The Writing Community

October 6, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:- All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.

Hope all is well with you. About to head off for a break in gorgeous Northumberland. Will be taking laptop with me. Have laptop, will travel, will write, and I suspect I’ll get some done via good old Evernote on the phone on the journey up there. I’ve taken to the idea of using pockets of time for writing, whether it is to brainstorm or draft a story or blog post. Those pockets mount up. Amazing what you can get done.

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am delighted to be sharing The Writing Community on Chandler’s Ford Today this week. This is something so worth celebrating and something I deeply appreciate. It has added richness to my writing life and I have learned so much useful information too. It’s lovely being able to share some of that information back again. There are always new writers glad of this.

I share some useful website links (Society of Authors, Alliance of Independent Authors, Writer Beware, and Hampshire Writers’ Society). I also look at the usefulness of writing magazines which can help you feel part of a wider writing world and a few thoughts on online communities.

I do follow some on Facebook but deliberately don’t follow them all. (Not enough time basically but being selective about what you would like to give to a group as well as receive from it is a good idea anyway). Hope you enjoy the post and find it useful.

The Writing Community

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When did I realise I wanted to write? It has been in the background of my life for a long time. I always did love composition lessons at school but it didn’t occur to me for decades I might do something with this. It took a significant birthday and the birth of my son to make me realise if I wanted to see a book out there with my name on the front cover, it would be a great idea if I sat down and got on with it!

In all seriousness, my only regret, writing wise, is not starting sooner than I did because I had no idea how long it would take for me to find my feet, learn my craft, learn to come to terms with rejections, improve my craft more, get better at submitting the right story to the right place to increase my chances of acceptance etc.

And it does take time. I think though there is a good side to this. I appreciate my acceptances more than if they had come to me “easily” I think. I now have a great deal more appreciation of how hard writers work to bring out works for us to enjoy. I also appreciate the editor’s craft more too. Mind you, I ought to, being one myself! I also appreciate more why every writer needs a good editor!

Hope you have had a good day. Definitely feeling the autumn chill now. Am celebrating The Writing Community in my Chandler’s Ford Today post on Friday. That’s something which is always worth celebrating! See above.

Writing Tip: I find three to five word titles ideal for most of my stories. There are always exceptions to any rule (bear in mind my first book, From Light to Dark and Back Again, has seven, count them, seven words in it!) but most of the time the shorter the title, the easier it is to remember and to share on social media, especially where there is a limited character count.

I will use pockets of time to jot down ideas for future potential titles. I come back to these later and any that still grab me, well those are the ones I flesh out characters for and then go on to write my first draft. The time away from my initial ideas is a good test to see if something is likely to work. If I find myself thinking why did I come up with that, it is highly unlikely I’m taking things any further!

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction. My latest story here is called Being Engrossed. Find out what kind of trouble that leads my character, Stephen, into! Glad to say there are some smashing comments coming in on this one already. I do appreciate the feedback I get from FFF (and this ties in nicely with my Chandler’s Ford Today post this week which celebrates The Writing Community!).

There are many things I love about flash fiction. I like the way I can put characters anywhere I want in terms of genre, time period etc. I love coming up with lines which I know will make great twist endings or humorous punchlines. I love working out how I could get to those closing lines literally so, yes, it is like putting a puzzle together.

This may well be one of the joys of crime writing for the author as well. They know what’s happening so it is a question of working out how to put it together so it hooks the reader. And that’s the challenge for every writer, regardless of what form we write in – how do we hook the reader?

For me, it’s always about intriguing characters and interesting situations to dump them in. I so enjoy putting my characters through the mill and finding out how they manage.

Remorse and regrets can make for an interesting character study story. I do this with My Girl in Tripping the Flash Fantastic, where my take on Queen Anne Boleyn is sharing her thoughts on the eve of her execution. All I came up with for her in this story is based on plausibility.

It would not be unreasonable, for example, to be thinking of her young daughter and what would happen to her. We also know Queen Anne did pray a lot (and she would’ve done then).

But this kind of story gives you an opportunity to have your character reflect on their life (whether you use a historical character or make one up) and this can have huge resonance with a reader. Also works best when kept short so flash is ideal for this.

Fairytales with Bite – Away Trips

In your magical setting, do your characters get sent on “away trips”? If so, are these missions to spy on other worlds and why would this be done? For example, would a magical world send their spies to Earth to keep an eye on what we are doing with what we call science? Would they be looking to steal our best ideas and use them for their own purposes on their own world?

Equally do your magical characters get to have “jollies” where they can just go away and enjoy themselves? What would they have done to serve their world to justify getting something like that? Where would your average fairy godmother go when she wanted a holiday? Can all beings in your world have these trips or are they just for the select few?

What would the benefits be to your characters of having these trips? If they are allowed to visit other worlds, such as ours, does that trip away change their attitudes towards (a) their own lives at home and (b) their previous views on other worlds? What could the consequences be? If you are told that Species X is evil and you discover that they’re not, what would you then do on your return to the place where you have been lied to?

This World and Others – To Boldly Go or to Stay Right at Home?

Sorry couldn’t resist the nod to Star Trek here (and is that the most famous split infinitive in history – I think it may well be!). Does your setting encourage its characters to explore and, if so, are there limits as to where they can go and what they can do?

If your world encourages exploring other worlds, do they like what they find out? Do they adapt useful ideas for their own use? Or does finding out about other worlds fuel hostility if they (a) disapprove of what what other world is doing or (b) that other world is doing better than they are.

“Simple” motivations such as jealousy can be put to good use here to set characters on a course of action which will have consequences and increase drama in your story. If you knew your world was going to be resentful, would you give them a watered down account of what you found out when you went exploring? Do you get found out and, if so, what would the consequences be?

I mention consequences a lot. All stories are based on cause and consequence and change. Having characters explore outside of their normal boundaries has great potential for stories as those characters bring new ideas home. Not everyone welcomes new ideas!

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

Being Engrossed, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/K15gOlAkm0 My latest story on Friday Flash Fiction is Being Engrossed. Find out what kind of trouble that leads my character, Stephen, into! Glad to say there are smashing comments coming in on this already. pic.twitter.com/gqdq1FUFDS
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 6, 2023

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Delighted to share The Writing Community on Chandler’s Ford Today this week. This is something so worth celebrating and something I appreciate. It has added richness to my writing life and I've learned so much. It’s lovely sharing that information back. https://t.co/EyqFj7oyn8
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) October 6, 2023

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Reading and Writing Seasons

September 19, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Janet Williams (my lovely CFT editor) for the image of me at the Book Fair in July. It is a great marketing shot!

Hope you have had a good weekend. It was a mixture of Zoom (running a workshop and having lovely chats with writer friends and family), painting a fence with wood treatment, sunshine, heavy rain, taking the dog out and, of course, writing. Busy but that’s how I like it. Here’s to a good week ahead of us.

Facebook – General

Posting earlier than usual due to a meeting later. Hope you have had a good day. Have spent a lot of the day getting wet. Only one time was fun – when I was in the swimming pool!

Will be looking at Favourite Supporting Characters for Chandler’s Ford Today later this week. Put your thinking caps on and see if you can name some of your favourite supporting “cast” from books and stories as comments are always welcome on the CFT page. Link up on Friday. My problem with this post? Making myself limit the numbers of favourites I could submit! I could have gone on for some time. Best not, I think, but am looking forward to sharing the post.

Writing Tip for Bloggers: Don’t forget you can make use of the random generators (especially those on theme and questions) to trigger thoughts for blog post ideas. I have used pictures randomly generated to trigger ideas for a post as well.

Blogging is a great way to practice writing to deadlines

Am pleased to be back on Authors Electric with my latest post, Reading and Writing Seasons. I look at what I mean by this and discuss how the writing season in particular has its dips but it helps to be aware of these. Hope you enjoy the post.

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Lady and I had a soaking on our trip out today. Boy, did it bucket down. She dries off quicker than I do though!

Many thanks for the lovely comments coming in on Time Travel, my latest tale on Friday Flash Fiction. If you missed it, do check out the link. Sometimes an image just puts a story idea into my head and that was the case here. The image here was of a photo album. See what I made of that in the story.

I do sometimes use my own photos for this kind of prompt but also the random picture generators. Those are to an extent better as I don’t know what will come up from those.

Many thanks to the lovely people at the Spiderplant writing group for making me so welcome via Zoom this morning (Saturday, 16th September 2023). It was a pleasure to share my flash fiction workshop with you. I hope you find the hints and tips (which can be applied to almost every form of writing) will prove useful.

I’ll be looking at Favourite Supporting Characters for Chandler’s Ford Today next week and am pleased to say there will be further author interviews in the next couple of months. Plenty to look out for then. I love conducting as well as reading/listening to author interviews.

Always plenty to learn (which I think is one of the great strengths of creative writing. It stretches your brain and you always seek to improve on what what you do).

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Have to post a bit earlier than usual today. Next couple of weeks or so are going to be especially busy but this is where planning out my writing time is helpful. I use this to help me work out what time I do have and then I can deduce how I can make the best use of these “slots”.

Drafting flash fiction pieces will come into it. I often use small pockets of time to jot down ideas for those pieces or even the first draft of one, based on say a title idea I’ve already jotted down in a previous pocket of time I had to hand. Overall, I get more written. Like that a lot.

When out and about I tend to use Evernote on my phone for this. At home, it’s back to old school ways with the good old notebook and pen. But however you do it, it is the use of those small pockets of time which can help you (and do help me) to end up with more written than you would otherwise have done.

It’s Monday. It has been bucketing down. The darker evenings are drawing in. Have had to dig out my boots so I can walk the dog. And it is still Monday. Time for another story from me then. Hope you enjoy my thoughtful piece, A New Life, on YouTube.

One thing I watch out for in my stories (flash and standard short ones) is not to put anything into the story which could date it, unless I am specifically writing a historical fiction piece. Sometimes a story can become a historical fiction piece when real life events overtake it.

My story, Jubilee, in The Best of CafeLit 12 is like that given the background to it was the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and at the time I wrote it, I was looking forward to seeing what those celebrations would be like.

Her Majesty’s sad passing has now made that tale a historical piece but these things happen. What I try to do with stories where this is a possibility is to make the theme a universal one. In this case it was the theme of someone beginning to make new friends after a difficult time in their life. There is never a time when that theme won’t be relevant.

What I won’t do is put products into a story unless I want to use them to convey a certain era. For example, I would not refer to Betamax video or CDs unless I wanted those to reflect what my character owns and give a time setting that way.

It was wonderful sharing something of the joy of flash fiction writing with the Spiderplant writing group this morning.

Flash has certainly taught me never to fear editing or being edited again, which is handy to say the least. It has also shown up my wasted words and repeated phrases, which are always useful to know as these are the first things I cut on my first edit.

Okay, I wish I could stop myself from writing the things in the first place but the next best thing is to be aware of them so you can remove them later. I take some comfort in knowing every writer has their own pet phrases and words here!

Goodreads Author Blog – Early Books

Do you recall the early books which were used to introduce you to the joys of reading? I have some memories of the Janet and John books but I was much happier when I was able to choose books of my own to read. I am pleased that now there is far more variety with books designed to encourage the reluctant readers. In my school days, there wasn’t much at all. There was less sympathy too for those who found reading difficult. Some things have got much better.

What amuses me somewhat is when I was bringing up my own child the Spot the dog books were popular. I am sure they still are and we liked them too along with books such as the fabulous The Gruffalo and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt. These things will be timeless. These days, said child as an adult loves reading political history. It is hard to imagine a greater contrast in types of book enjoyed!

What matters then is encouraging that love of reading as early as possible, to have help where reading is difficult (there is a book type out there for everyone to love and enjoy, honest, and there is help available for the difficulties), and to nourish the love of stories.

Early books matter. I couldn’t write one myself but I admire those who can. Those writers are building the foundations for a lifetime of happy reading which is such a worthwhile thing to do.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

Screenshot 2023-08-22 at 20-42-35 Writers' Narrative magazine September 2023

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Screenshot 2023-08-21 at 20-12-18 Writers' Narrative magazine September 2023

Screenshot 2023-07-15 at 17-16-07 Writers' Narrative

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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The heatwave this month took me by surprise. Dog wasn’t over happy either. But this led me to wonder what surprises would your characters not want? Should you drop them in it (course you will, being writers, it’s what we do), how would they handle this? How would they change? pic.twitter.com/7YuDqSpZ3R
— ACW (@ACW1971) September 16, 2023

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liked Allison Symes's blog post: Early Books https://t.co/nGhzC1c7Jq via @goodreads I recall my early books for this week's Goodreads post and am so pleased there is more variety available now. pic.twitter.com/RBslyUjPqh
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) September 16, 2023

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I like to know my characters before I write their stories up. I must know their main trait because from that attitudes/actions spring. If someone is stubborn, I want to know why and what trouble could that cause. Just in that, you have a basic outline for a story. pic.twitter.com/Z1kaJ7gb8J
— ACW (@ACW1971) September 17, 2023

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I don’t plan everything for my stories. I like to give my imagination manoeuvre room but I need enough to get me started so that’s where my planning happens. The starting point for me is always with the character(s). I must be interested in them to write about them. pic.twitter.com/P7vjnXhFLs
— ACW (@ACW1971) September 18, 2023

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It’s Monday. It has been bucketing down. The darker evenings are drawing in. Have had to dig out my boots so I can walk the dog. And it is still Monday. Time for another story from me then. Hope you enjoy my thoughtful piece, A New Life, on YouTube. https://t.co/NEkmtbayvW
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) September 18, 2023

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Am pleased to be back on Authors Electric with my latest post, Reading and Writing Seasons.I look at what I mean by this and discuss how the writing season in particular has its dips but it helps to be aware of these. Hope you enjoy the post. https://t.co/FECYz9Iwss pic.twitter.com/uJOnkvpiyz
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) September 18, 2023

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The Point of Fiction

September 12, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Janet Williams for taking the image of me at the Book Fair.

Glad to say it has cooled down a bit since last week. Lady isn’t sorry about that either. Pleased to say I’m running a flash fiction workshop again on Saturday courtesy of Zoom. Looking forward to that.

Facebook – General

Lady got to show off in front of her Hungarian Vizler friend today. The latter doesn’t mind. Lady loves it of course. It is a bit like showing off to Mum given the Vizler is older than Lady. But both went home feeling all had been put right with their worlds at least!

There is an Amazon offer on From Light to Dark and Back Again at the moment. See the link for more details.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover recently my short stories have appeared in almost 20 different anthologies (and when the Bridge House Publishing anthology comes out later this year it will be 20!). Yes, they are on my ALCS listing. I add new books to which I’ve contributed to this listing as soon as I can. It’s easy to do and it helps boost the money I receive from ALCS every March. Win-win there and if you are a published writer not on the ALCS system, do look into it.

11th September 2023
To all who mourn those killed or injured in the dreadful events of twenty-two years ago, my deepest sympathies. We will remember them.

Memories, of whatever kind, can make a wonderful theme for stories, whether these are thoughtful pieces or more humorous ones. Think about why your character remembers what they do (or who of course). Why are they recalling this (or them) now? Is it something they have learned to come to terms with, as best as anyone can? Are their memories reliable? What do other characters in the story think?

Memories are something any reader can identify with – we all have our own so will identify with a character recalling theirs. Great empathy can come from stories like this. The world needs much more empathy. Maybe in a way story writers can play their part here.

Cooler today. Have had some rain so the air is a little fresher. Lady and I are not sorry about that.
I’ll be looking at Getting Lines Right for Chandler’s Ford Today next Friday. I will take a close look at opening lines especially. Looking forward to sharing that. Will be running a workshop next Saturday morning too. All good fun!

Many thanks for the comments coming in on Heaven Sent, my most recent story on Friday Flash Fiction. See link in case you missed it.

The 100 word story (also known as a drabble) was my introduction to flash fiction many moons ago and it is lovely returning to writing them regularly for Friday Flash Fiction. Am so enjoying doing this.

Another hot day here. This was on 9th September. Weather changed the next day! We’re all staying as cool as possible. Lady got to see her best friend, the Rhodesian Ridgeback, when it was cooler. Both dogs happy about that. Friends matter!

Looking forward to sharing a workshop next Saturday morning. The beauty of Zoom? No travel on hot sticky days! One blessing for the Bridge House Publishing celebration event being in December is that hot sticky days will not be an issue!

I know now my story for a literal festival competition didn’t make the cut but I will take another look at this tale at some point and see what else can be done with it before submitting it elsewhere. Sometimes I find I need to make amendments. Sometimes I don’t.

Having been a competition judge, I know how difficult it can be to produce a short list. So take heart if your story doesn’t do anything in a competition. See it as another opportunity to refresh it and re-submit it. A turn down doesn’t necessarily mean there was anything wrong with your story but taking the chance to have a second look at it may well help you see where you could strengthen it here, strengthen it there. That has been my experience.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

My favourite sort of flash fiction is the drabble – the 100-worder – and it has been fantastic getting back to these for Friday Flash Fiction in particular. But I am also very fond of the sub-500 words kind. It is worth practicing writing to this kind of word count as it is a common format for competitions.

Also easy to share (if you wish) on your website, newsletter etc as they don’t up too much space and are quick and easy to read. I save some of mine for this but also put others towards a future collection. Marketing and a first draft for another book in one go here!

It has been a hectic Monday (though thankfully cooler than last week. Given I’ve been batch cooking today, I appreciated that!). Definitely time for a story then. Hope you enjoy my latest on YouTube – One Day My Spell Will Come.

One of the things I look for in an opening line (which is something I’ll talk more about for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday) is whether it hooks me enough to make me want to read on. It has to provoke the “have got to find out what happens next” moment.

This can be done via something intriguing about the character, setting up a dilemma which has to be resolved, or even setting a question the story would have to answer by the end. In Being Yourself from Tripping the Flash Fantastic, I start with Jane Stephens suppressed the urge to scream. I would hope that would make people want to read on to find out why!

I do know if I’m not intrigued by an opening line of mine, others won’t be either. It is a great motivator to come up with something good!

Occasionally I write a flash piece which could be termed as horror. For me, the best horror isn’t all guts and gore but implied menace. The reader can then imagine what that menace looks like etc and does a grand job of this. I do it too when I watch a suspense film. Sometimes at least what I imagine is going to happen next is more scary than what does happen in the movie!

In my story Pressing the Flesh in From Light to Dark and Back Again, I imply references to Burke and Hare (bodysnatchers) and my character being inspired by that. Yet I do not use anything gory here. To my character their actions make sense and maybe that is the scariest thing of all. Maybe that is where true horror does lie. Certainly we can learn from our own history here when someone believes themselves to be so right they can do anything so go on to do so. You could argue we are seeing it again.

The point of fiction, including horror, is to entertain, helps us escape our cares for a while, but it can also show us something of our human nature. Horror can be brutally honest here. But it doesn’t need to be guts and gore to make us think about what we as a species can be capable of.

After all there are some horrific moments, when you stop and think about it, in the nursery rhymes and fairytales most of us would have grown up with, which most consider would and should act as warnings.
Would still like to know though why Little Red Riding Hood didn’t spot that wasn’t her granny in the dress and cap. Did she honestly think her granny was that hairy? Maybe LRH should have gone and got her eyesight checked at Specsavers! (Other opticians are available, as they say! Probably best known ones here in the UK though).

Goodreads Author Blog –

Writing and Reading – The Inseparable Joys

I have long felt writers have two joys in life – writing and reading. Most writers are inspired to write because of the books they have loved reading. Ideas for stories have sparked from what we have read and you develop this urge to write your own. Sometimes that urge can come from reading a “duff” book and wanting to do better. Better though is when an inspried story encourages you to write.

My first venture into print was with a reworked fairytale told from the viewpoint of Cinderella’s youngest step-sister. That came out in Alternative Renditions (Bridge House Publishing) in 2009 – my story in there is A Helping Hand.

But without the original faurytale I loved (and still do), I couldn’t have written my tale. We do stand on the shoulders of giants here. We build on what has gone before. And that means we have to read more. Don’t have a problem with that!

What I have found in recent years is that inspiration for stories can come from something I’ve read in non-fiction too. I have welcomed that development as I love reading fiction and non-fiction.

Screenshot 2023-09-09 at 18-08-32 Writing and Reading - The Inseparable Joys

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

liked Allison Symes's blog post: Writing and Reading – The Inseparable Joys https://t.co/5VWAOY1AvH via @goodreads I look at the joys of reading from a writer's viewpoint this week for Goodreads. pic.twitter.com/IzkiAyOKEf
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) September 9, 2023

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It has been a hectic Monday (though thankfully cooler than last week. Given I’ve been batch cooking today, I appreciated that!). Definitely time for a story then. Hope you enjoy my latest on YouTube – One Day My Spell Will Come.https://t.co/XPiJ1b5Odh
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) September 11, 2023

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Writing Exercises

August 25, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes, as was the photo from a local wildflower meadow.

Hope you have had a good couple of days since we last met here. Newsletter will be out again next week. How can it almost be September already? Not that Lady worries. She’s been having a fabulous times with her Rhodesian Ridgeback and Hungarian Vizler pals for a lot of this week so it has been a good few days for her.

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am pleased to share Writing Exercises on Chandler’s Ford Today this week. I discuss my nervousness when I was first set them, thinking help, I can’t do this. But I did draft something and later realised that was the idea. Just get something down. You can work on it again later if you wish. I usually do with my writing exercises and some of them have gone on to be published.

I also set a couple of exercises in this post for you to have a go at as well. Hope you have fun with them and find the post useful as I also share why writing exercises are so useful for any writer.

Writing Exercises

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In my Writing Exercises post for Chandler’s Ford Today this week, I will be looking at some of the most popular types I’ve come across. I’ll also have a look at the benefits of practicing writing to these.

Glad to say the writing exercises I set at last night’s Association of Christian Writers Flash Group meeting went well too. And if I get set exercises, as I so often am at things like Swanwick, I am only too glad to give them a go. I get a draft out of it! Sometimes I go on to do more with that draft. Sometimes I don’t but I find it fun just having a go at these things. More in my post tomorrow.

Am so looking forward to the next production from The Chameleon Theatre Group in October. They’re staging Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (adapted by Stephen Briggs). Will be a real treat. Great story. Will be the first time I’ve seen a Discworld play.

Lady had a lovely time with her two best girlfriends in the park today. Good time had by all.
I’ll be looking at the usefulness of Writing Exercises for Chandler’s Ford Today this week – link up on Friday. See above.

I’ll be setting some writing exercises for the flash fiction group I’ll be leading later today.

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

Looking forward to sharing further publication news soon too.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Am pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with my latest tale, Puzzled Out. Hope you enjoy it – this is a story where I knew the ending first. And then worked backwards to get to a logical start. Definitely one for puzzle fans.

Have signed up to take part in Flash NANO again in November. This is where you are given a flash fiction prompt for the thirty days of November and you write them up as flash pieces. Last year, I managed to complete the challenge – that’s thirty new pieces to edit and submit somewhere and/or put towards a new collection. I hope to do the same again this year.

I found it great fun to do. I found it useful to write the prompt each day but found with some I had to “carry over” to another day but that was fine. I had something to work with, which is the whole point, The person behind Flash NANO is Nancy Stolhman. More details below.

Hope you have had a good day. As well as mixing up the kinds of flash fiction I write in terms of mood and setting, I also mix up the word count length. My overall favourite is the drabble, the 100-worder, but I am fond of the whole range of flash. My next most common category to write in is the 250 to 500 words bracket. I do write some at 750-1000 words but not nearly so often. I usually find if I’m going for a longer work, I will turn it into a standard short story instead (and it ends up at 1500 or so).

For my blogs, all of them are between 500-1000 words or so. For Chandler’s Ford Today I can and do sometimes go up to 1500/1750 depending on what kind of article I am writing. It isn’t always apt to split an author interview in two, for example.

You do end up getting a feel for what kind of word count works best for which item of writing. Practice helps which is why regular writing comes in handy as you get to develop your style of writing and which word count works best for you for certain pieces of work. At least that has been my experience.

Fairytales with Bite – Once Upon A Time – Acrostic

O = Original characters in an original setting – your magical world won’t be exactly the same as anyone else’s while it will have elements in common.

N = Never mind how your characters feel – drop them right in it and see how they fare.

C = Create characters we will care about in some way – we all love to boo a “good” villain but need to understand why they are being the way they are.

E = Experience will tell – it is not unreasonable for your main character to have a magical mentor of some sort.

U = Undertaking – there will be something special for your character to do here and there will be high stakes.

P = Persistence and perseverance – two qualities every hero will need. (Funnily enough the villain needs them to a certain extent too but naturally they usually don’t have enough of these qualities. There has to be a difference between them and your lead).

O = Once upon a time is a classic way to start a tale but you could mix it up by bringing us straight into the action. We will have to read on to find out what happens.

N = Never leave loose ends – there has to be a resolution.

A = Always care about your own characters – you are the first to believe in them. You don’t want to be the last!

T = Truthfulness in character portrayal pays off – people will believe in your characters if they feel they are or could be true. Knowledge of human nature and what we’re capable of and why can be useful here.

I = Imagination, Imagination, Imagination – why do we read? To find out what the author has imagined for us to enjoy.

M = Memory can be unreliable. If you’re writing series stories, it would pay you to note somewhere what you need to recall about your characters. It’s too easy to change colour of eyes, say, from one story to the next.

E = Enjoy the writing – creativity is fun. Bear in mind editing can be creative too as you seek to strength your story. But do see the writing and editing as two separate tasks. I find that helps a lot.

This World and Others – History and How It is Told

So much depends here on what value your world setting puts on history and who controls the narrative. That seems a familiar tale does it not?! But when history is told, how is it done?

Is it just via books or are there plays, reenactments, and so on? I once went to a historical reenactment in Tewkesbury – good fun but what was interesting was you got a real sense of the smells, the sounds etc which you would not have got had you just read a historical account.

So in your setting, who writes the history? Is it performed? Who would do that? Do they have to stick to the official version of the history or can they put their own interpretation on it?

In your setting, are new historical discoveries ever found? Are these welcome? Not all might be! If something were to put a different spin on a genuinely accepted event, people (as well as their government) are not likely to react well to it.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

Puzzled Out, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/8HPGaz07qH Am pleased to be back on FFF with my tale, Puzzled Out. Hope you enjoy it. This is a story where I knew the ending first and worked backwards to get to a logical start. Definitely one for puzzle fans. pic.twitter.com/56Ck0KkvBP
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) August 25, 2023

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Writing Exercises https://t.co/2WO2XGhp3U Am pleased to share Writing Exercises on CFT. I discuss my nervousness when I was first set them, set a couple of exercises for you to try, and share why writing exercises are so useful for any writer.https://t.co/2WO2XGhp3U
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) August 25, 2023

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Diary of a Swanwicker

August 11, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes, as were most of the photos from Swanwick.

Had a a fabulous time at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick – more details in my Chandler’s Ford Today post. Many thanks to Julia Pattison for taking the shot of me at my editing workshop at Swanwick. Now back to the real world again!

Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am pleased to share Diary of a Swanwicker as my post for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Couldn’t be anything else really! I hope this gives you a good flavour of what The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick is all about. There is something magical here and I loved catching up with old friends, making new ones, and enjoying the range of courses on offer. A huge thank you also to those who came to my one hour workshop on editing.

Diary of a Swanwicker

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Safely home once again. I loved catching up with friends and making new ones at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. Now to come off cloud nine for a bit and to get back to the usual writing routine.

Yes, I do find a writing routine helpful. I agree with P.G. Wodehouse who advised writers to “apply the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair”. Well, he wasn’t wrong, was he? It is the way to get things done!

What I do though is adapt my routine. There are some days of the week where I am especially busy and I know I won’t get so much writing done. That’s okay. All I do is save those shorter writing sessions and use them for shorter pieces of work because I still feel by the end of my session, I have got something useful done. I have too – whether it is a draft of a flash fiction piece, jotting own ideas for article and blog ideas, outlining thoughts for a future short story etc.

Part of the reason behind this for me is in the past I have had significant caring responsibiities. Alas my people are now gone but I had to learn to use what time I had as opposed to what time I would like to have for writing. The habit has continued. And those two types of writing time rarely marry up incidentally. So rather than beat myself up about I’d only do this if I had more time, I focus on what I can get done in the time I know I have. It’s a more positive outlook and outcome.

Many thanks to all who came to my Lift up Your Pens pre-breakfast writing session this morning. It was a good turnout given the disco last night didn’t start until 10! I don’t do disco or fancy dress so thought it best to sit that one out but the costumes I saw were fantastic and I knew a good time was had by all who did go. Collected my books this morning so will pack them up to go home later. How has the time gone by so quickly? Will br sharing Diary of a Swanwicker on Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday so do look out for that. See above. Good time had by all! We wrote too!

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Pleased to share The Lakes, my latest on Friday Flash Fiction. A shout out must go to Val Penny because her Perfect Plotting specialist course at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick helped inspire this story. And it is a story, okay. I’ve not got any plans to do what my character is thinking of in this tale. I hope that means you have to check the story out now!

Lovely to get home to my guys and I was right on something else. I was mugged by my very excited dog when I got off my last train! There was a small chorus of “ah” from others on the platform. Always lovely to know you’ve been missed. Also, you don’t forget 18 kilos of dog hurling themselves at you!

Great to spread the word about flash fiction at Swanwick. Incidentally flash ifs often set as a kind of writing exercise. It was in the Rediscovering Your Writing Mojo session I went to during the time I was away. Loved doing that I can tell you. I’ve got a story drafted to work on thanks to that!

Many thank for all the positive feedback on my editing workshop this week. Much appreciated. Also the feedback for where things could be better still etc. This is precisely how writers learn and I always appreciate this. Can’t believe how quickly the time has gone but have made the most of the last full day here in Sunny Derbyshire. Nice to have sold books (and bought some!) – I don’t think there is a writer anywhere with an empty To Be Read pile.

Fairytales with Bite – Magical Places

Many writers would consider The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick (The Hayes) is a pretty magical place with almost a week packed with workshops and courses.

But what would your characters consider to be their magical place? Even in a fantasy setting your characters would have somewhere that was special for them. Where would this be? Why is it special? Do they appreciate a break away from magical work?

In a magical setting, would characters consider any thing (such as nature) magical precisely because it doesn’t involve the stuff! Where would your characters go to escape their cares for a while? Even in a magical setting, are there places which are seen as more magical and what special powers do these places have compared to “ordinary” magic?

If someone needed magical help, which places would they go to and why? What would be the charges and consequences of seeking this kind of help? Are any magical places banned due to unethical practices etc?

This World and Others – World Issues

Whatever your word setting there will be issues to face. For some it will be case of preventing hunger due to failed crops. For others, it will be working out ways to live in peace with hostile neighbours. What issues does your setting face and how does it deal with them? Bear in mind, they may not necessarily deal with them successfully.

Take the issues we face here and transfer them to your setting. How would things work out there? What ethical and other dilemmas would your characters have to face up to? Ratchet up that tension!

Your world’s geography may have a direct bearing on the kinds of issues it faces. For example, does it lack water? Or does it have too much of the stuff? Do countries/other blocks co-operate to deal with the issues the world as a whole faces or is this a source of conflict? Either could lead to interesting stories (for example, how did the co-operation happen? Someone had to be brave enough to make the first move).

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

The Lakes, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/O0oqs1MLKs Pleased to share The Lakes. A shout out must go to @valeriepenny as her Perfect Plotting course at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick inspired this. I swear I have no plans to do what my character does! pic.twitter.com/0ERGxSFJX5
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) August 11, 2023

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Diary of a Swanwicker https://t.co/IS66CSHQrc Great to share Diary of a Swanwicker. I hope this shows what The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick is about. I loved meeting old friends, making new ones, and enjoying the courses. Thanks to those who came to my editing workshop too.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) August 11, 2023

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What Makes A Character Work

August 1, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Jennifer C Wilson for taking the image of me about to run a workshop at Swanwick in 2022. Looking forward to catching up with you, Jen, at Swanwick 2023! Many thanks to Richard Hardie for taking the image of me at the Book Fair.

Hope you have had a good weekend. I’m off to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick this coming weekend for a few days. I am planning to post but times will be different. Am looking forward to catching up with friends (the rest of the year I meet them online only) and attending the excellent workshops.

Facebook – General

Someone hasn’t told the weather it’s August, have they? Oh well. On the plus side, the grass in my local park does now look and feel like grass as opposed to the straw it had resembled during that period of hot weather we did have.

My latest author newsletter went out earlier today – many thanks to all who have signed up. Hope you enjoy the latest one.

I came to author newsletters fairly late though I enjoy reading several and it is something I should’ve done sooner than I did. It is a useful way of keeping in touch. I aim to put in mine what I know I’d like to receive myself. I think that helps (and shows). It is a great joy putting these together – marketing can be fun, honest!

Had to have a chuckle. Had an email in from Amazon today suggesting I might be interested in The Best of CafeLit 12. Credit where it’s due and all that – they’re not wrong.

Someone might have noticed though I asked Amazon to add it to my Author Central page, which they’ve done – speedily too – within minutes of my asking, and that’s because I’m one of the authors in here! Mind you, I have had this kind of email for From Light to Dark and Back Again and Tripping the Flash Fantastic as well. Joined up thinking? Possibly not here.

In other news, have started packing for The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. Told you I was looking forward to it.

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

Bit of a strange day today. I’m standing down form a voluntary role I’ve carried out for some years. Absolutely right time to go. Things are developing for me in my church life and my writing one too, which means I no longer have the time for the voluntary role as well. Am still a member of the organisation concerned. I am looking forward to “just” being an ordinary member again though but when you have carried out a role for a long time, it does seem odd to be moving on.

Am so looking forward to sharing my review of Lilies on the Land, the latest production from The Chameleon Theatre Group, for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday. Such a moving play and it brought back memories of stories I was told by my parents/grandparents. More in the post. I suspect the play has and will continue to bring back memories for others too.

Don’t forget my next author newsletter goes out on Tuesday. Still time to sign up at my landling page at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

It’s my turn once again on More Than Writers, the blog spot for the Association of Christian Writers. This time I talk about What Makes a Character Work. Hope you find the post useful and you can find out why the Sheriff of Nottingham as played by the late great Alan Rickman puts in an appearance here too.

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Hope you have had a good day. Busy one as ever. Am currently working on a flash piece I hope to bet submitted probably just after I get back from Swanwick.

I want to get it to the “resting” stage before I go away. When I come back – well, that will be enough of a break to give me the chance to judge the tale objectively before sending it anywhere. It’s amazing how many things I can pick up when I’ve given a story proper rest period like that and it can make all the difference to whether a tale is accepted or not.

This is why I build in time for this to happen so I still submit well ahead of any deadline. It is a tip which works and has worked repeatedly for me which is why I am happy to recommend it. I like tried and tested tips a lot!

It’s Monday. It’s the Monday before I go to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick! Still time for a story though. My latest on YouTube is called Welcome to Earth. Hope you enjoy it.

Damp and drizzly here today. And the month we’re in is what exactly?! Having said that, I do not envy the poor souls with the heatwaves. I know I couldn’t cope with it, I can cope with the rain.

Heads up for those who send in stories to Friday Flash Fiction. For the next couple of weeks, they are only accepting the classic 75 to 100 word flash tales. See link for more information. Their contest ties in with the Edinburgh International Book Festival though, of course, the FFF one is purely online. Usual rule of one story a week applies. Good luck if you’re having a go at this.

Hope you have had a good day. Changeable weather again here. This time next week I’ll be at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick and am so looking forward to it. Naturally I shall be spreading the word about flash fiction. Will report back for Chandler’s Ford Today in due course.

Talking of which, there is an offer on for the paperback version of From Light to Dark and Back Again on Amazon at the moment. You can check it out at the direct link below.

Goodreads Author Blog – Biographies

I’m currently reading London by Peter Ackroyd, a biography of the city which is an interesting way to approach writing history. Enjoying it immensely so far. But it led me to wonder about biographies, I have read some (mainly autobiographies) of figures I’m interested in. Agatha Christie’s autobiography is a fascinating read but unless the subject interests me, I don’t read much in this genre. No celebrity biographies for me!

Are there biographies you would recommend and what appeals about them? I do think the subject has to have led some kind of interesting life. With Agatha Christie, I am a huge fan of her books so am naturally interested in what she had to say about herself. I love history so the idea of London appealed to me too. (It helps I’m a Londoner by birth I suspect – another reason to be interested in the subject).

I suppose one reason I do like some of these is I am at that stage of life myself where I am interested in what others at this stage of life or beyond it have got to with theirs! This is another reason why I’m not interested in the younger celebrity books here.

I do wonder well what experience of life have you got other than that which made you famous? For me that isn’t enough, I like to read of how people struggled, made the breakthrough, made mistakes, picked themselves up again etc. Those are stories worth telling.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

From Light to Dark and Back Again - by night

Today @AllisonSymes1 has some hints and tips about characterisation https://t.co/7dTIdxRIIg
— ACW (@ACW1971) July 29, 2023

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Excellent points about character self-unawareness often being the key to great characterisation.
— Fran Hill (@franhill123) July 29, 2023

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More than Writers: What Makes a Character Work by Allison Symes https://t.co/zXPQjzI5Np It’s my turn again on MTW, the Association of Christian Writers blog. You can find out why the Sheriff of Nottingham as played by the late great Alan Rickman puts in an appearance here too.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 29, 2023

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liked Allison Symes’s blog post: Biographies https://t.co/XtzKvEtT7S via @goodreads I chat about biographies this week for Goodreads. I read some but I have specific criteria to meet before I read anything in this category. See why here. Do share comments on the Goodreads page. pic.twitter.com/F6egup6bDD
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 29, 2023

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It’s Monday. It’s the Monday before I go to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick! Still time for a story though. My latest on YouTube is called Welcome to Earth. Hope you enjoy it.https://t.co/8PubhmMvnp
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 31, 2023

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Taking Part in the Book Fair at The Hilt

July 7, 2023July 7, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.

Again thanks to Vie Portland for the Book Fair poster photo in my CFT post. From many moons ago, many thanks to Janet Williams, my lovely editor at CFT, for the photos of me at Chandler’s Ford Railway Station carrying out a book signing. Also thanks to Jen Wilson for images of me at Swanwick signing a book for Val Penny. Am pleased to share again a fabulous picture of me signing a book at Swanwick taken by the much missed Fiona Park who left this world far too soon.

Hope you have had a good week. Busy end to it as I run a flash fiction workshop and go to the Book Fair. Nice way to end the week, mind you. Lady and I have appreciated the cooler weather and even the rain (the latter more so when we’ve not been out in it!).

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Pleased to share Taking Part in The Book Fair at The Hilt – 8th July 2023 for Chandler’s Ford Today. I’m a great believer in self explanatory titles!

As well as publicity for the event, I look at how things like this support writers and the value and importance of books. If you’re in the area and can pop along, every author taking part including me would be glad to see you!

(Oh and a huge thank you to the writing group I ran a flash fiction workshop for earlier this afternoon. It was lovely meeting you all online and you made me so welcome. Much appreciated and I hope you go on to discover the joys of flash fiction – there are many of them!).

Taking Part in the Book Fair at The Hilt – 8th July 2023

Are there times I don’t get as much writing done as I would like? Oh yes. Happens more often than I’d like. Suspect this is the case for most writers. I don’t fret about it the way I once did though. Why?

Because I know these things can come along in peaks and troughs. Also because on the flip side, there are plenty of times when I write more than I thought I would. Also what matters is writing what you can when you can and, generally, enjoying what you do (at least most of the time).

There was a survey I came across a while ago which showed that while many people wish to write a book only a small percentage do so yet alone go on to be published.

Depressing thought? Not really. If you have the stamina to do the work to write a book, well done. And every writer I know (and the vast majority of those I’ve read) faced rejection after rejection after rejection etc.

I still get turn downs. I always will. It is part of the life but it helps enormously having supportive writing friends who know exactly what it is like and to know it isn’t just you (or them either come to that).

Enjoy your writing – being creative in any way is a good thing. I know it has helped me in so many ways (and did so long before I had anything published).

May be an image of pizza and text that says "Reflection looking back and forward is an important part of encouraging creativity."

I’ll be chatting more about the Book Fair on Friday in my Chandler’s Ford Today post. See above. (Still not too late to book a ticket for that by the way. The event is free but if you pre-book, your name is put into a raffle and you can a £10 voucher to use towards a book of your choice at the Fair).

Looking forward to meeting the writing group I’m running a flash fiction workshop for on Friday. Zoom is a great way to bring writers together.

Will also be off to the next Chameleon Theatre Group performance – Lilies on the Land – later in the month. It’s a historical play based on the Women’s Land Army so should be interesting. I do love stories which are based on historical fact but which show an “imagined” reflection by the characters about what they’re going through. So I expect this to be right up my street, so to speak.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Glad to share Flaky, my latest tale on Friday Flash Fiction. Also great to see some familiar names having more stories on this site this week. Well done, all. My tale relates the utter tragedy of attempts to have an ice cream in peace. Hope you enjoy it and many thanks for the fabulous comments coming in on this one already. I have clearly hit a nerve here!

Certain things stick in the mind. Today would’ve been the birthday of one of my grandfathers. What I always remember about him is is his love of the horse racing and quiz shows. He liked to see people win!

So that started me thinking about what I would want my readers to remember about my characters. Having that in mind helps me hone said characters. I can give them a turn of phrase or an attitude which sticks in the mind – it doesn’t have to be some kind of quirky attribute.

I am wary of the latter – these can come across as gimmicky. But an attitude – well, you can usually see why a character has that. These are far more relatable, at least to me.

All authors seek reviews for their work. It helps with publicizing what we do writing wise. And reviews don’t have to be long. This is especially apt for me as a flash fiction writer but a one or two line review is still useful to a writer even if you have written an epic saga! So if you know a writer, do bear this in mind as another way of supporting them. As a certain supermarket says, every little bit helps.

Two favourite quotes from some of my reviews are:-

Allison Symes can pack more into 100 words than most people can into 1000. Politicians take note!
The storytelling was beautiful in so few words which takes the talent and skill of a practiced author.

Both of these are from the reviews for Tripping the Flash Fantastic.

If you’re coming to the Book Fair on Saturday, and want to know more about flash fiction I will be only too pleased to talk. Oh and a huge thanks to those who have reviewed me!

Screenshot from my Amazon Author Central Page.

Fairytales with Bite – Magical Law Enforcement

This can be a fun topic to write humorous flash fiction/short stories about. I’ve written a number about dodgy fairy godmothers breaking their own code of conduct (one was about the Tooth Fairy who decided she needed to carry out a raid and grab some chocolate. Another was about the Tooth Fairy stand-in who resented having to do the round and was taking pliers to deal with a kid she knew wasn’t nice. She was going to carry out her job according to her law ).

It can be so satisfying getting a character to have their well deserved comeuppance in this kind of tale. Plus there is always the option to show how, say, a magical police force does its job. How would they rein in the more dodgy elements in a magical society? How would a court system work? Could powers be taken away from the misbehaving ones and how would this be done? Could they have powers restored later?

What would your society define as magical law and how did they come to decide which laws should be included? I would expect some things here to have been found out the hard way so people realised certain elements had to be included.

You could also look at how characters try to avoid magical law enforcement. Are there petty laws which everyone ignores.

And, yes you can write crime stories in a magical setting. What would be the consequences of being caught for a criminal? How would you confine someone who might be capable of making themselves invisible and slipping away literally unseen, say?

This World and Others – The Justice System

Following on from Fairytales with Bite, you could have stories set entirely in the justice system. Is your setting based on a fair legal system or not? If it isn’t fair, are there campaigners seeking to change that and how would they carry out their campaigns? What interest groups would support them/be opposed? What would they be seeking to change and are they successful?

If you’re writing humorous stories, as I often do, what could be funny about the justice system in your setting which you could exploit here? For example, if you have a system where traffic offenses were dealt with every other Monday, does that open up to the possibility of there being traffic abuses every other day in between? I could see farcical stories emerging from that.

You could also think about key figures in the justice system to write about and do consider those behind the scenes. How would a Clerk to the Court operate in your world? Do they carry more influence than might at first appear to be the case, simply because they can control access to the judge etc?

There are also stories to be had about those on the receiving end of the justice system especially when that has been unfair. How can they clear their names? How robust or otherwise is your setting’s justice system? There are always those determined to commit crimes, bend rules etc so how would your setting deal with these? There would, I think, have to be something to hold people/beings of choice to account.

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

Flaky, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/cNCPu0vnKW Glad to share Flaky, my new FFF tale. Great to see familiar names having stories on here this week. Well done, all. My tale relates the utter tragedy of attempts to have an ice cream in peace. Hope you enjoy. pic.twitter.com/jZO327sEEe
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 7, 2023

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Taking Part in the Book Fair at The Hilt – 8th July 2023 https://t.co/KRh3SzkwLn Pleased to share my latest post for CFT. I’m a great believer in self explanatory titles! As well as publicity, I look at how things like this support writers and the value and importance of books.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 7, 2023

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Book Fair and Cake Story

July 4, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Vie Portland for the Book Fair poster.

Hope you have had a good few days. Am looking forward to the Book Fair in my area later this week. Will be nice doing events like this again. Also running another flash workshop on Zoom before that so will be a busy end to this week but a fun one. And it all advertises the joys of books and flash fiction so win-win there!

Facebook – General

Hope you have had a good day. Rain welcome. Will clear the air. The grass over the park should look less like straw too! One lovely thing about the Book Fair on Saturday is it is an indoors event – always a wise move, that!

Writing Tip: Think about what you need to know before you write your story. I have to know who the character is and their major trait. Other writers may need to be able to work out the setting first and then figure out who would be in it. What works best for you? You can play to your strengths here. There is no one right way to “do” an outline. It is a question of working out what suits you and then going with that.

Many thanks to Francesca Tyer for sharing the recent two part interview I conducted with her on Chandler’s Ford Today on her own website – you can check things out at the link. Also there are links to other interviews with her and Richard Hardie on the Authors Reach website – see separate link for that.
Lady had a fabulous time with her her best girlfriends in the park today. So nice to have cooler air. The dogs appreciate it. I find it easier for concentrating on my writing too!

Now for my monthly blog spots, I draft these in advance and, as with story competitions, I take time off from when these should be in by and use that as my personal deadline instead. It pays. It means I don’t miss a deadline and being able to schedule blogs is so useful.

Screenshot 2023-07-03 at 19-55-25 News authorsreach

Screenshot 2023-07-03 at 10-02-52 News Francescatyer.com

Hope you have had a pleasant weekend. Was putting wood preservative on one of my fence panels yesterday (a big one – took some time). Back to writing today. The glamorous life has passed me by I think!

I’ll be writing a little bit more about the Book Fair for Friday’s Chandler’s Ford Today post. I do hope this becomes the annual event the organisers hope for. Our nearest bookshops are in two cities a few miles either side of where I am. I think it is lovely having an event which brings books to the doorstep so to speak.

I also hope to be writing more about Writers’ Narrative, the new online magazine for writers, which will be out in August. Do watch this space.

Am looking forward to running a flash fiction workshop on Friday afternoon. Zoom has proven so beneficial.

Unusually, I have a second post from Chandler’s Ford Today to share with you. This one is a mini post all about the forthcoming Book Fair on Saturday 8th July. If you can get to the event, every author there would love to see you. It is great to be back doing events like this once again. So looking forward to this.

And if you’re outside the area, do support your own local book events. Authors and organisers appreciate the support and you can find many a great discovery amongst local authors you might not have found about about another way.

Event News: The Book Fair, The Hilt, Chandler’s Ford

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Many thanks for the wonderful comments coming in on Your Time Your Cake, my most recent tale on Friday Flash Fiction. The feedback (so apt for this story!) is much appreciated. I do enjoy coming up with older characters, especially, who know their own mind and are not afraid to show that is so. Think you’ll like my Gran character here. Do check out the story – hope you enjoy it.

3rd July
It’s Monday. The weather has been changeable (though the rain has been welcome -well, it was the moment I got my washing in anyway!). It’s time for a story. Hope you like my latest on YouTube -New Holiday. This story was written in response to a challenge prompt I was set recently. Hope you enjoy it.

Sometimes in my flash fiction, I can get across something which I feel strongly about via my characters. For example, I am anti-bullying. Most people are. But in Enough is Enough from Tripping the Flash Fantastic I get my character to reveal “she was not going to be mistaken for a giant tomato on legs again by anyone”. I don’t need to say she’s been bullied for her weight here, do I? I’ve shown you this via that character.

This kind of thing has helped me to grasp what show, don’t tell really means. (Just one of the many benefits of writing flash fiction). Sometimes showing does take up more words than straight telling but it has so much more impact on a reader. They will see what your character does. They will feel what your character does.

You can’t get any of that just by telling them things. Readers are more likely to stick with your story if they are “feeling” what your character does (or at least have empathy) and readers are more likely to do this if they can see for themselves what your character is.

Looking forward to spreading the word about flash fiction at the Book Fair at The Hilt on 8th July. Good to be back doing this kind of event again. Newsletter went out this morning. Always a joy to put those together and a big hello to those who have signed up since last time and just as big a hello to those who have been signed up for longer. All welcome!

So looking forward to The Writers’ Summer School in August. Not so long to go now. I’m running a short course on editing (a one hour workshop) and will also be running an early morning session as part of their Lift Up Your Pens sessions. These are great fun and a fabulous way to get some writing done before breakfast (which is not something I can usually manage!).

Goodreads Author Blog – Light Reading

I have a soft spot for what could be considered “light” reading. By this I mean humorous fiction (Wodehouse, Pratchett), short story and flash fiction collections (though I should add some of those can be dark in tone though they are not especially my cup of tea), and the kind of non-fiction which entertains me and helps me learn something new at the same time.

I definitely don’t want academic works. My experience of those is they don’t read well, at least to me, and there is often far too much jargon in them.

Novel wise, I’m not after the dark, grim ones. Am not a huge fan of dystopian fiction. (Especially since you could argue we are seeing so much of those themes on our news bulletins!). I do love crime fiction (and the ones that can combine humour tick a second box for me).

I like feel good literature. For me. It is one major point to reading. Books and stories should take you into their worlds. They don’t necessarily have to be dark ones.

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Event News: The Book Fair, The Hilt, Chandler's Ford https://t.co/ast1OqpwTo Unusually, I have a second post from Chandler’s Ford Today to share with you this week. This one is a mini post all about the forthcoming Book Fair on Saturday 8th July. Hope to see you there!
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 1, 2023

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liked Allison Symes's blog post: Light Reading https://t.co/nG9JpJMboa via @goodreads I share what I think about light reading for Goodreads this week and how I define it. pic.twitter.com/N29kGII32J
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 1, 2023

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Thanks, Joanna. Here's a link to the article in case anyone else fancies a read: https://t.co/0JgcLmYvDf @AllisonSymes1 posed some meaty questions. https://t.co/SJpVUpxBaK
— Dr Gail Aldwin (@gailaldwin) July 2, 2023

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Many thanks, Gail. It is a great interview. Equally meaty answers!
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 2, 2023

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It’s Monday. The weather has been changeable (though the rain was welcome – the moment I got my washing in!). It’s time for a story. Hope you like my latest on YouTube – New Holiday. This story was written in response to a challenge I was set recently. https://t.co/MlCuCwwh3g
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) July 3, 2023

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Author Interview: Gail Aldwin and The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell

June 30, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes. Many thanks to Gail Aldwin for the wonderful book/author pics and cover reveal video she supplied for my Chandler’s Ford Today interview with her.

Hope you have had a good week. It has been cooler and both Lady and I have appreciated that. Grass still looks like straw in places mind you. I send sympathetic greetings to all fellow hayfever sufferers!

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Am delighted to welcome back Gail Aldwin to Chandler’s Ford Today to discuss her new novel, The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell. Gail explains how true crime podcasts influenced her for writing her book, how she managed dual timelines, and why she used a prologue. She also shares details of her Twitter launch (and this will be on Monday, 3rd July so do look out for this). We also look at outlines and Gail’s writing journey so far. Hope you enjoy what is a fabulous interview.

Author Interview: Gail Aldwin and The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell

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It’s my turn once again on the More than Writers blog (the blog spot for the Association of Christian Writers). This time I talk about a subject which is very close to my heart – Generating Ideas. Hope you find the post useful.

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Am looking forward to sharing a great interview with Gail Aldwin on Chandler’s Ford Today later this week. See above. She is discussing her new book, The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell, a psychological suspense.

Gail is a prolific writer and has written coming of age novels and flash fiction so we talk about how her short form writing has fed into her longer works. We also look at timelines and Twitter launches, which Gail will be having for her book on 3rd July, amongst other topics. Link up on Friday. I’ve mentioned before I love author interviews as I learn so much from them and this I promise is a good example of that.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

What do you do, as an older lady, when you can’t stand Victoria sponge and yet your granddaughter has brought one to you? Find out here in my latest story on Friday Flash Fiction – Your Time Your Cake. Hope you enjoy it (and many thanks for the comments coming in already on this one).

A cooler day today and Lady got to see a pal we haven’t seen for a while – Willow, a smashing Jack Russell. Takes no prisoners that one but Lady is very fond of her and she of Lady which is always nice to see.

Looking forward to taking part in the Book Fair at The Hilt on 8th July. Will happily be spreading the word about flash fiction. Last night’s Flash Fiction Group meeting for ACW went very well and we all produced stories with promise.

I drafted my own during the meeting and think I may have something with promise for a competition I’ve got in mind. Needs work and reducing but that isn’t a problem. Always better to have to cut than to pad (and the latter never works anyway. Experienced judges, editors etc spot it easily).

Am posting earlier today as I’m hosting the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group meeting on Zoom later. Looking forward to seeing everyone online and taking part in the writing exercises. I may set them but I love joining in with them myself on the night itself. I love “live writing”.

Find it is a good discipline for me too. Later I’ll polish these exercises up and then see if I can submit them somewhere. I usually can. But it means I get to do more draft flash fiction writing myself along with everyone else and I just love that.

Fairytales with Bite – Twists

T = Trust the magical beings to turn up when you least expect them.

W = Wands will be used – don’t get in the way.

I = Increase your wariness of older beings – they may well prove to be much younger and are merely in disguise waiting to catch out the unwary.

S = Spells can be limited or reversed – have a friendly magical being on side always.

T = Take nothing for granted – even the animal kingdom may prove to be harboring cursed or magical beings.

S = Suspect everyone as being more powerful magically than you are – and treat with respect – you’re unlikely to go far wrong doing that.

This World and Others – The Unexpected

In a magical setting, what could count as being unexpected? Where you have magic, do you have science? Would scientific discoveries be more unexpected than magical ones?

Where you have alien worlds what would they consider to be alien to them and do they come across that at all? How would they handle something/someone they consider to be strange?

Different characters will have varying ideas as to what would be unexpected. Others handle the unexpected fine. Others are completely thrown by it. How could that play out in your stories? What could this reveal about characters to others in your stories? Could it change how they act towards them?

If the unexpected is an event, what is the outcome? Could it have been predicted and maybe prevented? Where is the fallout from this?

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Deserved Desserts, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/f8nN8LqbnX It’s Friday. It’s time for a story. Hope you enjoy my latest on Friday Flash Fiction – Deserved Desserts. I do like a bit of alliteration every now and then! Hope you enjoy the story. pic.twitter.com/l5VX2nFanx
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) June 23, 2023

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How do you generate ideas for your writing? In today's More than Writers post, @AllisonSymes1 offers some helpful ideas. Do you have any you could add? https://t.co/1DSF9YN3qc
— ACW (@ACW1971) June 29, 2023

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More than Writers: Generating Ideas by Allison Symes https://t.co/TMo1xKuir8 It’s my turn once again on the MTW blog (for the Association of Christian Writers). This time I talk about a subject which is very close to my heart – Generating Ideas. Hope you find the post useful. pic.twitter.com/BeWEMamRrC
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) June 29, 2023

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Your Time Your Cake, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/tnsEjptmbH What do you do, as an older lady, when you can’t stand Victoria sponge and yet your granddaughter has brought one to you? Find out in my latest FFF story tale. Hope you enjoy it. pic.twitter.com/ZRJAFZ77zt
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) June 30, 2023

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Author Interview: Gail Aldwin and The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell https://t.co/xJI2sgym7k Pleased to welcome back Gail Aldwin to CFT to discuss her new novel. Gail explains how true crime podcasts influenced her and shares details of her Twitter launch (on Monday, 3rd July).
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) June 30, 2023

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Windsor Castle and Cake Glorious Cake

June 27, 2023Leave a comment

Image Credits:-

All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Many thanks to Penny Blackburn for taking the image of me reading at the Swanwick Open Prose Mic Night back in 2019. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes, as were the photos from Windsor Castle.

Had a lovely day out with my younger sister over the weekend. It was a trip down Memory Lane in some ways. While we’d not been to the Castle itself before, we have been to Legoland and, prior to that on that site, the old Windsor Safari Park. (That was very much of its time). In both cases we remembered the magnificent views of the Castle from those places. This time, it was nice to see the views FROM the Castle!

Facebook – General

Posting early as have a busy evening ahead. Have another one again tomorrow with the Association of Christian Writers’ Flash Fiction group meeting on Zoom. Talking about flash fiction is always fun and it has been great to see people with this group have works published on Friday Flash Fiction etc. The proof of the pudding etc etc. Writing exercises (and I set these regularly) do spur creativity and are worth having a go at for that reason alone. If you can then go on to get the works published, even better.

Today would’ve been my father’s 86th birthday. He would have heartily approved of my kid sister and I having a trip to Windsor Castle over the weekend. The last time we were in the area at all, we were kids and he was driving. Yes, I am going a long way back. I have a long way TO go back!

Lady had a good time with her two closest pals, the Rhodesian Ridgeback and the Hungarian Vizler. It has been cooler today – nobody in my acquaintance, human or otherwise, has been sorry about that!

Looking forward to welcoming Gail Aldwin back to Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday. (Many thanks again to Francesca Tyer for her two part interview – it was great).

Have submitted a short historical piece as an entry for an article competition. So enjoyed writing the piece too. Am pondering whether to have a crack at a flash fiction competition – deadline end August.

Another hot day (though cooler than yesterday). Lady and I are not sorry about that.
Many thanks for the great comments coming in on Deserved Desserts, my most recent tale on Friday Flash Fiction. The opening line here is an odd one even by my standards but huge fun! Hope you enjoy it if you missed the link on my book Facebook page on Friday (From Light to Dark and Back Again).

Sometimes I will start an idea from a quirky opening line I’ve jotted down (usually during one of my brainstorming sessions). I then work out what I could do with that line and I usually find something. Don’t forget you can use random generators to come up with opening lines (quirky or otherwise). This makes for a good writing challenge. There are competitions which are based on opening lines set by the competition organisers so this is well worth having a go at on a regular basis.

Had a fabulous day out at Windsor Castle with my kid sister. Lovely time had by us both. So hot though. What is nice is we’ve been able to convert our tickets so we can visit again during the next year during the times the Castle is open to the public. We hope to get to do that. No extra money for this either. Also very impressed with how well organised they are for those with mobility issues.

Looking forward to sharing a fabulous interview with Gail Aldwin whose The Secret Life of Carolyn Russell is out soon. Link up on Friday. And then I’ll be sharing more news about the Book Fair I’m going to be part of in July.

I’ve occasionally written a flash piece based on a work of art. Gill James set this as a challenge ages ago and it was fun to do. Will I do it again? At some point, yes. I was impressed with the Van Dycks and other masterpieces I’ve seen today at the Castle so plenty of inspiration to be found there! Am not short of potential material at least…

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I mix up the pieces I use for reading at Open Prose Mic Nights etc – in terms of mood, word count as well as by using different tales. I rehearse reading these (and yes I do often record them on Zoom to play back) but the important thing is to have a good read through (ideally several) as it is too easy to assume you know the material, you can wing it. Err… no.

What I do find the rehearsals do is help calm my nerves because I know I have rehearsed. It helps. The tricky bit is working out how much to drink (non-alcoholic as alcohol can dry the throat aside from any other side effects!) ahead of an event because you don’t want to have a dry throat when reading (it can lead to coughing) nor do you want to be caught short! I find about an hour before hand works well.

It’s Monday. It has cooled down a bit! Still time for a new story. Hope you enjoy my latest on YouTube – Cake Glorious Cake. Is on the dark side, probably like the chocolate involved in the cake. Hope you enjoy it.

Internal thoughts are a great way to show character attitude (and usual practice is to have these in italics. It distinguishes them from “speech” and flags up the the reader this is a character thinking). I use this a lot as I often want to get across attitude and don’t we all think things we don’t then go on to say? Characters can do the same thing! What the thoughts will do is influence their behaviour and show the reader directly why your character is acting the way they are, both useful things.

Looking forward to running the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction group meeting on Zoom next week. Always good fun and it is an enjoyable challenge for me to find a useful topic to set exercises on. I like setting (and then doing) writing exercises. I’ve had several stories go on to be published which started life this way.

Now I must admit I find the hot humid weather not the easiest of conditions to cope with but it led me to wonder if you could get a character to find the same thing. How would that change their attitudes and behaviour? How would that change the course of your story? And are other characters tolerant of their struggles to cope with the conditions?

Goodreads Author Blog – Classic -v- Contemporary Reading

Now for me there is no debate when it comes to whether you should read classic or contemporary works of fiction and non-fiction. You do both of course. For non-fiction you need to be aware some information is likely to be out of date but there is still inspiration to be had from what people thought at the time of publication. That could even lead to fictional story ideas.

I often mix up my reading so I’ll read a novel, before going on to a story or flash collection and then I’ll move on to some non-fiction but it is a good idea to mix up between classic and contemporary as well. You don’t want to miss out on the classic works and you want to see what is out and about now. I see this as having a good reading diet (which I find helps inspire my writing too).

It’s also encouraging to know great writers have always been inspired by others’ stories. So I should be too! But it is interesting that ideas for stories often come when I’m reading non-fiction. And I can be as taken away by fabulous tale whether it is a classic or contemporary one.

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

liked Allison Symes's blog post: Classic -v- Contemporary Reading https://t.co/48XCro6gN6 via @goodreads I look at why I mix up classic and contemporary reading as well as the kind of reading material (fiction and non-fiction, novel and short story etc) for Goodreads this week.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) June 24, 2023

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It’s Monday. It has cooled down a bit! Still time for a new story. Hope you enjoy my latest on YouTube – Cake Glorious Cake. Is on the dark side, probably like the chocolate involved in the cake. Hope you enjoy it.https://t.co/ZTDAXub8co
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) June 26, 2023

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