Tag: Journeys

Journeys

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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 and Scottish photos were taken by me, Allison Symes.
Have had a fabulous Scottish break. Couldn’t have asked for better weather either. Lady has had a wonderful time too. I’ll be back at my normal writing desk for my next post here.
Will be looking forward to running an editing workshop not long after my return and the Association of Christian Writers’ Flash Fiction group meeting not long after that so back to normal in every sense but it is great when you enjoy a break but also don’t mind getting back to normal life again. Well as normal as it gets for a writer anyway.

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Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Delighted to share Journeys on Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Appropriate too as I prepare to return home from a fabulous break in the gorgeous north-east of Scotland.

In my post, I look at how journeys work in fiction and non-fiction, as well as discuss how every story, regardless of its genre, has to be a journey in and of itself. Well, it does have to have a beginning, a middle, and an end, and the character(s) have to resolve some sort of dilemma enroute, yes? I call that a journey! Hope you enjoy the post.

Journeys

 

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Have no idea where the time goes when away on holiday. Revisited my favourite northern beach – Dunnet – today. Right up at the top end of the country along the coast from John O’Groats with stunning views.

We walk for miles here and Lady has finally got to do something which was a tradition for our previous dogs, Gracie and Mabel, which is to lick out our icecream pots! See pic.

The drive up to Dunnet on the A9 is stunning too. The views are incredible and I have a deeper appreciation for the old map makers who had nothing but paper, pencils and pens, and a ruler to draw up those original maps. They’re incredibly accurate too.

Am enjoying what remains of my break listening to Classic FM played through Alexa at the cottage here. I’ve been pleasantly surprised to find Lady, rather than being spooked by it, has taken no notice of it whatsoever! Have been impressed by the sound quality via Alexa too. Useful to have in a remote cottage (we’re truly off grid where we are at the moment).

My Journeys post is up on Chandler’s Ford Today tomorrow and I will be sharing a two part interview with Jenny Sanders here in the not too distant future. Am working on other articles for Writers’ Narrative, which I hope to finish on my return home.

Am making good progress on a potential fourth flash fiction collection though I do want to add more stories to it to get the word count up to about 60,000 words or thereabouts. Next week will be spent mainly in catching up with various bits and bobs I suspect. It usually is spent that way after a break.

Lady having her first icecream at Dunnet

Lovely day though it started with a lingering mist. Once it did clear, we were blessed with glorious sunshine. Revisited Helmsdale, Dunbeath, and Brora today. Lady had a fabulous time on the beach at Brora. It is a mixture of sand and seriously impressive rocks and is home to a seal colony too, not that we saw any of them today. (I’ve captioned the picture below as Lady, Queen of the Rocks. She loved walking on them, through them etc).

When we’ve travelled in previous years on the train up to Wick (which is like a tour of Scotland in one hit as you see coast, mountains, moors, farmland etc on the one trip), the railway line goes right by the beach at Brora and you usually do see the seals out. Can’t get a better view of them in fact.

Writing wise, my post on Journeys for Chandler’s Ford Today is up on Friday. I look at the topic from the point of view of how journeys are used in fiction and non-fiction. I look at character journeys too.

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

Lady at Brora, Queen of the Rocks

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I wrote my story for Friday Flash Fiction this week overlooking a lovely view from a remote holiday cottage on the north-east coast of Scotland. Am not going to get a better view than the one I had! Back to usual desk for my next tale! Meantime I hope you enjoy A Break Does You Good but what kind of break is my magical character really after? Find out here. (And am thrilled to be one of the two Editor’s Choices this week too).

Screenshot 2024-05-17 at 19-35-08 A Break Does You Good by Allison Symes

Back to Dunnet again today as it is one of my favourite beaches – see the pic as to why. This is just a short section of the beach too.

One lovely discovery at the holiday cottage was a welcome hamper with chocolates, shortbread etc in it. Other half and I have made short work of those this week!

But the thought of a lovely welcome like that led me to think about characters. If they went away somewhere, would they be made welcome at their destination (or stopping points along the way come to that)? Is the purpose of their journey known and welcomed or feared? Did the characters leave willingly or did they have no choice? Is it likely they’ll come back and, if so, how will their return be handled?

The returning hobbits in The Lord of the Rings were changed by their experiences and rightly so. Therefore their experience of The Shire on their return was different from how they’d known it before their adventures started.

(If you read the book, you’ll find out more about why things were different, the films didn’t cover this, which has always struck me as an odd omission. The films were long as it was so to me it would have made sense to have filmed this final section of the story as Tolkien told it).

Return visit to Dunnet saw even more glorious weather and a better view of the headland

Spent today visiting old haunts in this wonderful part of Scotland today (North-East coast). Image below is of some seriously impressive rocks at Dunbeath which is a lovely village just off the A9.

Give some thought as to what old haunts your characters might have. Also are there places they would never go to again even if they were paid to go? What does this reveal about them to you? How would they handle things if they were forced to go back to somewhere they swore they’d never go again?

Another angle to this is whether the ones left behind in the old haunts would welcome your character(s) back or not. People don’t always welcome back the prodigal son/daughter/alien being etc and there could be some interesting story ideas here too.

The rocks at Dunbeath are seriously impressive

Fairytales with Bite – Holidays

By the time this post goes out, I’ll be about to return from a much needed and wonderful break in the Scottish Highlands. Holidays of any kind can give a much needed break away from routine and refreshment.

So where would your magical characters go when they needed to put down the old magic wand for a while to get right away from it all? Which places in your setting would be known as “resorts”? Are there specific places for people to go to of a certain magical ability and higher? Where would the “lower” magical characters be expected to holiday?

Thinking about the government of your setting, most here on Earth do have a kind of summer break while the business of government continues albeit at a lower level. How would this work in your setting? Who would ensure the day-to-day matters were still done?

There is, of course, a holiday industry ranging from self catering to the poshest hotels, from camping to exotic cruises etc. So many work behind the scenes here. In your magical setting, who would be the equivalent of the travel agents, the hoteliers, the companies who offer self catering properties etc?

Thinking about your characters, who decides where to go when wanting a break? Also, are there any kind of public holidays when most would have some time off?

What would your characters do on holiday? Would seeing somewhere different change their life for better or worse on their return home again and what could that lead to? Travel broadens the mind. What would that do to your magical characters and are any allowed to explore outside of their own world?

Image below:  Beautiful Brora

Beautiful Brora

This World and Others – Getting Away

Linking with Fairytales with Bite above just how would your characters get away from it all and is this option available to all or just a select few? For those without magical transport of their own, are there public services they could buy “into”?

If exploration is allowed out of the character’s own world, where would they go, how would they get there, and are they expected to blend in with the locals? What might happen if they didn’t do the latter? Would the other world welcome alien visitors? (How would you react if a fairy godmother, armed with wands and spell books, turned up in your vicinity? Not everyone would take that well).

Does your character’s home world welcome visitors from other planets? Could humans accidentally or deliberately locate your magical world and how well would that go down? Would those humans be allowed to go home again?

If worried about humanity’s impact, which would not be unreasonable given what we’ve done to our own planet, what would happen to the ones who did make it to your setting? Would they be allowed to settle down in the magical world or would they be magically disposed of?

Also give some thought as to other reasons why your characters might want to get away. What would they be trying to get away from and do they succeed?

Image below:  The long and winding road – north-east Scotland (just one of many here but all with stunning views and plenty of wildlife to watch out for).

The long and winding road outside Glen Cottage

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Reviews and Remembering

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Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

It was a delightful and very moving experience to watch the Chameleons’ production of Blackadder Goes Forth last week. My review for CFT this week shares some wonderful pictures from the set (and many thanks to Stuart Wineberg and the Chameleons for kind permission to use these). The production was a sell out run and I am not at all surprised.

The way the very famous final scene was carried out on stage worked so well too. For more, see the post.

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Looking forward to sharing my review of the Chameleons’s most recent production, Blackadder Goes Forth, later in the week. Found a particularly nice Youtube clip to go with it which fits in beautifully. It is always nice to uncover gems to go with posts like that.

Remembering is a fundamental part of being human (which is why Alzheimer’s is the tragedy it is). It should feature in your fiction too. What makes your character the way they are? What do they remember that they fight against or go with? Do they join in with their society’s collective memories or would they be what we would know as a revisionist?

What ceremonies are special on the world you’ve set up and what memories have led to these ceremonies taking place at all? Is everyone expected to join in or is it only for the privileged few?

Great characters will engross you. You will lose time reading their stories. Image via Pixabay.
Poetry conjures up images so beautifully. Image via Pixabay. See Sandra Lyn Gordon’s wonderful poem on Chandler’s Ford Today for another example of great imagery.
My latest Chandler’s Ford Today post. Image via Pixabay
Great characters = great books. Image via Pixabay.

Funny day today. Saw my sister go off to NZ (holiday and catching up with family). Not been to Heathrow for years. Last time was when our parents went over there. Mum and Dad went over at exactly the right time. It wasn’t long after their return that Alzheimer’s became “openly apparent” in Mum. Had they delayed at all, they would not have been able to go. The decisions we make…

What decisions do your characters make that turn out to be pivotal? They don’t necessarily need to be “obvious”. Something as simple as deciding to take a journey at a particular time as opposed to a later or earlier time could make all the difference to your story outcome but you will need to show why and how. Plenty of possibilities for drama and conflict there (especially if your lead is arguing with others as to the best way and time to go about their “mission”).

All writers feel this way sometimes. Pixabay image.
Fiction can take you anywhere. Image via Pixabay.
Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.
Series novels contribute so much to the wonderful world of books. Pixabay image.
What will this be for your writing journey? Pixabay image
Books are wonderful. Pixabay image.
A good book will illuminate some truth. Image via Pexels

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I’ve been thinking a lot about journeys today (my sister is off to NZ as I type this), but of course every story is a journey in and of itself, regardless of its length. You have a character, something happens (the moment of crucial change) and then there’s the outcome (not necessarily a happy or good one).

The main difference with flash fiction of course it that this tends to be a short, sharp journey and there’s no hanging around for the outcome!

A truly beautiful diary. Image via Pixabay
Let the creativity spill out. PIxabay image.
Notebook to hand ready for those story ideas. Image via Pexels.
Old diaries can be fascinating but it is where cut and paste really was just that. Image via Pixabay.
Nobody gets their ideas right first go. Image via Pixabay.
I’ve never read a book in these conditions, have you? Pixabay image.
Very old school writing. Image via Pixabay.
Or get away from it all in one book. Pixabay image.
Books are the keys to knowledge. Image via Pixabay
Hope your Christmas books take you to all sorts of wonderful places! Pixabay image
Books are wonderful. Pixabay image.

I sometimes write pieces where a character reflects on their life. My They Don’t Understand is a good example of this. Not an action story as such but one where, hopefully, the characterisation grips you and you have to find out how the character did in the end.

Naturally there has to be something special about the character to get you to keep on reading. Often it is their voice that is compelling. Know how your character would think, act, and therefore speak. It will make a huge difference to how you write them.

The writing necessities! Pixabay image.
Which number draft is this? Pixabay image
The Writing Life. Pixabay image.
It always is! Reflecting first helps a lot! Pixabay image
Good reading – and writing to be done – here. Pixabay image.
Always a good idea! Pixabay image.
How they USED to put pictures into books! Image via Pixabay.
Some of the books I’ve appeared in and FLTDBA of course. Image by Allison Symes

I sometimes write pieces where a character reflects on their life. My They Don’t Understand is a good example of this. Not an action story as such but one where, hopefully, the characterisation grips you and you have to find out how the character did in the end.

Naturally there has to be something special about the character to get you to keep on reading. Often it is their voice that is compelling. Know how your character would think, act, and therefore speak. It will make a huge difference to how you write them.

 

I recall using a manual typewriter and manually copying and pasting. Pixabay image.
The scrivener’s tools – image by Allison Symes
Plugging in for new ideas? Pixabay image
Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.
A great new idea makes me smile, as does this image. Pixabay image.
Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.
Is it Time for a Change for the dragon in my story on Cafelit? Image via Pixabay
Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.
A clean sheet can lead to some fascinating characters and stories. Image via Pixabay
How does gravity and time work in your settings? Pixabay image.
Fiction is strengthened when backed by fact. Image via Pixabay

Thoughts for starting to write flash fiction:-

1. Pick out or invent a title and see what story ideas can come from that. Ideally try not to go with your first idea, as usually that is a way in to finding deeper, better ones to work with!

2. Know who your lead character is going to be and what their chief characteristic is. Very useful way to get started!

3. Don’t worry about the word count limitations at this stage. Write the story. Edit it. Read it out loud. Edit it again. Then see what its word count length should be. Some stories really do work better at 100 words, others at 500. The great thing is there are markets for both!

4. Keep the idea simple. Don’t try to be too clever. You want the reader to identify with your characters and for the idea to be a plausible one (no matter how fantastic the setting of the story). Being too clever will just tie the story (and you!) up in knots and won’t do anything for a potential reader.

Lost in time, thanks to a good book. Pexels image.
Love this clock. Pixabay image.
Let the creativity spill out. PIxabay image.
Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.
A house full of books. Pixabay image.
Lost in a good book. Image via Pixabay.
Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com
So many places to share your blog. Image via Pixabay,
Content is indeed king. Image via Pixabay.

Fairytales with Bite – Character Dialogue

Character dialogue has to sound natural when a reader comes to it, whether they read it aloud or not and whether they read a print or ebook or listen to the story on audio first. Often character dialogue is a “tidied up” version of what we say in life with few hesitations (best used sparingly in writing. It looks gimmicky and is “tiring” to read.).

I’ve found reading work out loud (sometimes recording it and playing it back) is a great way of checking to see if my dialogue is up to scratch. If I stumble over my words, a reader will too as out with the old editing pen again! It is wise to use accented speech sparingly. You want to give a sense of what a character’s accent is. You don’t need to use an accent for each and every word they say. Again, that is tiring to read, especially in a longer work.

You need your characters to speak in different styles so readers can easily tell them apart during “conversational pieces”. Sometimes this can be done by the choice of words a character uses. Sometimes it can be that Character A always speaks in short, sharp sentences, while Character B takes their time in getting to the point!

I love getting my characters to “chat” even if sometimes it is to themselves via their own internal thoughts. This is where you and, later, a reader can find out so much about them.

I’ve never read a book in these conditions, have you? Pixabay image.
Making the most of the writing time. Pixabay image
What world will you conjure up for us in your stories? Pixabay image.
How does gravity and time work in your settings? Pixabay image.
Hope your Christmas books take you to all sorts of wonderful places! Pixabay image
Or get away from it all in one book. Pixabay image.
Just how fantastic is your setting? Pixabay image.
What populates your fictional world? Pixabay image
What wonderful worlds we can creat! Image via Pixabay.
How is your world governed? Is it done well? Pixabay image.

This World and Others – Packing a Punch With Your Writing

This topic has come about as a direct result of my Chandler’s Ford Today post this week, which was a review of the Chameleon Theatre Company’s recent production of Blackadder Goes Forth.  This last series in the Blackadder canon is by far the best of them and with humour and irony conveyed the horror of life in the trenches in World War One.  Blackadder would have been mad NOT to have tried any means possible to get out of there.  The writing is excellent and the tragedy of what happens is beautifully portrayed.  How?

A lot of the writing is understated.  Blackadder’s final “good luck, everyone” is said calmly and without emotion as the men are about to go over the top.  There is a wealth of emotion behind those three words.  Anyone watching knows those men are about to go to their deaths and that they know it too.  So you don’t need lots of words to make a powerful impact on your reader.  There is a lot to be said about quiet courage (as shown by Blackadder funnily enough).  Think about then what impact you want your readers to experience, then look at the best way of achieving that.

Humour can achieve a great deal here as can quiet acceptance of what is about to happen.  Raging against the unfairness of it all can engender some sympathy but I’ve found a better approach is for characters to fight the odds as much as they can and if they lose, it is clear from the story it is NOT because of anything they’ve said or done.  It is for your reader to conclude that it is unfair on the character, rather than have the character do it (as you run the risk that the character may come across as being whinging).

 

 

My debut flash fiction collection from Chapeltown Books

WHEN MAGIC GOES WRONG…

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CYBER LAUNCH NEWS

The big day is nearly here and I am both nervous and excited about it!  I set up a few writing prompts on this page the other day, one of which was “The dragon was terrified”.  I share here the link to the page as I posted my story on this tonight.  Hope you enjoy it.

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

One thing all visitors to the magical world should be aware of is that magic can and does go wrong, even in the hands of the most experienced practitioners.  In When Magic Goes Wrong, I share some advice as to what you can do if you are ever unfortunate enough to be facing this.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Journeys is an apt post for tonight as my Chandler’;s Ford Today blog is the second part of my interview with Martin Kyrle who has written about his adventures on the Trans-Siberian Railway.  My writing journey continues tomorrow (1st April 2017) with my first cyber launch of my debut flash fiction collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again.  In the post I look at how your characters travel, do they need magic to assist them or can they manage without it and ask if their journeys and who they meet change their perspectives on life or reinforce them.

CHANDLER’S FORD TODAY/FACEBOOK PAGE

Both focus on my interview with Martin Kryle.  His travel book, Jottings from the Trans-Siberian Railway, is very funny and his Kyrle’s Laws are wonderfully humorous and practical.  It was lovely to meet Martin and the book is a great, fun and enlightening read.

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Feature Image Part 2 of MK Interview