Tag: guest post by Allison Symes

Guest Blogging and Facebook Author Page Likes

Leave a comment

Many thanks to Val Penny for hosting a spot from me on her book reviews site.  More in a moment on that…

Facebook – General

Many thanks to Val Penny for hosting me on her book reviews site. It was huge fun to write! Hope you enjoy reading. I chat about my flash fiction (and what I love about flash fiction in general) and Chandler’s Ford Today

Looking forward to catching up with Val at Swanwick next month!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

My CFT post is very close to home this week. There are some lovely places to walk in my area, whether I’m with the dog or not, and I share some of those, along with some gorgeous pics of a wildflower meadow. Link up tomorrow.

I don’t tend to think about stories etc while out and about. I’m too busy (a) watching out for what Lady is doing or sniffing (!) and (b) appreciating the local fauna and flora.

The benefit from the writing point of view is having that break away from the desk or household chores (or both) and coming back tired but refreshed. (Lady sees to the tired bit, she comes home and sleeps during the afternoon, lucky girl!).

Books should keep you gripped and that is down to the characters. Image via Pixabay
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
What stories will come from this pen? Pexels image.
Flash fiction should sparkle! Image via Pixabay.
Where will your characters take you? Image via Pixabay
From my local wildflower meadow a few weeks back. Loved the colours. Image by Allison Symes.
Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.
No room for gobbledygook here. Image via Pixabay.
The lakes at The Hayes. Image by Allison Symes
What wonderful worlds we can creat! Image via Pixabay.
The Hayes Conference Centre, home of the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School. Image by Allison Symes
Always good advice! Pixabay image.

Many thanks to all who have liked my author page. It is lovely to have 50 of you on board now, thanks to you all!

thank you text on black and brown board

Indeed! Image via Pexels

beautiful beautiful flowers bouquet color

And you can also say it with flowers! No hayfever either! Image via Pexels

No calories here! Image via Pexels.
Thank you! Image via Pexels

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Always nice to guest blog so many thanks to Val Penny for hosting me today.

I suppose in a way flash fiction and blogging are good “bedfellows” since you’ve got to watch the word count with both of them! For flash, you’ve got room for usually one character. For blogging, it pays to stick to one topic per post. (Ironically with my Word Press site, I can’t really do that as it is meant to be a round up of what I write where, but for things like this post, it pays to stick to one theme).

Have you got a favourite theme for your stories? Was it one that emerged naturally as you wrote or did you plan it from the start? There are a lot of poetic justice stories in From Light to Dark and Back Again. In my case, the theme emerged.

How about you? Comments welcome.

Fiction should show you new ways of looking at the world. Image via Pixabay.
Assemble your characters, assemble your world. Image via Pixabay
Thoughts are free but check images used are either free to use or your own! Image via Pixabay.
Just what is your story then? Image via Pixabay
The ultimate book tunnel? Image via Pexels
Characters no matter what their world should resonate with readers. Image via Pixabay
Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.
Your blog, your topic, your theme – just be sensible on copyright and libel issues. Image via Pixabay.
Fiction can take you anywhere. Image via Pixabay.

I love the flexibility of flash fiction. There is some flexibility with word count, ironically. I’ve often found what I thought might be a 100-word story works better as a 500-word one, but that’s fine.

You can be flexible with genre of the specific tale. I’ve written historical fiction as flash fiction, likewise fantasy, crime, light horror, ghost stories etc.

You can also go back or forward in time. Your characters can be human or other worldly. You can write in first or third person. (I do both, though not in the same story!). You can write dialogue alone, though I think all stories, regardless of type, work best with a mixture of narrative and conversation/thoughts.

Flash fiction is a style of writing to have a lot of fun with!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MIXING UP YOUR READING AND EVENT NEWS

Leave a comment

Facebook – General – Mixing Up Your Reading

Do you mix up your reading or do you find you are reading in one genre in a go?

I read across a reasonable number of genres but find I’m one of those readers who have to have their “fix” of crime fiction for a while before then going on to have a “fix” of fantasy stories before coming back to crime, moving on to historical fiction and so on.

I zig-zag all over the place at times, though I love all that I read (which I think is the most important thing. With never as much time to read as I would like, I want to make sure all I do read is going to pass the will-it-entertain-or-inform-me-or-do-both test before I get too far into the book. I’m glad to say I’ve only abandoned one or two books in my time and that several years ago. I realise now life is too short to waste on a book that simply isn’t gripping me when there are thousands out there that will!).

Facebook – General Part 2 – Publication and Events

I think I can say it’s been a good week so far. Am delighted to report a post I wrote on my writing rituals is now up on Bridget Holding’s Wild Words site. I met Bridget at Swanwick this year and loved her talk on finding your voice.

A Writing Ritual: Allison Symes

Image used for Wild Words and my post on A Writing Ritual.  Many thanks to Bridget Holding for hosting me.

Also glad to say I will be having new stories on Cafelit very soon (indeed two are due on there this week). Will keep you posted. Lovely to have work on there again. It is a fabulous place to showcase your writing.

Also looking forward the Bridge House/Cafelit/Chapeltown Books celebratory event on Saturday.

20171015_233807.jpg

Some of the books I’ve appeared in and FLTDBA of course. Image by Allison Symes

Love the cover for this. Image supplied by Bridge House Publishing.

My last Bridge House story is in here. Naturally I hope there will be many more to come! Image supplied by Bridge House Publishing.

Very pleased to have appeared in these lovely books.

 

Hope there will be more anthologies in the New Year.

 

 

Busily finishing off the follow-up to From Light to Dark and Back Again.

 

 

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

It took me a while to get the title for From Light to Dark and Back Again right. Funnily enough, I usually find titles for the stories themselves not too difficult to come up with but coming up with something for the collection was more problematic. It was when I decided to focus on the theme and tone of the stories that the title came to me, as it does reflect the mood of the tales well.

With the title sorted out, I could then focus on an appropriate cover image to send to Chapeltown. The wonderful ripple picture comes from the magnificent Pixabay website and Chapeltown then put their fabulous frame around it. It’s a cover I’m very proud to be associated with as people DO judge the book by the cover!

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again Part 2

Some new flash fiction pieces from me will be appearing on Cafelit soon. Will keep you posted!

Am also glad to share the link to Bridget Holding’s Wild Words website where she has hosted a post from me about my writing rituals.

It is a joy to write fiction and non-fiction, though the first has always been what has “called” to me the most. I’ve always had a love of stories and always will though it is great that now a lot of fiction techniques are being used to make non-fiction work more accessible to people. Long gone are the days of long lists of dates and figures… now we look at how people would have lived back in the days of whenever. A much better approach.

I would hope flash fiction would also be a way to convince the die-hard non-fiction only reader (and I’ve known a couple in my time) that you can enjoy storytelling. And that it can be kept to the point like any good non-fiction article.

Themes should emerge naturally from your writing though occasionally I pick a theme and write to it. Image via Pixabay. (Also an older CFT post from me).
You can’t beat the trusty notebook and pen for interview notes. Image via Pixabay.
Creative writing includes blogging but also brainstorming sessons to generate future ideas. Image via Pixabay.