Tag: festive flash

Winter Stories

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope all is well. Had a lovely weekend singing carols and reading/enjoying readings at two Carols by Candlelight services over the weekend. My next post here will be in a week’s time and will be a bigger round up though I am taking a few days off over Christmas and hope you are too. Do have a lovely Christmas.

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Hope you’ve had a good day. Lady got to see her Hungarian Vizler and Rhodesian Ridgeback pals for the last time before Christmas. A good time was had by all and I suspect three lovely dogs will be thoroughly spoiled and enjoy their visit from Santa Paws.

Writing wise, I’m winding down for the Christmas break. There will be a round up post of what I write when and where on my website later this evening, brief posts tomorrow, and then I’m off for a few days.

However you spend Christmas, I do hope you have a wonderful time. I’m looking forward to the break but also to resuming writing when the break is over again. That is the lovely thing with writing. It is a wonderful thing to return to after a needed break, I find. (So unlike returning to the housework etc etc!).

Hope the day has gone well. Hectic here but Lady did get to see her Hungarian Vizler and Rhodesian Ridgeback pals and a great time was had by all three, so that was fine.

I now have the Mixcloud link to the Three Minute Santas show on North Manchester FM hosted by Hannah Kate recently. If you’ve not had a chance to hear the show so far, here’s your chance.

The range of stories was so good but don’t just take my word for it. Why not give the show a listen? It was great fun to take part in and listen to the other tales.

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Had a lovely time at yesterday’s Carols by Candlelight service. Romsey URC looked stunning (though I was glad not to be the one putting the candles out afterwards!). The music and singing were wonderful and truly sublime. I read the poem The Shepherds at Bethlehem which was lovely. Also loved the recitation of The Not so Perfect Christmas Tree.

Went to my church’s service this afternoon which was more informal with carols, poems and readings, and cracker jokes. A great time was had here too though in a different way! Certainly by the time we finished all of the carols we want to sing (and we sing loads, we get to request carols to sing), we are more than ready for a cuppa afterwards.

Those who went to the Bridge House Publishing Celebration event earlier this month, and who kindly gave me their Christmas cracker jokes because I said our minister could do with new material, well he put it to good use this afternoon! Plenty of groans and laughs – as there should be with these things.

It will be odd not having a Chandler’s Ford Today post next week but there was no way I was posting on Boxing Day! I’ll be back on that (and other things too like flash submissions) in the New Year. The next few days will be spent getting a few writing bits and pieces done and other material written so I hit the ground running when I return to my desk properly in a week or so.

Am also looking forward to getting on with some Christmas reading too.

Hope the weekend has got off to a good start. I’m looking forward to reading a wonderful poem, The Shepherds at Bethlehem, at a Carols by Candlelight service later this evening. Poetry and flash fiction both rely on using specific words to create specific images (and to make the most of their respective word/syllable/line counts).

No Chandler’s Ford Today post from me on Boxing Day next week (now, admit it, that’s not really a surprise is it!). Will be back on CFT in the New Year. I suspect post-Christmas I will get a little writing done, especially flash pieces ready to submit later, but am looking forward to a break. Am also looking forward to seeing what arrives from my book related wish list for Christmas!

Have been enjoying singing along to the carols and other Christmas songs Classic FM have been playing. In their poll, I voted for In the Bleak Midwinter but it has to be to the Holst tune. I do think though that Christina Rossetti, with her fabulous poem, has added to Christmas, as did Charles Dickens of course with his A Christmas Carol.

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Given most of the carols tell the story of the Nativity in verse form and are well within the 1000 words limit for flash, do they count as flash stories? I think so! I think they also count as “flash poems”.

I have written the odd flash piece using rhyme and it has been fun to do but it will never be my main style. Poetry, for me, is like art – I know what I like when I come across it, appreciate it deeply, and leave those far better suited than me to write it!

Will put up a short post tomorrow and then will be off for a few days. Hope you have a wonderful Christmas.It’s Monday. But it’s not just any Monday. It’s the Monday before Christmas, otherwise known as Hecticville, yes?  I do know it’s time for a story. Hope you enjoy my latest on YouTube – Action Replay.

Action replays may have been around for far longer than thought in this fun tale concerning the shepherd left behind from the trip to Bethlehem.

There won’t be any submissions to Friday Flash Fiction as a new editor takes the helm from January. A huge thank you to the founder and original editor for all of his hard work here. He knows who he is! I must thank FFF for getting me back into writing the drabbles (aka the 100 worders) regularly. They are great fun and a good challenge.

One task for early January will be to list a few competitions to enter for the first quarter of 2026. I would like to try new ones (with a good track record) this year, as well as continue to try and write more than the year before.

Naturally, I’m looking forward to the publication of Seeing The Other Side (Bridge House Publishing), my third flash collection, in May 2026. It will be lovely having another book out again. Plus I have ideas to pitch so hope to get on with those early in January and see what happens. I do know, whatever happens, the writing life isn’t a static one.

I’m pleased to say I have written more flash this year and hope to continue with that in 2026, of course. It has been mainly at the 100 words length (especially for Friday Flash Fiction) but given this was the word count which introduced me to flash at all, this does seem appropriate.

I often think of the carols as flash poems given the word count is limited (even if you do sing, like we did at church last Sunday, all eight, yes, count them eight, verses of O Come O Come Emmanuel). They tell the Christmas story in song.

When it comes to the great When Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night, when it comes to the line ‘Fear not’, said he for mighty dread had seized their troubled mind in verse two, I always think well it is no wonder, really, you can’t blame the shepherds here. Anyone would be startled!

But it is thoughts like that which can inspire some fun, festive pieces. One of mine was about a young shepherd worried about leaving the sheep behind when it came to going to Bethlehem. Fun to do.

Goodreads Author Blog – Winter Stories

In my last post prior to Christmas for Goodreads, may I take the chance to wish you all a Happy Christmas and New Year. I also hope you receive plenty of books as presents!

Do you associate any particular books with the winter season? I do. I always think of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe with its line always winter and never Christmas. Always struck me as sad and horrifying that.

Naturally I associate the Nativity and stories which come from it. There are some fun stories around showing the story from the viewpoint of the animals in the stable etc.

Plus I tend to think of Frodo and company trudging through the snow covered mountains in The Lord of The Rings.

Which stories do you link with winter?

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Broadcast News and Judging Stories

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Image Credits:- All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a lovely weekend. Family came down to visit so had a fantastic and busy time – we went to see a local lights festival. Lady loved seeing the family too. She is very much a “people” dog! Writing and editing are going well. Will be wrapping up for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday 19th December and then will be back in the New Year.

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

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

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

Have fun!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Meeting Up With Other Authors and Broadcast News

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Many thanks to Paula Readman for taking the shot of me holding up From Light to Dark and Back Again at the recent Bridge House Publishing Celebration event. Screenshots and photos from the recent BHP Celebration event were taken by me, Allison Symes. Hope all is well.
Had a fabulous weekend with other half celebrating our anniversary and then going to London for the Bridge House Publishing Celebration event. Lady is doing fine and getting to see most of her mates most of the time so all well there, though we consider it to be a win if we manage to duck the rain and strong winds.

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Hope you have had a good day. Lady got to see both her Hungarian Vizler and Rhodesian Ridgeback pals today. Lovely time had by all but all three dogs were told off for trying to eat the mud! Why, oh why, oh why…

Character Tip: What would your character want for Christmas (or in their setting their equivalent event) and why? What does it reveal about them? What would they never want to receive and why? What would happen if they received the unwanted present? Could be some fun stories to write (and read) there.

A wet walk with Lady this morning but did get to see her Hungarian Vizler pal and, as ever, the two chums were pleased to see each other.

Delighted to start the week with great news. My festive flash fiction story which I submitted to Hannah Kate for her Three Minute Santas show on North Manchester FM will be broadcast on said show this coming Saturday, 13th December. I plan to listen live but will share a catch up link as soon as I can (probably early next week). It is always a fun show to listen to so heartily recommend it.

Hope your weekend has gone well. Busy one for me being out and about but had such a lovely time in Dorset and London. Relishing a quieter Sunday though and I’ll be cracking on with flash fiction Sunday shortly.

I will be looking back at the Bridge House Publishing Celebration event for Chandler’s Ford Today next week. Looking forward to sharing that (and am enjoying reading the books I brought back with me from that event. Well, you can’t NOT do that, can you?!).

Am currently having a go at the Friday Flash Fiction Christmas competition. Can submit one more entry and I hope to do that as part of my flash fiction Sunday afternoon a little later today.

Festive Flash Tip: You can write these regardless of the time of year. If good ideas occur to me in the summer for this, I go for it and write the stories up. I must admit I prefer my festive flash fiction pieces to be 300 words or fewer. I think they work best at this word length because you’re generally looking for a lighthearted fun piece and you don’t want to dilute the sense of fun by having too many words for it!

6th December – Bridge House Publishing event
Have had a fabulous day at the Bridge House Publishing Celebration event today. It was so good to catch up with friends. It was also nice to be back at the wonderfully named Theodore Bullfrog pub. Will write more about the event for next week’s Chandler’s Ford Today post though it was great to travel back with fellow Swanwicker, June Webber. Naturally we had a good natter!

Has been a busy weekend so far getting out and about. Nothing for ages, then loads of trips out. Suspect I will get something from the various journeys to inspire some flash fiction pieces.

Character Tip: I don’t usually worry too much about what my characters look like. I’m usually far more interested in their attitudes to life. But occasionally if I spot an interesting hat, say, I might wonder what character of mine might wear something like it. I have been known to wonder which character of mine wouldn’t be seen dead in a hat like that. These thoughts have given me ideas for characters and, from there, story outlines.

Images below were taken by me at the BHP event. Not long after the first shot was taken, the room was full of very happy BHP authors including me. For the second photo, it was good to be back on the BHP book table with Lynn Clement, whose The City of Stories I edited, and Rosemary Johnson, who is a dear friend from the Association of Christian Writers.

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Looking forward to listening to Hannah Kate’s Three Minute Santas show on North Manchester FM on Saturday. Delighted to say I have a story on there. The show is great fun to listen to – I hope to share a link early next week.

Is it difficult to think of different themes for festive flash each year? Depends.

I think because I go for character first, not plot, it helps a lot. So I examine the stories we know around Christmas, the Biblical as well as the secular ones, and look for characters who perhaps are not the main star of the show (some pun intended and I expect at some point I may well write a story around the Star of Bethlehem). You can have a lot of fun with characters like this.

Also give some thought to your favourite fairytales. They come up so often for pantomimes at this time of year so you could write festive flash around characters in these too.

It’s Monday, another wet and dismal one, so definitely time for a story. Hope you like my latest on YouTube – Diet Change.

What on earth did Eliza wish for to make Santa read her note twice to ensure he hadn’t misread it? Was her wish granted? Find out here.

 

It was wonderful celebrating flash fiction and short stories in London yesterday at the Bridge House Publishing Celebration event. Now back to the desk to get on and write more flash fiction!

As ever at events like yesterday’s, people shared news of websites etc which take flash and I hope to look into some of those after Christmas. Know I won’t get much time to do this before then.

When it comes to writing seasonal flash, I look at one specific character or someone associated with them. For example, for some of my festive flash I’ve written about Santa, the elves, Mrs Christmas, a young shepherd who was worrying about leaving the sheep behind when they all went off to Bethlehem.

I think knowing the character for this kind of flash story is essential because you look at their links with the festive season and that in itself is usually enough to trigger story ideas.

Lovely to chat with fellow flash and short story writers at the Bridge House Publishing Celebration event today. I find I get a real buzz from being with other writers like this. It was good to share the joys of short form fiction with each other. Loved hearing the stories being read out. Am not often read to so make the most of it when I am.

Flash Tip: Focus on one moment, one character for your stories. Your story will have a much better impact because of that and it will be easier to stick to your word count.

Image below taken by me is of June Webber, my dear friend and fellow Swanwicker, reading her excellent story, Marmalade, at today’s BHP event.

Goodreads Author Blog – Meeting Up With Other Authors

Meeting up with other authors at various events is one of the joys of the writing life and one I greatly appreciate. It is lovely talking about stories and writing with those who understand why you have the drive to write at all.

Other authors are also fabulously supportive given we all have to market our own books. Most of us would far rather be writing.

Naturally a huge attraction at these events are the book rooms and book tables. Always a joy to buy books from writers I know and am always pleased to add more to my shelves.

If you can support author events, please do. Every writer I know will be pleased to see you. That goes for me too!

Happy reading!

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