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. A huge thank you to Gemma Owen-Kendall and Lynsey Adams (Reading Between the Lines Vlog) for author and book cover pictures for the Chandler’s Ford Today interview this week.
Hope you have had a good few days. Storm Eowyn is on its way. Take care and keep safe. Have had an odd week in that I’ve had a lovely time with the good people at the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group (Wednesday night) and then had technical issues with Chandler’s Ford Today which now appear to have been sorted. A mixed bag of a week! But do check out the CFT interview with Gemma Owen-Kendall – it is a great read.
Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today
Am delighted to welcome Gemma Owen-Kendall to Chandler’s Ford Today for an in-depth talk about her debut novel, Red Daisy. This was launched at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick last August.
Gemma shares thoughts on marketing, editing,her writing journey, and her love of fairytales, a huge influence on her novel, and much else too. She has also written flash fiction and short stories so there is much to share here.
Hope you enjoy the post (and naturally I am especially pleased to welcome a fellow flash fiction writer to CFT!).
Author Interview: Introducing Gemma Owen-Kendall
Glad to report the technical issues with Chandler’s Ford Today now appear to have been sorted out so I will be sharing a fabulous interview with Gemma Owen-Kendall about her debut novel, Red Daisy, from there tomorrow. Tech issues never happen at a good time! See link above – such a relief this has been sorted out.
Gemma discusses her journey to publication with SpellBound Books and shares thoughts on marketing and editing amongst other gems so do check the interview out. It’s a great read! Link up tomorrow.
Hope you’ve had a good Wednesday. Lady got to see her Hungarian Vizler pal and to play with Coco, the lovely Labradoodle. These two are younger than the Vizler (though Lady incredibly is eight now. You wouldn’t believe it to see her run). Anyway the two younger dogs had a fabulous time running around the park. Lovely to see them.
Writing wise, I am interviewing Gemma Owen-Kendall about her debut novel, Red Daisy. This will be part of the Reading Between the Lines Vlog book tour.
The bad news is Chandler’s Ford Today is down at the moment due to technical issues which I hope will be sorted out soon. There is never a good time for technical issues! Thankfully sorted.
Meantime I will be sharing Gemma’s fabulous interview from my own website (Allison Symes Collected Works) on Friday. Do look out for it. Gemma shares about her writing journey and there are plenty of useful thoughts for all writers here. (I will share the interview again from CFT the moment it is available but these things are sent to try writers, I think). This is what is known in the business as having a Plan B! I highly recommend it!
Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again
Pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with my latest story, Getting On With It. Even fairy godmothers don’t like the return to work after a Christmas and New Year break. Find out why here.
Lovely evening spent with the good people at the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction group last night (22nd January). The theme was All Things New. Newness in itself is a fabulous topic, especially apt for the first month of a new year, and I set a few exercises based on it which I hope they enjoy.
One of those exercises was to use the word new itself in an opening line and then, separately, in a closing line.
Why not give it a go and see what you come up with? Have fun!
Sometimes a flash piece of mine has scope for being expanded into a longer short story and so I do that. The story and the characters have to suit and sometimes I do need 2000 words to tell the whole tale rather than the top limit for flash of 1000. That’s fine, especially since I know I will be drafting other flash pieces before long.
Top Tip: I’ve long since learned the most important thing to do is to write the story. Then after a break from it I edit it. I leave it again for a while and review it again. Then and only then will I start to think about the word count. I’ve learned over time when to leave a story alone. When I honestly feel I cannot add a word or take anything out without spoiling the story, I leave it. And, as I say, that sometimes does come in at above the flash limit.
Fairytales with Bite – Continuing Professional Development
As a writer, I’m learning all the time ways to improve my stories (and with that I hope my changes of publication). I read about my craft. I go to writing events – in person and online ones – and am part of writing groups (online). It’s all fun too (and hard work but when it is work you enjoy it helps a lot!), I see all of this as my Continuing Professional Development.
So what would your characters see as their Continuing Professional Development? How do they learn their craft? How do they improve their skills as they do the work? Who manages all of the training? I could see there being potential for humorous stories here.
And how about characters who use their training well – what stories could they share? What about those who misuse their skills (deliberately or accidentally). What would happen here?
And can someone unexpectedly rise through the ranks and surprise everyone with how well they do with their development? Fairytales are often based on those who are not expected to do well but, with some help (often from a handy fairy godmother), they do go on to do well.
So why not set stories like this in a learning environment? The “fairy godmother” here could be an exceptional teacher. What would they make of their student doing well like that?
As ever what are the consequences? Not everyone would take someone unexpectedly doing well that well themselves. Plenty of possibilities for conflict here thanks to a character getting on with their Continuing Professional Development. Not everyone is professional about these things themselves.
This World and Others – Monitoring Standards
When it comes to education or other forms of learning (vocational etc), who would monitor standards in your setting to ensure all is as it should be? Could they be open to persuasion that those who are not expected to do well are allowed through or are stopped from making the best of their learning? Good potential conflict stories there.
Does your setting and it authorities keep standards as they have always been or are they open to developments in their equivalent of technology and/or science, which would lead to needing new sets of standards every so often?
When I began writing seriously as a writer, I was using a typewriter. There wasn’t such a thing as the Data Protection Act. So of course when computers became more readily available, writers like me had to adjust to using them, have our own websites, ensure we obey data rules and so on. We have had new standards to stick to so does your setting have this kind of ongoing process here?
Who is open to change? Who is open to ensuring standards continue to be monitored well? Who might get in the way of all of that? Not everyone welcomes change. Again good conflict stories could be found here.
WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK
Good news: Next issue (January/February 2025 is due out soon).
AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsPleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with my latest story, Getting On With It. Even fairy godmothers don’t like the return to work after a Christmas and New Year break. Find out why here.https://t.co/63nSXOdxgL pic.twitter.com/iTBGAhImZh
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) January 24, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsAuthor Interview: Introducing Gemma Owen-Kendall https://t.co/BAGlycvURl Delighted to welcome Gemma Owen-Kendall to CFT for an in-depth talk about her debut novel, Red Daisy. She discusses her writing journey and love of fairytales, a huge influence on her novel, and much else.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) January 24, 2025
Hope you have had a good day. I must admit it doesn’t feel like the weekend. I couldn’t tell you what day of the week it does feel like though!
Allison Symes: Collected Works 