Merry Christmas, Everyone

December 24, 2019Leave a comment

Image Credit: Pixabay, unless otherwise stated.

Facebook – General

Merry Christmas, everyone. I hope you have lots of lovely books as presents and plenty of time in which to read them. Now if that’s not a good wish, I don’t know what is!

Hang on, I can think of another. If you’re a writer, may you be inspired by plenty of excellent ideas and have lovely stationery as gifts to jot down those thoughts, which will surely become works of genius in years to come.

Yes, I think that counts as a good wish too. Not quite sure how Santa can deliver that one exactly but I am sure the great man will think of something!

Have a wonderful time. Will be back online in a few days. NB: I don’t know if I’ll be posting on Friday as, if I do, it will only be a link to my CFT post and I may save that until next Tuesday.

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I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Whether you write books or read them or ideally do both, I hope you find plenty of fascinating new material to be enjoying in 2020.

Not sure what my plans writing wise are for the rest of this week but I am planning a CFT post which will be a review of my writing year. I will also be sharing a few timeless wishes. Link up later in the week.

There is a surge of reading at this time of year for obvious reasons but I do hope that leads to a surge of reviews in the usual places in the New Year! As a certain supermarket would say, every little bit helps!

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I was reminded of the power of words and music to move the human spirit at the Carols by Candlelight Service I went to this evening.

Firstly, I heard the most beautiful rendition of O Holy Night I’ve ever heard (well done to the two ladies concerned) and it was one of the loveliest things I’ve heard EVER regardless of musical style etc. The congregation was deeply moved by it. I was close to tears (of the good variety).

Secondly, even without the familiar tunes, the carols are great poetry in and of themselves (and they all tell a story too so I’d love them for that reason alone).

I also read the poem Shepherd by Lisa Debney which was a great pleasure to do. It takes an unusual angle on the Christmas story – that of someone coming to terms with Jesus as a baby – and the words are so moving.

Words – and music – are wonderful things. Any of us working with either or both are so privileged. Enjoy!

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I’ve created a book trailers page on my website. As well as the one for From Light to Dark and Back Again, there are trailers for Nativity and Transforming Being, both of which I have stories in. A big thank you to #GillJames for her wonderful work in creating these three.

I’ve also included a short video I created for Job Satisfaction which is in FLTDBA. I hope to add more trailers (and things I creat too) on this page every so often.

Meanwhile I hope you enjoy the new page!

Image from Chapeltown Books

Transforming Being. Image by Bridge House Publishing.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Merry Christmas, everyone. I’ll be offline for a few days. I hope you all have a lovely break – and enjoy plenty of flash fiction, whether you’re reading or writing it (or both), of course.

To finish here are some of my micro Christmas stories. Hope you enjoy!

1. Scrooge grimaced as he walked home, having heard some youngster tell a snippet of a ghost story. Ghosts! Whatever next?

2. In the bleak midwinter, they could have done with a snow plough.

3. Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer found that telling everyone he was suffering from a nasty cold stopped the awkward jokes about what he was adding to his water trough to generate said red nose.

4. Frosty the Snowman was the first to admit he really could not appreciate the benefits of central heating.

Allison Symes – 2019

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Thought I’d share one of my flash fiction stories. Hope you enjoy it.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

She knew she had to stop it. It wasn’t doing her any good and any comfort she derived from it had vanished long ago.

She put on her huge black coat, it made her look slim, grabbed her cavernous bag and shook out the massive pork pie she stored in there. She grimaced at it, picked it up and, as she left her flat and walked out of the roadway, she dumped the pie in the community bin.

Today she would start again. Enough was enough. She took a deep breath and headed to where she knew the slimming group met. She’d put off going for ages. But today was different.

She was NOT going to be mistaken for a giant tomato on legs again by anyone. She would show the world she could do it.

And when she had she would get the most rotten tomatoes she could find, hide and hurl the things at those people who’d humiliated her tonight. She knew where they were. They did not know where she was. And it would stay that way.

A year later, the local papers appealed for help in tracking a mystery assailant going around pelting rotten veg at people coming off the 28 bus at different times.

She laughed.

ENDS

Have a wonderful, story filled Christmas and New Year!

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There are certain things about the Christmas story I particularly love – and those are the telling details (which is highly appropriate for a flash fiction writer as only the most important nuggets of information are included in our stories. We have no room for anything else and readers have to fill in the gaps though, for me, that is the joy of flash. I love having to work things through like that and picking up on the implications etc).

One such nugget is the Bible story says Mary was perplexed by the angel’s greeting to her and wondered what kind of greeting this could be. Firstly, I can just picture that (!), and secondly, it makes Mary so real. It would’ve been very odd NOT to react that way I think.

When it comes to our own stories, our characters’ reactions MUST be realistic to the situations we’ve put them in. Readers should be able to think yes, I’d react like that or yes, I could see why they would react this way but I would have…

So when reviewing your stories look at how your characters react to something. Is that reaction reasonable? If a character goes “over the top”, can a reader understand why they might do that?

Happy writing!

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I love the poem The Night Before Christmas. It’s a wonderful story told in rhyme. As is The Gruffalo. I admire hugely anyone who can tell a story in rhyme like that. It’s such a challenge NOT to go for slightly awkward phrasing just so you get the rhyme you want.

Flash fiction can be told in poetic form and I occasionally experiment with this. It’s an interesting challenge but not something I’d want to do regularly. If there’s an award for most difficult category of writing ever invented, I think it would have to go to poetry. So hats off to all poets out there!

But flash fiction writers can learn a lot from poets. DON’T go for awkward phrasing just so you can achieve a desired word count. Your phrasing has to read naturally. You don’t want anything to jar with a reader. You do pick up on “duff” notes in the rhythm of your prose and I know when I’ve come across it in something I’ve read, it throws me. The writing will have to be pretty special to make me keep reading after that.

I write a flash fiction piece, edit it until I’m happy with it, and THEN select the competition or market it is best suited for. When a competition comes up for, say, a 250 word piece, but my story works better at 300, I won’t crop it. I’ll save it for another competition.

Incidentally unless a competition or market specifically says otherwise, it is okay to come in UNDER the required word count. I’ve found though my work tends to come in at 20 or so words below whatever the limit is and that is deliberate on my part. It means I’ve got a little bit of room to manoeuvre if I need it and allows for those places where the title IS part of the word count. You’re never going to have a 20 word title, are you?!!

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Goodreads Author Blog –

Why Everyone Needs a Writer in their Life

If you’re not a writer yourself, you definitely need one in your life somewhere. Why? Well for one thing, you’ll have an easy present buy for said writer.

If we don’t give you a list of books we’d like to find under the Christmas tree, we’ll always appreciate nice pens and notebooks!

But the chances of us NOT asking for books, in whatever format, are extremely remote. Nor will we ever moan about a book shaped present waiting for us! We don’t care we know it’s a book in there. We just want to find out which one you picked out for us!

And this is why I loved receiving book tokens as presents too. I relished the thought of going to pick up my own present after the Christmas holidays – the thought of all that choice…oh good!

I don’t know about you but I always find it a joy buying presents for people where I know they’re going to like said present. And writers as a rule fit that category very well.

I can’t think of any writer who would pass on the option to have books bought for them!

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What Books Mean To Me Part 3

October 18, 2019Leave a comment

Image Credit: Unless otherwise stated, all images are from Pixabay. A big thank you to my guests on the Chandler’s Ford Today Series What Books Mean to Me for supplying photos.

Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

I’m delighted to share the final, bumper edition of my What Books Mean To Me series for Chandler’s Ford Today. A big thank you to all of fantastic guests for sharing their insights here. It has been a superb series to put together and great fun!

This time Gail Aldwin, Paula Readman, Jim Bates, Wendy H. Jones, Val Penny and yours truly answer the three questions I set.

I asked which ONE book would you save in the event of a disaster, what does reading mean to you, and what do you think reading has done for you as a writer.

As ever, do share your thoughts on the books you’d save over on the CFT page.

A HUGE thank you to all of my guests appearing in the What Books Mean to Me series on Chandler’s Ford Today.

The series was great fun to put together. The wide variety of books chosen to save was amazing (as were the reasons why).

There is plenty to learn from also when my guests discussed what reading had done for them as writers (and of course continues to do).

If you were ever in doubt about the importance of reading for writers, do check this series out. My guests’ comments will leave you in no doubt that the best thing any writer can do to help them improve their craft – read and read widely and read lots. But, hey, don’t just take our word for it. Get on and read and discover how true this is for yourself (and the great thing is you can include reading the posts as part of that!).

Incidentally one of the joys of my CFT posts is choosing a Feature Image (nearly always from those magnificent people at Pixabay). Isn’t the library image for this week’s post just gorgeous?! See the slideshow!

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W = Welcome into a new world (sometimes it’s this one but seen from a new angle).

R = Real characters you can identify with come to life before your eyes as you read and you root for them all the way to the finish.

I = Imagination. The writer has clearly shared theirs with you. Does your imagination picture the world the writer has created clearly enough? Does the story spark your imagination and maybe inspire you to write your own stories or, even if that is not the case, can you think how the characters might live on after the book is finished? The latter shows the characters really are “live”.

T = Tension. There should be plenty of that, even in the funniest of books. Characters have to strive for something important. Other characters should get in their way for good reasons of their own. No tension/conflict = no story.

I = Intensity. Does the story grip you with its intensity? Do you feel the emotions the characters are being made to feel? (You should. No cardboard cut out characters here, thank you).

N = Narrative should be lively and speed the story along. The information given here should be crucial to your enjoyment of the tale.

G = Genre. Read widely in many! Think how many worlds you can explore through book covers if you do that!

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Looking forward to sharing Part 3 of What Books Mean to Me on Chandler’s Ford Today later this week. It has been great fun putting this series together and there have been some fabulous insights and books selected to be saved. More to come on Friday!

My guests this week are #GailAldwin, #JimBates, #PaulaCReadman, #WendyHJones, #ValPenny and…. er… Allison Symes. Well I thought I should answer the three questions I set! Never ask other writers questions you’re not prepared to answer yourself!

(And if the series gives you a marvellous Wish List for a certain season due in a couple of months’ time, even better!).

Second image in was taken on my phone at the pub just before the Waterloo Arts Festival in the summer. Here are three happy flash fiction writers – Paula Readman, Gail Aldwin, oh and me.

Many thanks to Wendy Jones and Jim Bates for supplying their pictures. Val Penny and I were having a selfie moment at the Winchester Writers’ Festival earlier this year.

Do check out everyone’s thoughts on what books mean to them on Friday. Meanwhile, there are Parts 1 and 2 to catch up on over at CFT.

https://chandlersfordtoday.co.uk/what-books-mean-to-me-par…/

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Glad to say I will be having more stories on Cafelit later this month and into November. Two of them are linked. I’ve experimented with linked flash fiction stories this year and have found these to be good fun. I think the trick, if there is one, to them, is to ensure the link is strong enough and don’t keep it going for too long. Will keep you posted.

Recharge yourself when you need to. Your writing will be better for it. Pixabay

Writing regularly, even in short bursts, encourages your imaginative side to flourish. Pixabay.

I prefer tea myself. Pixabay

Adapations take more than one draft! Pixabay image

Reading has such an impact. Can’t imagine the world without it. Pixabay image.

A creative mess or planned writing - planning ahead helps you focus more

So true. Pixabay.

Warning: Writer at Work. Pixabay

This sums up the questions asked at school but they are useful for writers too - Pixabay

Read widely to inspire these. Pixabay

Tying in with my post on my author page, here is another acrostic which I hope shares some good tips.

F = Flesh out your character who is going to be the focus of your flash fiction story. Why are they the star of your story? What is special about them? Some of that needs to come through so your reader picks up on their special qualities and will want to read on. (Not necessarily all by the way. Readers won’t need the full biography! Just give the readers what they need to know.).

L = Lively pace. Well nobody wants a dull read, do they?

A = Animated character(s). They’ve got to be the type of people who readers will want to root for and, in the case of villains, are perhaps a little sorry when they lose (assuming they do).

S = Setting(s) to be places readers could picture, even if the setting is a fantastical world beyond any known galaxy. What is there readers can identify with? (That even on Planet QZog, the females of the species have trouble getting their men to put the bins out?).

H = History – character and setting. There won’t be a lot of room in a flash fiction tale of course, so imply what you can when you can. A character’s thoughts can be a useful device here as they consider what action they will take based on the circumstances you’ve put them in. They will decide what to do based on their past experience and also based on any known history of their country etc, as indeed we do.

A good read means you ARE in a world of your own. Pixabay image

APPRECIATINGWRITING-Thisisalwaysagoodidea-onwardsandupwards-Pixabay

Let the creativity spill out. PIxabay image.

In your fictional world weather should be part of the setting but not dominate it - Pixabay

It may well have been a dark and stormy night but best avoided in fiction, use the weather to show something about your character instead - Pixabay

There be dragons. Pixabay

I love a wide range of music but especially classical - Pixabay

Whatever you write, enjoy it! Pixabay image

A good adaptation will confirm images the reader has already conjured up from the original material. Pixabay image.

Set goals for the short, medium and long terms. Pixabay image

How is your fantastic world governed? Pixabay image

Stepping into another world.. Pixbay

Getting the balance right in adapting work is never easy. Pixabay image.

What do I want my flash fiction to be?

1. Entertaining. (Never despite the value of the escapism value of a book or story. The ability to escape into a good story is invaluable and I’m convinced has health benefits too).
2. To have the impact on a reader I hoped it would, whether it be to make them laugh, scream, or, where appropriate, both.
3. To be something I can be proud of – not just now but years on when I can look back at it and think, yes I loved writing that story/book and I still enjoy reading it.
4. A good character study, even if my character is a rotten piece of work. (Marvellous fun to write up though!).
5. To sometimes, and where appropriate, give a reader (and me) pause for thought.

I’ve never read a book in these conditions, have you? Pixabay image.

Words have power, whether funny or tragic. Pixabay image.

So true. Pixabay image.

The Writing Life. Pixabay image.

What stories will emerge from here? Pexels image.

No matter how strange your characters or setting, there must still be identifiable elements for a reader. Pixabay image

Playing with words. Pixabay image.

Words are the power source of so much creativity. Pixabay iamge.

I try NOT to chain down my creativity! Pexels image.

A great new idea makes me smile, as does this image. Pixabay image.

What worlds will emerge from your writing? Pixabay image

Let the creativity spill out. PIxabay image.

Good reading – and writing to be done – here. Pixabay image.

Lovely books. Pexels image.

The joy of writing is you never stop learning. Pixabay image.

Fairytales with Bite – What Books Mean to Me

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed interviewing my guests for the Chandler’s Ford Today series for the past three weeks. But linking that into fiction writing, I’ve got to ask what do books mean to your characters? Are your characters set in a world where they can read and books are easily available? Or are their stories preserved in other ways?

When you think about it, we have not had the printed word for that long compared with how long we have had the oral storytelling tradition. I love both “formats” and long may they reign but what would your characters know best? What is their technological equivalent to the Kindle if they have it? What fictional books would they read?

You can also ask that last question as you create your characters. Their choices may well tell you a great deal about them (and do query why the choices are the ones they are. Do they love, as I do, Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice because they appreciate irony? How do they express their own irony and is it appreciated? Does it land them in trouble?).

Thoughts to ponder!

IMPACT - Feedback isn't always positive but look for what you can learn from it - Pixabay

Well… again! Pixabay

I know I have lots of stories and books in my head but I didn’t mean it literally! Pixabay

What we all need… Pixabay

A book lover’s dream. Pixabay.

What writing can give you over time. Pixabay.

Not exactly a selfier but… Pixabay

Abbotswood House, home of Sir Walter Scott. Pixabay image.

Yes but I don't want to get said good ideas when inconvenienced - Pixabay

So true. Pixabay.

This World and Others – Goalposts

When you create a setting for your characters, do you set up goalposts for yourself? What do I mean by that? Simply, do you set limits for the setting that you absolutely have to know about before you write?

For example, you may decide you need to know the history of the town your lead character lives in but not of the neighbouring villages. There’s one limit set (one goalpost if you like that you won’t cross!).

Look at what you decide you need to know and examine why you need that. You should have no problems justifying those choices. What does pay is if thoughts occur to you about your setting that do not appear to be relevant, do jot them down anyway. You may find they come in useful later on in the story draft.

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Post-Swanwick and Reading Time

August 20, 2019Leave a comment

Publication News

Another story, The Delivery, will be on Cafelit very soon. Will share more details and the link next time. One thing I absolutely love about writing is the thrill of being published never diminishes.

Facebook – General

I expect the post-Swanwick blues to hit me on Monday when up to neck in the daily chores once again. What will keep me going is (a) looking forward to next year’s event (can’t start that too early, can you?) and (b) cracking on with my writing goals.

There was a four letter acronym at one of the courses which I’m not going to forget in a hurry and which I won’t repeat on here. (Get On With It is a politer version!). Let’s just say it’s all the motivation I need when the blues strike!

And one of the things I love about writing is the fact it DOES take you away from the world for a bit. I always feel better after writing, whether it is a short session or longer one, and that, for me, will always be reason enough to write at all.

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Catching up with some reading now I’m back home again. It does seem odd NOT to be talking writing and books all the time (but for the sake of my family and friends, it is just as well!).

Have written down some goals and a rough timescale in which to achieve them. When outlining my stories, I do actually then get on and write them so am hoping the same will happen with the goals I’ve set myself. (It does seem more real putting them down on paper, which is vital).

Have some blog posts to prepare so time to get on but I’ll leave some mottoes for genre writers to consider!

Fantasy Writers – Off In a World of Our Own

Crime Writers – Desperately Seeking Someone Annoying to Kill for Next Book

Horror Writers – It is Always Fright Night

Historical Fiction – The Past IS my present (career!).

Well? Pixabay

Recharging… Pixabay

Well… again! Pixabay

What worlds can you explore in flash fiction? Pixabay

Books, books, glorious books…. Pixabay

What worlds will new books show you? Pixabay

Set goals for the short, medium and long terms. Pixabay image

There is something almost mystical here. Pixabay image.

A good photo shows light at its best. Pixabay image.

Stepping into another world.. Pixbay

There be dragons. Pixabay

Delighted to say another story of mine will be up on Cafelit soon. More details later in the week.

I’ll also be sharing a few thoughts on why I love Swanwick Writers’ Summer School for CFT on Friday. I will also be looking at why writers should keep developing and honing their craft (which is only one good reason to love Swanwick as you have plenty of opportunities to do this there!).

Whether you go to conferences or not, getting out and about every now and then is a good thing for a writer. Trips out are splendid opportunities for people watching and you never know what you will come across on a visit.

One of the issues I have, given I write fairytales with bite, is it does make it difficult to find a place of direct relevance to my storytelling! I’ve yet to come across Fairyland…!😀😀 (And I am NOT the right age for Disney!).

But what I do is look for points of interest that may help feed the background of my stories later.

I went to Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight a couple of years ago and came across a psaltery there. You were allowed to play its strings and the sound was beautiful. Have not used this recollection in a story yet (note the yet!). It is funny what images and sounds stick in the memory though. What I do know is those images and sounds will come in useful for stories at some point.

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Well I’ve had my Slimming World weigh in. Only half a pound on, which is my best ever result after a week at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School! Now if I could only manage that at Christmas…

One downside to writing is it that it is not conducive to exercise! Exercising the little grey cells to come up with the next blog post or story doesn’t exactly shed the calories. My main exercise is walking Lady at least three times a day (though one of those walks is her sprinting after her ball. She’s been playing lately with an 8.5 year old collie called Mobi and it has been great hearing a thundering collie gallop in perfect stereo!).

My other exercise is swimming. I did thnk when I first started swimming, I would be bound to come up with story ideas etc during it. Not a bean! Aside from ensuring I’m not in anyone’s way and getting round those who may be in mine (!), I tend not to think of much at all. But that I guess is where the relaxing side to swimming comes in. Freeing the mind for a while frees it up later to be creative again.

Confidence in writing grows from practice and feedback - image via Pixabay

Someone set a goal here of some sort! Pixabay image

Gladstone’s Library. Pixabay image.

But never worry if those goals have to be small steps along the way to a bigger goal as writing is often like that to name but one example

So many lovely forms of writing… Pixabay

The writing necessities! Pixabay image.

Warning: Writer at Work. Pixabay

Abbotswood House, home of Sir Walter Scott. Pixabay image.

Great characters escape from great books! Pixabay image.

Good advice here. Pixabay

Pixabay.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I was “mugged” by the dog on my return from Swanwick so I was in no doubt she WAS pleased to see me back!😃😃 Dogs are very in your face about how they feel – literally so at times. There is no pretence about them, which is one of their great strengths.

Humans… well that’s another story. We have to work out how people are feeling (or guess at it) when there are no obvious clues to work with.

How do your characters show emotion? (Not in quite the same way as my dog I presume!). Are they “open” emotionally or is it hard work to get any reaction out of them?

In a flash story, there isn’t much room for detailed emotional relationships. I tend to focus on one main character and love to show what their emotional state is via their thoughts. It is direct, saves a lot on the word count, and you as a reader see what the character really thinks (even if the character is kidding themselves).

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F = Fun to write
L = Lively character(s)
A = Action immediately
S = Stories great for ending with a twist
H = Heroes/heroines are dropped right in it from the start

F = Finite story length but you do have some choice
I = Imagination intense to make an intense story work
C = Character(s) has/have to grip you immediately.
T = Tension, yes there’s plenty of that and not a lot of space to resolve it.
I = Intensity can vary. Reflective pieces can work well but the character has to be compelling to make that successful.
O = Oh my… what is your flash tale’s “oh my” moment?
N = Narrative take? I often favour first person.

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Sparks for flash fiction ideas have come to me from:-

1. A scene in classic Ealing comedy, The Ladykillers.
2. Pride and Prejudice.
3. Historical events.
4. Fairytales including narrating from the fairy godmother’s POV
5. Frankenstein
6. The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
7. St. George and the Dragon (though my take on this is not the usual one!).
8. Crime stories
9. Nursery rhymes
10. Owning a dog!

The more you can mix up where you get your sparks from, the better. The more you read and take in from different genres including non-fiction, the better. Yes, watching film can help too. (When all is said and done, you are taking in a story this way. It’s just in a visual format).

Happy ideas sparking!

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Unless I’m writing for a specific competition or market, I don’t always know what word count my flash fiction will end up being. I’ve learned not to worry about this.

I write my idea up and then see what I have to work with. I then edit it and polish it, and check the word count then. If it is close to a standard format (e.g. 110, 40, 230 etc), I will edit it to get to that point (e.g. 100, 50, 250). This makes finding a home for the piece easier to do.

If I really can’t polish the story any more, then I submit it to a market or competition which is open on word count. It really is a case of finding the right home for your story and sometimes that takes a little longer than I’d like but it is the only way I know of to increase my chances of story acceptances.

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Goodreads Author Blog – Reading Time

I’ve not long got back from the fabulous Swanwick Writers’ Summer School and, naturally, I picked up some wonderful books from the Book Room here.

What I didn’t get while I was there was any time to do any reading! After a full day of courses, workshops, catching up with old friends, and making new ones, I was far too tired to do much in the way of reading.

I managed to read two magazine articles while I was there! Hmm… not much at all in six days.

Of course, this has meant my TBR pile has increased but there are worse problems in life than that one!

Having said all of that, I was taking in plenty of great material via the course presentations etc and that was the important reading I did want to focus on.

Catching up with my reading will cheer me up immensely as the post-Swanwick and back to the real world blues hit home.

There is much to be grateful for when it comes to reading!

My usual routine is to give myself enough time to read before sleeping and I will often dip into a magazine at lunchtime, say. That was out of the question while I was away but being immersed in a world totally dedicated to reading and writing stories, books, scripts, non-fiction etc. was fantastic.

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Triggers and the Dreaded Lurgy

July 24, 2019July 24, 2019Leave a comment

Facebook – General

On my desk is a calendar with pictures of dogs and a motto alongside them. Today’s one shows a puppy (who looks as if it has just been told off for something!) and the motto is “Even a puppy will endure the unendurable out of love”. And it is true. Dogs are so fantastically loyal and loving. But the motto led me to think about using that for character creation.

In the words of the Meatloaf track “I’ll do anything for love but I won’t do that“, well… just what WILL your characters put up with or go through for love? What WON’T they do? How did they develop the love they have? Is anything putting that love under strain? What would make them snap?

It’s not just romantic love either that can be the focus here. It can be the love of country, the love for an ideal or what have you. How would your characters react if that love was betrayed or spoilt in some way?

Hmm… good stories to be found there I think!

Set goals for the short, medium and long terms. Pixabay image

What worlds can you explore in flash fiction? Pixabay

Read widely to inspire these. Pixabay

Ebooks and print – both have their own frustrations when it comes to publishing. Image via Pixabay

Reading immerses you in another world. Pixabay image.

Ah, the bliss of reading! Pixabay image.

Trusted notebook! Image via Pixabay

Writing to screen. Image via Pixabay

Let the ideas flow and let journeys encourage that! Image via Pixabay

Books are the keys to knowledge. Image via Pixabay

Good books will deepen your love of reading - Pixabay

Looking forward to going to the Chameleons’ latest production during the week.

With a title of “They Came from Mars and Landed Outside the Farndale Avenue Church Hall in Time for the Townswomen’s Guild’s Coffee Morning”, I think it’s a safe bet I’m in for a good laugh or several!

I’ll be reviewing the production in due course but will be looking at the importance of good titles in my next CFT post. This one though I admit is a great example of a title which tells you its genre – sci-fi spoof, a genre of which I’m very fond. (I do miss Red Dwarf!).

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Delighted to say I’ll have more publication news next week. Heard today so a great start to this week! The story concerned is a longer one than normal from me but one which has great personal meaning. So that will give you something to ponder! Can’t wait to share the link in due course.

Am currently preparing another story for submission and have a few very short pieces to submit elsewhere too. Making good progress on the novel too, though these things always take longer than you initially think. And that is still true even when you’ve been writing for years and know to allow LOADS more time than your initial estimate!

Which number draft is this? Pixabay image

PC playing up do you think? Image via Pixabay.

Imagination feeding the lightbulb moment. Pixabay

Let the ideas spill out! Pixabay

Whatever you write, enjoy it! Pixabay image

Pixabay image.

What we all need… Pixabay

Beautiful pens. Pexels image.

The Writing Life. Pixabay image.

We’ve all felt like this! Pixabay

Waiting for an upload to finish. Image via Pixabay.

So true. Pixabay.

I prefer tea myself. Pixabay

There are different ways to trigger flash fiction stories. A few I’ve used include:-

1. Set a word count and stick to it. (I did this when responding to Cafelit’s 100 word challenge and still do!). You can also use the Twitter character count here for the same thing.

2. Set a theme and stick to it – and then decide whether the story works better at 50 words, 500 words, or what have you and pitch to the appropriate market/competition. (I’ve done this too and how the story works has got to be the only benchmark here. The nice thing with flash is all of its sub-divisions in terms of word count so you will find something to suit).

3. Take a well known phrase or proverb and see what you can do with it storywise. (A favourite of mine. Usually gives you the title too!).

4. Find a source of pictures, pick one to write about. Come back to the others at later dates. My writing diary has inspired me here, I’m glad to say. Guess who will be trying to get the same diary next year. It has proved very useful!

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Sorry for the no-show last night. Bad case of the dreaded lurgy hit me yesterday afternoon and that was it for me for the rest of the day. Good to be back at the desk now though. I actually feel human again!

Gave Lady her first ever Kibble ice “lolly” today. After initially looking at me as if to say “what’s this then, Mum?”, Lady soon got the hang of it and demolished it quickly. Mind, she demolishes most things quickly. I suspect she’ll be having more of these “lollies” tomorrow. Due to get to 31 degrees where I am. Hmm…

Do I find writing more difficult in the heat? Not really. As long as I’ve got plenty of ventilation, I just plough on. Have got to go to London on Saturday. Am hoping it’s a bit cooler by then. It rarely gets cold on the Tube!!

What is then, Mum? Image by Allison Symes

I tell you what it was, Mum – it was yum! Image by Allison Symes

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

What sparks a story idea for you? It’s never just one thing for me but the following are some of my story triggers.

1. A snippet of overheard conversation. It doesn’t have to be particularly “juicy” either. Something as mundane as “I told her the hat looked stupid” can stir up story ideas.

2. A phrase or proverb which I know will make a great title. It’s then a great challenge to find a story idea to suit it! But I like titles and challenges like that. I just have to write to the title.

3. Clothes/hats if they’re particularly striking will make me wonder what characters of mine would wear something similar and in what circumstances. Good start for a story that.

And a particular favourite of mine…

4. Taking the viewpoint of fairytale characters but not those of the main “stars” of said fairytales. My first story in print was A Helping Hand in the Bridge House anthology Alternative Renditions and tells the Cinderella story from the viewpoint of the youngest stepsister. Good fun to write and still a favourite of mine.

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What can a flash fiction story do better than a longer standard length competition kind of tale?

1. Level of intensity is stronger in flash fiction. When you want to make a huge emotional impact on your reader, the less said the better a lot of the time. This of course is where flash comes into its own.

2. One-liners can lose some of their impact in a longer story. They can work really well as the ending of a flash fiction piece. Leave your audience laughing etc.

3. Every story should create images and emotional reactions in their readers. Flash can get to the heart of all of this that much quicker.

4. Sometimes THE moment is THE story and flash with its word count restriction would serve this kind of tale well. It doesn’t work for everything. Hamlet can’t be less than it is for example but where you only want to show the impact of one action on one character, a flash story is almost certainly the best vehicle for this.

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The dreaded lurgy yesterday afternoon meant the only flash I was capable of was the quick dash to the bathroom, hence the no-show. Is it a bird, is it a plane, no it’s me and nothing but nothing is stopping me getting to the loo in time! Am so glad to be feeling much better today. Must admit the heat does not help. I prefer a much milder temperature, as does Lady, my border collie cross.

The worst bit of yesterday was the feeling I just couldn’t focus, no matter how much I wanted to, so in that situation, you’re better off giving in to the inevitable. Did I miss my writing yesterday? You bet. Did I resent being poorly and keeping me away from said writing? Oh yes…!

The nearest I’ve got to writing about poorly characters is my Calling the Doctor (which is in the book trailer on this page so please do check it out). I suppose one reason I don’t write on this angle much is because I really do enjoy dropping my characters right in it and see how they manage! (I know, I know – I’m all heart!). I guess if they were poorly, I don’t think I could do that to them (told you I was all heart) and therefore I think it scuppers my writing for them.

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Goodreads Author Blog – I’m “Just” Reading

Do you ever feel guilty when you get to relax with a book? I must admit I do sometimes. There are always other things I could be getting on which would be more obviously useful.

However, that is the point. Those other things will always be there. And all writers know you need to read widely and well to feed and nurture your own imagination.

So I will continue to “just” read as and when I can though the majority of my reading time is at bedtime. It is the perfect way to wind down before sleeping (though this may be why it is just as well I’m not a huge fan of horror. I don’t want to be too scared to go to sleep!).

Flash fiction and short story collections are a great boon for people whose reading time is limited, given they make good books to dip into for those breaks in the day when you have a lovely ten minutes to relish a cup of something nice and get to “steal” some reading time to go with it. (So now you know what I do when I have a cuppa!).

I’ve never had time for those who look down on genre fiction as somehow being less worthy. Genre fiction – and reading for entertainment only – brings people into reading. Who knows what they will go on to read but it is vital that spark to read is ignited. Besides being able to entertain others with words you’ve written is something rather special.

The purpose of reading from a writer’s viewpoint is to engage with the reader whether you’re reading something serious or something light. Nobody says it has to be deadly dull and worthy. Let it be what it is – an entertaining read. It really is good enough (and more difficult to achieve than some people think).

Reading work out loud will help you hear how the story works. Pixabay

Now that is a great place to read but I'd still want a comfy chair

Stories reflect all sorts of moods. There is a story to suit everyone out there! Image via Pixabay.

My CFT post this week. Pixabay image.

Lovely thought: busy ants taking time out to read. Unlikely though. Pixabay

Big screen, little screen, LOTS of stories on either! Image via Pixabay

What worlds can you explore in flash fiction? Pixabay

I write fairytales with bite as flash fiction and short stories in particular. Image via Pixabay.

Preparing a talk or a flash fiction story perhaps. Image via Pixabay.

Grow as a writer? Grow your reading! Image via Pixabay

Love reading in both formats! Pixabay image.

Books make wonderful gifts. Image via Pixabay.

Books are wonderful – whether in print or electronic, whether as audio stories or told by a storyteller. Image via Pixabay.

Plenty to choose from here. Pixabay

Says it all really and applies to non-fiction equally as fiction. Image via Pixabay.

Books, Books, Books!

April 16, 2019April 16, 2019Leave a comment

Facebook – General

I suspect I’m preaching to the converted with the title for this post but never mind!

Books have been a vital part of my life since goodness knows when but I’ve only been writing since I turned 30…. X number of years ago!! Quite a considerable number of years in fact but not so many as when I first discovered the joys of reading and would spend many a happy hour in the local library.

Why did it take me so long to make the connection between “you really love books and stories” and “you really like writing your own stories” so you should become a writer? Goodness knows. Looking back on it, it is daft I didn’t start writing sooner but the main thing is I am writing now!

My advice to anyone pondering if they should write or not is to give it a go and have fun creating characters and stories. Whether you then try to get published is up to you. There’s nothing wrong with just writing for your own satisfaction. What matters is you’re writing and loving it.

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I loved watching the TV series of Black Beauty when I was a kid. That encouraged me to read the book by Anna Sewell. Southern TV, as it was back then, adapted some of the Enid Blyton Famous Five books and I loved those too. Pity they lost the franchise because that ended the series pronto!

So a good TV adaptation can encourage people to get back to the books, which is very much A Good Thing! This also happened with me with Oliver Twist. Alec Guinness and Oliver Reed were superb as Fagin and Bill Sykes. Had to read the book after watching the film.

With The Lord of the Rings, I had read the trilogy first. The magic of those films was bringing to life the images I had conjured up in my head of what Middle Earth looked like. (I still like the look of the hobbit holes. I’m about the right height to live in one too!).

I love it when creative media feeds off AND benefits other creativity like this.

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So terribly sad to see the news about Notre Dame. I hope the damage is as limited as possible. Also that restoration can take place as soon as possible too.

On to other things…

The only time I specifically write to a theme is when entering competitions. I’ve usually got a character in mind when I’m thinking about a new flash fiction story and work out, from their main characteristics, what theme would best suit them. I can’t say whether this is the right or wrong way to do things but I do know it works for me.

My other use of themes is to trigger ideas for a new story and then I spend some time working out which kind of character would best suit it. If I can’t work out a suitable character I don’t write the story.

For me it is all about the characters, always.

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I suppose my first introduction to short stories must have been the Reader’s Digest Collections of Fairytales, which I still have.

I was never conscious of this when reading these books (over and over and over and over again etc!) though I do recall being stunned at how long The Little Mermaid was and that it really didn’t have a happy ending. That was an eye opener for me. I didn’t know stories could be like that!

I also loved The Snow Queen with Gerda being the “action lead”. That was an eye opener too. Here was a girl off having all kinds of adventures to rescue her neighbour from said Snow Queen (and the splinter of the evil mirror in his heart). Loved that on first reading.

Here is where you meet ideas for future characters of your own – by reading widely and discovering them in other stories, then wondering what YOU could do with a character like that. You then wonder what setting YOU would put them in and what adventures/problems YOU set them. YOU wonder how your characters would sound and act and react and all of this comes together, creating a story that is uniquely yours. Writing and reading are truly wonderful things.

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

The Book Depository UK has FLTDBA listed as available within 2-3 business days. Amazon currently has it available as one month plus! I don’t know why this happens but it does pay to check out online retailers for availability, whether it is in books or anything else!

And I will put in another word about reviews. They really do help authors. Amazon sit up and take notice if you have 50 reviews. If you’re not sure what to write, one line saying what you liked (or loathed) about the book is sufficient. It is a great irony that even a review where someone didn’t like s book still helps the author of that book when it comes to the “numbers game”.

My own policy for reviews, whether it is for groceries or books, is to have a good look through what people have said. Usually there is a consensus and I can then go with that or not as I see fit but I find reviews a useful guide when I’m on the other side of the fence. So please do review! Thanks!

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I sometimes use alliteration in my flash fiction titles (Pen Portrait, Telling The Time etc) but I haven’t deliberately done this. In each case the title has been the right one for the story and the alliteration is a nice side effect!

I also think it is better to have things that way round rather than try to think of a clever title and try to make the story fit it. I can never see how that would work. Something would feel artificial about it.

I have to have a title to work to when writing a story (of any length) but I will change it if something better pops into my head as I’m working on the first draft. I use my titles to help me set the mood for a story. I sometimes use titles which can have a secondary meaning that the story makes clear.

The important thing is that the title suits the story.

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Once I’ve got a flash fiction collection written and edited, I spend some time working out what would be the best “running order” for the stories. This can take some time but it’s worth it.

From Light to Dark and Back Again lives up to its name (!) but the big plus with that was it helped me group stories beautifully!

The reason for all of this? I don’t just want my individual stories to make an impact on a reader. I want the book as a whole to do so too so taking a step back and planning what stories goes where helps enormously with that.

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What is the worst aspect of writing flash fiction?

For me, it’s coming up with a character with a strong enough voice. Once I’ve got that (after some outlining), I can set that character wherever I want and away they go!

It’s not enough for a character to be pushy or what have you. There has got be strong enough reason for them to be like that. Give them this and you will take the reader with you even though the reading journey for flash fiction is necessarily a short one!

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Goodreads Author Blog – Playing with Genre

With my flash fiction, I like to play with genre a lot. As flash fiction has to be character led due to the strict word count, I can have great fun putting that character wherever and whenever I want. I’ve written fantasy flash fiction, historical flash fiction, crime flash fiction etc as a result.

I’ve read excellent collections by other authors too. Some focus on one genre. The Great War by Dawn Kentish Knox is a great example of a themed historical flash fiction collection. Do check it out. The characterisation is very moving.

But it is not just in the flash and short story form that genre can be played with, far from it.

I love the crossover novel. It blends the best of the two (usually) genres it is mixing and gives something unique to the reader as a result. A good example to check out here is Jennifer C Wilson’s Kindred Spirits series which crosses ghost stories with historical fiction. Great mix!

I think readers are much more flexible over this than writers/publishers realise at times. I know what I like when I read it even if I can’t categorise it! And while categories ARE important, I don’t think they’re meant to be straitjackets either.

Have fun with your reading/writing and mix those genres!

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Reading Journeys and the Role of Stories

February 15, 2019Leave a comment

Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

I look at how what I’ve read has changed over the years in my CFT post about Reading Journeys this week. I also look at how the Kindle has impacted on my reading life too (and boy has it! My suitcase is a lot lighter thanks to it!).

I can’t remember what the first book I read all by myself was but wouldn’t be surprised if it was a picture book. I am still very fond of The Reader’s Digest Collection of Fairytales which is beautifully illustrated. I’m also a sucker for a good map (see The Lord of the Rings!).

I’ve said it before, and will no doubt say it again, but adult fiction writers owe a huge debt to those who write for youngsters. So many readers of fiction for adults come from a background of having always read books/had books read to them. It is just a case of tastes changing over time. It is difficult to understate how important it is to create that wish to read spark off in the first place.

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My favourite moment when writing a story or a CFT post is when the piece “takes off”.

For a story, this is when the character hits their stride and there’s no holding them back. You, as the writer, are keen to find out what happens next (which is always a good sign!). And yes I outline but I deliberately don’t put down every detail. I need signposts but what happens between them is the really fun bit!

For a post, it is when one idea leads to another and that leads to more and before you know it, an article is written.

The scary moment? When you’ve outlined an idea and you begin writing and at that point you don’t know whether it is going to “go the distance”. There’s always a certain amount of relief when things “take off” and you realise the post or story will be fine (after editing later, naturally).

Image Credit: The picture of From Light to Dark and Back Again was taken by my cousin, Raewyn Berry. My book is on display at her guest house in New Zealand. It is easily the furthest my book has travelled!

My smartphone has not yet managed this! Pixabay image.

Hope you have lovely books as presents! Pixabay image

A book worm’s idea of heaven and picture books will be in here! Pixabay image

The joy of writing is you never stop learning. Pixabay image.

So true. Pixabay image.

The ultimate smartphone maybe?! Image via Pixabay

How many story ideas could come from an image like this? Pixabay.

IMPACT - What impact does your story have - Pixabay

Books and tea, bliss! Pixabay image

My CFT post this week will take a look at reading journeys and how they change and develop over time (as they should). Good excuse to put lots of pictures of lovely books up too! Win-win! I also look at how methods of reading have developed. Who would have predicted the Kindle when I was growing up in the 1970s?

Do you have a reading list of books you simply must read (in whatever format suits best) before the Grim Library Keeper tells you that you are way overdue and it is time to go?

One of my favourite cartoons is the one of a woman in bed ringing to tell someone her other half has been crushed by his To Be Read pile. I have a nasty feeling life could imitate art for many of us here on that front! So don’t pile them too high, eh?

And I really must go and reduce the height of mine!

Where is your setting? Pixabay image.

Enjoy your writing whether you write directly to screen or to pen and paper first. Pixabay image.

IMPACT - Use strong words for descriptions. Strong questions can help you get there. Pixabay

My flash fiction collection. Image taken by Allison Symes.

I was in this Bridge House anthology. Picture taken by Allison Symes

Another of my stories made it into this collection. Image taken by Allison Symes

It is a great joy to be published by Cafelit online and in print. Picture taken by Allison Symes

Another flash fiction piece of mine is in here. Pixabay image.

My first story appeared here. Photo taken by Allison Symes

Stepping into another world.. Pixbay

There be dragons. Pixabay

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

The spark for a new flash fiction story comes from a variety of sources for me. These include:-

1. Hearing a turn of phrase which catches my fancy.

2. A well known saying or proverb. (I can often twist these too so double whammy as far as I’m concerned).

3. I sometimes use a question as the story title. The story of course is then found in answering that question!

4. Writing prompts – picture based, theme set or what have you, I find all of these useful. (My writing diary is a boon for these. I should have 52 new stories by the end of the year at least given there is a prompt set every week!).

5. What is lovely is when a character I’ve created sparks off an idea for a follow-on story but the character and the follow-on idea both have to be strong enough for this to work.

6. I will sometimes put a character name into my title (for example George Changes His Mind). The idea here is to provoke curiosity as to find out who the character is and, in this example, what he changed his mind about! The implication also is that it has to be something reasonably important otherwise there would be no story.

Which number draft is this? Pixabay image

Fiction can take you anywhere. Image via Pixabay.

Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.

There is something almost mystical here. Pixabay image.

Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.

Love writing, love reading, love books. Pixabay image.

Reading immerses you in another world. Pixabay image.

The writing journey can be a long one so setting goals along the way makes sense. Pixabay image

Fiction should show you new ways of looking at the world. Image via Pixabay.

The one time of year when Time itself is the news. Pixabay image.

Just what is your story then? Image via Pixabay

Taking time to look back on achievements and look ahead to those to come - Pixabay

Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.

F is for Fun which writing should be
L is for Lines for your characters to say
A is for Action without which a story is dead
S is for Story, the “must know how it ends” reaction
H is for Heroes, of all kinds, caped or not.

F is for Flashbacks which should be kept brief
I is for Imagination – feed yours by reading well
C is for Characters we all want to root for
T is for Truthful Narrators or ARE they? Make us guess!
I is for Illumination, that lightbulb creative moment
O is for Original – you have a unique writing voice
N is for Names – what do they reveal about your “people”?

Allison Symes – 14th February 2019

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Flash fiction can be great for giving little insights into a character and/or their setting which would not be enough for a standard length short story. You can imply their world without going into lots of description.

My Every Little Detail doesn’t spell out who the reader mentioned in the story is until literally the last word but so much is implied in the run-up to that, my closing word acts as a confirming punchline in many ways.

I relish writing stories like that. The fun comes from working out what clues to put in and how best to do so. The reader needs to work things out without you spelling everything out but the clues must enable them to do that.

Hopefully the Book Fair will encourage even more reading! Image via Pexels

The ultimate book tunnel? Image via Pexels

Walking into the words maybe. Pixabay image

No room for gobbledygook here. Image via Pixabay.

What worlds will new books show you? Pixabay

It would be a joy to research here! Pixabay image

Stories are magical and inspire other stories. Image via Pixabay.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Cropped Version of my reading at railway station

Words have power, whether funny or tragic. Pixabay image.

What worlds will emerge from your writing? Pixabay image

Decisions, decisions and a not terribly helpful signpost. Image via Pixabay.

Fairytales With Bite – Character Traits

I like to look for a major trait in a character and use that to help “round them out”. For example, if I decide a character is a coward, I dig deeper and look for what has led to the character being like that. I can also look at whether they’re ashamed of this or not. Not everything I outline here will make it into my story but I know that if I know what the answers are here, I will write my character with more confidence (and therefore conviction as well) and I believe THAT comes through to the reader.

So useful character traits to consider then could include:-

Cowardice/Heroism;
Being a Liar/Being Honest (the latter could cause as much trouble as the former and the potential for comedy is here too);
Stubbornness/Being Flexible;
Being Unfriendly/Being Sociable;
Being Prejudiced/Being Open.

There are of course many more traits than these and practically every trait has its opposite flaw/virtue which could also be used.

Questions to ask yourself when using these:-

How did the character develop this flaw/virtue?
Do they see it as a flaw or virtue? Are they right about this?
How do others around the character react to them and their flaw/virtue?
What are their society’s expectations?
Does the character change – for better or worse?

Have fun!

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This World and Others – The Role of Stories

We all know how important stories are to us personally and to our society but when creating your own world, what thought have you given to the role of tales there? Does your world have its own legends? What are these? How are these legends shared?

Was/is there an oral storytelling tradition? Are only certain stories allowed (and who chose these and why)? Are books easily available to all (or the technological equivalent)? Is reading encouraged? Are there libraries?

How does your world decide whether something it is civilised or not? You’ll guess from the questions I list above I consider the ready availability of books, libraries, stories being generally available etc to be major considerations as to whether I think something is civilised!

How do the characters in your stories treat books and stories? Do their views agree with those held by their society or not?

The role of stories is important (they’re a great way of getting a message across without preaching and are a wonderful form of entertainment. Does your fictional world treat them in the same way? If not, why not?).

Publication News: Cafelit

I will have two new stories up on Cafelit on 16th February and 16th March. Will share links as and when. I am also pleased to say two stories of mine are being voted on for consideration for the Best of Cafelit 8 print anthology due out later this year. Will keep you posted on how I do but do check out the Best of books as there are wonderful stories in here from a lovely variety of writers. (How do I know they’re lovely? I’ve met them!).

: It is a great joy to be published by Cafelit online and in print. Picture taken by Allison Symes

: Another of my stories made it into this collection. Image taken by Allison Symes

: Another flash fiction piece of mine is in here. Pixabay image.

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Collaboration, Picture Books, and Characters

February 8, 2019Leave a comment

Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

My latest CFT post is an interview with local children’s writer, Anne Wan. For her latest book, Manners Fit for the Queen, she teams up with local illustrator, Sally Goodden.

The interview looks at the colloborative process needed to produce a picture book and why picture books matter.

For most of us, one of our first introductions to the wonderful world of stories would have been through a picture book. I still love a well illustrated book. (The maps in the Lord of the Rings are fab!).

NB. I love it when a title for a post just “comes” to me and I particularly like this week’s one. Picture Books and Other Hooks has a good rhythm to it!

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Looking forward to having a go at the writing prompt for this week from my diary. The prompt is to show the groundhog’s point of view as it prepares to meet his/her public for Groundhog Day (great film incidentally)!

Will have a crack at that challenge over the weekend. Should be fun! I can categorically state I’ve never created a groundhog character before! Am probably unlikely to do so again but it will be fun to find out what comes from this.

Later in the year, there‘s another prompt asking me to list 10 words associated with a train journey. People could have a lot of fun with that depending on which train operator they use regularly! (I think there should have been a comment in the prompt to “keep it clean” but that’s just me!).

As you will have gathered, I love this writing diary!

Definitely a fantasy story here! Pixabay image.

Reading can make it seem as if you are in your own bubble! Pixabay image

Where is your setting? Pixabay image.

A storyteller on their travels perhaps? Pixabay image.

A familiar sight here! Pixabay

IMPACT - What impact will your work have on readers - Pixabay

No matter how strange your characters or setting, there must still be identifiable elements for a reader. Pixabay image

What worlds will new books show you? Pixabay

My CFT post this week will be an interview with children’s writer, Anne Wan, and illustrator, Sally Goodden. They recently had a story and craft event at Chandler’s Ford Library based on Anne’s most recent book, Manners Fit for the Queen, which is a picture book.

The ladies discuss how they worked collaboratively and how they met. Picture books look “easy” but are notoriously difficult to get right. The pictures need to convey enough of the story but without giving it all away. The text needs to be pitched right for the age range.

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

When did you first come across flash fiction? I ask as my latest CFT post looks at picture books and interviews Anne Wan/Sally Goodden on their colloborative work here. It made me realise that my way into reading, as it would have been for many of us, was via well cherished picture books. So on to my great love now – flash fiction – how did I get into that?

For me, it was via the 100-word challenge issued by Cafelit. Prior to that, I’d not heard of the form, yet alone had a go at it! I think part of the “not hearing” about it was due to the term used. I HAD heard about micro fiction but had not been clear about what that meant. I know now!

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A good story will always make you react in some way. I’ve read (and written) stories that are meant to make you laugh or chill you to the bone.

So if a story isn’t working for you as you draft and edit it, look at what impact it is making on you as you read it. Is there an impact at all? If not, there is where the problem is! So think about what impact do you want it to have? How can the characters generate that impact?

If a character isn’t strong enough, ask why. Are they the right character for this story? Do you need to outline them in more depth to get right into their soul and really find out what makes them tick and react?

I’ve found a good way to get started is think of an extreme situation and look at how your character responds to it. For example, a fire breaks out in the character’s house so what do they do? What do they HAVE to save before they get out and why?

Or get away from it all in one book. Pixabay image.

Stepping into another world.. Pixbay

What kind of defeats and downfalls do your characters experience? Pixabay image.

Hope your Christmas books take you to all sorts of wonderful places! Pixabay image

There is something almost mystical here. Pixabay image.

A stalwart character in the fairytales. Pixabay image.

Write to screen but edit on paper. Pixabay image.

Making the most of the writing time. Pixabay image

Books and tea, bliss! Pixabay image

96796-acronyms2b-2bsome2bediting2bis2bdefinitely2bneeded2bhere

I remember using a manual typewriter. Pixabay image.

Definitely a fantasy story here! Pixabay image.

One of the nice sides to writing is you never lose the joy of hearing when something has been accepted! One huge advantage to writing flash fiction and short stories is being able to produce work and, hopefully, get it out there, building up publication credits, while working on a longer project.

Everyone knows how difficult it can be to get a novel out there but that doesn’t mean flash fiction and short stories should be considered “easy”. They’re not! You still need to craft the stories very well in order for them to have a chance of being accepted. You still need to pitch them to the right competitions/markets. They should also be recognised as a joy to write in their own right.

Ironically, it can be harder to write short than it is to write long. I always overwrite my stories but the advantage to that is I get off to a flying start with my editing pen! I find it a good acid test of whether a story is strong enough that I need to cut it back. If I’m having to pad (and I’ve only done this rarely), then the story idea isn’t strong enough in the first place (and I’ve always ended up either abandoning the idea altogether or finding ways of improving it. It never stays as it was).

Let the creative process flow! Image via Pixabay

Let the ideas flow and let journeys encourage that! Image via Pixabay

The tools of the scrivener’s trade. We’ve come on a bit since then! Image via Pixabay

Love both the Kindle and the paperback. Why choose when you can have both? Image via Pixabay

Use personal reviews to help you generate characters and story outlines. Image via Pixabay.

Let those ideas flow! Image via Pixabay,

Signing books for a friend. Image by Adrian Symes

Says it all really and applies to non-fiction equally as fiction. Image via Pixabay.

My book on sale at Bay Leaves Larder, a wonderful local cafe that does a lot to support writers in the area.

The building blocks of putting a story together. Pixabay image.

Ebooks and print – both have their own frustrations when it comes to publishing. Image via Pixabay

Let your stories have impact. Image via Pixabay

Books are the keys to knowledge. Image via Pixabay

Fairytales With Bite – What Matters to Your Characters?

What matters most to your characters and why? Get your characters to face losing what matters to them most and that will increase the tensions in your story considerably.

The nice things with this is whatever it is that matters most can vary considerably. For one character, it could be a life or death situation. Another character could be terribly worked up because they’re late back with their library book. The potential for humour is here too.

The one proviso is that your characters have to have very good reasons for why these things matter. A life or death scenario has an obvious “why it matters” inherent in it. In the case of the library book scenario, could it be that your character has never been late in their life for anything and fears losing control over their neat little life if they ARE late at all? Maybe they worry about what the librarian will think – other people’s opinions matter to this character. You get the idea.

Have fun and play with this. Work out what could make your character lose what matters most. For someone with a controlled life, what on earth has happened to make the possibility of being late back with their library book happen at all? Something catastrophic (to them) must have occurred. Hopefully it will be very entertaining for a reader!

Images from the magical world… Image via Pixabay

This statue reminds me of myself when I was a lot younger. Okay I wasn’t made of stone (I’m still not!) but I did always have my head in a book. (And do so as often as I can now!). Image via Pixabay.

Where many a first draft starts life. Old technology still has its uses! Image via Pixabay.

Stories (and indeed most books of any kind) are magical. Image via Pixabay.

The world’s most beautiful library perhaps? Image via Pixabay. But lots of lovely stories to read which may well spark off ideas for other stories. Only problem? Where to start!

Writing in many forms. Image via Pixabay.

Love this library. Mine is somewhat smaller than this! Image via Pixabay.

Never give up, work hard, be disciplined… all valuable traits for success, whether you’re a tennis player, a writer or a character in a story! Image via Pixabay.

Says it all really. Image via Pixabay. And am glad to say my poorly border collie, Mabel, has very much been showing this spirit.

Some of the strongest ideas have a simple theme. See A Christmas Carol as a classic example. Image via Pixabay.

There can be reality behind fairytales. Image via Pixabay (and image used as part of book trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again)

What impact do your stories have on your readers? Image via Pixabay

Let the writing flow and if music can help it along even better! Image via Pixabay

This World and Others – Collaboration

Collaboration is vital when producing picture books, as discussed by local writer, Anne Wan, and illustrator, Sally Goodden in this week’s CFT post. (I must admit I was pleased with the title for this one – Picture Books and Other Hooks!).

Working in partnership matters even when you write on your own! How and why?

For me, this means seeing writing as two distinct processes. One is the fun creative side of getting everything down on paper or on screen. The second is the editing process where you tighten your story up and really give it muscle by getting rid of anything and everything that does not contribute to moving your tale onwards and upwards to its conclusion. I love editing. I love the sense of the story improving as I spot repetitions etc I didn’t see in the giddy delight of creating new characters etc. I love the sense of getting rid of what isn’t helping the story.

So where does the collaboration come in? By accepting these are two distinct processes and not trying to do both at the same time.

Give your creative side free rein and enjoy the ride. Don’t let your inner editor spoil that. It’s not time for them to come in yet. Once that side is finished, then recognise the fact that all stories are improved (and therefore stand a better chance of publication) by good editing.

See editing as what gives your stories the wings to fly! I do and find this side of things fun as a result. Nothing is going to beat the heady thrill of creating something new but it helps enormously to know nobody has ever produced a truly terrific story in one go! Everyone needs at least a second draft! Good luck.

Books invite you into their world. Go! Image via Pixabay.

From Light to Dark and Back Again. Image by Allison Symes

Books should keep you gripped and that is down to the characters. Image via Pixabay

Good advice – and it applies to our characters too. Image via Pixabay

Love this image! Image via Pixabay

What new worlds and scenes will books show you? Image via Pixabay

Reviews can have global reach. Most impact I think can often be local to the writer.

Alas, too late for me! Image via Pixabay

Some very strange creatures are in books. Image via Pixabay

Where will your characters take you? Image via Pixabay

What ever writer needs. Image via Pixabay

Getting Started and Moving On

November 27, 2018Leave a comment

Facebook – General

I often think the hardest part of writing is getting started! Once I’m away on a piece, whether it is a FB post like this, a flash fiction or longer short story, I get the “bit between the teeth” and get on with it until I’ve got that first draft down.

I’m not deliberately procrastinating incidentally. I set myself down to write at pretty much the same time every night and get on with it. It’s just finding those first few words to get the ball rolling…

Ah well, time to get on with the next piece!

So true. Pixabay image.

Notes about your characters can help you portray them more accurately. Not every note has to make it into the story itself. Pixabay image.

Write first, edit later. Pixabay.

Sadly a very familiar sight! Pixabay image

The joy of writing is you never stop learning. Pixabay image.

Drafting those ideas… image via Pexels

Says it all really and applies to non-fiction equally as fiction. Image via Pixabay.

Escape with a good book. Image via Pixabay.

Good reading – and writing to be done – here. Pixabay image.

Wonderful writing desk. Pixabay image

Does music help you with your creativity?

I write usually with classical music on in the background (courtesy of #ClassicFM most of the time). It doesn’t matter whether it’s Beethoven’s 5th or his Moonlight Sonata, I find that just having the music on relaxes me and I just get on and write more effectively.

I am very fond of the Saturday Night at the Movies show on Classic and it is amazing how the right music can make a film. I bet you can name at least four John Williams’ themes for a start. Think of the films you’ve thought of WITHOUT that music. Almost impossible, isn’t it?

Sometimes when I create characters, I think of what music would best suit them. It never makes it into the story itself but it does help me to picture them better so I write about/for them with more depth and that DOES show in a story.

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Enjoying the new series of I’m Sorry I Haven’t A Clue on Radio 4. Always love the word play on here. You can’t keep a bad pun down, no matter how much you might want to!

Playing with the language, inventing puns etc, is something I occasionally do as a writing exercise. Always good fun. Makes you think in a different way. (Just how excruciating can I get with a pun?!). Sometimes that has triggered story ideas precisely because I’ve allowed my brain to go off on a tangent for a bit. Try it and see what you come up with. If nothing else, you should have fun with some mental word games here!

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Delighted to share more publication news. My flash fiction piece, Moving On, is now live on Cafelit. Hope you enjoy, especially if you’re considering a career change!

Online writing -v- on a line writing! Image via Pixabay

Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.

Your blog, your topic, your theme – just be sensible on copyright and libel issues. Image via Pixabay.

Just what is your story then? Image via Pixabay

Planning your characters. Image via Pixabay.

Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.

What characters will you come up with? Image via Pixabay

Always good advice! Pixabay image.

Thoughts are free but check images used are either free to use or your own! Image via Pixabay.

A familiar sight to many of us. Image via Pixabay.

Books have their own sense of time and space. Image via Pixabay.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

When do you know if a flash fiction piece has had impact?

If you’re really lucky, a reader will tell you so but for me generally it has been when I can recall most, if not all, of the story days later and it still makes me feel the way I did on first reading it. And that applies whether I’ve written the piece or not. There is a kind of “hits you between the eyes” feeling to stories like this.

Stepping into another world.. Pixbay

There be dragons. Pixabay

Love writing, love reading, love books. Pixabay image.

Plugging in for new ideas? Pixabay image

Clarity and constructive criticism are always useful. Pixabay image.

PC playing up do you think? Image via Pixabay.

Waiting for an upload to finish. Image via Pixabay.

What a beautiful home for books. Image via Pixabay

A huge but lovely library. Image via Pexels

The art of the flash (fiction). Image via Pixabay

Stories are magical and inspire other stories. Image via Pixabay.

Reviews can have global reach. Most impact I think can often be local to the writer.

Looking forward to sharing more publication news next week. Also looking forward to the Bridge House event in London next Saturday and seeing old friends and meeting new ones there!

Plus, as ever, am planning to do plenty of writing on the train journeys. All hail, Evernote, I get so much done!! I find I either write several flash fiction stories or draft one or two CFT posts in an average train journey. So at some point I ought to go on a long train journey – hmm… what could I get drafted on the sleeper train to Scotland I wonder? If I ever find out, I will report back.😀😉

Does your story conjure up your setting well enough? Pexels image.

How is your world governed? Is it done well? Pixabay image.

How does gravity and time work in your settings? Pixabay image.

The perfect place to reflect and take stock. Pixabay image.

Fiction can take you anywhere. Image via Pixabay.

Let your writing sparkle. Image via Pexels.

Good advice. Image via Pixabay.

Some very strange creatures are in books. Image via Pixabay

You can’t beat notebooks for jotting down ideas. Image via Pixabay.

Let the creative process flow! Image via Pixabay

Will be reading some flash fiction pieces at the Bridge House event on Saturday. Looking forward to that. Looking forward to hearing all the other wonderful stories from my fellow authors there as well. I love sitting back entranced. And how often, as adults, do we get to be read TO? Not often enough I suspect.

To love writing you have GOT to love reading (though taking in stories via other forms such as audio is fine but nothing for me will beat a book). I owe a huge debt to my late mum for instilling a love of stories and reading in me at a very young age. She got to see my first published story – A Helping Hand in the Bridge House Alternative Renditions anthology – and my dad got to see my first book, From Light to Dark and Back Again, published. There’s a pleasing symmetry to that.

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My latest flash story, Moving On, which is now on Cafelit, was one of those tales where I started with the opening line and based the story around it. I wanted something different to the normal meaning associated with “learning to let go”. I like taking phrases like that and putting my own take on them. Give it a go, it is good fun!

http://cafelitcreativecafe.blogspot.com/20…/…/moving-on.html

Good advice – and it applies to our characters too. Image via Pixabay

My laminated book cover on the way into the Fair. Image by Allison Symes

Fill that blank sheet with ideas from non-fiction as well as other fiction works - image via Pixabay

Play with words and fill that blank page. Pixabay image.

There can be reality behind fairytales. Image via Pixabay (and image used as part of book trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again)

Edit, edit, edit! Pixabay image.

Beautiful pens. Pexels image.

Let those ideas flow! Image via Pixabay,

Let the writing flow and if music can help it along even better! Image via Pixabay

What stories will come from this pen? Pexels image.

What will this be for your writing journey? Pixabay image

A VERY familiar sight, alas! Pixabay image.

Goodreads Author Programme Blog – Impact of Writing

The impact of writing on the world in general cannot be underestimated.

As well as the Bible, Shakespeare, Dickens etc., all of which have contributed so much to our language and whose stories have been the inspiration for so many others, there are things like the Domesday Book and Magna Carta.

Historical documents which colour so much else in life and law. Nobody could have foreseen at the time of writing just how much impact these would have (though there would have been many hopes about the Magna Carta. Not least that King John was hoping to get rid of it again as soon as he possibly could! An early recognition of dangerous writing perhaps?).

What makes us love our favourite books and stories the way we do? It is also down to impact. The impact of them stays with us. We want to be like the heroic lead characters perhaps. We feel fear for the characters we love as they face dangers. We feel relief, joy etc when our favourites survive.

So do writers’ play with their readers’ emotions then? Yes but it is always best done subtly. The reader has to be willing to go along with the writer here. The writer has to deliver on the promise of his/her opening lines. We have got to be able to identify with those in the story to want to find out whether they make it through to the end or not.

So the impact of writing is everything then. As readers then we need to decide what impact we want to experience.

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All About Time

November 16, 20181 Comment

Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

My latest CFT post looks at time management (and oh I would love to be better at that!) and at time travel. Naturally a certain Doctor makes an appearance in the post and I also look at if time travel were to become possible, where would you go and why? What would you do while there? Comments as ever welcome on the CFT page.

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I discuss the art of time management and time travel in this week’s CFT post. (I suppose thinking about it further, you could say one of the earliest forms of time management in the UK was when the railways standardised time for us all).

On the assumption time travel ever becomes possible (and I’m not counting the gags that say something like travelling on XXX railway makes you feel as if you’ve gone back to the 1860s!), where would go and why?

Thinking heads on. Link goes up tomorrow. Comments welcome in the CFT comments box when post goes live. (If you’re really keen it goes live at just after midnight but you may have to wait to get a reply from me! Unlike Cinderella, I know where I’m going to be at midnight and it won’t be at my keyboard… ah the joys of middle age!).

Be open to change. Pixabay image.

Great characters = great books. Image via Pixabay.

Great characters will engross you. You will lose time reading their stories. Image via Pixabay.

We dare not forget. Pixabay image.

Books and a cup of tea = lovely! Pexels image.

Love this clock. Pixabay image.

Beautiful pens. Pexels image.

My writing desk is nowhere near as elegant as this one. Pixabay image.

Stories can take you to fantastic places. Pixabay image.

Memories are fragile especially over time. Pixabay image.

Have never understood the point of the clock changes twice a year. Can’t we just stick to one? Image via Pixabay.

It always is! Reflecting first helps a lot! Pixabay image

Love that clock. Pexels image.

One good thing about the dark nights coming in earlier is it does encourage reading and writing!

I don’t need much of an excuse to curl up with a good book or get on with various writing projects as it is but the lighter evenings during the summer months can make me feel a bit guilty about not getting more gardening done etc. Note the “a bit”. Easy enough to squash so I can get on with reading and writing! I just wish I could stop feeling the slightly guilty feeling at all!

I often prefer lighter reading and writing during the darker months too. Contrast in mood perhaps? Whatever, it’s definitely time to get on with some writing once again!

The love of writing must equal the love of reading. Pixabay image.

Books are a fantastic form of escapism. Image via Pixabay

Lovely and treasured book collection here. Image via Pexels

A good read means you ARE in a world of your own. Pixabay image

Gorgeous covers. Image via Pexels.

Chapeltown Books have a distinctive central image in a frame such as with mine. Image by Allison Symes

My reading at the local railway station. Image by Janet Williams

Great way to relax. Now where are those biscuits? Image via Pixabay

Great characters = great books. Image via Pixabay.

Lost in a world of books. Pixabay image.

A good writing group will help you discover this. Pixabay image.

Let the creativity spill out. PIxabay image.

Back cover of FLTDBA. Image by Allison Symes

Signing books for a friend. Image by Adrian Symes

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

I often use lightning flashes in my photos for posts like this, given I think they reflect accurately how a flash fiction story illuminates and impacts on the reader. Very briefly and then over, but you don’t forget the impact.

A short story (say 1500 words+) to me is like shining a torch around – more light for a greater period of time but the impact can be diluted.

Sometimes you want that – you want the story as a whole to impact on your reader and you can only know if it‘s done that by reading and re-reading the whole thing.

The novel is like having a great big light on constantly. When you switch it off (stop reading it), that’s when you think about the impact it has made on you. Or that is how it has always seemed to be to me. I didn’t really appreciate the greatness of The Lord of the Rings until I’d finished reading it. You then take a mental step back and realise the huge scale of the trilogy.

Flash fiction makes you focus on the little details but the great thing with that is you can take this and use it to sharpen your longer works of fiction. No dull bits ever, thank you! The sections that are necessary to link the action should still carry the reader with them. The reader should be as keen to read those sections as they are the main scenes. Flash makes you tighten up your writing and this is enormously useful for ensuring your longer stories flow as they should.

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Time is the theme of my CFT post this week (time management and time travel. If the latter ever becomes possible, you will have to be really good at the former to make said travelling work well for you!). I’ve used time as a theme for a few of my flash fiction pieces – Telling the Time (there’s a clue somewhere here!) and Time Waits for No Man (likewise!).

My main use of time though for flash fiction is deciding on when I’m setting the story. Am I going to tell it as it “happens” to the character or will I get the character to look back on an event? I use both regularly and usually it is clear which would work better. So much depends on the character A reflective type would be best suited to looking back at something that had happened (which I do in They Don’t Understand). An active “go get them” kind would probably be better off telling the story AS it happens, implying the passing of time as we go through the events with them.

Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.

Says it all really but reading your work to yourself will show up where dialogue is weak. Image via Pixabay.

I write fairytales with bite as flash fiction and short stories in particular. Image via Pixabay.

Love writing, love reading, love books. Pixabay image.

From Light to Dark and Back Again. Image taken by Allison Symes

Flash fiction, by its nature, has to take one look at a situation to be a story but you can get quite a bit into that “one look”. Image via Pixabay.

The first draft, the second, the tenth? Pixabay image

This, for me, would be a magical place to be. Image via Pixabay

Books are fabulous, whatever the format. Image via Pixabay.

The delights of the open page. Pexels image.

So true. Pixabay image.

What do I look for in an opening line for flash fiction? I don’t necessarily need to know who the lead character is funnily enough, but I DO need to know the setting, the attitude of the narrator (especially if this is a first person piece), and some indication of what the problem is. That problem and how it is overcome IS the story of course.

Something about the narrator/lead character has got to intrigue me enough to make me want to read on. A great piece of flash fiction will make you ponder whether YOU would have acted in the same way as the character you’ve just read about!

Love this library. Mine is somewhat smaller than this! Image via Pixabay.

Let your stories have impact. Image via Pixabay

Good advice. Image via Pixabay.

Fiction or not, books are the gateways to other worlds. Image via Pixabay.

I could spend many a happy hour here – the library at Prague. Image via Pixabay.

What ever writer needs. Image via Pixabay

It can take a lot of self-belief to be able to call yourself this at times. Image via Pixabay

Poets stand and stare and then write down. Image via Pixabay.

The magic of stories. Image via Pixabay

Big screen, little screen, LOTS of stories on either! Image via Pixabay

I don’t understand those who dislike books, in whatever format. Image via Pixabay.

Fairytales with Bite – Favourite Times

What are your characters’ favourite times? Curling up with a good book? Lazing in the bath? Going for a good walk with the dog?

Use questions like this to help you establish your character. The answers may not appear in your story but knowing something about the character before you start writing about them will be enormously helpful. You don’t need to know each and every little detail. What you want is enough information that you can write clearly for them, knowing how they would react to a situation and why. The reader will pick up on the fact you really do know your character (even if they do this subconciously, in many ways it is better if they do pick up on this that way) and the writing will flow better as a result.

Of course, working out what your characters’ favourite times will tell you so much about them. Do they curl up with a good book because they can’t face what is their real life? Why can’t they face it? Dig deep. Maybe you will surprise yourself with what your characters show you about themselves. Use that.

Words have power, whether funny or tragic. Pixabay image.

Plugging in for new ideas? Pixabay image

Walking into the words maybe. Pixabay image

Outline the characters and away you go! Image via Pixabay

How is your fantastic world governed? Pixabay image

Words are the power source of so much creativity. Pixabay iamge.

All writers feel this way sometimes. Pixabay image.

Write first, edit later. Pixabay.

Characters no matter what their world should resonate with readers. Image via Pixabay

The perfect place to reflect and take stock. Pixabay image.

Very old school writing. Pixabay image.

Assemble your characters, assemble your world. Image via Pixabay

There was always something magical about having a blank page to write to. Image via Pixabay.

This World and Others – Time

My Chandler’s Ford Today post this week talks about time management and time travel. Guess which one I want to get better at! Joking aside, this led me to think about how we use time in stories.

A lot of my flash fiction stories are set within a very short time period (appropriately) and are written in the first person, precisely because I want to achieve a sense of “immediacy”. For other pieces I have the lead character looking back at their lives and being reflective so the time within stories like that is longer, “stretched” if you like, and the pace of the story is slower. What grabs you with those kinds of tale is the character – something about them intrigues you enough to make you want to find out more.

Time in itself can make a useful theme for stories (too little of it, too much of it etc) but I’ve found it helpful to think about the kind of story I want to tell and then work out what the best time frame for that tale would be. In my Pressing the Flesh the opening line is “It was 3 am”. The impact of that is to make you wonder (a) why the time is important and (b) to assume the character concerned is unlikely to be up to any good at that time of night. (Quite right too – see my From Light to Dark and Back Again for the whole story!).

The magical world of the imagination. Image via Pixabay

What wonderful worlds we can creat! Image via Pixabay.

The Writing Life. Pixabay image.

Preparing a talk or a flash fiction story perhaps. Image via Pixabay.

The perfect way to unwind. Image via Pixabay.

A way into the magical realm, perhaps? Image via Pixabay.

The way to the magical realm perhaps? Image via Pixabay.

Reach for those ideas. Pixabay image.

Creative writing takes many forms, including blogging. Image via Pixabay.

Notebooks old and new – image via Pixabay. Ideas have to be jotted down somewhere!

Where many a first draft starts life. Old technology still has its uses! Image via Pixabay.

Enjoying writing the follow up to FLTDBA. Image by Allison Symes

Magical lands. Image via Pixabay.

Memories and Collections

September 3, 2018Leave a comment

Facebook – General

What memories are special for your characters and why? Are they shared memories with other family/tribe members or individual ones or both? Does your created world have special events where certain memories are officially recalled? Is the past a good place for your characters to visit or do they block out all memories to avoid inflicting more pain on themselves?

This post came about because I was showing some lovely photos of my maternal grandparents’ wedding (set in the grounds of Chiswick House) to other members of my family today. I only came across these photos after I cleared out my late parents’ house. My only regret is had I known of their existence before, I would have quizzed my mother in particular over one photo where she and her younger sister were bridesmaids. There were people in this photo I didn’t know and the family and I took intelligent guesses at who they were.

I guess this shows the importance of maintaining memories and cherishing what is vital from the past, your past. So how do your characters do that?

Part of my church’s 200th anniversary exhibition. Image by Allison Symes

Very old school writing. Pixabay image.

It always is! Reflecting first helps a lot! Pixabay image

A good reading pile! Pexels image.

I recall using a manual typewriter and manually copying and pasting. Pixabay image.

Everyone loved flipping through the photo albums. Image by Allison Symes

Glorious autumn. Time to take stock briefly and then move on. Pixabay image.

How pics used to be taken. Pexels image.

It has been a while since I last saw one of these! Image via Pixabay

When you read a book outside of the genre you write in, what are you looking for?

I’m looking for a world I can identify with (though almost inevitably I wouldn’t want to live there!) and characters whose motivations I understand (and usually sympathise with).

I like a fast pace to the story and other background information to help me make sense of the setting. I also want there to be gaps that I have to fill in with my imagination. I want the dialogue to hook me so that I have to read on and not notice the “he said/she said” tags. Well written dialogue does make me skip over these tags as if they weren’t there.

And when I’ve finished the story, I want to feel as if not one word could be added. I also want to regret coming to the end of the story because I enjoyed it so much.

And the challenge here is to write this way myself so hopefully people will feel the same way about MY stories!

The ultimate book tunnel? Image via Pexels

For jotting down those initial ideas. Image via Pixabay.

I’ve never read a book in these conditions, have you? Pixabay image.

I try NOT to chain down my creativity! Pexels image.

Remembering… image via Pixabay

Writing is rewriting. Image via Pixabay.

What journeys are your characters going on? Image via Pixabay

A truly beautiful book. Pixabay image.

Love the bike. Pexels image.

I have collections by several of my favourite authors on my shelves – Agatha Christie, P.G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett to name a few. Love all that they wrote. Tremendously difficult to pick a favourite book by any of them.

What I especially adore though is when they take their major characters and put them into situations they would never have anticipated encountering. For example, Murder on the Orient Express gives Poirot a moral dilemma (and I won’t say more than that – no spoilers here). It’s not the kind of moral dilemma he would have anticipated facing. And it is how he handles that which, for me, makes this story fascinating. (The TV version with David Suchet is particularly good on this aspect).

So can you take the usual situations your lead characters would reasonably expect to face and subvert them? That what has worked for your lead characters before cannot possibly work in this new situation so they are forced to come out of their comfort zone and “go for broke” because they have to solve this new condundrum, no matter what?

One thing is for sure: do this and there will be no lack of drama/conflict in your story!

Nice selection of books here! Image via Pixabay

Pictures in text the old fashioned way. Image via Pixabay.

Something I’ve yet to see happen! Pixabay image.

Lovely place to browse. Image via Pixabay.

Fiction is strengthened when backed by fact. Image via Pixabay

Lost in time, thanks to a good book. Pexels image.

Use what you know of our world and your imagination to create something really special. Image via Pixabay

What writing triggers will help you create your new worlds? Image via Pixabay

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

One of the biggest issues facing writers is getting their book out there and, once that has been achieved, how to market it without annoying everyone! One simple thing is just to let people know where it can be found and leave it at that. So taking my own advice then…!

I’m glad to say FLTDBA is available via the Book Depository.

FLTDBA for sale in the Swanwick Book Room. Image by Allison Symes

Chapeltown Books have a distinctive central image in a frame such as with mine. Image by Allison Symes

Back cover of FLTDBA. Image by Allison Symes

I was enjoying an old Doctor Who episode earlier this evening when Catherine Tate came in as companion, Donna Noble, to David Tennant’s Doctor. Great episode. What I liked about the character of Donna was her feistiness, her abilty to think on her feet, and the fact she wasn’t letting the Doctor get away with ANYTHING. Her character claimed that the Doctor needed someone to stop him sometimes. I think it’s a fair assessment too.

But this highlighted for me the fact well written characters shine through whatever story they’re in and make themselves and the tale memorable. Something to always aspire to when writing my own characters I think.

Indeed! Pixabay image.

This made me smile! Pixabay image.

Signing books for a friend. Image by Adrian Symes

Charging up for new ideas, maybe? Pixabay image.

Books invite you into their world. Go! Image via Pixabay.

Whenever and whatever you read, enjoy. Image via Pixabay.

Great characters = great books. Image via Pixabay.

Good reading – and writing to be done – here. Pixabay image.

The joy of coming up with one line stories is you can either leave them like that and perhaps enter them into 25-word flash fiction competitions OR you can expand them.

From there of course, you can either have a longer flash fiction story or go to 1500-2000 words (standard short story competition word count). I think if you were to go much beyond that, you would be changing your initial idea as you would need more characters, at least one decent subplot and so on for the story to be able to “stand up” over that greater “distance” and still make sense.

I don’t revisit my one-liners that often but it did occur to me perhaps I should do so more regularly! A case of double whammy for the writer here I think!

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