Tag: Bridge House Publishing

The Gift of Reading and Writing

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As ever, unless otherwise stated, the images are from Pixabay. The stained glass window shot is taken by Allison Symes (at Tewkesbury Abbey).

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Publication News

Am absolutely delighted to announce my short story What Goes Around is now published in Bridge House Publishing’s anthology for 2019 called Nativity.

Many congratulations to all of the other writers who are also included in this eclectic collection. Currently available in Kindle but will also be out in paperback. Naturally I will share those details when available!

(It’s going to be a nice task updating my Goodreads and Amazon Author Central pages again! That’s the kind of task no writer will ever mind!).

 

Nativity Full

Am delighted to share this new three part series by Peter Russell on Chandler’s Ford Today. I acted as editor and it was a pleasure and privilege to do so. The Hutments were a community within a community and are now long gone. For anyone interested in local history, do have a read. Part 2 will go live next Saturday.

Feature Image - Hook Road Hutments and My Family

I cannot tell you how much pleasure writing and reading books has given me over the years. They are gifts that keep on giving.

The more widely you read, in terms of both volume and genre, the more room you give your imagination to fire up. Every writer is inspired, and continues to be inspired, by both what has gone before and what is contemporary and that’s exactly how it should be.

I realised long ago that I will never be in competition with any writer for the simple reason I write in my voice and they write in theirs. What inspires each writer is also unique to that writer.

Sure, there will be themes and books in common BUT there will be differences too. It is what we as individual writers bring to the mix that matters and we will bring something unique because we bring something of ourselves to our stories, consciously or otherwise, and we are all different. None of us brings exactly the same thing as the writer next to us (metaphorically speaking).

What I DO know is I owe a huge debt to my late mum, who I lost four years ago today (9th November 2019) to dementia, who taught me to read before I started school. She got into trouble for that. Apparently, I was taught “the wrong way”. Today, she’d probably be given a medal but things were very different back in the 1970s. Oh they were different! Incidentally, I don’t think I’ve done too badly for having been taught “the wrong way”.

One of my treasured memories is her joy in seeing my first story in print (A Helping Hand in Bridge House Publishing’s Alternative Renditions back in 2009). That memory will always mean so much to me.

Says it all really

I owe a huge debt to my late mother for her encouraging my love of books.  Pixabay image.

 

Thought it was time to update the cover photo (on my Facebook page).  I’m using this image on this website too. As well as being “branding”, it makes it simpler for me to have a common image running through my Facebook page, website etc.

Happily drafting a new story for a competition. Really like the way the character has come to life. That is one of my favourite aspects to creating new stories, regardless of word count. When that character “takes off” for me, they will do for a reader too. It is then a question of finding the right competition or market to reach the kind of reader I think will enjoy the story the most.

Biggest writing issue for me? Finding enough time to do all the things I would like to do, writing wise, but that’s a nice problem to have. What I loathe is having additional time but not knowing what to do with it – what a waste that is! – so I make sure I always have competitions to draft for etc.

Allison Symes and published works

Image taken by Adrian Symes

Great to hear I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue is back on Radio 4. The word play on this is sublime (as it is on Just a Minute too).

Have completed the draft of a short story. Time to rest it for a bit and work on something else. I’ll probably look at the story again in a couple of weeks’ time. It will only be at that point I can re-read the tale and look at it as a reader would.

I also ask myself questions as to what I think a reader would make of the story and why. I also look for anything that might be considered weak from a reader’s viewpoint – and then either eliminate it or strengthen it.

But the crucial thing is having enough time away from the story before I look at it again. You really do have to distance yourself.

Also looking forward to going to YA writer Richard Hardie’s and Cold Case Jury writer, Antony M Brown’s, author talk and signing session at the Hiltonbury Farmhouse tomorrow from 7.30 pm. Should be fun.

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Publication News

Many congratulations to all of the writers in Bridge House Publishing’s Nativity anthology. I have a standard length short story in here called What Goes Around.

I often use well known phrases and proverbs as titles for my flash pieces too. They can make a very useful short cut as they spell out the theme too without me having to repeat it! They’re also open to interpretation too. For a story like What Goes Around that could be humorous or serious. I love the flexibility of that.

Looking forward to the Bridge House celebration event in December. It will be the first time I’ve had a story in the BHP anthology AND two in the Cafelit collection for the year, The Best of Cafelit 8 (The Art Critic and Dignity and Injustice).

I just love that the buzz of being published online or in print or both never goes away. And does it encourage me to keep writing? Of course!

Nativity. Image supplied by Gill James, Bridge House Publishing
The Best of Cafelit 8 is now available in paperback and for the Kindle. Image kindly supplied by Gill James

 

I’d not heard of flash fiction when I began writing seriously. I was sticking to the standard length short story (which I still love writing) and drafting a novel. It was when Cafelit issued their 100 word challenge, I thought I would try the form and quickly became hooked. So beware of what you get into then!!!

Having said that, I adore flash. Sometimes when writing a longer story (or more accurately what is MEANT to be a longer story), I realise the material is strong enough for something around the 750 word mark but to get it to, say, magazine requirement, I would have to add at least 250 and probably 500 words to it.

If there is one thing I have learned over the years it is NEVER pad a story. It never works. It comes across, I think, that the good ideas were in the first half of the story and the rest was to get it to the required word count length. I know I’ve read stories where I’ve had the impression and I also think you, as the writer, just know this isn’t really working. So stick with a shorter piece you know DOES work and find an alternative home for it instead.

The lovely thing with flash fiction is there is now a very welcome home for those shorter, strong pieces. So win-win then!

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How do I create a new flash fiction story?

It depends! I know, I know – not particularly helpful is it, but it really does depend on:-

1. Am I writing for a competition with a set theme?

Here I need to focus on the kind of character who would suit that theme best. Once I’ve got them pictured and outlined, away I go. You can tell when you’ve got the character right because it can feel as if they are telling you the story!

2. Am I writing for a competition with an open theme?
I start by thinking about what theme I would like to tackle. I like to give myself room for manoeuvre here so I tend to go for a simple but open theme such as love, justice etc. You can do so much with themes like that. I then look at the kind of character who would suit the theme I’ve chosen.

I sometimes deliberately set myself a word count target even if I haven’t got a competition in mind. This is partly to keep me on my toes and also because I know I’ll find a potential market for it later on.

Again, I outline the character I want to write about and then think about what kind of trouble I can stir up for them. That is the fun bit, always! I also look at what it is about my character that will either get them out of that trouble or land themselves further in it.

For a very short flash (under 250 words), I go for one lightning quick problem the character has got to resolve quickly. They really have to get on with it but there has to be strength in that character so I know they are capable of doing it.

 

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When do I know a flash fiction story is complete?

I put the piece aside for a while, re-read it and then work out what impact the story had on me. I’m usually looking for a strong response whether it is to laugh, scream or what have you.

Sometimes I write more thoughtful flash tales and there I’m looking for impact in terms of just how thought provoking was the story? When it is a character study, did the story leave me with insights as to why that character is as how they have been portrayed? Do I get a sense this character is realistic? Am I glad to have spent time in their company?

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Goodreads Author Blog – Living in a Fictional World

I’ve never really wanted to live in a fictional world.

I wouldn’t mind a guided tour of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld (as long as it wasn’t by Rincewind and Twoflower. See The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic for more on why!).

I’d love to visit Middle Earth from Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings, though I would give Mordor a miss.

And I never had the slightest inclination to follow Alice down the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland, Even as a kid, I thought that was a daft idea, though I loved the story itself.

Incidentally is this just me or was Alice either incredibly gullible or greedy? Whenever she saw signs saying Eat Me or Drink Me, she’d just do so. Never thought to question it and then wondered why she suddenly shot up in height etc. (I refuse to believe saying that is a plot spoiler, not after this length of time). Oh well…

I loved the Famous Five by Enid Blyton so a good nose around Kirrin Island would suit me. (I always thought of Kirrin Island whenever I’ve visited Brownsea Island, just off Poole Harbour. It’s the sort of place the Five would visit).

So if there was a fictional world you would visit, which would it be and why?

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Work In Progress/Flash Fiction Ideas

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Image Credit: Unless otherwise stated, all pictures are from Pixabay.

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A week today and I’ll be at the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School again. Can’t wait! Always good to catch up with old friends, make new ones, and learn so much from the different courses and workshops. The usual dilemma of which ones to go to applies… but I know I’m in good company with that!

Many thanks to all who’ve read Stolen on Cafelit.

Hope to get another story off for a competition this coming week. Am making a conscious effort to increase my throughput (so to speak) and am pleased I’ve done better this year on this than I did at the same time twelve months ago.

As for where I don’t hear what the results are or where I receive outright rejections, I will review those stories later in the year and see if I can submit them elsewhere. Usually, I can. Sometimes I can spot something, after a break away from it, that could do with strengthening so I work on the story and then re-submit it. Very little is wasted!

Update:  Am pleased to say I will have another story up on Cafelit on 12th August. More nearer the time.

And the first thing people will want to know is the title - Pixabay

I can’t remember what the first story I wrote was. It was not published but to begin with I didn’t write with publication in mind. My first thoughts were to see if (a) I could write a story at all and then (b) can I repeat the process?

I kept doing that for a while until I had a reasonable number and then started submitting work (on the grounds I had absolutely nothing to lose so may as well give it my best shot. If I was published I’d be thrilled to bits. I was – and I was! I still love that thrill of knowing something of mine has been accepted for publication. That’s the nice thing. That thrill does not diminish!).

I will always remember the first story that was published though! (A Helping Hand in Bridge House Publishing’s Alternative Renditions anthology. I suspect time will stand still long before I forget that!).

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Pleased Just a Minute is back on Radio 4. That and Clue are the main comedy shows I listen to now. JAM is a wonderful way of discovering just how hard it is NOT to repeat, deviate, or hesitate when talking on a topic. Know I couldn’t do it.

Repetition in writing is something I have mixed feelings on. I sometimes repeat a word or phrase deliberately for emphasis. Sometimes I get a character to use a particular word so whenever it comes up, you know it’s that character who is speaking. (I avoid tags as much as possible but generally stick to he said/she said/it said when I do need to use them).

When I edit, I’m looking out for the repetitions I didn’t mean to do and there are always some! (This is another reason for reading work out loud by the way. I’ve found I’ve missed things even looking at a printout. Reading the work out literally brings home your repetitions and other failings as you hear yourself speak and realise you’ve used a phrase several times when you didn’t need to or mean to).

Delighted to say I’ll have another story up on Cafelit next week too. More details a bit nearer the time. Looking forward to sharing the link while I’m at Swanwick too.

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I don’t schedule posts as often as could but I will be preparing a two-part CFT article on Making Space, which I’ll schedule for this Friday and the one after. (I will be very tired but happy after a wonderful week at Swanwick for the second part of my post, which will focus on making space as a writer. More details on the first part tomorrow).

I usually schedule posts for when I’m due to be away but, increasingly thanks to Evernote and a smartphone, I’m drafting posts and then putting up later the same day. I often use train journeys for this as well as my flash fiction. It means I get a nice mixture of writing done.

I need to try to write up posts in batches more often and schedule them, as I’m sure that will prove to be more efficient. The nice thing is as well is if something topical comes up, you just change your schedule for whatever you WERE going to post. You can always use that another time. The only thing to watch is to ensure any batch posts are all timeless and could go up at any time.

Pleased to say I submitted another story yesterday for a competition. Have submitted more work at this time this year than twelve months ago so pleased with that. Need to catch up on the writing prompts in my diary too as I know those will trigger more stories.

As you can no doubt tell, I don’t have time to get bored! But that is a very good thing indeed…

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Favourite things about flash fiction for me:-

1. Can read a story in one sitting. (Invaluable when I’m short of time).

2. Great for twist endings (which I adore).

3. One-liners and punchlines work well here too and again I adore those.

4. You can set your character in any genre you want. It is only the word count you’re watching. I’ve found as a result the story has to be character led as that is more direct. There is no room for descriptions or interaction with many other characters after all.

5. I love writing dialogue. Not a lot of room for that in flash but what I can do is show you some of my character’s thoughts and I love writing those too. The great thing with that is you will pick up on the character’s general attitude to life. In dialogue they may disguise that especially if they want to impress someone.

What we all need… Pixabay
What writing can give you over time. Pixabay.
Pixabay image.
Sometimes it can feel like you’ve got down to Plan Z. Pixabay
Hope you have lovely books as presents! Pixabay image
How many story ideas could come from an image like this? Pixabay.
A storyteller on their travels perhaps? Pixabay image.
It is great being read to! Pixabay image.
The classic fairytale opening line. Pixabay image.
You may never know what impact your blog has but write it for the love of it anyway. Pixabay image.
Now that is what I call impact! Pixabay image.
What all writers need (harmony within yourself to overcome the fear and write anyway). Pixabay.
Reading journeys can and should take you to interesting places! Pixabay image.

Sometimes a flash story tips over and becomes a longer 1500+ tale and that’s fine. It just gets submitted to a different market/competition.

I’ve learned over time to let my character(s) have their voice. The trick is ensuring that what emerges IS relevant to the story (or deepens it and makes it more meaningful).

Writers need to come with an in-built “you’re waffling and you know you are, cut NOW” detector!

The critical test for me is to ask myself does a reader really need to know this? Will their enjoyment of the story be greater if this is in the piece? If it’s Yes and Yes, the material stays in. If there’s any doubt on either, out it comes.

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Loving listening to the Pink Panther theme on Classic FM tonight. (You’ll be humming it all night now. I know I will but it is wonderful music! Loved the films AND the cartoons. I don’t know how many other films spawned cartoons either).

So you have distinctive and memorable pieces of music then across the genres. The challenge for writers is to make OUR writing distinctive and memorable.

For me, the only way to do that is to have stand-out characters. It’s never about the plot for me. It’s always about whether the character engages me regardless of whether the story is a 50 word dribble, a 100 word drabble, or a 250,000 word epic saga!

I find working out what my main character’s chief trait is going to be a useful way to unlocking what makes them tick, WHY that trait is their chief one and so on.

For my flash stories (and especially the first person ones), I have to know what my character’s voice is before I start writing them. Are they whiny? Boastful? Remorseful etc etc? Only when I think I’ve got a handle on who they really are do I start writing the story. Outlining like this has saved me a lot of time later.

Outlining your characters, perhaps. Image via Pexel
Ready to write? Image via Pixabay.
The art of the flash (fiction). Image via Pixabay
Diary keeping as I recall it but I skipped the gingham! Image via Pixabay
Great characters should show humour. I love both of these two! Image via Pixabay.
A truly beautiful diary. Image via Pixabay
Some very strange creatures are in books. Image via Pixabay
Always good advice this. Image via Pexels
Let the ideas flow and let journeys encourage that! Image via Pixabay
Books invite you into their world. Image via Pixabay.
What journeys are your characters going on? Image via Pixabay
A good book will illuminate some truth. Image via Pexels

Where I’ve found ideas for flash fiction stories includes:-

1. Proverbs (to use both as titles and themes).

2. Advertising phrases

3. Taking a period of history I like and writing from the viewpoint of one of my favourite characters from that period.

4. Other well known phrases (e.g. my Circle of Life, Pressing the Flesh, and Coming Up Roses).

5. Turning stereotypes on their head (e.g. my George Changes His Mind. Let’s just say I have an alternative view as to what happened when George met that dragon).

6. Using an alliterative title and seeing where it takes me (e.g. my Pen Portrait). The more open to interpretation the title, the better.

7. Taking a book I like (e.g. Pride and Prejudice) and writing a snapshot story from the viewpoint of one of the characters (e.g. my Changing My Mind is from the viewpoint of Mr Darcy).

8. Picking a fiction genre and seeing if I can write a flash fiction story in it. (I’ve written what I call light horror such as my Calling the Doctor in this vein).

9. Posing a question as the title and again seeing where it might take me.

10. Using a letter format from one character to another to generate a story.

What I like most is mixing up the methods used. It keeps me on my toes and I think makes the writing more interesting. It is really important to have fun with what you write, I think.

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Goodreads Author Blog – Books You Can’t Finish

I’m glad to say there aren’t many books I haven’t been able to finish but I guess this is one of those things that happens to most of us.

I always think it’s a bit of a shame when this does occur and I ask myself just why I couldn’t finish the book. The answer is nearly always that the characters didn’t grip me enough to make me want to find out what happened to them.

These days, given life is short and I have to TBR pile to be seen to be believed (and on my Kindle too!), anything that doesn’t hook me quickly is discarded.

It’s a good challenge to me as a writer to ensure I do put plenty of hooks into my flash fiction and short stories.

It also makes you appreciate those wonderful writers who can keep doing this book after book after book over many, many years. When I think P.G. Wodehouse wrote over 90 books and was consistently funny, well for me that’s genius and should be recognised as such.

Now back to my reading…

FLTDBA in NZ. Image kindly supplied by Raewyn Berry
Whatever you write, enjoy it! Pixabay image
A book worm’s idea of heaven and picture books will be in here! Pixabay image
Sometimes the books come to you! Pixabay
Books are their own world. Pixabay
Gladstone’s Library. Pixabay image.
Hope you have lovely books as presents! Pixabay image
Great characters escape from great books! Pixabay image.
What every children’s writer wants to see – children engrossed in books, ideally theirs! Pixabay image.
Abbotswood House, home of Sir Walter Scott. Pixabay image.
What worlds will new books show you? Pixabay
The wonderful world of books and stories. Pixabay image
Love reading in both formats! Pixabay image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Good Writing Week

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Do you read or write (or both) outdoors? I don’t write outside. I much prefer being at a desk for that (and right now it is beautifully cool in the study so added reason to stay in! It also means I can turn up the volume when Beethoven’s 5th comes on and I avoid annoying the neighbours so win-win).

I read outdoors sometimes, there’s nothing to beat relaxing in a nice recliner with a book in hand unless it’s doing that, knowing you’ve got a long cold drink besides you too!

I cope with colder weather better than hot (as does Lady naturally). How do your characters react to their environment and weather conditions? Do they cope with anything that can be thrown at them weather wise or do they curl up at the sight of anything more than a fine drizzle?! If you’re writing fantasy or anything other worldly, what would be standard weather conditions in your setting? How does it impact on your characters?

Hopefully you’ll find some ways to deepen your characterisation answering questions like that.

What we all need… Pixabay
Stories link us. Pixabay.
A writer’s life. Pixabay,
Whatever you write, enjoy it! Pixabay image
Pixabay image.
All great ideas for writing but you still need to “apply the seat of your pants to the seat of the chair” (P.G.Wodehouse). Pixabay image.
Most writers will know how this feels… Pixabay
Books are so special. Pixabay

A good writing week is when I can look back and see:-

1. CFT post written, images sourced, and appears on the Friday. (Only times it hasn’t appeared have been either because I’ve been away or ill and once there was a technical issue, which meant I had to post a day late).

2. Progress made on my projects, especially the novel.

3. I have either submitted work to competitions/markets or am drafting work to be sent in the near future.

4. My WordPress website round-ups have appeared on the Tuesday and Friday. I enjoy preparing these as they look like a mini magazine. I hope you enjoy them too!

It has been a good week! Do I get bored? No! Do I wish I had more writing time? Always.

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Asking questions is a great way to generate story ideas. The classic one is “What If?” of course, but Kipling’s honest serving men of What and Why and When and How and Where and Who are invaluable for outlining a story of any length.

For example:-

What are the stakes for your lead character?

Why have they got to go for the goal you’ve set?

When do they have to achieve their goal by? (The shorter the time frame the better as it means more pressure for your character).

How will they achieve their objective?

Where does your character live and what bearing does the setting have on their trying to achieve their goal?

Who opposes them and who helps?

You can adjust the above questions to suit your needs, of course, but answering these will give you an outline you can add to or change as you require.

 

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Thrilled to announce my humorous fairytale, What Goes Around, will be in the Bridge House anthology, Nativity, later this year. You can rely on me to share the link as and when I can!

Many congratulations to all of the 24 authors in the latest Bridge House book and a particular shout out to #AlysonRhodes, #PaulaRCReadman, #DawnKnox, #LindaFlynn, and #JamesBates.

I can’t wait to read all of your stories. They will be a wonderful ecletic mix!

Image below taken at a previous Bridge House event (and supplied by Paula Readman, who is on the right. Dawn Knox is in the middle).

It has been a busy few weeks with news of stories in The Best of Cafelit 8 and Transforming Being. I like weeks like this!

Paula Readman, Dawn Kentish Knox and Allison Symes and books - with kind permission from Paula Readman

Paula Readman, Dawn Kentish Knox and I celebrate where our stories have appeared! Many thanks to Paula Readman for the picture.!

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Am currently listening to the theme from The Incredibles on Classic FM (well I was at the time I wrote this on Facebook!). Loved the film and the music is so appropriate for it. A really good film score always stands out and hooks the watcher into the movie.

Favourite film theme? Hmm… Love The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, no surprises there. Favourite John Williams’ piece is Raiders March (though Schindler’s List is so moving). Very hard to pick out an outright favourite.

For flash fiction writing, it is the title that has to be our big hook in for readers. The title has to be appropriate and to serve the story well, just as film music must serve its movie well. So it is worth taking extra time to get it right but it’s absolutely fine to start off with something and replace it later. I often do that when a better idea occurs as I’m writing the story.

 

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Flash fiction, due to its word count restriction, works best with one character, possibly two (and there I would say that would work better with the longer forms of flash). You are looking for your character to have the strongest impact possible on the reader and having too many characters in such a short space dilutes the effect.

It’s another reason why I use first person a lot. I can get into the head of that character and they can reveal other characters for me/the reader. A good example of this is my Calling the Doctor where my character knows she is dying but it is not until the end she reveals who her doctor is. I don’t need to bring the doctor into the story at all. Do have a look at the book trailer as this is the story I chose to use on this and you’ll see why!

 

Love this image! Image via Pixabay
Indeed! Pixabay image.
So true. Pixabay.
Could this picture inspire stories? Good fiction will take you out of the world for a while. Image via Pixabay.
Stories are magical and inspire other stories. Image via Pixabay.
Online writing -v- on a line writing! Image via Pixabay
Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.
This made me smile! Pixabay image.
Well, let’s do so by writing lots of stories! Image via Pixabay.
Escape with a good book. Image via Pixabay.
FLTDBA for sale in the Swanwick Book Room. Image by Allison Symes
Charging up for new ideas, maybe? Pixabay image.

Flash fiction may be short, sorry it IS short, but it still takes time to edit and ensure the words you’ve chosen are exactly the right ones to make the maximum impact on a reader.

I usually get a first draft down pretty quickly. What takes the time is re-reading (often several times) and realising this phrase here could be sharpened up if I change one word here. Equally I need to look for those phrases where if I were to cut, something of the flow of the story would be lost. I always judge whether something should stay in on its impact on me (and therefore hopefully readers) and never just on the word count alone.

I see the word count as a guide. If something works better at 200 words rather than 100, then fine, the tale stays at 200! I’ll submit it for a different competition or market. You CAN over-edit. Mixing up what you write in terms of word count is not a bad thing to do anyway and gives you plenty of practice at writing across the range flash fiction offers. Nothing to lose there then!

A truly beautiful diary. Image via Pixabay
Like being able to store so many books! Image via Pexels
So true. Pixabay.
What worlds can you explore in flash fiction? Pixabay
Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.
Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.
Well…? Pixabay
The art of the flash (fiction). Image via Pixabay
Being lost in the world of your story. Pixabay image
Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.

Good news on the story front as my humorous fairytale What Goes Around is due to be published in the Bridge House Nativity anthology later this year.

It is wonderful when acceptances come in but behind them is a lot of hard work, even more rejections to get stories up to standards where they are in real contention for publication etc.

Even when that is the case, you cannot know whether your Story A or someone else’s Story B will fit the theme of the chosen anthology better.

So if a story is turned down somewhere, look at it again. Is there another market/anthology it could fit? All story writing is useful experience. What you learn as you write a tale (even if it is never published) is what you build on for the next story etc. You do learn, over time, to judge that a story of yours would suit Market X over Market Y. You learn to tailor your submissions too. That increases your chances of acceptance. Note I said increases!

There are no guarantees in writing and I guess that IS guaranteed!

What ever writer needs. Image via Pixabay
Preparing a talk or a flash fiction story perhaps. Image via Pixabay.
Flash fiction, by its nature, has to take one look at a situation to be a story but you can get quite a bit into that “one look”. Image via Pixabay.
Use personal reviews to help you generate character and story outlines. Image via Pixabay.
Connections to what you read and what you write. What are yours? Image via Pixabay.
I’m not arguing with this one! Image via Pixabay.
There can be reality behind fairytales. Image via Pixabay (and image used as part of book trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again)
Honest feedback is the only kind worth having. Image via Pixabay.
Let the writing flow and if music can help it along even better! Image via Pixabay
What impact do your stories have on your readers? Image via Pixabay
Planning your work. Image via Pixabay.

 

Association of Christian Writers – More than Writers –

Legacies in Writing

Do you ever think about what your writing legacy is and, as importantly, should you?

I was recently at the Winchester Writers’ Festival and at the end of the Saturday courses, there was a lovely celebration held in the University of Winchester’s chapel for the late Barbara Large, MBE, who founded the event.

Not only was that a direct support to writers across all genres, she always found time to speak to writers of all levels, when she must have had a million and one things to do. She is remembered with much love, as you can imagine.

Easier said than done but encouraging others in their writing journey benefits them and you. Pixabay

None of us can ever know where our writing journey is going to take us when we first start. As with any road, there will be cul-de-sacs, the literary equivalent of potholes tripping us up, what we thought was a helpful road sign taking us in the wrong direction with our work and so on. (I’m not aware of any literary traffic wardens though!).

The writing journey is not always straightforward.  Pixabay

So we go into the writing life with our eyes wide open and seek to encourage other writers along the way as we ourselves receive encouragement from them.  We all know the heartaches of rejections after all, but we also know publication is possible. We also know writing for your own pleasure is as valid a thing to do but I also believe we can all leave a positive legacy behind. I think it is part of our calling as writers.

None of this can come all at once but are so worth striving for. Pixabay

The writing legacy we should leave then can be summed up as follows.

1.  Aim to write to the highest standard you can manage.

Improvement is always possible. It is always desirable too. Accept your first draft will not be great. My favourite quote on this comes from Terry Pratchett who saw first drafts as “you telling yourself the story”.

It’s then a question of extracting the gold from the dross – and there will be dross and more than you’d like. Shakespeare and Dickens faced the same. We will not be exempt!

Equally true for your writing but looking for continued improvement IS good to aim for.  Pixabay

2.  Be proud of your work. Ensure you enjoy it.

You are your first audience. Once published, you will want to keep on producing work to be “out there”. You must be able to enjoy what you write over and over again. Do mix up what you write.

I love writing short stories and blog posts as well as flash fiction, but whether you write one type of material or loads, you must enjoy it all.  That enjoyment comes through in what you write. Prose the writer has loved writing has an energy all of its own. I believe readers pick up on that instinctively.

It’s a pity we can’t award ourselves these every so often for our writing but look back and see how far you’ve come. Hopefully you will find encouragement there.  Pixabay.

3.  For you to be able to look back and see how your work has improved.

Working at the craft takes time. There are no shortcuts.

Determination to keep going is important too. Stamina is needed.  Pixabay

 

This has always struck me as sensible advice but the writing journey will have its ups and downs. The ride is rarely a straightforward and smooth one but it does help to know that!  Pixabay.

Writing challenges and stretches me and is so much fun.  It is also hard work. The two go together. Wherever your writing journey takes you, enjoy the ride!

Goodreads Author Blog – Changing Books

Which books stay with you as firm favourites throughout and which only last for a specific period in your life?

I wouldn’t give you a thank you for the old Peter and Jane books again (!) but would probably still enjoy the Famous Five.

The Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia, along with the classic fairytales, will always be favourites.

But the joy of reading is discovering new genres and authors. It has only been comparatively recently I’ve discovered the joys of non-fiction reading. It wasn’t as if I was particularly against it, I just hadn’t tried any.

Now it’s a regular part of my reading routine. (I like the Ben Macintyre books especially. Loved Agent Zigzag in particular). The best non-fiction uses great fictional storytelling techniques and should keep you as gripped as an epic novel.

Which books from your reading past would you change now? Which would you change them for?

Ah, the bliss of reading! Pixabay image.
Sometimes the books come to you! Pixabay
Love reading in both formats! Pixabay image.
Gladstone’s Library. Pixabay image.
Books are their own world. Pixabay
So true. Pixabay.
Well…? Pixabay
Gollum from LOTR. More sinned against than sinning? Pixabay image.

 

 

 

Tried and Tested – and Book Offers!

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A very busy night tonight and a special post about book offers too and I will start with those I think!  Also included this week is a link to my guest spot on crime writer Val Penny’s wonderful Book Review blog.  Many thanks to her for hosting me.

BOOK OFFERS!  ONE WEEK ONLY.  ENDS 18TH JANUARY 2019

Book news! I’m Bridge House Publishing/Chapeltown’s author of the week and there are free books up for grabs AND special offers on others. What’s not to like?

I’ve had the great pleasure of being published by BHP/CB in various anthologies as well as with From Light To Dark and Back Again. These form the basis of the package below.

BOOK PACKAGE: There are SIX, count them SIX, publications where I have work on offer for £4.00, all as mobi-files. This includes To Be…To Become (the Waterloo Festival competition, anthology), Baubles (BH anthology), The Best of Cafelit 4, 5 AND 6 and From Light to Dark and Back Again, my first flash fiction collection.

And for those of you who would like print paperbacks there’s an offer for you too.

PAPERBACK OFFER: My first published story was A Helping Hand in Bridge House Publishing’s Alternative Renditions. That isn’t available on Kindle BUT is in paperback and that along with From Light to Dark and Back Again is on offer at a mere £7.00 for the two!

FREE BOOKS! BUT YOU HAVE TO BE QUICK.

I’m giving away one signed copy of:-

From Light to Dark and Back Again AND
Alternative Renditions OR
Baubles OR
One of the Best of Cafelit books I’m in.

First come, first served, naturally. Also one book per customer.

If you’re interested email my lovely editor, Gill James, at editor@bridgehousepublishing.co.uk with your contact details. Also let her know which of the books you would like and Gill and I will take things from there. I’m looking forward to getting some books off in the post next week!

So two lucky people can be in for a free read! What are you waiting for? Gill is waiting to hear from you!

All of the above books are available on Amazon.

And if you would like to try some of my work out first, head over to Cafelit at http://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/…/l…/Allison%20Symes

Do check out the other wonderful stories here. You’re in for a great read, I promise.

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Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

Busy night tonight but fun! Hope you saw the book offer posts earlier. Meanwhile back to CFT and I’m glad to share my Tried and Tested Writing Tips this week. Hope you find it useful.

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Will be a busy day tomorrow. As well as my usual CFT post (all about tried and tested writing tips), I’m Bridge House Publishing/Chapeltown Books author of the week and will have news of book offers so stay tuned.

Re my CFT post: I’ve picked those tips I use most often and go into detail as to why they are useful.

Absolutely delighted to have been guest blogger on Val Penny‘s Book Reviews blog. Many thanks to her – it’s been a good week writing wise when it comes to getting the word out there!

And talking of words, the ones I’ve found most helpful are the ones that encourage when all that seem to come in are rejections etc. This is why you need writing friends. We know what it is like – both the joys and the down sides. It is a roller coaster ride but nobody says you have to be alone on the thing!

The first draft, the second, the tenth? Pixabay image
What will this be for your writing journey? Pixabay image
Val Penny’s book cover for her debut novel, more to come soon. Image kindly supplied by Val Penny.
See! It is a good idea, weather permitting! Image via Pexels
Good advice. Image via Pixabay.
Unless in a thunder storm or high winds, this is a good idea! Image via Pexels
Books invite you into their world. Image via Pixabay.
All writers have felt this way at times. Pixabay image.
Val Penny’s latest work is a great read. Image kindly supplied by Val Penny
Even in the heart of a city, books can provide escapism. Image via Pixabay.
And which is the right way?! Pixabay image.

Am delighted to share the link to the great blog from crime writer Val Penny. The fact that I am her guest on it tonight is not at all coincidental!

Many thanks, Val, for the invite. The questions were great fun to answer. Val and I met at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School (or more accurately just outside Derby Railway Station just ahead of us both going to Swanwick!) and we’ve been great friends ever since.

It is also lovely being on the receiving end of questions too!

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I’m due to be Bridge House Publishing/Chapeltown Books author of the week. News of book offers tomorrow.

Getting the balance right between writing new material, revising and improving material that has not yet found a home, and marketing has never been easy to get right. Has there ever been a writer who doesn’t feel there is always something they could be doing better in any of these departments? I don’t think so!

One advantage to flash fiction of course is it can be a great way of getting work done and “out there” while working on longer projects. (And if said work is published, you’re building up your writing CV too).

The magical world of the imagination. Image via Pixabay
Some very strange creatures are in books. Image via Pixabay
Is the truth welcome in your fictional world? How does your community react to it?. Image via Pixabay.
The magic of stories. Image via Pixabay
What are your characters’ favourite memories and why? Image via Pixabay
The building blocks of putting a story together. Pixabay image.
Honest feedback is the only kind worth having. Image via Pixabay.
Connections to what you read and what you write. What are yours? Image via Pixabay.
Good advice – and it applies to our characters too. Image via Pixabay
Use personal reviews to help you generate characters and story outlines. Image via Pixabay.
What wonderful worlds we can creat! Image via Pixabay.
Another way of publishing…. Image via Pixabay

What questions would you put to your characters to get the best out of them before you write their story?

One of my favourites here is “what drives you?” I use it to dig deep into a character because there will be an answer that is something nobody would mind revealing – the public face, if you like.

However, it is the answer the character (and we as individuals) try to keep to ourselves that is the really interesting one to work with! It can also reveal things about our characters that make us realise we can do so much more with them. It IS worth digging that bit deeper to get to these points.

Your stories will be deeper and have more impact as a result – even the shortest of flash fiction stories will benefit. If I know my character thinks they’re capable of, say, robbery, but I dig deeper and find in certain situations, they could kill, guess which story I’m going with!

You DO want to dump your characters right in the mire and put them under as much stress as possible and really see what they’re made of. Let the drama play out. Have fun with this, I do! (Oh and nobody said writers have to be nice to their characters, often it’s the opposite in fact!).

 

Charging up for new ideas, maybe? Pixabay image.
Hope your Christmas books take you to all sorts of wonderful places! Pixabay image
Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.
The writing journey can be a long one so setting goals along the way makes sense. Pixabay image
A good photo shows light at its best. Pixabay image.
What worlds will new books show you? Pixabay
Taking time to look back and then look ahead is a good thing. Pixabay image.
There is something almost mystical here. Pixabay image.
The classic start for fairytales. Pixabay image.
As I write now. Pixabay image.
Stepping into another world.. Pixbay
Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.

Many thanks to #ValPenny for hosting me on her Book Reviews blog. It was great fun answering the questions.

Questions like these are really useful for making you evaluate why you write and whether the “how” could be improved. (The answer is almost certainly “yes” to that by the way!).

Online writing -v- on a line writing! Image via Pixabay
This made me smile! Pixabay image.
Writing Likes and Dislikes. Pixabay image.
Love this image! Image via Pixabay
Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.
The ever useful post-it note. Image via Pixabay.
Alas, too late for me! Image via Pixabay
Picking up wriitng tips will help you improve your work. Pixabay image.
Indeed! Pixabay image.
A good writing group will help you discover this. Pixabay image.
Always good advice. Image via Pixabay.

Fairytales with Bite – Storytelling

Storytelling is one of our oldest traditions of course. You can understand the appeal of fairytales especially when it comes to the oral storytelling tradition. A simple plot, a structure that works, a clear goodie and baddie, and a happy ever after ending. Perfect way to end the day!

Now, of course, we expect our characters to be more nuanced. There is no such thing as the perfect hero. Villains have to have good (and understandable) reasons for acting the way they are (and that can include the fact they simply enjoy being evil. To them, that is reason enough!).

What I love about stories is that there is no one perfect format. I love books in all their forms but totally understand why audiobooks work for some, whereas the print format doesn’t. Our focus as writers is to come up with stories that can work in several formats. Our focus is to entertain. I’ve never understood why some look down on escapism. The world is sad and bad enough to make a wish to escape understandable. After all why did our cavemen ancestors tell stories? To remember what was important. To bring the community closer together. To escape the cares of their day and the ones to come for a while.

So as a writer then I want my characters to appeal to readers. I also want to drop my characters right in it whenever I can. I want my books to engage people. It’s a good thing to aim for: to improve your storytelling as much as possible. You discover better ways of expressing things, learn what works and what doesn’t. Enjoy your storytelling and relish every moment of it.

 

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This World and Others – Tried and Tested

My latest CFT post is Tried and Tested Writing Tips, which I hope you find useful.

How are your characters tried and tested?  Do they pass the tests you set them?  In almost any story you can think of, it is only when the characters are put right through the emotional wringer, do you see what they are capable of and where their limits are.  That is also where sidekick characters are useful – to help see your leads through to the bitter end and to get them through that “about to give it all up” moment.

Testing doesn’t need to to be overly dramatic either.  It can be as simple as a character having their patience tested by a relative who is trying to goad them (deliberately or otherwise, it’s not always consciously done).  Your character is very patient to begin with, then they become slightly less patient as time and the goading continues, and so on before they snap or do something they would not ordinarily have done.  Your character may be aware of this process so what do they do to try and fight it?  To not give in to that urge to snap no matter what the provocation?

Think about what would stress your characters out.  Think about their coping mechanisms.  What would happen if they failed or weren’t available when needed?

Have fun finding out!

Where good ideas start… but good ideas need refining and editing, Image via Pixabay
Never give up, work hard, be disciplined… all valuable traits for success, whether you’re a tennis player, a writer or a character in a story! Image via Pixabay.
Books are magical – image via Pixabay
I write fairytales with bite as flash fiction and short stories in particular. Image via Pixabay.
Stories reflect all sorts of moods. There is a story to suit everyone out there! Image via Pixabay.
Writing the first drafts! Image via Pixabay.
Escaping with a good book is a fantastic idea. Image via Pixabay.
Such a familiar look. Image via Pixabay.
The wonderful world of stories… Image via Pixabay.
Love this library. Mine is somewhat smaller than this! Image via Pixabay.
Books are wonderful – whether in print or electronic, whether as audio stories or told by a storyteller. Image via Pixabay.
Says it all really. Image via Pixabay. And am glad to say my poorly border collie, Mabel, has very much been showing this spirit.
Well, what IS your story? Image via PixabayImage via Pixabay.

Writing Wish List, Why Write Flash Fiction, and Special Offers

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Facebook – General

If you could make a writing related list for Santa, what would be on it? I’d ask for:-

1. The ability to stretch time so I can get all the writing I’d like to do in and done! Naturally I would not feel any side effects from this.

2. The ability to spot ALL typos etc before submitting work anywhere ALL the time. (If it is any comfort, most writers spot errors in work later on. We just don’t admit to it! We do feel annoyed at ourselves over them though – very much the “why didn’t I spot that one?” school of thought.

3. To never run out of pens, notebooks, ink cartridges, paper etc and also to arrange for the printer toner NOT to run out half way through a print run ever again. (You do get sick of this happening when it occurs more than once. Trust me on this).

4. To never miss a writing competition that might suit you ever again. (It is difficult to keep on top of them all so help from Santa here would be useful).

5. To never run out of inspiration and ideas and to always follow them through thoroughly.

6. Extra stamina would also come in handy. You need it when the umpteenth rejection comes in during the week.

7. More reviews of my book!

8. For the charlatans in the publishing industry to disappear from it for good so nobody is ever taken in by false promises again. Meanwhile, do check out the Society of Authors and/or ALLI, the Alliance of Independent Authors websites for sound advice on what to look for in publishing contracts, self publishing services etc.

9. To never run out of bookmarks. When I don’t need them I seem to have loads. When I do, can I find any? What do you think?

10. For more independent book shops and for them to thrive and do well.

I’m not putting these in any order of importance though 10 should be very high up on any list to Santa, I think.

Set goals for the short, medium and long terms. Pixabay image
What every writer needs. Image via Pexels.
Great characters = great books. Image via Pixabay.
Barbara Large has done so much to support and encourage writers for many years. Pixabay image.
Stories reflect all sorts of moods. There is a story to suit everyone out there! Image via Pixabay.
Books are wonderful – whether in print or electronic, whether as audio stories or told by a storyteller. Image via Pixabay.
Always good advice! Pixabay image.
The blank page (or screen) is ready for your diary (or blog!). Image via Pixabay.
Such a familiar look. Image via Pixabay.
Write first, edit later. Pixabay.

Am glad to share, via the link, details of some special offers on Chapeltown Books’ flash fiction collections, including From Light to Dark and Back Again by yours truly.

The offers are open until the end of the week. There are currently 8 books in the Chapeltown series and there is an offer on for all of those. Equally you can buy three or four of them and still have a special offer! This offer is on until 21st December.

Some last minute Christmas present ideas, everyone?

Hope that whatever else is amongst your presents this Christmas, some good books are amongst them!

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The YouTube below shows the books produced by Cafelit/Chapeltown/Bridge House during the year. A lovely selection.

I was in the To Be…To Become ebook produced by Bridge House. This contains the 16 winning entries to the Waterloo Arts Festival’s first writing competition. I hope they go on to have others!

What can be confirmed is there is a lovely variety of books and stories to suit all tastes here.

When do you know a story is really special? When you can’t forget the characters.

For me, story has always been about finding out what happens to the characters. I don’t necessarily need to like them (though most of the time I do) but I do need to be intrigued enough to find out what happens to them. So then there has to be something about the characters I can either identify with or which hits my “curiosity switch” and keeps that pressed down so I have to keep reading!

A good plot can be let down by characters that aren’t strong enough for it (and this means the writer hasn’t got to know his people well enough before writing about them). Great characters will lift any story they’re in. Great characters will generate plot. Imagine the chaos a devious character can cause when they set out to cause mischief deliberately. All sorts of stories can come from that, humorous and otherwise, but the character has to be well portrayed for that to work.

Edit, edit, edit! Pixabay image.
There be dragons. Pixabay
Your blog, your topic, your theme – just be sensible on copyright and libel issues. Image via Pixabay.
It always is! Reflecting first helps a lot! Pixabay image
Let those ideas flow! Pixabay image
Stepping into another world.. Pixbay
Diary keeping as I recall it but I skipped the gingham! Image via Pixabay
A great new idea makes me smile, as does this image. Pixabay image.
What wonderful worlds we can creat! Image via Pixabay.
Plugging in for new ideas? Pixabay image

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Time for some micro Christmas stories then:-

1. The innkeeper smiled, having seen his guests to the last available room. Nobody else would be disturbing his sleep tonight then.

2. Scrooge grimaced as he walked home, having heard some youngster tell a snippet of a ghost story. Ghosts! Whatever next?

3. In the bleak midwinter, they could have done with a snow plough.4. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer found that telling everyone he was suffering from a nasty cold stopped the awkward jokes about what he was adding to his water trough to generate said red nose.

5. Frosty the Snowman was the first to admit he really could not appreciate the benefits of central heating.

Allison Symes – 15th December 2018

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Never worry about overwriting a story. That overwriting can and should be cut later. Usually this is a case of sharpening up phrases etc. I like the creative aspect of that side of editing where you are happy with your characters and story but know you can express things better than you have done with your first draft.

For me, it is far more of a problem when, on odd occasions, my story is too short. Not a problem for my flash fiction but it can be for standard length short stories (usually 1500 words or so). This always means one thing in my book, pun intended (!), and that is my idea simply wasn’t strong enough. I needed to do far more outlining to see where the idea could take me before I committed to writing it and that process would have shown up inherent weaknesses in it.

So do outline. It can save you a lot of grief later.

Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.
Love that clock. Pexels image.
Something I’ve yet to see happen! Pixabay image.
What worlds will emerge from your writing? Pixabay image
Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.
Let the creativity spill out. PIxabay image.
I often jot notes with pen and paper. Pexels image.
Or get away from it all in one book. Pixabay image.
Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.
There is something almost mystical here. Pixabay image.
A good read means you ARE in a world of your own. Pixabay image

Reasons to write flash fiction:-

1. You learn how to edit well.

2. You learn to be ruthless when cutting out anything that is not moving the story forward.

3. You really do watch your word count. (This pays off for other forms of writing competitions too).

4. Given flash fiction markets and competitions have different requirements (for example some include the title as part of the word count, others specificially do not), you learn to make sure you ARE following the right rules for the competitions you’re interested in.

5. It is a great way to get work out there while you are working on a longer project.

6. There ARE more competitions and markets out there now so there should be at least one to suit your style of writing.

7. You have to write character driven stories but there’s nothing to stop you setting that character in any time, genre, or setting of your choosing. You are definitely NOT stuck to one genre here.

8. Flash fiction can make a great warm up writing exercise ahead of a longer project. The great thing is you can now do something with what your produce from those writing exercises!

9. You learn to write precisely because you are looking for the maximum impact on your readers for the minimum word count . This is a fantastic discipline which can be transferred across to other forms of writing you enjoy.

10. It’s fun! I’ve loved the challenge of writing to 100 words, to 75, to 50 etc. Flash fiction can be addictive!

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F = Fantastic Fiction
L = Lines that Hit Home
A = Amazing Characters
S = Stories with Impact
H = Humour and sometimes with a twist too.

F = Fairytales with Bite
I = Imagination is fired up!
C = Can cross genres
T = The word count is the main thing to watch
I = Insist on ruthless editing to cut all that is unnecessary
O = On the look out for markets and competitions
N = Never underestimate the time taken to craft your tales!

Allison Symes – 18th December 2018

You can’t beat notebooks for jotting down ideas. Image via Pixabay.
See! It is a good idea, weather permitting! Image via Pexels
The Nativity. Image by Pixabay.
Like being able to store so many books! Image via Pexels
I don’t understand those who dislike books, in whatever format. Image via Pixabay.
Can’t have too many notebooks and pens. Image via Pexels
Unless in a thunder storm or high winds, this is a good idea! Image via Pexels
Let one creative idea spark another. Pixabay image.
A good writing group will help you discover this. Pixabay image.
Christmas candles. Image by Pixabay.
Christmas lights. Image via Pixabay.
Where stories emerge. Image via Pixabay.
Is it Time for a Change for the dragon in my story on Cafelit? Image via Pixabay
Lost in a good book. Image via Pixabay.
The perfect way to relax. All writers love to read. Image via Pixabay.

Goodreads Author Programme Blog – Christmas Wish List

Naturally I’m assuming books are high up on your Christmas wish list. I would like to add to that though the following:-

1. More time to read!

2. More time to re-read old favourites. Does anyone else feel a pang of guilt sometimes when you really want to go back to a novel you’ve read a few times when you know there are so many other books you really should be getting on with and reading? That you actually want to read but the “clarion call” of the old favourite just can’t be resisted.

3. Being able to read “children’s” books without feeling guilty or embarrassed. Incidentally I understand the point of more grown up covers for certain books to get around this issue but for me this doesn’t really work. I like the original covers far better in the majority of cases and want to stick with those!

4. That all adaptations of stories and books do justice to their source materials. Too many don’t!

5. That I can always find a bookmark when I want one. (I either have LOADS when I don’t need them or none at all. Don’t ask… it is the way it is!).

Hope you have a book and story filled Christmas. The joy of the winter months is WANTING to stay indoors and curl up with a good book!

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Celebrations, Reading Work Out, and Framing Stories

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A nice mixed bag tonight I think!

Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

My CFT post this week is the review of the recent Bridge House event, Celebrations, Crackers, Chapeltown, and Cafelit, though I’m quite pleased I managed to come up with an alliterative title! I also look at how reading work out is useful to writers, as is listening to others reading their work out. For one thing, you literally hear a story’s rhythm and can apply that to your own stories.

Many thanks to Dawn Kentish Knox for kind permission to use some of the images in this piece. I’ve yet to find a way of reading work out and taking my own pictures of me doing this at the same time! (Oh and before you ask, I am really not keen on selfies!).

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My CFT post this week will be a look back at the Bridge House celebration event held on 1st December. I’ll also share some thoughts on the benefits of reading work out loud and on being read to, both of which are lovely!

One of the nicest things about this time of year is that it is very much a time for stories, which is a theme I will be looking at for CFT before too long. Naturally, I love the Christian Nativity story but I also love those wonderful tales associated with it. For example, how did the robin get his red breast? By burning himself on a fire he was fanning to keep a fire going to keep the Holy Family warm.

I also like to have a general review of the year (and also a specific writing review. How did things go? Did I achieve all the goals I set myself? What goals would I like to set for 2019 etc?). So that’s my CFT posts sorted until the year end! Just have to finish writing them now…

Indeed! Pixabay image.
Let those ideas flow! Pixabay image
Happy New Year! Image via Pixabay
Be open to change. Pixabay image.
Well, let’s do so by writing lots of stories! Image via Pixabay.
Charging up for new ideas, maybe? Pixabay image.
If your story grips you, all sense of time will go! Image via Pixabay.
Set goals for the short, medium and long terms. Pixabay image
What will this be for your writing journey? Pixabay image
Too much to do, too little time perhaps? Pixabay image.
There is something almost mystical here. Pixabay image.

One of the great joys of stories (both writing and reading them) is their escapism value, especially if the news is particularly grim. That shouldn’t be underrated.

Whether you read or write humour, horror, sci-fi, or what have you, a story, of whatever length, should transport you into its world. You should be happy to stay there for the duration too! That, ultimately, I think is the biggest challenge to a writer. But it’s a great challenge to have a crack at!

Love this clock. Pixabay image.
A good read means you ARE in a world of your own. Pixabay image
Lost in a world of books. Pixabay image.
Stepping into another world.. Pixbay
Or get away from it all in one book. Pixabay image.
Something I’ve yet to see happen! Pixabay image.
Where will your reading take you? Pixabay image.
Good reading – and writing to be done – here. Pixabay image.
There be dragons. Pixabay
A house full of books. Pixabay image.
I’ve never read a book in these conditions, have you? Pixabay image.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I like to choose themes which can be open ended. Love, for example, can obviously provide happy stories. It can also provide tragedies, something Shakespeare took good advantage of in Romeo and Juliet.

I’ve found that picking the theme I would like to use and then deciding on the mood of the story is so helpful in giving me a “frame” for my story. Then the title comes into play and again I try to choose one which is open, unless I specifically want to put a twist into the tale right at the beginning (my Punish the Innocent is a good example of that).

I find it useful to have my “frame” and then write. It helps me focus.

All writers have felt this way at times. Pixabay image.
My writing desk is nowhere near as elegant as this one. Pixabay image.
My laminated book cover on the way into the Fair. Image by Allison Symes
Notes about your characters can help you portray them more accurately. Not every note has to make it into the story itself. Pixabay image.
The blank page (or screen) is ready for your diary (or blog!). Image via Pixabay.
The joy of writing is you never stop learning. Pixabay image.
Writing is rewriting. Image via Pixabay.
The first draft, the second, the tenth? Pixabay image

When drafting a story, what is the first thing you are keen to get right?

For me, it’s ensuring I know my character well enough to know how they would react/act regardless of what situation I drop them right in! (Dropping your characters right in it can be a great way of finding out just what they’re made of). I also like to know what would shake my character out of their sang-froid and what their general beliefs are. Naturally, there should then be something to challenge all of that!

Stories are magical and inspire other stories. Image via Pixabay.
The familiar sight of the writing desk, regardless of genre! Image via Pixabay.
What ever writer needs. Image via Pixabay
Christmas lights. Image via Pixabay.
Could this picture inspire stories? Good fiction will take you out of the world for a while. Image via Pixabay.
Is your story light or dark? Image via Pixabay
Use personal reviews to help you generate characters and story outlines. Image via Pixabay.
Says it all really and applies to non-fiction equally as fiction. Image via Pixabay.
I’m not arguing with this one! Image via Pixabay.

I like to use things that inspire me as a source of story ideas. The great thing with this method is what inspires me and how I combine these to create a new tale will help my writer’s voice to come through. Nobody’s tastes and inspirations are exactly the same. The way these are combined will also differ from writer to writer. So list what your inspirations are. Think about how you can use these. At the very least, you should find some great themes emerging. Good luck!

So true. Pixabay image.
How is your world governed? Is it done well? Pixabay image.
Hope your Christmas books take you to all sorts of wonderful places! Pixabay image
It would be a joy to research here! Pixabay image
Making the most of the writing time. Pixabay image
The ultimate smartphone maybe?! Image via Pixabay
Studying to see if all the corrections have been dealth with. Pixabay image.
The writing necessities! Pixabay image.
Always a good idea! Pixabay image.

Fairytales With Bite – Why Fairytales with Bite?

It occurs to me I should have written this post long ago but never mind!

I use the phrase “fairytales with bite” as a lot of my flash fiction work, in particular, is set in a fantasy world and I use a lot of irony. There really is a bite to a lot of what I write. I like quirky writing – my own and that of others! I also use twist endings a lot and there can be a great deal of bite behind those. I am, after all, looking to make an impact with my stories.

My catchphrase is also a reaction against those who think fairytales are twee. I know I’ve touched on this topic before, here and on other blogs I’m involved in, but fairytales can show up human nature for what it is and are anything but twee as a result. Think of all the tales where kindness is rewarded and/or greed is punished. What happens to the villains in lot of fairytales is anything but twee!

Of course, with the Big Bad Wolf, you could argue the fairytale with bite is literal here!

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This World and Others – Reading Work Out Loud

This theme ties in with some thoughts I share on this as part of my Chandler’s Ford Today post this week called Celebrations, Crackers, Chapeltown, and Cafelit.  The latter is a look back at my publisher’s annual celebration event but one part of this is where some of the writers, including me, read some of our stories out to our audience.  Good fun whether you’re taking part or not, but for a writer it’s incredibly useful and here are some reasons why.

1.  You quickly realise if you stumble over words, so will your readers, so out comes the editing pen again.  Always better though that this happens before you submit the story anywhere.  By reading the work out to yourself before submission, this acts as another editing layer and can save your blushes!

2.  You literally hear the rhythm of the story.  There should be a natural ebb and flow to it.

3.  Especially if you write in a genre where you’re inventing names/place names etc, you can literally hear if what you’ve come up with is pronounceable!!  So no more Xxxrbtrzog (try saying that sober yet alone if you have had alcohol!) but something like Xerstone is “do-able” and still conveys to a reader they are in a setting NOT of this world.

4.  As you listen to someone else’s work, take note of what makes a real impact on you.  Is it the power of the dialogue?  Is the sentence structure hitting home well?  I usually find short, simple, and to the point works best.

5.  As you listen, watch out for where you are anticipating what comes next.  What MAKES you wonder what comes next?  Can you apply those thoughts to your own writing?

6.  We all love a story, it’s why we’re writers, and the oral tradition of storytelling is fantastic.  Without it we would have no stories at all so it is a joy to take part in and kind of “support it” ourselves.

Love your reading!

Shedding some light… Pexels image.
Words are the power source of so much creativity. Pixabay iamge.
The delights of a cosy read. Pexels image
A good writing group will help you discover this. Pixabay image.
Shakespeare liked his puns. Pixabay image
Let the creativity spill out. PIxabay image.
Creating great characters. Image via Pexels.
Hard at work. Pexels image.
The love of writing must equal the love of reading. Pixabay image.
What worlds will emerge from your writing? Pixabay image
A good read means you ARE in a world of your own. Pixabay image
Play with words and fill that blank page. Pixabay image.
Edit, edit, edit! Pixabay image.
I try NOT to chain down my creativity! Pexels image.
CAN you manage time? Pixabay image.

 

 

 

Celebrations and Acronyms

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Facebook – General

Had a fabulous time at the Bridge House celebration event in London today. Great to meet up with friends and fellow writers once again.

In no particular order, I’d like to give a shout out to Paula Readman, Ana and Russell, Dawn Kentish Knox and her lovely mum, Pat, Gail Aldwin, and Amanda Huggins. Meeting for lunch in a pub before the event was a fantastic idea! It was nice that the venue was so easy to find from Southwark Tube Station too.

Lovely to hear some great stories read out. Lots of twists and surprise endings, several of the characters I would be very wary of were I meet them in life (!), and it is SO nice being read to!

I read Circle of Life from From Light to Dark and Back Again, Moving On and Time for a Change which were published on Cafelit fairly recently. Laughs and applause were much appreciated by me so thank you all.

Above all, thanks to Gill James and Debz Hobbs-Wyatt for all their hard work behind the scenes at Bridge House, Cafelit and Chapeltown. (I plan to write a Chandler’s Ford Today post on this event in the not too distance future and will share more photos there and then).

Below are just some of the authors who read works out during the celebrations.  All of the stories read were excellent and had the audience spell bound.  Many thanks to Dawn Kentish Knox for taking the photo of me and for kind permission to use it.  Also thanks to her for other images used further down in this post and for the one I’m using as the feature image for this post.

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Some signs of really good stories include:-

1. Promising opening line that MAKES you want to read on immediately.

2. You loved the story so much you feel disappointed when it ends.

3. You remember it (or in the case of novels, for example, you recall your favourite extracts).

4. You’ve read that opening line but CAN’T read on immediately and rush through everything else you’ve got to do so you CAN! OR If you can’t rush through, part of you is inwardly gnashing your metaphorical teeth, until you can sit down with a cuppa and get on and read the story!

5. The real classics become a tradition. The best example of this, of course, is Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

6. In the case of twist stories, you really didn’t see the surprise coming. It is only when you re-read the tale, you spot the clues. Roald Dahl was the past master of this in his Tales of the Unexpected.

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Time for some more writing acronyms. I expect some of these will ring a bell or several.

OFD – On First Draft
SOFD – STILL on First Draft
DAASD – Don’t ask about Second Draft
EWE – Editing, What Editing?
PDHRN – Printer Died Halfway (through) Running (out) Novel
WCINFAP – Why Can I Never Find A Pen (when I call myself a writer)?
RFOMN – Room For One More Notebook
DWD – Deadline, What Deadline? (Theme emerging here I fear!).
PWP – Procrastination, What Procrastination?
WSWPS – Will Start Writing Properly Shortly – linked to PWP inevitably.

Plugging in for new ideas? Pixabay image
The To Be Read pile. Image via Pixabay
All writers feel this way sometimes. Pixabay image.
Love this image! Image via Pixabay
I wonder how many dragon stories are in here! Image via Pixabay
Aiming for more “magic” from my stories this year! Image via Pixabay.
What worlds will emerge from your writing? Pixabay image
Not arguing with this! Image via Pixabay
Always good advice. Image via Pixabay.
Books are a fantastic form of escapism. Image via Pixabay

If there is one thing I don’t miss from the “good old days”, it is having to cut and paste literally! I also don’t miss carbon paper.

Has the PC spoiled us all? Perhaps but it is a boon knowing I can correct material easily and can move passages of writing around as I want to and without having to then photocopy the new sheet with the amended bit on (as the copy wouldn’t look as if it HAD had anything added to it!).

I suppose the one thing I really DO miss from said good old days is that reading lots of stories and books was something, if you will pardon the pun, that WAS taken as read. Now we have to encourage reading as much as possible. That isn’t a bad thing obviously but it strikes me we are detecting a “reluctance” that has to be overcome somehow. Why is reading seen as a poor relation to other forms of entertainment?

Someone set a goal here of some sort! Pixabay image
Jacob Marley haunts Scrooge. Pixabay image.
The wonderful world of writing should include non-fiction, which benefits from creative techniques too. Image via Pixabay.
Books invite you into their world. Image via Pixabay
Good reading – and writing to be done – here. Pixabay image.
Plenty to enjoy here! Image via Pixabay
Lovely books. Pexels image.
Studying to see if all the corrections have been dealth with. Pixabay image.
Libraries are fabulous places. Go and explore! Image via Pixabay.
The love of stories often starts when young.
Beautiful books. Pexels image.
So true. Pixabay image.
Paula Readman, Dawn Knox and I at the recent Bridge House celebration event. Many thanks to Paula for the image. Also Paula is another winning entry for the Waterloo Festival.
Words have power, whether funny or tragic. Pixabay image.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

There were some great flash fiction pieces read out at the Bridge House/Chapeltown/Cafelit celebration event in London today. Many congratulations to all.

I’ve found the biggest benefit from writing flash fiction is it teaches you quickly how to REALLY edit! You learn to write with precision and that skill can be transferred to whatever other writing you do.

Must confess I am feeling somewhat tired and I swear I was only on tea and orange juice today!! (More pics to come in a future Chandler’s Ford Today post in a couple of weeks time).

(I don’t know when they got the Christmas tree up at Waterloo but it looked nice, as always).

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Questions to ask yourself when writing flash fiction:-

1. What do I want the impact to be on the reader?

2. What mood is the story? (Some titles could take you in several directions so I find it helpful to work out whether it is going to a sad tale, a funny piece, or what have you and then think about a title).

3. Would this story work best as a short, sharp piece (say 25 to 75 words) or expanded a little so there is more depth (say 100 to 500)?

4. Which market/competition am I aiming at? Always have your audience in mind! It directly affects how you write the piece.

5. If writing to a familiar theme, think about the unique take you can bring to it. For example, if you’re writing a love story, what will make that stand out? Dig deep for ideas. The first ones you come up with will inevitably be the “obvious” ones. So search a bit more and a bit more…

What every writer needs. Image via Pexels.
Stories can take you to fantastic places. Pixabay image.
Is this light the way into a new world? Pixabay image.
Love this clock. Pixabay image.
The sun setting. Pixabay image.
It would be a joy to research here! Pixabay image
Ready to write? Image via Pixabay.
Fiction can take you anywhere. Image via Pixabay.
What decisions will your characters make? Image via Pixabay.
There be dragons. Pixabay
A good photo shows light at its best. Pixabay image.
How does gravity and time work in your settings? Pixabay image.

It is ironic cliches are usually avoided in fiction (and is that in itself a cliche I wonder?!). However, they can have their uses in flash fiction. Why? Because they can be a useful short cut to conjuring up images you want your readers to conjure up. Because they can tell you a lot about your characters. Because they can save a lot of words!

However, the trick here is to not use the cliche directly. I sometimes use a cliche as a title but in the story itself I twist it. One example was a story I drafted a year or so ago at Swanwick where instead of using “take the biscuit” I came up with “take the Garibaldi”. That made people smile when I read my piece out but it should put a picture in your mind as to what kind of character would think automatically of a Garibaldi as THE biscuit to go to! Equally had I said “take the cheap Rich Tea”, that would, I think, create in a reader’s mind an image of a very different character.

The idea here then is to use the cliche but don’t let it use you. Do something different with it. I know I get tired of reading cliches when I come across a lot of them in a story (and it does happen) but the odd one or two, ideally with a twist to them, is fine.

Good advice here! Pixabay image.
Get those ideas coming! Pixabay image
Being lost in the world of your story. Pixabay image
And which is the right way?! Pixabay image.
We all need help at times! (Some of us more than others!) Pixabay image.
Your blog, your topic, your theme – just be sensible on copyright and libel issues. Image via Pixabay.
A great new idea makes me smile, as does this image. Pixabay image.
Just how fantastic is your setting? Pixabay image.
It always is! Reflecting first helps a lot! Pixabay image
Very true.. Pixabay image.
No matter how strange your characters or setting, there must still be identifiable elements for a reader. Pixabay image
How is your world governed? Is it done well? Pixabay image.

Advantages to writing flash fiction include learning how to REALLY edit, keeping to word counts, and writing precisely. (That is the only way to keep the word count to where it should be). You have to think of the strongest word to convey the greatest image and to again save on word count. No weak images here, thank you!

You are also thinking about the impact of your story on a reader as giving this some thought early on will dictate the way the story goes and save you some time and work in editing later. Putting yourself into the mind of a potential reader will ensure you are writing with an audience in mind from the outset (which will help when it comes to finding a suitable publication to submit the story to as well).

Let those ideas flow! Pixabay image
Or get away from it all in one book. Pixabay image.
CAN you manage time? Pixabay image.
Chapeltown Books have a distinctive central image in a frame such as with mine. Image by Allison Symes
Too much to do, too little time perhaps? Pixabay image.
Well, let’s do so by writing lots of stories! Image via Pixabay.
Use personal reviews to help you generate character and story outlines. Image via Pixabay.
Great characters will engross you. You will lose time reading their stories. Image via Pixabay.
Back cover of FLTDBA. Image by Allison Symes
Great characters = great books. Image via Pixabay.
The vault of doom aka Room 101. Image via Pixabay

Goodreads Author Programme Blog – Being Read To

When was the last time you were read to as an adult?

For me, that was this afternoon – 1st December 2018 – but more on that in a moment.

I have, as I hope you have, many fond memories of being read to as a child. It instilled a life long love of books in me at a very early age. Thanks to Beatrix Potter, I learned the meaning of the word “soporific” early on too! Good books can do wonders for your vocabulary.

This afternoon I was at the Bridge House/Cafelit/Chapeltown Books celebration event. My favourite time was listening to published works being read out by fellow authors (and I read some too). Let’s just say there are some characters I heard about today I am so glad I can never meet in life. One in particular had a penchant for getting away with… well to say more would give the plot away! Oh and I wouldn’t want to meet all of MY characters either!

But it was such a joy just sitting back and listening. I love audio books but there is nothing to beat hearing an author read out their own work. Dickens was definitely on to something there! I don’t know quite what it is but, even in a tale that has you gripped to the edge of your seat, there is something soothing in being read to.

Photos are vital to help preserve memories. Pixabay image.
Image from Hampshire Writers Society where I have been a guest speaker. Great fun! Many thanks to HWS for permission to use the photo.
I prefer to sit and read rather than stand! Pexels image.
Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.
Books should keep you gripped and that is down to the characters. Image via Pixabay
“Real” books or Ebooks? See what Gail Aldwin thinks in my latest CFT post. Image via Pixabay
Always time and space for the pen and paper method of drafting
The basic necessities of the writer’s life!
Books can make you lose time but what a way to lose it! Music can do the same. Image via Pixabay
The magic of stories. Image via Pixabay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Started and Moving On

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Facebook – General

I often think the hardest part of writing is getting started! Once I’m away on a piece, whether it is a FB post like this, a flash fiction or longer short story, I get the “bit between the teeth” and get on with it until I’ve got that first draft down.

I’m not deliberately procrastinating incidentally. I set myself down to write at pretty much the same time every night and get on with it. It’s just finding those first few words to get the ball rolling…

Ah well, time to get on with the next piece!

Write first, edit later. Pixabay.
So true. Pixabay image.
The joy of writing is you never stop learning. Pixabay image.
Drafting those ideas… image via Pexels
Good reading – and writing to be done – here. Pixabay image.
Wonderful writing desk. Pixabay image
Says it all really and applies to non-fiction equally as fiction. Image via Pixabay.
Escape with a good book. Image via Pixabay.
Sadly a very familiar sight! Pixabay image
Notes about your characters can help you portray them more accurately. Not every note has to make it into the story itself. Pixabay image.

Does music help you with your creativity?

I write usually with classical music on in the background (courtesy of #ClassicFM most of the time). It doesn’t matter whether it’s Beethoven’s 5th or his Moonlight Sonata, I find that just having the music on relaxes me and I just get on and write more effectively.

I am very fond of the Saturday Night at the Movies show on Classic and it is amazing how the right music can make a film. I bet you can name at least four John Williams’ themes for a start. Think of the films you’ve thought of WITHOUT that music. Almost impossible, isn’t it?

Sometimes when I create characters, I think of what music would best suit them. It never makes it into the story itself but it does help me to picture them better so I write about/for them with more depth and that DOES show in a story.

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Enjoying the new series of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue on Radio 4. Always love the word play on here. You can’t keep a bad pun down, no matter how much you might want to!

Playing with the language, inventing puns etc, is something I occasionally do as a writing exercise. Always good fun. Makes you think in a different way. (Just how excruciating can I get with a pun?!). Sometimes that has triggered story ideas precisely because I’ve allowed my brain to go off on a tangent for a bit. Try it and see what you come up with. If nothing else, you should have fun with some mental word games here!

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Delighted to share more publication news. My flash fiction piece, Moving On, is now live on Cafelit. Hope you enjoy, especially if you’re considering a career change!

Thoughts are free but check images used are either free to use or your own! Image via Pixabay.
Online writing -v- on a line writing! Image via Pixabay
Always good advice! Pixabay image.
Just what is your story then? Image via Pixabay
Planning your characters. Image via Pixabay.
Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.
Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.
A familiar sight to many of us. Image via Pixabay.
What characters will you come up with? Image via Pixabay
Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.
Your blog, your topic, your theme – just be sensible on copyright and libel issues. Image via Pixabay.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

When do you know if a flash fiction piece has had impact?

If you’re really lucky, a reader will tell you so but for me generally it has been when I can recall most, if not all, of the story days later and it still makes me feel the way I did on first reading it. And that applies whether I’ve written the piece or not. There is a kind of “hits you between the eyes” feeling to stories like this.

 

Stepping into another world.. Pixbay
There be dragons. Pixabay
Love writing, love reading, love books. Pixabay image.
Plugging in for new ideas? Pixabay image
Clarity and constructive criticism are always useful. Pixabay image.
PC playing up do you think? Image via Pixabay.
Waiting for an upload to finish. Image via Pixabay.
What a beautiful home for books. Image via Pixabay
A huge but lovely library. Image via Pexels
The art of the flash (fiction). Image via Pixabay
Stories are magical and inspire other stories. Image via Pixabay.
Reviews can have global reach. Most impact I think can often be local to the writer.

Looking forward to sharing more publication news next week. Also looking forward to the Bridge House event in London next Saturday and seeing old friends and meeting new ones there!

Plus, as ever, am planning to do plenty of writing on the train journeys. All hail, Evernote, I get so much done!! I find I either write several flash fiction stories or draft one or two CFT posts in an average train journey. So at some point I ought to go on a long train journey – hmm… what could I get drafted on the sleeper train to Scotland I wonder? If I ever find out, I will report back.😀😉

Does your story conjure up your setting well enough? Pexels image.
How is your world governed? Is it done well? Pixabay image.
How does gravity and time work in your settings? Pixabay image.
The perfect place to reflect and take stock. Pixabay image.
Fiction can take you anywhere. Image via Pixabay.
Let your writing sparkle. Image via Pexels.
Good advice. Image via Pixabay.
Some very strange creatures are in books. Image via Pixabay
You can’t beat notebooks for jotting down ideas. Image via Pixabay.
Let the creative process flow! Image via Pixabay

Will be reading some flash fiction pieces at the Bridge House event on Saturday. Looking forward to that. Looking forward to hearing all the other wonderful stories from my fellow authors there as well. I love sitting back entranced. And how often, as adults, do we get to be read TO? Not often enough I suspect.

To love writing you have GOT to love reading (though taking in stories via other forms such as audio is fine but nothing for me will beat a book). I owe a huge debt to my late mum for instilling a love of stories and reading in me at a very young age. She got to see my first published story – A Helping Hand in the Bridge House Alternative Renditions anthology – and my dad got to see my first book, From Light to Dark and Back Again, published. There’s a pleasing symmetry to that.

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My latest flash story, Moving On, which is now on Cafelit, was one of those tales where I started with the opening line and based the story around it. I wanted something different to the normal meaning associated with “learning to let go”. I like taking phrases like that and putting my own take on them. Give it a go, it is good fun!

http://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/20…/…/moving-on.html

 

What will this be for your writing journey? Pixabay image
Let the writing flow and if music can help it along even better! Image via Pixabay
There can be reality behind fairytales. Image via Pixabay (and image used as part of book trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again)
A VERY familiar sight, alas! Pixabay image.
Play with words and fill that blank page. Pixabay image.
Edit, edit, edit! Pixabay image.
My laminated book cover on the way into the Fair. Image by Allison Symes
Let those ideas flow! Image via Pixabay,
Beautiful pens. Pexels image.
What stories will come from this pen? Pexels image.
Good advice – and it applies to our characters too. Image via Pixabay

Goodreads Author Programme Blog – Impact of Writing

The impact of writing on the world in general cannot be underestimated.

As well as the Bible, Shakespeare, Dickens etc., all of which have contributed so much to our language and whose stories have been the inspiration for so many others, there are things like the Domesday Book and Magna Carta.

Historical documents which colour so much else in life and law. Nobody could have foreseen at the time of writing just how much impact these would have (though there would have been many hopes about the Magna Carta. Not least that King John was hoping to get rid of it again as soon as he possibly could! An early recognition of dangerous writing perhaps?).

What makes us love our favourite books and stories the way we do? It is also down to impact. The impact of them stays with us. We want to be like the heroic lead characters perhaps. We feel fear for the characters we love as they face dangers. We feel relief, joy etc when our favourites survive.

So do writers’ play with their readers’ emotions then? Yes but it is always best done subtly. The reader has to be willing to go along with the writer here. The writer has to deliver on the promise of his/her opening lines. We have got to be able to identify with those in the story to want to find out whether they make it through to the end or not.

So the impact of writing is everything then. As readers then we need to decide what impact we want to experience.

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Memories and Motivations

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Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

My latest CFT post, The Importance of Memories, is timely of course as we enter Remembrance Sunday/Armistice Day, but I also look at the topic from the angle of how and why memories are vital to us all as individuals and as countries. I look at the impact of dementia and how singing helps with memory. I also discuss how fiction writers can use memories.

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One tip I’ve found useful when planning out my stories is making sure my characters’ motivations ARE strong enough.

It doesn’t necessarily have to be a “do or die” approach either (though the dramatic qualities of that are obvious), but if, for example, Character A wants to buy a special present for Character B, then you must show why Character B means the world to A. Motivations have got to be something any reader is going to be able to identify with (but not necessarily agree about!).

Let the creativity spill out. PIxabay image.
Books invite you into their world. Image via Pixabay
What an upgrade from Shakespeare’s quill! Image via Pixabay
How is your fantastic world governed? Pixabay image
Walking into the words maybe. Pixabay image
Hope your Christmas books take you to all sorts of wonderful places! Pixabay image
Write first, edit later. Pixabay.
How does gravity and time work in your settings? Pixabay image.
A good writing group will help you discover this. Pixabay image.
Clarity and constructive criticism are always useful. Pixabay image.

What is your favourite form of writing and/or reading – fiction or non-fiction?

I love (and write) both. Non-fiction can and has inspired ideas for my fiction. It also means having different projects to work on, I never get bored, and I am exercising more “writing muscles” than if I did just write one thing. (I just wish I had more time but then don’t we all?).

I also think where you have a fictional world but which has solid basis in fact (i.e. you have thought about how gravity works in your fantasy setting, what form of government there is etc, based on what we know here), your story has got to be more convincing and stronger as a result.

The lights fantastic. Pixabay image.
Words are the power source of so much creativity. Pixabay iamge.
The wonderful world of writing should include non-fiction, which benefits from creative techniques too. Image via Pixabay.
Photo by Kaboompics .com on Pexels.com
Love writing, love reading, love books. Pixabay image.
Words have power, whether funny or tragic. Pixabay image.
Outlining your characters, perhaps. Image via Pexel
Let your writing sparkle. Image via Pexels.
Use what you know of our world and your imagination to create something really special. Image via Pixabay
Fiction is strengthened when backed by fact. Image via Pixabay
Let those ideas flow! Image via Pixabay,
The writing necessities! Pixabay image.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

The best flash fiction is where the writer has stuck to ONE simple idea/theme and followed it through. There really isn’t the room to do anything else and the impact of the story is greater for keeping it simple.

This is not the same thing as simplistic though. The best flash fiction will hit you emotionally, can make you think, can frighten you, make you laugh etc, all in a few words.

Simple writing is where the editing has been done (and often several times) and, to quote the late great Eric Morecambe, albeit in different circumstances, “you really can’t see the join”!

Never in my fiction. Image via Pixabay.
Well, let’s do so by writing lots of stories! Image via Pixabay.
Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.
Wonderful writing desk. Pixabay image
Assemble your characters, assemble your world. Image via Pixabay
Preparing the blog. Image via Pixabay.
This made me smile! Pixabay image.
Escape with a good book. Image via Pixabay.
Fiction should show you new ways of looking at the world. Image via Pixabay.
The ultimate smartphone maybe?! Image via Pixabay
The writer’s desk. What do you hope will emerge from yours this coming year? Image via Pixabay.
Use personal reviews to help you generate character and story outlines. Image via Pixabay.

Favourite themes of mine for flash fiction include rough justice, alien life being as intelligent as ours (and usually more so!), and crime (often showing the criminal’s justification, if only to themselves, as to their course of action). It is perhaps ironic that the really big themes – love, justice etc – can be summed up in one word but the amount of variety of stories you can get from these is vast.

I believe the simpler the theme, the better. It comes across well too. You don’t need your readers scratching their heads trying to work out what the theme is.

For jotting down those initial ideas. Image via Pixabay.
If your story grips you, all sense of time will go! Image via Pixabay.
The first draft, the second, the tenth? Pixabay image
Love that clock. Pexels image.
What journeys are your characters going on? Image via Pixabay
Plugging in for new ideas? Pixabay image
Remembering… image via Pixabay
Edit, edit, edit! Pixabay image.
Is everything black and white in your stories? Image via Pexels
Image from Hampshire Writers Society where I have been a guest speaker. Great fun! Many thanks to HWS for permission to use the photo.

Looking forward to the Bridge House celebration event in early December. Less than a month to go!

One of the nice things about writing is getting to meet other writers. It is lovely knowing you are not the only one who wants to get their imaginary world down on paper and send it out there in book form.

I suppose one of the biggest things I’ve learned is never to underestimate how long it takes to get a book together! It always will take far longer than you think, as will the editing process, but it will be worth it in the long run.

Preparing a talk or a flash fiction story perhaps. Image via Pixabay.
Gill talks with Dawn Kentish Knox and me. Image thanks to Paula Readman.
I read three stories from From Light to Dark and Back Again. Many thanks to Dawn Kentish Knox for the picture!
Connections to what you read and what you write. What are yours? Image via Pixabay.
Paula Readman, Dawn Kentish Knox and I celebrate where our stories have appeared! Many thanks to Paula Readman for the picture.!
Gill James reading from her January Stones collection. Image by Allison Symes
My latest CFT post. Image kindly supplied by Gail Aldwin.
Dawn Kentish Knox, fellow flash fiction writer, reads some work from her excellent book, The Great War. Image by Allison Symes

Memory is my theme on Chandler’s Ford Today this week but it plays a vital role in fiction too. For characters to seem real and therefore believable, they must have a past. That past doesn’t need to BE the story you’re telling but it should impact on it in some way (if only because it has made the character turn out to be the way that they are).

Also the setting in which your characters live, that world should have values and rules, which will be formed by its history. There are likely to be ceremonies and special days which your characters will observe or note in the course of your story.

With flash fiction of course this has to be condensed right down. In my Helping Out, my opening line has a witch helping a fairy and acknowledging she is not supposed to do so. Those last few words immediately imply a whole history of feuding between the two magical groups and the witch is remembering it and, in this case, ignoring it! The story goes on to explain why but her memory of usual behaviours impacts on her actions here. Memories = realities = more convincing fiction.

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Fairytales with Bite – Character Memories

I write about The Importance of Memories in my Chandler’s Ford Today post this week.  I touch on the subject of memories and fiction writing here too but below are some specific reasons why memories should come into your stories (even if they are just implied.  They often are just implied in flash fiction due to the limited word count but to my mind that makes the impact more hard hitting).

1.  Characters need to seem real to be believable.  Real people have memories.  So do real characters.

2.  Our behaviour is affected by memory – memory of what we did wrong, memory of what we did right and the difference between the two!  Our characters should reflect this too.  They’re not going to get it right all the time (good thing too – no story there!) but do need to show they’ve learned from their mistakes.  That is where memory comes in of course.

3.  Your world setting will have rules and values it expects its citizens to live by.  Your characters will know what these are, will know what special days and ceremonies there are, and will live their lives i obedience to all of that or be rebelling against it, but again your characters need to know and remember what these are!

4.  We are shaped by our memories in terms of who we are and why we are the way we are.  Our characters should be too.

5.  We can be haunted by memories, especially of those we’ve loved and lost.  Our characters should be too.

Great characters = great books. Image via Pixabay.
There can be reality behind fairytales. Image via Pixabay (and image used as part of book trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again)
Let the writing flow and if music can help it along even better! Image via Pixabay
Pressing on towards the light. Image via Pixabay
So true. Pixabay image.
Is the truth welcome in your fictional world? How does your community react to it?. Image via Pixabay.
We dare not forget. Pixabay image.
Glorious autumn. Time to take stock briefly and then move on. Pixabay image.
What impact do your stories have on your readers? Image via Pixabay
The perfect place to reflect and take stock. Pixabay image.
Flash fiction for impact. Image via Pixabay
Love the sunshine through the trees. Pixabay image.
The dark can seem to overcome the light but light will prevail. Image via Pixabay

This World and Others – Character Traits

What are the most useful character traits for a writer to use?  My thoughts would be:-

1.  Whichever trait you choose, it has to be “open” enough to go in several directions.  For example, if your character has a “brave” trait, does this mean they are brave all the time?  Are there some fears they really cannot face but because they are brave in other areas that hides this?  Are they brave when out and about with friends but cowardly at home?  Lots of directions you could go in there.

2.  Whichever trait you choose, it should be something most people can identify with/aspire to.  Most of us want to be decent, kind, brave etc.  I love reading characters who have those traits and who overcome against all the odds.  Instant reader sympathy.

3.  Whichever good trait you choose for a character, they should also have a fault that goes against it, something they have to manage and control.  (A good example of that is The Incredible Hulk!  Mild mannered most of the time but boy when he becomes angry the sparks fly!).  You have internal conflict here and also what happens when another character has seen the good side and suddenly comes to see the bad side for the first time?  What are the reactions there?

In Remembrance and with thankfulness. Pixabay image.
Memories are fragile especially over time. Pixabay image.
The men have fallen. Image by Stuart Wineberg.
The fantastical should still be grounded in reality (even if you create some of that reality too). Pixabay image.
Let’s hope your characters have a good sense of direction! Image via Pixabay.
What decisions will your characters make? Image via Pixabay.
Images from the magical world… Image via Pixabay
Writing in many forms… Image via Pixabay

 

 

 

STORY PROMPTS

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Facebook – General

When do you know you are really going to enjoy the story or book that you’ve started? For me it’s by the end of the first page. If I’m not gripped by the story by then, I’m unlikely to go much further with it.

I’m pleased to say though that there have not been many books or stories which I’ve given up on. This is why my To Be Read pile is as big as it is! (It’s not that much smaller on my Kindle either but at least that won’t topple over under the weight!).

By the end of the first page, I want to know who the lead character is going to be (even if they are just referred to at this point) and some idea of what the central conflict is going to be about. Then there has to be the “I’ve GOT to find out what happens next” moment. Without that, I don’t read on.

Where to start? Image via Pixabay.
What worlds will emerge from your writing? Pixabay image
Lovely place to browse. Image via Pixabay.
A beautiful home for lovely books. Image via Pixabay.
What populates your fictional world? Pixabay image
What every writer needs. Image via Pexels.
It would be a joy to research here! Pixabay image
Or get away from it all in one book. Pixabay image.
Fiction should show you new ways of looking at the world. Image via Pixabay.
Trinity College, Dublin. Pixabay image. Seriously impressive!

What kind of story prompts do you prefer? Pictures? An opening line? A finishing line?

I’ve used all in my time (and plan to keep on using them too), but my favourite is the promising opening line. I love finding out where that line can take me. I also believe if the writer is having a whale of a time writing the story, something of that enjoyment will show in the tale itself. I think the writing flows better.

Having said that there have been times when what I thought was a promising line turned out to be a dead end. I see this as a false start scenario and I abandon the tale and start again. I have tried seeing if I can make what I’ve come up with better but the answer is inevitably no as I think it is clear to me that my heart wasn’t really in it. I think that can show through in the writing too.

The great thing with the latter situation is if, later, an idea comes to you that resolves the problem with the story (or you think it will), there’s nothing to stop you digging that tale out and giving it another go. I suppose what I’ve learned here is not to panic if a story doesn’t work out right. Go on to the next one. Come back to the old one if better ideas occur as I’m writing something else (and that happens a LOT. I can be writing my next CFT post when a good story idea crops up. So I pause, jot the idea down, go back to my CFT post and then have a look at the story idea later. The benefit of this is I can take a good hard look at that idea and judge better whether it really is a “goer” or not. As a result, my “abandon a story because it really isn’t working” rate has decreased significantly).

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Looking forward to being at the Hampshire Writers’ Society tomorrow night to talk about flash fiction.

Also looking forward to the Bridge House celebration in London in December and the Association of Christian Writers’ Day in London later this month.

What with writing and taking the dog out, it’s a social whirl! (I get to talk to lots of lovely writers and equally lovely dog owners. Some of course encompass both roles!).

POSTER SHOWING ALLISON AS GUEST SPEAKER AT HWS OCTOBER 2018

Many thanks to Maggie Farran for the poster.

LIKES POST - editing - Pixabay image

The joy of editing! Image by Pixabay

cropped-cropped-version-of-my-reading-at-railway-station

The Open Mic for Prose night

Many thanks to Geoff Parkes for kind permission to use this shot of me reading at the Swanwick Prose Open Mic Night.

FLTDBA in the Swanwick Book Room

FLTDBA for sale in the Swanwick Book Room. Image by Allison Symes

FromLightToDark_back_medium

Back cover of FLTDBA. Image by Allison Symes

BEING THANKFUL - On writing or being appreciative - image via Pixabay

Always good advice. Image via Pixabay.

Am writing this early as I don’t expect to have a lot of creative energy left after the Hampshire Writers’ Society meeting tonight! (But in a very good way of course…😀)

Later in the week, I will be sharing on Chandler’s Ford Today Part 1 of a three part series on the joys and challenges of writing series novels. Many thanks to #JenniferCWilson, #ValPenny, #AnneWan, #WendyHJones, and #RichardHardie for taking part in this. Link to go up on Friday but what I can reveal now is their thoughts about this topic are riveting. Very much looking forward to sharing this over the next three Fridays.

The lovely thing is there is a wide range of fiction represented here from children’s and YA to crime to historical fiction with a twist. Much to learn from here.

I think one of the best things about writing is you never do stop learning how to develop and improve what you write. Nor should you want to stop seeking to improve and develop! As well as making you a better writer, this kind of thing is so good for your own well being anyway.

Puns can be visual. Pixabay image.
Walking into the words maybe. Pixabay image
What worlds will emerge from your writing? Pixabay image
Playing with words. Pixabay image.
Lovely and treasured book collection here. Image via Pexels

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Just because a story is short, it doesn’t mean it lacks insight. Far from it. I love well written flash stories for the intensity of the impact they make and the characterisation in them has to be good.

You are relying, rightly, on the character to “carry the story” so they’ve got to be strong enough to do so. Strong enough in the sense that there is enough about them to interest the reader. Strong enough to make the reader care about them and so on.

The great advantage flash has, of course, is that there is NO padding whatsoever. It really does cut to the chase.

Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.
Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.
Good advice. Image via Pixabay.
The ultimate smartphone maybe?! Image via Pixabay
Would love to get lost in here for a while. Pixabay image.
Your blog, your topic, your theme – just be sensible on copyright and libel issues. Image via Pixabay.
What every writer needs. Image via Pexels.
Love this image! Image via Pixabay
Doing something with those ideas! Pixabay image

Every story should reveal something about a character and their development (or what the lack of that does to/for them).

Flash fiction does that too but in a greatly compressed word count. This is why flash fiction can have such a big impact on readers. If your story is a grim one say, there is no room to “soften the blows”. What the reader sees is what they get and so on…. very much direct and to the sharp point.

Equally flash fiction can be great for a much needed laugh as ending a story on a punchline can work well. (Has to be a great punchline though!).

Is this light the way into a new world? Pixabay image.
How is your world governed? Is it done well? Pixabay image.
Great characters = great books. Image via Pixabay.
Escape with a good book. Image via Pixabay.
The road should not be an easy one for your hero/heroine. Image via Pixabay
Plenty to enjoy here! Image via Pixabay
I try NOT to chain down my creativity! Pexels image.
What stories will emerge from here? Pexels image.
The writer’s desk. What do you hope will emerge from yours this coming year? Image via Pixabay.

One of the most difficult things about flash fiction is working out where to stop. It is very easy to come up with, say, a 250-word story, which you think needs a little addition or two and then you have a 500-word tale. Well, that’s okay, isn’t it? It’s still flash fiction after all.

Well, yes and no.

Yes, the longer version would still be flash fiction.

No, in that the ideal length of your flash story should be when you have said all that is needed to be said and not a word more.

I gauge what the correct word count is for a story by looking at the impact the story has. If at 250 words it doesn’t have enough impact, then yes I will add to it but only until I’ve got the required emotional resonance from the character(s). I will then edit the piece until I still have that resonance without loss of quality of the story.

My worry about expanding a piece is you could easily dilute the impact, which is something you don’t want. Every word in flash fiction has to justify its place in the story, otherwise out it goes. You do learn to be ruthless about cutting when writing flash but that’s no bad thing.

How does gravity and time work in your settings? Pixabay image.
Where will your reading take you? Pixabay image.
What do your characters face? Pixabay image
Notes about your characters can help you portray them more accurately. Not every note has to make it into the story itself. Pixabay image.
Indeed! Pixabay image.
Let the ideas flow and let journeys encourage that! Image via Pixabay
Books are the keys to knowledge. Image via Pixabay
What writing triggers will help you create your new worlds? Image via Pixabay
Well, let’s do so by writing lots of stories! Image via Pixabay.

One useful thing about flash fiction is I’ve often found the best way to explain it is to read a couple of examples. The ultimate in showing not telling perhaps! Also, it doesn’t take too long and you get the idea very quickly. It shows there is a proper beginning, middle and end to the story.

What flash fiction must never be is cut-off prose. The story still has to be a complete story in and of itself. That doesn’t stop you taking the basic idea and developing it further.

For example you like the character in your flash fiction so you want to write more stories about them. Absolutely fine.

Likewise, you love your flash fiction story but know it could be developed into a 1500 word or so standard competition entry story where you have the room to put in a sub-plot which you wouldn’t with the short, sharp flash version of it. Again, absolutely fine.

What flash fiction should be is fun to write (and that will mean it should be fun to read too).

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Goodreads Author Programme – Blog –

Classic -v- Contemporary

Which books do you prefer reading? Classic or contemporary? I love both, naturally. A bookworm isn’t going to worry about when a book came out. They just want the book to be good…

A lot of my contemporary reading is either flash fiction collections or crime novels. (I know: it IS a nice mix! Some of the flash fiction collections, including my own, include crime stories in them).

My classic reading includes Austen, Wodehouse, Dickens, Christie and so on. I like to think of these almost as comfort reading. I know the stories. I know I will love them. It’s what I turn to when life gets particularly stressful. I want a known quantity at that point.

Terry Pratchett deserves a category of his own in that I read or listen to his works when I am in good need of a laugh. He never disappoints!

The flash fiction collections in turn amuse me, scare me, make me think and so on. I’ve got to be ready for the challenge of at least some of the stories in these. And that’s fine. Good stories should make you think (even if they make you laugh or scream as well).

I tend to flit between catching up with lots of book reading, then switching to magazine reading. The important thing? I am reading – and loving it all!