Tag: Seeing The Other Side

Blog Tours and The Final Blog Tour Reviews for Seeing The Other Side

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you’ve had a good weekend. The blog tour for Seeing The Other Side ended on Sunday but it was a fabulous experience. Final blog links below plus I will be sharing soon a Chandler’s Ford Today post which looks at the advantages of these things for writers and will share all of my links in one handy place. Lady is doing well. The autumnal temperatures suit her well.

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Hope today has gone well. So enjoyed my swim today. Good to chat with friends there too. I once thought I’d use my swimming time to think of story ideas etc. Not a bit of it – I find my mind just empties and I focus on the swimming. Mind you, that emptying of the mind is incredibly useful, as well as the physical exercise. Writer’s bottom (it spreads!) is real, folks!

Writing wise, I’m ploughing on with enjoyable proofreading work, blogging, and I hope to get back to story competitions from the weekend. Am also putting finishing touches to a presentation I hope to share at an online group next month. Went to their meeting last night for a thoroughly enjoyable talk about an aspect of World War One history I didn’t know much about. History is a vast subject and perfect for fiction and non-fiction writers alike to write about.

Also it won’t be too long before my next author newsletter will be out again so will be working on that later this week. I’ve found adding to it as the month goes on makes it an enjoyable and less pressured way to get the newsletter written. It also gives me the option of adding in late items of news as has been the case for me lately.

To sign up for story links, tips and more, do head over to https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

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Hope you have had a good start to the week. Quiet one in the park for Lady though hopefully we’ll catch up with pals, human and doggy, later in the week.

Meantime, it’s Monday, always a hectic day for many of us, and it’s time for a story. I share my latest on Substack, which went up on that platform yesterday.

Hope you enjoy On The Late Side. Look out for my YouTube story too this week as it follows on from this one (see further down) but both stand alone.

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13th September – last blog tour post Melanie Robertson- King – Celtic Connexions

The last blog post for the Seeing The Other Side tour comes from Melanie Robertson-King/ Celtic Connexions. Many thanks, Melanie.

I’ve had a wonderful time on this blog tour. A huge thanks go to Lynsey Adams of Reading Between The Lines Book Vlog for organising everything so well.

I’ll be celebrating good blog tours and book events for my Chandler’s Ford Today post next week so do look out for that. As well as sharing the blog links for my tour in one handy post here, I’ll also look at the advantages of such things for writers. It may not be relevant for where your writing is at right now but it may well become relevant. I’ve often found this to be the case for me as my writing has developed. Link up on Friday.

13th September –  Kaz Warrent

The week has whizzed by once again and now it is time to share the final two posts from the blog tour for Seeing The Other Side. First up is Kaz Warrent whose review is on Instagram though I share a screenshot of the review below. Many thanks, Kaz.

12th September – Val Penny Review
Hope the weekend has got off to a good start. All well here and I’m delighted with the latest review for Seeing The Other Side, which has come in from Val Penny. Just a quick extract here:-

This third book of flash fiction stories, Seeing the Other Side, by author Allison Symes is a long-awaited treasure and I was thrilled to be invited to join the tour organised by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between the Lines.

I write novels and in which an extra word or two is not an issue. Therefore, I am always in awe of poets and flash fiction writers who choose their words so carefully and can portray ideas and stories with delightful brevity.

Seeing the Other Side is a larger collection of stories that either of her previous books, From Light to Dark and Back Again, and, Tripping the Flash Fantastic. However the increased quantity has not diluted the sparkling quality. Each of the stories is a gem with an unexpected twist in the tale.

Many thanks, Val. Do see the link for more details.

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Was delighted to receive my second order of Seeing The Other Side. It is a joyous moment when you receive your first lot of books. It’s an even better joyous moment when you receive a second lot through because you’ve had to reorder. So much a nice “problem” to have and I hope to have to put in more orders in due course, naturally.

Am so thrilled with the lovely reviews which came in for the book during the blog tour. I hope to have fun creating some graphics via Book Brush with some quotes from these to use later. I find Book Brush easier to use than Canva to be honest and like BB’s templates – there is a good range of these. But I need time to do that and I hope to have a look at this at the weekend.

Another busy Monday and so it’s time for another YouTube story from me. This one follows on from my story, On The Late Side, which was on Substack yesterday (see above) but both stories stand alone.

Hope you enjoy Blind To The Obvious.

Despite past history, will Dora finally believe Tom when he says he is trying to do the right thing by her? What will happen if she doesn’t? Find out here.

 

This week has been a thrill in terms of celebrating flash fiction generally via the blog tour for Seeing The Other Side. With that now ended, I hope to resume having a go at various flash fiction competitions. I know there is at least two I would like to try for before the end of the year and may well come across others before that.

I haven’t written so much for competitions this year, which I will try and rectify for 2027, but I think having a new book out, my first in six years, would count as a valid excuse!

One of the joys of flash fiction is there are so many more competitions available now and these can be a great way of getting your name and work out there. I’ve found competitions useful practice for writing to deadlines too, which also comes in useful for longer works!

Thrilled with the latest review for Seeing The Other Side which came in today from Val Penny. The blog tour concludes tomorrow but it has been a fabulous experience. See above.

I’ll be talking about Blog Tours and Book Events for Chandler’s Ford Today next week. As well as sharing the links to my blog tour in one handy post, I’ll be looking at the advantages of these things, especially the blog tours, from a writer’s viewpoint. I hope that will prove useful.

Often I decide on a topic for CFT based on what I know I would have found useful had it been around earlier in my writing career and this is one of those themes.

And, of course, I’m spreading the word about flash fiction in all of this too. Nothing to dislike there!

Goodreads Author Blog – Blog Tours

I’ve recently been on a blog tour for my third flash fiction collection, Seeing The Other Side. It has been a fabulous experience and generated some great reviews. It also spreads the word about flash fiction as a fabulous format to read too.

I write non-fiction too and often interview authors as part of their blog tours. I find it fascinating to find out what inspires them and their books. Blog tours are so useful in promotion, of course. I also feel such things also promote the joy of reading and enable more people to find out about more books and in genres they’d not considered before. All useful stuff.

So if you can support other authors on their blog tours, I’d do so. You will find you will end up reading more. This has happened to me. And it’s not as if reading more can ever be a bad thing, right?

Certainly checking out the reviews the blog tours generate has led to me discovering books new to me. Win-win here for the readers, I’d say.

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Using Autumn In Your Writing and More Blog Tour News

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a good week. Lady has caught up with her Rhodesian Ridgeback pal twice. The blog tour for Seeing The Other Side has gone so well so far, even inspiring some fan art. There’s a first! More below.

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It has been another busy day on the blog front but more on that in other posts. I’ll start this evening with my usual Friday evening link to this week’s Chandler’s Ford Today post.

This time I look at Using Autumn In Your Writing and I share plenty of ideas for how you can do that, including using the senses with the season in mind. I also look at using autumn as a setting and autumn memories and little details. The latter can have such a powerful impact on a tale. It is often what readers remember. I discuss how time changes everything in this season and there are story ideas to be had from that thought alone.

I hope the thoughts here prompt many story ideas for you. It was an especial joy creating the pictures in Book Brush for this one. Autumn is a lovely season and the images reflect that.

Using Autumn In Your Writing

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11th September – latest on blog tour – Anita D Hunt

Next up on the blog tour for Seeing The Other Side is fellow Swanwicker, Anita D Hunt, with a smashing review. Will just share a short extract here. Naturally I’m very pleased about it!

Seeing The Other Side is a varied collection of short fiction that demonstrates just how many directions a story can take when the author has only a limited space in which to tell it.

There is plenty of variety here, both in subject matter and tone. Some stories are light-hearted and amusing, while others take a darker turn, and there are plenty of opportunities for the reader to see situations and characters from a different perspective — very much in keeping with the title.

Many thanks, Anita.

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10th September – Donna Morfett

Today’s review for the blog tour for Seeing The Other Side comes from Donna Morfett via Instagram. Sadly I’m not on that platform but I have two links to share including to a Facebook link. It is a great review and I was especially pleased with the following extract from it.

This is quite the eclectic collection of flash fiction…. A wide range of topics covered including fairytales and seemingly ordinary encounters… I dipped in and out of it over time and always came away smiling. What better review could I give?

Many thanks, Donna.

In other news, don’t forget my Chandler’s Ford Today post is up tomorrow. I will be discussing Using Autumn In Your Writing. My posts are timely! I’ll be sharing thoughts as to how you can use the season for your writing and I hope you do end up writing many stories as a result. I hope to as well! See above.

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9th September – Vanessa Knipe blog for me and the fan art!

Second blog post for Seeing The Other Side comes from Vanessa Knipe via her The Grass Is Greener blog and I can claim a first here. For the first time I’ve inspired some fan art! Am thrilled by that but to find out what it is and why Vanessa did it, you will have to click on the link.

Meantime here is an extract with which, naturally, I’m very pleased!

Review of Seeing the Other Side

What is it about?
In a book with no overarching theme, there’s something for everyone and for every mood. This is a book of Flash Fiction. Each piece is very short and yet still contains a complete story. I admire people who can write Flash Fiction. To me, it’s one of the hardest formats. Each word has to carry the weight of the story. There can be no redundancy. No having an off day in word choice.
So, it’s all very short?

Allison Symes in Seeing the Other Side is a master of the format. Every story has all a reader could want to reach a satisfying end.

Are stories this short worth the effort?
Very much so. They can be a quick mood booster…. The collection is an eclectic mix of fantasy and science fiction that works well together.

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9th September – Sheena McLeod
Day 3 of the blog tour for Seeing The Other Side has two wonderful reviews from Sheena McLeod and Vanessa Knipe. First up this evening is the link to the review from Sheena via her blog called All About Books.

To say I’m delighted with the review is an understatement! Do check it out via the link. Meantime, I’m especially fond of this extract from the review. No prizes for guessing why!

Allison is a master of the short story – each one feels complete, with a beginning, a middle, and often a surprise ending, spanning a range of moods.

I grew up on Roald Dahl’s short story collections and have loved short stories ever since. Though in a shorter-form flash fiction format, Allison Symes delivers everything I look for.

Allison Symes knows her craft. She writes in vivid prose that makes every word count. I recommend this collection to anyone who wants to read or write flash fiction. I now eagerly await her next collection.

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11th September 2026
Another busy day but a good one. More on the blog tour (see my author page on that) with more to come on the weekend. The tour finishes on Sunday and I am so pleased with how it has gone. Also it is a fabulous way to flag up flash fiction generally, I think. The tour has been another way to bring it to people’s attention.

Flash is made up of moments in character lives. I have a soft spot for the funnier side of that but there is room for the thoughtful and darker too. I write all of that. Flash stories can have so much impact because they are so short. There can be no dilution of any emotional impact.

Sometimes I will write a story based around a character’s memories. Naturally those have to be gripping enough to keep folk reading but this kind of story does wonders for encouraging empathy.

And can’t we all do with much more of that in this world?

Hope today has gone well. Lady had a smashing time in the park with her Hungarian Vizler and Rhodesian Ridgeback chums. Hopefully there’ll be more of the same tomorrow. All three dogs missed each other during the heatwave.

So thrilled to have another smashing review in for Seeing The Other Side. See my Facebook author page for more on that. (Or just see above!). I hope to write a Chandler’s Ford Today post soon about the advantages of a good blog tour from an author’s viewpoint and to have a one stop shop with the links where my book has been featured.

Am so pleased flash fiction is being celebrated in this way. It is a great format and does wonders for your writing.

Flash Tip: Focus on the story first (and for me that always means leading with the character). Once you know what the story is, you can then work out how to improve phrasing etc which will also help with your word count.

Lovely day in the park today with Lady. She had a fabulous play session with her Rhodesian Ridgeback pal. Both went home tired and happy. Job done there then.

Delighted to share two smashing reviews for Seeing The Other Side on my Facebook author page here. (See above). Looking forward to seeing what comes next. Would I do a blog tour like this again? You bet.

In other news, I’ll be sharing Using Autumn In Your Writing for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday. I’ll share tips and thoughts here. I expect I’ll end up using some of these for some flash pieces in due course! Again, see above.

Fairytales with Bite – Magical Touring

I’m currently having a wonderful “magical” book blog tour with my Seeing The Other Side and that inspired this topic, which I hope will trigger story ideas.

In your magical setting, are your characters expected to stay within certain areas or is magical touring encouraged? If generally your characters do stay put, can they tour other parts of your world when they have the equivalent of our holidays? Where would they usually be and which places would they like to tour? Is transportation magical and/or accessible to all? Are there places your characters would never wish to tour and why? There will be stories behind that!

Would your setting have the equivalent of a magical tourist board or a company who arranges tours for others? I could see there being stories here, especially if things went wrong. Those could be tragic or humorous depending on your character and set up. There could be stories set around the employees here as well as around those who use the services provided.

I must admit when I’m on my holidays I do like to have a good look around at the area in which I’m staying. Do your characters do the same? Have they developed favourite places to go over the years? Have they got to know some of the characters who live in the places they visit?

Again, there could be good stories here.

This World and Others – Exploring Other Worlds

Does your setting have relationships with other worlds at all or does it keep itself to itself? Would other worlds want to develop relationships with them and how welcome or otherwise would that be?

If your setting is an open one, can any of your characters explore other worlds on their own account or do they have to do so via “official means”? Are there worlds their home planet bans them from visiting?

What good or otherwise comes out of your characters exploring other worlds? There could be plenty of potential for diplomatic incidents. There could be plenty of potential for bridge building between worlds and species here.

How would your characters get to explore other worlds? Would they use spacecraft, whether similar to our own or not? Would they use portals or a combination of these things?

Plenty of thoughts to unpack there which could lead to stories.

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Out and About in Salisbury

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes. IMAGES OF ME AT A LOCAL BOOK FAIR WERE TAKEN BY MY LOVELY EDITOR AT CHANDLER’S FORD TODAY, JANET WILLIAMS.
Hope all is well. Am slowly resuming normal swimming in terms of distance – am about 80% there. Lady has seen her Rhodesian Ridgeback pal this week so is well pleased with that, as was the Ridgeback.
Looking forward to my book event for Seeing The Other Side at Salisbury URC tomorrow, 5th September. Hope to report back on that later.

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Hope the day has gone well. Lady caught up with her Hungarian Vizler chum and Coco, the lovely Labradoodle. Hasn’t seen either in ages. All three dogs had a super time.

Writing wise, I’m pleased to share Out and About In Salisbury for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. It flags up my writing event at Salisbury URC tomorrow, Saturday 5th September, and celebrates Salisbury itself to an extent. It is a lovely city to visit.

Hope to report back at a later date on how the event tomorrow goes though I hope the Salisbury URC, their book stall and coffee shop and I all do well! I do know it will be fun! And if you are in the city, do pop by and say hello.

Out and About in Salisbury

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Am thrilled to be able to share the following Facebook reel created by Lynsey Adams of Reading Between the Lines Book Vlog ahead of my blog tour for Seeing The Other Side. That kicks off from next week from 7th September.

Meantime I have also just sent in a pitch to give a talk at my local library after an interesting chat with them yesterday. Fingers crossed time! Would so love to do something here.

I’ll be sharing Out and About in Salisbury for Chandler’s Ford Today tomorrow, giving details of my book event at the URC on Saturday. It is all go but in a good way. See above.

Hope the day has gone well. Popped up to my local library. Hope to pitch an author talk to them – they were interested so fingers crossed. Blog tour for Seeing The Other Side starts next week too.

Will be hosting an online group for the Association of Christian Writers later this evening. Was delighted to see in the latest Christian Writer a friend of mine has joined them and got his book in there. Mine has gone out via the ACW newsletter. Hope it gets into the magazine too in due course. It’s a useful membership perk!

Writing wise, am busy blogging and drafting and proofreading, as well as marketing, so not sure of things to be getting on with but I like this. I love the variety. Keeps me on my creative toes and that’s never a bad thing. Filled in the feedback form for The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick today too. Did appreciate being able to have my book launch there. It was useful.

Marketing Tip: Start small, build up. Find things you know you’ll enjoy doing. I like sharing stories so will always find ways to do that, for example. Carve out marketing time away from your writing time. I say that because you want to enjoy your writing. Without that you would have nothing to market anyway. You also don’t want to resent marketing eating up your writing time either.

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Looking forward to tomorrow’s event (5th September) at Salisbury URC for Seeing The Other Side. Next week will be blog tour week for the book and I look forward to sharing the various links. Have now got my pitch into my local library for a talk there but have no idea how long it will be before I hear back but as the saying goes, if you don’t ask etc etc.

I hope over the weekend to submit my story for potential broadcast and on Sunday 6th September I’ll have another story up on CafeLit, which will be lovely.

Flash Tip: Know your character. Know what makes them stand out for you. That aspect of them will resonate with your readers too. You want to feel as if I’ve got to write this character’s story up. If they grip you like that, they will grip others. It’s why I swear by jotting down a few thoughts as to a potential character. I’ve mentioned before I like traits because they are a good way in to likely attitudes and behaviours. You can do a lot with that.

Lady has had a great day, having had a wonderful playtime in the park with her Rhodesian Ridgeback chum. The grass is also coming back! It’s much nicer to walk on and it’s fabulous seeing some green reappear.

Writing wise, as well as various things connected to Seeing The Other Side going on right now, I hope to submit a story for potential broadcast over the weekend. Happy with the piece. Just need to send it in.

I always record stories for this kind of thing on Zoom and play them back but doing this also means I know I can’t go over the allotted time span. I know what the time allowed is (three to five minutes usually) and I know what Zoom is telling me I’ve come in at! I also hear how the story sounds and whether I stumble or not. All useful stuff.

There’s also a story I need to edit considerably but hope to work on this over the weekend as well.

Always pleased to have plenty to do.

Flash fiction was something I found by accident.
But it made me a published author with books to my name.
Not every writing accident is a bad one!
The writing life should be seen, I think, as a long term game.
Allison Symes – 2nd September 2026

I’ve learned over time to be open to trying new forms of writing which is how I got into short stories and flash fiction at all. But I had to be willing to give it a go and take the view what did I have to lose?

I take the same view with competitions. Give it my best shot and send something suitable in. If I am shortlisted or win, brilliant. If not, at least I knew I tried. And, as I’ve mentioned before, when I’ve looked at work again, I’ve had another edit on it and gone on to have it published second time around.

There are no shortcuts in writing but there is plenty of support on the way. It’s the biggest thing I love about the writing community. With rare exceptions, it is supportive.

Fairytales With Bite – Musical Magic

Had a fabulous time earlier this week listening to the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame. I suspect many take in classical music without realising it. Enjoy a Spielberg film? Composer will almost certainly be John Williams. I’ve always understood classical to be music which uses all of the sections of the orchestra and most film music does and to great effect too.

I love a wide range of music and think it is truly magical but would this apply in your setting and to your characters? Good music can take you out of yourself but would your characters ever want that? If not, why not?

What would the music be like in your magical setting? Similar to ours or literally like nothing on Earth? Would your setting/characters copy musical styles from Earth once they became aware of them? Could our music be one thing which might make them think better of us and could change a course of action they’d been planning to follow?

Story ideas there for sure.

This World and Others – Appreciation of The Arts

I love music, especially classical. I love poetry especially when it is read to me at Poetry Open Mic Nights. I love writing and reading, especially flash fiction and short stories. I love wonderful paintings (but am of the school of thought I know what I like when I see it). Generally, I appreciate the arts for what they can give us and those who practice the arts. I’ve got a lot of sympathy for the behind the scenes work and practice over years which must happen here.

But how do your characters appreciate the arts? Do they appreciate them at all or think they’re just for the “snobs”? What art forms are there in your setting? Could comparisons be made with what we have here or would they be far beyond us here in terms of scale, technical ability etc?

Do they have art forms which can only be on their setting due to its nature/your characters’ natures? What would humans make of these if they discovered your setting?

Can art help improve relationships between species? Could an appreciation of the arts change behaviours, attitudes, promote understanding etc?

Again there are story ideas there.

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The Joy of Responding To and Setting Writing Exercises

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a good week. Have resumed gentle swimming after my fall. Seems to be helping. Lady has caught up with one of her friends this week and I’m looking forward to my book signing in Salisbury next week. All go but I like it that way.

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Am delighted to share The Joy of Setting and Responding to Writing Exercises for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Naturally I put this into practice for this week’s meeting of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group!

I list my favourite writing exercises, what I have got out of giving them a go (published work in many cases for one), and share plenty of useful tips for getting the most of any exercises you’re set.

I also look at life on the other side of the fence here in that setting writing exercises is a great way to make you think outside of your usual “comfort box”. You want something you know people can do but will also be a challenge (and they’re a challenge to me too because I ensure I do them too, it’s a great way to get more flash written).

Hope you find the post useful, whichever side of the writing exercise fence you are on. I regularly switch sides here!

The Joy of Responding to and Setting Writing Exercises

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Nice day. Another gentle swim today went well.

Writing wise, I’m pleased to share a link to Hannah Ruth Retallick’s Substack post about If You Keep Missing Writing Errors, Try This. All sound, sensible stuff and something every writer needs. Many thanks to her for a shout out to me for a tip I share here. It’s one I’ve often shared here but it bears repeating.

One thing I was chatting about last night with members of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group was to write first, edit later, and to see the two things as separate, different creative tasks. This ties in nicely with Hannah’s post because if you do give yourself the time away from a piece before coming back to edit it, you are much more likely to pick up on the mistakes. Time away does help and while you’re resting a piece, you can of course be drafting another one!

As for draft writing, the group and I drafted some flash fiction pieces last night. Naturally I’m resting mine for the moment!

Talking of writing exercises, which I love, my Chandler’s Ford Today post tomorrow will focus on The Joy of Setting and Responding To Writing Exercises. I’ll be sharing plenty of useful thoughts here so watch out for it. See above.

Hope the day has gone well. Lady was delighted to catch up with her Hungarian Vizler pal today. The dogs haven’t seen much of each other recently thanks to the summer holidays and the heatwave so this was nice to see.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing The Joy of Setting And Responding To Writing Exercises for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Link up on Friday. See above.

Talking of writing exercises, I have set some for tonight’s meeting of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group and yes I plan to have a go too.

And I’m getting lots of spam emails regarding Seeing The Other Side. Am deleting the lot. Only thing to do. Talking of the new book, I hope to share news about the blog tour for it before too long so watch this space.

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Hope your day has gone well. Had some proper rain earlier. I got caught in it on the way back from an appointment. Was torn between wishing it had held off for ten more minutes or delighted it had come down at all! I suspect I might get a flash fiction story from a character caught in the rain at some point…!

Want to draft a flash piece over the weekend to submit to Hannah Kate’s show on North Manchester FM in due course. As the weather has started to turn autumnal, it is timely her call for stories for her Autumn Equinox show is timely.

Looking forward to being in Salisbury next weekend for my book event for Seeing The Other Side and not long after that there will be the blog tour. Plenty going on.

Had a lovely evening with members of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group yesterday. Many thanks, folks. Yes, we did draft some flash pieces. I hope to return to mine in a few days or so. One nice thing about groups like this is we all share news which is amazingly handy at times.

One such bit of news came from Jenny Sanders who highlighted the fact Hannah Kate of North Manchester FM is looking for flash stories for her Autumn Equinox show. See the link for more details but I’ll be looking at having a go at this later this week. The show itself goes out on Saturday 19th September but the deadline is by midnight on Monday 14th September.

Top Tip: When I submit stories to Hannah Kate’s show and I’ve polished them up as much as I can, I record them on Zoom. I hear how they sound. I can make sure I’m not speaking too fast or too slow. And Zoom gives you the timing of your recording so you can’t get that wrong. I’ve also found a word count of about 150 words or thereabouts works well here.

Autumn Equinox Stories Wanted for Hannah’s Bookshelf on North Manchester FM

 

Flash is remarkably flexible given its restricted word count. I think a major factor in this is it has to be character led (as you have little room for much in the way of description so the characters have to show everything).

Characters can be put into any situation and time. I have a lot of fun here which is why I’ll always recommend flash for all writers even if it’s never your main work. I think it is a no-brainer for anyone who loves creating characters.

The discipline of writing to a tight word count pays off for other forms of writing. I’ve found this to be the case for my blogging, for example. It is much tighter now than it used to be.

Fairytales With Bite – Pride Before A Fall

We all know the saying. It’s a great theme for a story. Sadly it proved to be true literally for me last week when I took a tumble. Thankfully only painful bruising but my ego took a bit of a tumble too. (I tripped over a service cover in the pavement – these things are never level and I just didn’t lift my foot high enough).

In the magical world, how could pride come before a fall? I’ve written flash pieces on this where an arrogant younger magical being is shown she is not the be all and end all by a much older, wiser magical being. Good fun to do.

But you could show pride in a magical development by the society as a whole only for the thing to go horribly wrong. What would the consequences be? Would your society be honest, admit to it and clear up the mess or would they try and cover up the fact anything went wrong at all?

Good story possibilities there, especially since I think if they went for the cover up route, there would be bound to be a whistleblower somewhere, concerned about public safety perhaps?

Happy writing!

This World and Others – Necessity is the Mother of Invention

You may have noticed I’ve got a bit of a thing about old sayings this week. But they do make great themes for stories and, in many cases, can be used for titles too. These sayings are timeless so your story ideas shouldn’t date either.

In a magical world, you could have fun writing about what needs to be invented and why, whether the thing is invented or not and who by and what problems they had to overcome, and whether anyone else tries to stop the invention. Plenty of story ideas there.

I must admit I have a soft spot for stories when the most unlikely being comes up with something useful. I guess that is a hangover from my love of the fairytales where the most unlikely character often turns out to be the hero.

So what would your world need to invent? Would it invent something to stop it having to copy something from a planet they despised such as our own dear home? How well or otherwise do things work out?

As for the creative minds behind all of this, are they respected, feared, mocked or what have you? Not everyone appreciates geniuses and even they do it’s often after someone’s life time. Could that happen in your setting?

Food for thought there.

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Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder in Gilmerton

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All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a good few days. So looking forward to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. Will be writing one big blog post on Friday 14th August and will do daily Facebook posts but there won’t be much time to write more while away.
Will be too busy (a) learning from the courses, (b) catching up with friends I only see online the rest of the year, (c) socialising with said friends, (d) enjoying my book launch for Seeing The Other Side and (e) knowing my fellas will be fine, wondering how the dog is doing!

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Am delighted to share a fabulous interview with Val Penny on Chandler’s Ford Today this week called Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder at Gilmerton.

I’m a great believer in having titles which “do as they say on the tin”. It’s a reference to the old Ronseal advert which always claimed “it does what it says on the tin”. Keep it clear and to the point!

Anyway, in this in depth conversation, Val brings us up to date with what has been going on in her writing life since she was last on CFT, not least of which is her move to Joffe Books. We also discuss back story (for series characters and one-off characters, who in Val’s books are often the victims), whether Val can read crime while she is writing her own or not, the advantages of using an area you know well as your setting and much, much more.

Plenty to enjoy here and, as ever, there are useful tips too.

Hope you enjoy the post and good luck with Murder in Gilmerton, Val.

Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder in Gilmerton

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Hope you’ve had a good day. Lovely swim, my last one this side of Swanwick.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing Author Interview – Val Penny – Murder at Gilmerton on Chandler’s Ford Today tomorrow. See above.

Val shares the changes in her writing and publishing life since she was last on CFT and there are plenty of useful thoughts and tips too. Be sure not to miss it, especially if you love crime fiction. Val’s books are a tremendous read but don’t just take my word for it. Check them out after seeing what she has to say about her new release on CFT. Link up tomorrow.

Now I hope to post daily from Swanwick but I will be having a big round up blog via my website after I get back. It will be easier as I mentioned yesterday. I’ll also resume my Substack and YouTube stories after Swanwick but hope to get some drafts down while there.

I do hope to come back buzzing with inspiration, mind you!

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Hope today has gone well. Lady was overjoyed to run around with Coco, the lovely Labradoodle, this morning. Must be a good month since we last met up.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing a smashing interview with Val Penny about Murder in Gilmerton for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday. Do look out for that. Again, see above.

Have packed for The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. As I go up by train, I can’t leave this until the last minute but it is good to have it done. Will be posting as and when next week and certain things I will probably leave until I get home again such as my Sunday stories and WordPress round up. Will resume those on my return. To be honest by the time you’ve been to the courses and workshops, caught up with pals, made new pals, enjoyed the evening entertainment, there’s not a lot of energy left for writing!

Naturally am so looking forward to my launch for Seeing The Other Side on Sunday too. Will be a busy and fun few days in the run up to Swanwick, while I am there, and catching up with everything on my return. It is a joy though! (I also anticipate being mugged by the dog on my return too – it’s what she usually does).

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It’s a busy Friday on the article front as my latest post on Writers’ Narrative, Is It Time For Your Characters To Get Away From It All, is also out today.

I look at the advantages of sending your characters away from their usual setting and share some favourite books of mine which have done just that.

Yes, for individual short stories and flash fiction, it is still possible to send a character away on vacation. You simply make it clear somewhere in the narrative they’re not in their usual location.

I look at using holidays as backdrops (which is why they can work so well in any length of tale), I share tips on how to best make use of holiday settings, and I set you a couple of questions which I hope will prove to be a good starting point for your own stories.

Hope you enjoy the post and you and your characters enjoy your holidays!

I’ve mentioned before I like to mix up the moods of the stories I write. Now this isn’t just down to how I’m feeling. I will often write a cheery piece when I feel anything but cheery. It can help and it does take my mind off things for a bit. Writing can be therapeutic like that at times. But I also think this is a reflection of life in general. It is a mix of moods. So how about this for some story ideas?

Theme Tip: Pick a well known proverb or saying and write two stories on it – one to be cheery, one to be anything but cheery (though that still leaves you a good range to choose from). This also makes for a great writing exercise. And if you’re stuck for the proverbs, use the random generators – the phrase one would be good for this.

Hope to draft some flash fiction pieces while I’m at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick shortly but will probably not get to share any on Substack or YouTube until after what is one of the major highlights of my writing year. Mind you, Swanwick is also a great opportunity to wave the flag for flash fiction, which I’m always glad to do.

Am also looking forward to the blog tour for Seeing The Other Side which will be from 7th to 13th September. More news later on that but it is the first time I’m having an “official” blog tour. It also makes a lovely change for me to be on the other side of the fence here as I do often support such tours for other authors so it’s nice to be able to join in myself!

Fairytales with Bite – Magical Get Togethers

I’m shortly going to head off to what I consider to be a magical get together – The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. It is one of the major highlights of my writing year and there is something magical about being able to spend time with writing friends, learning more about the industry, and just being immersed totally in the writing life for a few days.

For your magical characters/setting, what would count as a magical get together when magic, for them, is such an everyday thing? What would it take to make something stand out as special to them? Could it be an event where magic is specifically not allowed and everything is done “manually”?

What could happen against the backdrop of a magical get together which could not happen in ordinary life and who would want to take advantage of such a thing to cause that happening? What are they hoping to achieve? I could see some magical crime stories going on there!

Also, what one character would consider magical, another may think was humdrum. Why the difference in opinion? Who is right? Again there could be story ideas to explore from fleshing this out more – I could see there being clashes between the characters here.

This World and Others – Leaving The World Behind For a While

When I go to my big annual writing event in Derbyshire, which I will be heading to shortly, I get to leave the world behind for a while. For a few days I am immersed in the wonderful world of writing and I love it.

Am I glad to get back to reality again? Yes. Aside from being back with the family again, I am also keen to get to my desk again to write up those ideas I had while I was away. There are various ways to get away from it all for a bit and we are in holiday season as I write this.

So what would your magical/sci-fi characters do when they want to leave their worlds behind for a while (as we all do from time to time)? How easy or otherwise do they find shrugging off their responsibilities for a while? Does the break refresh them or do they come back, wanting to get away from it all on a more permanent basis? Plenty of story ideas there.

Even if the break is a normal holiday one, where would your characters go? How would it differ from their normal environment and is is the differences which draw them here? Do they try to introduce those differences to their home worlds? What kind of outcome/fall out would there be from this as there would be reactions!

Again, story ideas there.

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Events

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Had a fabulous weekend. Wonderful family wedding on the Saturday. I took our church service on Sunday and it was a time of peace and quiet reflection, which I appreciated.
Have to watch the hot temperatures again this week for Lady but she’s doing well. Am so looking forward to being at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick very soon. I will be posting as and when I can while there but may do one round up post next week and that on my return.

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Hope you’ve had a good day. Cooler but still not quite as cool as Lady and I would like. Still, we’re getting there.

Writing wise, I’m working out what I’d like to be going to at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick later this week. I do have basic ideas but know I will probably change my mind on at least some of them when I get there. It is almost a ritual for many of us! Good to have plenty of choice though!

Will be hosting an ACW group tomorrow night and am looking forward to that. We’ll be discussing all things science fiction/fantasy related though we often spin off into talking about writing issues too.

Character Tip: Know what makes your creations tick. Motivation really is everything. It is such a powerful driver and one readers will get behind even if they don’t approve of what the character is doing. It is, for me, what makes characters come to life almost more than anything else.

The countdown to Swanwick week begins! And that thought has cheered me up considerably given it has been another busy and very hot Monday.

Talking of Monday, it is time to share the story I put up on my Substack platform yesterday. This is one of my moving tales. Hope you enjoy The Newsletter.

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Yesterday’s family wedding was all you’d hope it would be – lovely, fun, and moving and a joy to be at. Managed to get some writing done on the way up to it and then posted the results on the way home! Writing on the move with someone else driving is great!

Pleased to say my author newsletter went out okay yesterday.

Have already packed quite a bit for The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. There will a few bits and pieces to do later in the week but that’s it. Anyone would think I was keen!

Talking of this fabulous week, I will be posting at various times and some regular posts I may defer to when I am back home again. For example, my twice weekly blog round up over on my website may become once a week while I’m at Swanwick and then when I’m home. I’ll see how things go and how tired I am!

You get such a buzz from Swanwick in terms of being with other writers, as well as what you learn from the courses and workshops, by the time you get back to your room again, you’re usually just wanting to get some kip. (This is how it should be, of course!).

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Am on my way to a family wedding as I write this though whether I’ll get to post this today remains to be seen. I do love the notes app on my phone. Always use it when out and about. Have drafted plenty of useful material with it.

Writing wise, I’ll be welcoming Scottish crime writer, Val Penny, back to Chandler’s Ford Today to discuss her Murder in Gilmerton, which is part of her DI Hunter Wilson series.

Much has happened since I last interviewed Val, not least of which is her move to Joffe Books. We discuss that and more in an in-depth interview. Do look out for it next Friday.

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Have got a potential 250 word flash competition to have a go at, news of which landed in my inbox earlier this week. If I get any time at Swanwick, I will draft some thoughts, else it will be something I may have a go at on the train journeys up there and/or home again.

Love getting some writing done on the train and flash is wonderful for this. I can get a draft down in about half an hour or so, depending on word count.

Flash Tip: If you’re wondering what to write about, think about the themes which intrigue you the most and start from there. Look at why they intrigue you. Ideas may well start to spring up just by doing that. Guess how I know!

It’s Monday. It’s hot. It’s busy. It’s still hot. It’s still Monday. Time for another story from my YouTube channel then.

Hope you enjoy Spreading The News. Both this tale and my Substack one focus on a newsletter this time. Hope you enjoy both of them but now for the YouTube tale.

There are always consequences for critics of the fairy government. Find out what happens to Jasminda here.

 

Will be cracking on with flash fiction Sunday shortly after a busy weekend. Family wedding yesterday and I took a church service this morning. Part of my theme for that was the importance of keeping themes simple and to the point. They’re easier to remember that way. Oh and stories are a fantastic way of getting themes across to folk (and without preaching, which I know sounds ironic, but you really do want people to remember the theme).

None of this is new to any fiction writer, of course. For those of us focusing on the short forms, I think it is even more important for your theme to stand out. It will do a lot of the “heavy lifting” for you in terms of your word count if you get your characters to show the theme in “action”.

Readers will pick up on the inferences. Inference plays a huge role in short fiction, especially flash. And I must admit it is an aspect to flash I adore. I like to work things out. I just need the right clues from the author to do so.

Also delighted news of Seeing The Other Side went out on the Association of Christian Writers newsletter – again it’s a perk of membership. What’s nice about ACW is you have such a wide range of writers here – those, like me, who are Christians working in the secular market and others who do write direct devotional items. A broad church indeed.

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Inspiration for flash stories can come from practically anywhere but when you get to do some general observations, you can be spoiled for choice.

Am at a family wedding today so suspect ideas might strike if colours, clothing etc catch my eye. Will also have great observational opportunities when I head up to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick soon.

I always change something about what catches my eye and do likewise with prompts of any kind. I like to put my own spin on these things.

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Goodreads Author Blog – Events

Now that my third flash fiction collection, Seeing The Other Side, is now out, I’m thinking about book events. There will be a launch at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick and my publisher is planning an online event. I’ll also be having an event in Salisbury in early September (5th). I hope there will be more to come too.

Book events are obviously great for writers but how about for readers?

I think events are great opportunities for readers to discover writers whose work is new to them and you get the chance to quiz the authors. We love being asked about what we write! So if you can support author events, it would be much appreciated.

Events can also be fabulous parts of stories, of course. Given events of all kinds have an impact on us, it would be odd for this not to be reflected in fiction. Where would Pride and Prejudice be without the ball at Netherfield or The Lord of The Rings without Gandalf turning up in The Shire? That was seen as a big event especially by Frodo who had no idea then just how big a turning point it would be for him.

So let’s celebrate the events, whether we hold them, go to them, or read about them.

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Reworking Stories

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All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a good few days. Cooling down a bit for which Lady and I are grateful. Just over a week to go to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick as I write this – so looking forward to it.
More behind the scenes admin going on with Seeing The Other Side too including the fact it is now up on the online bookshop for the Association of Christian Writers. Having your books on there is a perk of membership and it is so nice to have my new one there.

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Pleased to share Reworking Stories on Chandler’s Ford Today this week. I look at why all writers have to accept the need to rework and why I believe getting your draft down, resting it, and then having another look at it later is such a good idea.

For short form writers, the rest period doesn’t necessarily need to be that long, but you do need to get out of “creator mode” and in more analytical “editor mode”. How long that takes will depend on the length of your work but it is the best way I know to give myself enough distance to be able to judge a piece of writing objectively enough.

On the plus side our laptops and PCs do make reworking easier to do. I did use to have to paste and cut literally. It wasn’t fun! I also look at the challenge to the writer here and it really is a question of ensuring you can judge your work objectively. I also share tips for reworking stories I continue to find useful.

Hope you find the post helpful.

Reworking Stories

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Hope you’ve had a good day. Lady briefly saw her Rhodesian Ridgeback pal earlier – both dogs delighted to be reunited briefly. I was out early for an early swim which was lovely. Am thankful it isn’t as hot as yesterday but it’s still a bit too warm for my (and Lady’s) liking. Feel very sorry for the wildfire fighters.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing Reworking Stories on Chandler’s Ford Today tomorrow. See above. Mind you, even if you just write non-fiction, reworking your drafts comes into play for you too. I share thoughts and tips.

After that I’ll be interviewing Scottish crime writer, Val Penny, who also knows more than a thing or two about reworking stories! Indeed, I can’t think of any author who hasn’t had to rework something and often more than once. I do know that’s the case for me. Hope you’ll find tomorrow’s post useful.

And my next author newsletter is out on Saturday too. Plenty of news to share this time.

Pleased to share my latest post on More Than Writers, the blog spot for the Association of Christian Writers. This time I discuss Getting Together with Other Writers, which is apt as it is just over a week or so before I head to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick.

I share something of what I’ve learned over many years of meeting up with other writers, not least of which is making many fabulous friends. That alone is reason to go to writing events when you can (and the online ones are also valuable here).

Hope you enjoy the post and you have a great time at any events you go to over the next few months. If you’re plucking up courage to go to one, I would say go for it because we were all nervous newbies for these things. I remember my first event years ago on the Isle of Wight but I ended up having a lovely time and I met the lady who went on to become my publisher many years later. Neither of us could have known at the time.

It is amazing what you can learn from a writing event and, talking of which, I’m also looking forward to meeting up with members of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group later this evening. That was good fun too!

Getting Together With Other Writers

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Hope the day has gone well. Won’t be writing much (if at all) tomorrow given I’ll be at a family wedding. It has been a long time since we last had one of those…

Don’t forget my author newsletter is out again tomorrow. A huge thank you to my subscribers for their support. I share news, tips, and more including story links so you get to have a good read. To sign up head over to my landing page at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

What has been especially nice about the newsletter about to go out is having much more news to share. It’s always wonderful to share publication news and I am so glad Seeing The Other Side is now out there.

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Nice task today. I’ve been preparing the copies of Seeing The Other Side I’ll be taking to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick in just over a week’s time. Some jobs you just don’t mind doing…!

Am also getting on with further “admin” for my new book, the results of which I hope to be able to share later on.

Incidentally, if you are thinking of getting the paperback via a certain online retailer, please ignore their delivery date guidelines. You will get the book quicker than they say. All that happens here is they receive the order for the book, they let the publishers know, it gets sent on to the printers, and lo and behold a couple of days later you will get your book.

I should add the online retailer does do this for all of the independent presses and it can be a pain. What I think is forgotten is with print on demand, which all of my books are, is there is no stock as such. You just order and pay and then you get your book. At worst case, it may be a day or two later but that should be all.

This way of working is also greener because you’re not printing more than is needed. Neither are there warehousing or distribution costs as such. It is a huge factor in what makes the independent press viable.

The ebook, of course, you will get immediately.

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Delighted to say my Seeing The Other Side is now on the Association of Christian Writers online bookshop. It is one of the perks of being an ACW member and one which is appreciated.

Many thanks to the ACW webmaster, Annmarie Miles, for making this happen. And do check out the ACW bookshop. There is a huge range of fiction, non-fiction and devotional works on there, representing very well what ACW members write. We are a broad church, aptly enough.

Seeing the Other Side

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Fairytales With Bite – Ending The Beginning

When and how do your magical characters take off, so to speak? Where is the point where they have ended their training and are ready to start the magical life “properly”? How do they get on? There could be some good stories around rookie mistakes here. Bound to be some. Most professions will have these so why not the magical ones?

Are your characters glad to leave the training behind and get on with their lives or are they nervous about it? What support do they have? Are they willing to avail themselves of that support?

Where your characters have had training, do the institutions concerned follow up on their previous students or leave them to it? Are they ever proud of their former students? Also, would they have something like mature students? Learning is life long after all (or should be).

In the case of a quest story, where is the point when the story really takes off, the characters know there is no going back, they have to press on to whatever conclusion awaits them?

At some point, the beginning has to end. It will be here your characters begin to mature and come into their own lives. Same as for us, really, but there could be great stories here.

This World and Others – Society Forming

Does your setting focus on a magical or a science-fiction like basis? Or could the two co-exist? Why has your society developed in the way it has, whichever route it has chosen to be the predominant way through for most of their citizens?

What are the advantages to your society forming the way it has? Have there been any aspects it has regretted “dumping”, presumably out of necessity to develop what was the most important things for the society to function in the desired way?

Talking of which, who did make the decisions to take the society in a certain direction? Which of your characters (present or in the past backstory) decided this world will be a magical or science based one? Were they ever challenged? Were their decisions right or not? There would be good stories here.

I could see if characters were unhappy in the way the society was heading, they might want to try to change that. It happens here after all and both fantasy and science fiction reflect humanity with all of its merits and woes.

If your society is mainly a magical one, how would a character who wants to go down the science route as we would know it do this? Would they be ostracised or encouraged? (Some might see the point in having a balance at both magic and science, especially if you know there are things magic cannot do).

Interesting thoughts to explore, I hope.

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Flash Fiction Formats

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Hope you have had a great weekend. Lovely one here despite the heat. Great family gathering enjoyed by all. Am starting work on setting up things re Seeing The Other Side – news to come as and when and I will be sharing a general update for Chandler’s Ford Today later this week.

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Hope your day has gone well. Loved my swim today. Lady still on hot weather scheduling.

Writing wise, I’m pleased to say I’m currently sorting out an in person book signing event for Seeing The Other Side in September and hope to share more details of that nearer the time.

I can’t begin to say how wonderful it is to have my book finally here. A lot of work has gone into it on all sides of this and it is lovely things are beginning to happen. It does make it real!

It’s also lovely to have new characters and situations to share and am looking forward to doing this. I often read some stories at book events. It goes down well, gives a good flavour of the book, is great fun to do and encourages sales – nothing to dislike there!

A cooler morning today than we’ve had for some time but it made up for it this afternoon!

Still, it is time to cool down a bit as I share my story which was shared on Substack yesterday.

This one is based on the number 67 (I used a random number generator to come up with that) and the story is 67 words long, excluding the title. Despite the heat though, this tale might give you a chill or two.

Hope you enjoy my The New Neighbour.

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Hope your weekend is going well. It was wonderful to catch up with family and friends yesterday. Grateful for (a) the gazebo, (b) fans for inside the house, and (c) whenever there was any breeze whatsoever.

Many thanks again to Val Penny for hosting me on her blog yesterday. See below. It was a joy to discuss Flash Fiction Formats with her. I’ll shortly be cracking on with flash fiction Sunday. Don’t yet know which formats I’ll use today but look forward to finding out!

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing an Update – Local Author News – Seeing The Other Side by Allison Symes on Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday, the after my book is officially out. I’ll be sharing news of my launch at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, my other news so far on various events connected to the book, as well as links to the ebook and paperback versions. I’ll also be sharing more about the book itself given it is my largest flash fiction collection to date.

Flash Fiction Tip: Think about the theme or character or setting you would like to write about first. Worry about the word count later.

When I know I want to enter a competition with a specific word count, I work out what I need to be able to do in each “third” of the story. For example, if it is a 100 words competition, by about word 33, you must know the character and situation by word 66 or so, you’ve got the problem and my character’s initial attempt to sort it, and by the end you’ve got the resolution. I find it so helpful to break the story into segments like this.

It usually means my first draft is not far out from the word count specified. I always write over it but also know there will be my wasted words and other things I can genuinely cut out to bring it back to where it should be. Having this kind of framework in place though means I know the story does hold together and does what it is meant to do.

Am delighted to be back on Val Penny’s blog to discuss Flash Fiction Formats. I’ve used more of these in my new book, Seeing The Other Side, which is available to pre-order now and comes out on 16th July 2026. Find out more about flash fiction formats in my post here and a huge thank you to Val for hosting me again.

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Two days to go before official publication day for Seeing The Other Side. It’s fantastic having another flash fiction collection about to come out and I do hope the new book will introduce more people to the form.

Flash is fun to write and to read. It is the perfect form for short, sharp reads and those times, which we all get, where you would like to read more but for whatever reason, you can’t. There is a form of fiction which suits this – flash!

Top Flash Tip: Always focus on the character. Who are they, why must you write their story up, what grips you about them (which in turn will grip a reader), and what is their situation. One character (generally), one situation, one outcome (though this can be open to interpretation).

Bear in mind you can set your character in any location, any point in time, in this world or whatever you care to invent. Have fun!

Despite a cooler start today (which was so welcome), it has become horribly hot again. Time to cool down with a story, this time the one on my YouTube channel. As with my Substack story (see my author page for that – see above here), this is based around the number 67 but this one worked better at a longer word count length.

Hope you enjoy my Being Impressed.

Not much impresses an old fairy godmother but her niece managed it. Find out how and why here.

 

Hope you’re managing to keep cool. Still pretty hot here. Lady still on her hot weather schedule but she’s doing fine, drinking plenty of water and resting. She really won’t be sorry when the hot weather breaks. Neither will I be, to be honest.

Talking of cool, it can be great fun to write flash pieces when the character loses their cool altogether. You can explore what triggered that and whether your character gets their cool back again or not. Sometimes if the trigger is another character, that secondary one could be right to make your lead lose their cool. Maybe the lead character has done or is thinking of doing something stupid, for example.

Happy writing! Now back to keeping my cool in this temperature as I get on with more writing!

Won’t be writing much today as having a family do which will be huge fun, despite the temperature. Am pleased to be back on Val Penny’s blog – see my author page for the link. See above.

Always thrilled to be talking about flash fiction and in the post I look at some of the different formats you can use. I expect I’ll be using more of them for flash fiction Sunday tomorrow!

Meantime take care and keep cool.

GOODREADS AUTHOR BLOG – Book Parcels

It’s always lovely to receive a parcel full of books and even more so when they’re your books from your publisher! I received my copies of Seeing The Other Side, my third flash fiction collection, earlier this week.

Now I can crack on with planning events including a blog tour. Did feel sorry for the delivery guy though – there has been a heatwave again where I am (and most of the UK in fact). Book parcels are not light!

It’s always a wonderful moment to receive such parcels though. It makes it real. My new book is a good summary of my flash fiction work over the last three years or so. So to see it in print is a fabulous thing and I can’t wait for it to come out on 16th July though it is available to pre-order now via a certain well known online retailer.

I also like other kinds of book parcels – the ones which can be used for charitable purposes. Also bear in mind if you have books you really cannot keep and they’re in good condition, it might pay to ask your local library if they could use them. Given book budgets are so tight, this could well be a blessing to them and helps you.

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WRITERS’ NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK 

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ALLISON SYMES ON SUBSTACK 

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Favourite Aspects of Stories

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Image Credits:-
All images from Pixabay/Pexels unless otherwise stated with many created in Book Brush. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a great weekend. Lovely one here. Very warm so keeping Lady in the cool as much as possible but we have especially enjoyed woodland walks. Writing and editing going well. It has been nice being able to have my office doors open long into the evening over the last few days. Coolness helps the brain I find!

Facebook – General

Even hotter day so Lady has stayed at home more. One brief session out this morning, she’ll have another later, but being in the (relatively) cool and shade is the order for the rest of this week.

The pavement test is useful and a potential life saver. I tested the ground outside the leisure centre where I swim just as I came home from there today. You’re supposed to be able to hold your hand on the pavement for a good fifteen seconds. I didn’t manage two. No going out for Lady this afternoon then. So be careful, folks. Thankfully our garden has plenty of shrubs and shade so Lady has enjoyed some time out there.

Writing wise, I’m looking forward to the next meeting of the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group tomorrow.

And I’ve seen the draft of my book cover for Seeing The Other Side. Very exciting, more news to come on this later.

Writing Tip: Finding it hard to concentrate in this current heatwave? Keep drinks to hand (ideally non-alcoholic – you want refreshment here, honest!). Write in short stints. Break. Write again. And do give flash fiction a go – but then I’m bound to say that!

Another hot day so limited exercise for Lady. She is pretty sensible and stays in the shade. Unlike my previous two dogs, I don’t need to persuade her to drink water either – she goes for it, the other two I had to bribe them to get them to have any. Still, where we are, we have woods near by and my house is north facing, all of which is helping a lot right now. Hope you are keeping your cool where you are.

Shared my latest Substack story on that platform yesterday. Here’s your chance to see it here. Hope you enjoy Make Your Mind Up. A lot of dog owners will identify with this one and I hope it raises a smile or two.

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Hope the weekend is going well with you. Very hot here. Lady staying out of it.

Writing wise, I’m looking forward to getting on with flash fiction Sunday shortly. Am keeping the office nice and cool – it is bliss to be in here. I also have a board my laptop rests on which has an inbuilt fan. It’s useful when the weather is this hot.

The editing work is going well too.

There won’t be a post from me this month on More Than Writers, the blog spot for the Association of Christian Writers, as ACW is moving the platform for this. I hope to be back in June on this and hope and pray the transfer goes well.

It’s a gloriously sunny day here today (23rd May) but you’ll be glad to know Lady is keeping things nice and cool.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing a fabulous interview with fellow Swanwicker, Esther Chilton, for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday. She’ll be discussing her second book in her six part Saffy’s Secret Quest series which is called Myths and Magic. Plenty of useful thoughts for all writers here. Do look out for that next week.

As well as the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group meeting next week, I’m looking forward to revisiting The Dorset Museum in Dorchester with editing colleagues. We went to a Jane Austen exhibition here last year which was great. This time, we’re looking at the life and times of Thomas Hardy, someone I admit I’ve never read. I expect that will change! Naturally I’m looking forward to getting some writing done on the train trip here.

Oh and one joy of turning the big 60 in March is discovering I now qualify for the Senior Railcard which gives me discounts on train trips for the whole country and not just my network. Am planning to put this to good use! Plenty of opportunities for trips out, making notes on my trips and drafting some flash fiction – all good to me!

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

As I mentioned over on my author page, I have seen the draft cover for Seeing The Other Side. Looking forward to being able to share that in due course. Seeing the cover, albeit as a draft at this stage, brings it home this really is happening and you don’t lose the thrill of being published. I just wish I could bottle the feeling to be able to imbibe it during those times when the writing life is on the tougher side.

But this is why it is important to celebrate your small wins as well as your larger ones. The smaller wins mount up over time, for one thing. For another, just getting anything out there which is your creation is so special and should always be celebrated.

It’s a hot Bank Holiday Monday in the UK today (25th May 2026) but for me the important point is it still a Monday and that means story time. I hope you enjoy my latest on YouTube – A Canine Wish. There is a dog theme this week, what with my Substack story too, but I hope you enjoy both tales or should that be tails?

 

Am enjoying sharing stories on Substack as well as YouTube. Substack has proved surprisingly easy to you, which is always welcome, because there nearly always are teething issues as you get used to a new website, form of social media etc.

Have got my entry in for The Bridport Prize. The deadline is the end of May so there is still time if you fancy trying this. Hope to pick another competition to try next weekend.

I’ve been returning to the good old dribble, the 50 words story, for Substack and YouTube recently and hope to continue with this.

Hope the weekend has got off to a good start. It’s a long weekend here in the UK given Monday is a Bank Holiday. (To me, Monday is Monday but there you go).

Hope to resume looking for flash fiction competitions to have a crack at from next weekend as I’m busy editing as well as writing at the moment and, of course, it won’t be that long now before Seeing The Other Side comes out. There will be plenty to do when it is out! Having said that, this kind of work is such a joy to do.

I will be cracking on with my usual flash fiction Sunday tomorrow though, which is always a great way to end the week/start the next one (delete as you see fit! I see Sunday as the end of a week but know not everyone does).

GOODREADS AUTHOR BLOG – Favourite Aspects of Stories

I love all aspects to stories but some do stand out more for me as I suspect they do for most people. One favourite aspect is dialogue between the characters. Having been intrigued by the story’s opening, this is the point where the characters start to come to life for me and it is here I am keen to find out what happens to them.

Dialogue reveals so much about character attitude, as well as revealing aspects of back story, and I think that is why I am always gripped by well written examples of this. Well written for me is when it reveals what I need to know and I feel not a word could be added or taken away without losing something important.

I must admit when it comes to writing my own tales, I have to make sure I don’t get into “conversational ping pong”. It is huge fun to write but not necessarily for a reader to read and it is what they need which has to come first.

I so want to get behind a character to root for them whether it is to succeed or fail (the latter generally for villains). I want the ending of the story to deliver on its premise. I want to feel that yes, this was the right ending for these characters and their circumstances.

I guess what I am saying here is I really do want a good read! Well, I’m not alone on that wish, am I?

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WRITERS’ NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK 

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ALLISON SYMES ON SUBSTACK 

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AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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