll be reviewing this for Chandler’s Ford Today next week.
Meantime, I’ll be sharing my post tomorrow where I interview Wendy H Jones about new online magazine, Writers’ Narrative. Looking forward to sharing that. See above.

Not long now either before I am off to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. Can’t wait to catch up with friends and meet new ones. I’m running a one hour workshop on editing here plus carrying out a couple of volunteer short sessions (pre-breakfast – people have to be keen!).

Great to see everyone at last night’s Flash Fiction Group meeting (Association of Christian Writers). Fab time had by all and there was plenty of creativity going on – well done, all and I hope you have fun with the writing exercise I set you.

Back to changeable weather today but Lady got to show off in front of her Hungarian Vizler friend so she’s had a good day and her chum never minds this.

Many thanks for the huge and great response to yesterday’s post about Writers’ Narrative magazine. I’ll be interviewing Wendy H Jones, the Editor in Chief, for Chandlers Ford Today on Friday. See above. Do look out for that. There will be plenty of insights shared and useful information about how to submit for the magazine as well. Looking forward to sharing that.

I’ll be getting my author newsletter out next week. If you would like to sign up for tips, hints, advice, news etc do head over to my landing page at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with my latest tale, Having a Ball. Dog sympathisers will especially like this one I think. Hope you enjoy it. I had so much sympathy with my lead character (and I’m not sorry for the pun there either!).

Do you like writing exercises? I love them and usually set at least one at the flash group meetings I lead for the Association of Christian Writers once a month. I find writing exercises encourage creativity, they make me think outside of my usual box(es), and I produce work I would not have otherwise have produced.

Most writing exercises suit flash fiction – such as writing to an opening or closing line. They’re also good practice for writing stories for competitions. Many of them issue a set theme, sometimes a title, and if you are used to producing things to a prompt, it is handy here.

You’re not going to be fazed by the challenge. You see it as just another prompt. Still need to produce your best work though – and I must admit I love the ongoing challenge of that.

I was amused to receive an email today from someone I know who chose to write their missive as a flash fiction story – the writer did a great job! But I have used letters in flash fiction for more serious purposes. My Punish the Innocent from From Light to Dark and Back Again tells a story of criminality/vengeance/justice in the shape of a short letter. Letters can be a useful format in flash – you have to keep them short to make them work!

Why not give it a try? What is so important your character has to write to someone (especially if your story is set in an age where they could phone, email etc)? What would they reveal? The nice thing with this format is you can get clues as to what the receiver must be like from the way the character writes to them. That can be so telling.

What is the tone of your character’s letter? Forthright, judging, humorous? Plenty of story ideas here and I find it makes a pleasant change from writing direct prose. There is something intimate about a letter and you can get your characters to show this kind of thing too. Best not done too often – anything can look gimmicky if done too often after all , but if you want to mix up your writing, this is a good exercise to try.

Fairytales with Bite – Food and Drink

Even the most powerful fairy godmother must take time out to recharge the batteries via food and drink. So what would she consume? Presumably not a suspiciously shiny red apple but other than that what would you feed her with? Would you base requirements on what we have here? Or would magical beings have to eat some sort of magical food and what would this be?

Would your characters prepare their own consumables or would others do this for them?

Food and drink are major parts of our lives naturally, but would your magical beings consider them to be necessary evils? What is their attitude towards having to eat/having to drink? Do they see it as tiresome, for example? Your average evil being would consider these things as a waste of time when they’ve got evil to be getting on with (while recognising they could use food and drink against their enemies).

Is there an industry devoted to producing these things and who would run this? Is government control exerted over it to make sure only what is approved can be consumed? Are there banned substances here? Why was any ban brought in?

Is there such a thing as food allergies here? What form would those take on a magical being? Which of your characters loves their food ? Which are the fussy eaters? Could envisage funny stories here – someone who is fussy has to learn not to be.

This World and Others – The Hospitality Industry

Most of us experience various parts of the hospitality industry. I love visiting a local pub/restaurant, for example. What establishments would exist in your world? Whom would your world be hospitable to? Whom would they never offer any kind of hospitality towards? Are characters of lower standing expected to visit certain kinds of establishment, saving the best ones for the higher up? Does the hospitality industry encourage tourism in your world and who would take advantage of this?

Are the ones working in this sector respected or looked down on? How much regulation from central or local government (or both) goes on? Is food easily sourced? Does the industry have inspectors to ensure standards are maintained/improved as necessary? Who would work in the industry? Is magic allowed to be used as part of the job?

If you have personal experience of working in this sector, what could you bring into your fiction for a hospitality industry set on another planet? What problems would be the same? Which would differ?

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

As well as selling my books, I was selling books I've contributed to - those went well too

I am thrilled to say, as Editor in Chief of Writers’Narrative Magazine, I was interviewed for Chandler’s Ford today by the lovely @AllisonSymes1 https://t.co/u3k3kSao1V #WritingCommmunity #writersnarrative
— Wendy H. Jones (@WendyHJones) July 28, 2023

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Having a Ball, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/nmxb9noQKF Pleased to be on FFF with my new tale, Having a Ball. Dog sympathisers will like this one I think. Hope you enjoy it. I had so much sympathy with my lead character (and I’m not sorry for the pun!). pic.twitter.com/AHFiTtV9Ux
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 28, 2023

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Welcome to Writers' Narrative Magazine – Interview with Wendy H Jones https://t.co/c51ojyYqZB Thrilled to welcome back @WendyHJones to CFT. Wendy is Editor in Chief for Writers' Narrative, which is written by writers for writers. There's a free to subscribe link in the post too.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 28, 2023

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Publication News – Writers’ Narrative – and Writing to Unwind

July 25, 2023Leave a comment

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. Images for Writers’ Narrative magazine used in the Chandler’s Ford Today post and on my Facebook posts were kindly supplied by Wendy H Jones, Editor in Chief. The Feature Image is based on an image supplied by Wendy too. Many thanks also to Richard Hardie for taking the picture of me at the recent Book Fair.

Hope you had a lovely weekend. Had a family to to celebrate my other half’s significant birthday – good time had by all, despite the weather. Lady loved it all. And it was lovely to be able to share more publication news just before the weekend too.

Facebook – General

Am thrilled to say the first issue of Writers’ Narrative magazine is now out there. It’s a fabulous read for any writer (and written by writers who understand what people are seeking in this kind of magazine). I talk about Boosting Your Writing with Flash Fiction but there is an astounding range of articles in here. And the magazine has already hit the No. 1 spot in the US on Amazon. It was a real pleasure to receive the magazine in my inbox this morning – and you can receive it this way too. Just see the link.

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Hope you have had a good start to the week. Mondays are always hectic but it is nice to get to that point of the day where I can write for a while. Bliss and I find it invigorating and a great way to unwind at the same time, strange as that may sound. Writing satisfies a need to be creative. This is especially great after a day of doing more mundane things.

Looking forward to catching up with everyone at the Association of Christian Writers’ Flash Fiction group meeting on Wednesday. I am glad to say several have had pieces on Friday Flash Fiction which is fabulous. Flash fiction writing, I find, comes into its own when I don’t have as much time as I would like to write. I still can get something down!

As well as sharing the wonderful news The Best of CafeLit 12 is now out (with my story Jubilee on page 110 – guess who looked!), I get to do some authorial housekeeping. I’ve updated my Amazon Author Central Page – I will give Amazon their due here. I put the request in and literally minutes later the book was up on my page. Can’t fault that.

Updating books on Goodreads is more tricky though – I’ve sent a request in but don’t know when I’ll hear on that. Am less impressed. I’ve never found updating anything on that site easy.

I’ve updated the books page on my website (see link – I’ve got the books page as my home page – I think there is something apt about that. Books always make me think of home and the lovely volumes I have here!).

Oh and I’ve got the book listed with ALCS (Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Society). As a member of the Society of Authors, I get to be part of ALCS for free but it doesn’t cost much to join and your membership fee is taken from your first payment. Just the once too. You pay once and that’s it.

Adding my books on to my ALCS list means I will get something from my contribution to this book in due course from them. It is worth adding on your books (but they can’t do ebooks). Well worth investigating if you’ve got books out (or contributions to print anthologies etc).

Had a family do today. Great time had by all. Lady loves it when we have guests around. They all make a huge fuss of her and treats are involved too so what’s not to like?

Am so looking forward to sharing next week’s Chandler’s Ford Today post – Welcome to Writers’ Narrative Magazine. I’m talking with Editor in Chief, Wendy H Jones, for this one. Amongst other topics will be how you can subscribe to this free magazine and how to submit articles for consideration.

The first (August) edition is out during next week (25th July, just ahead of my post). See above. Trust me, there is plenty of good reading here. I am privileged to be part of the editorial team here. Naturally I am also contributing articles! If you would like to sign up now, to ensure you don’t miss a single thing, you can do so at the link here.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Delighted to be talking about how writing flash fiction can boost your writing overall for the first issue of Writers’ Narrative, which came out today.

I will also be focusing on flash fiction for tomorrow’s meeting of the Association of Christian Writers’ Flash Fiction group on Zoom.

This is a good example of why it is important to love what you write. All writers need to market their work (else how else will people know about it?) so it is vital you enjoy what you do to (a) help you keep going with this and (b) talk about your writing love with conviction. It does show.

It’s Monday. It’s been wet, dark at times, more like an autumn day than a summer one, wet, and it is still Monday. Time for another YouTube story from me then. Hope you enjoy my latest called Celebrating though my character Sheila is celebrating alone. Find out why here.

Sunday afternoon is flash fiction writing time for me and is something I look forward to immensely. I’m also looking forward to the next meeting of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group on Wednesday evening.

My story, Jubilee, in the recently released The Best of CafeLit 12 is a piece of flash work. Yes, it is about the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. So much seems to have happened since then, yes?

Events like this can act as time markers for fiction – most people remember where they were/what they were doing at these things so that can save you a lot of description and gives a setting immediately. (And nobody, who saw it, is going to forget the marvellous sketch with Paddington either!).

Had a lovely time at the family do held earlier today. We don’t let the weather get in our way! Just as well too given it poured down all day….

The first edition of Writers’ Narrative magazine is out online next week and I’ll be taking about flash fiction in that. See above. Am excited about this as the magazine really is fabulous.

Talking of which, I am thrilled to have a flash fiction piece of mine, Jubilee, out in the recently released The Best of CafeLit 12. Many congratulations to all of the other writers in this lovely collection. Great mix of stories and authors here. Do check it out. Good read guaranteed!

Goodreads Author Blog – Publication News and Being Read

Am thrilled to have another story out, Jubilee, in the recently released The Best of CafeLit 12. The buzz of being published never dies! It’s a continuing joy to know your work is being read.

I regularly mix up what I read. I will read novels, non-fiction, fiction across most genres, but I also make sure I include the short form (short stories and flash fiction). Okay, I’m biased because I write short stories and flash fiction, but they are just as every bit a valid an art form as the novel. You cherish all of these things, I think.

The advantage of the short forms of fiction is they are perfect for those without much time to read or who do not have the confidence to read bigger works.

The shorter forms are ways of showing there is something out there for all reading needs. Not everyone wants to read a huge novel, at least to begin with, Maybe they’ll get to that later once they‘ve had confidence in reading built up (and the short forms can help a lot there). Sometimes a story is best told in fewer words and it genuinely works better at 10,000 words, say, rather than standard novel length of about 100,000.

What I love is there is plenty of choice out there and I will always wave the flag for the shorter forms of reading. They can be a great way into reading altogether.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

Must admit I do not like the new X symbol for Twitter. I liked the bird! Is staying here for the time being at least.

liked Allison Symes's blog post: Publication News and Being Read https://t.co/4GWQWghAEZ via @goodreads I celebrate publication news of mine this week but also take the chance to share the virtues of short form reading (short story anthologies and flash fiction collections). pic.twitter.com/Rv3DUvkntr
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 22, 2023

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It’s Monday. It’s been wet, dark at times, more like an autumn day than a summer one, wet, and it is still Monday. Time for another YouTube story from me. Hope you enjoy my latest called Celebrating. My character Sheila celebrates alone. Find out why here.https://t.co/tj6EPpJrFs
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 24, 2023

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Thrilled the first issue of Writers’ Narrative is out. I talk about Boosting Your Writing with Flash Fiction but there is a great range of articles. The magazine has already hit No. 1 in the US on Amazon. See the link if you would like to sign up.
https://t.co/FO5U7RmhOT pic.twitter.com/kPavlsKn5J
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 25, 2023

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