Inspiration Ideas

May 16, 2025Leave a comment

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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. Lovely time had here – made the most of the glorious weather. Writing wise, am busy preparing the next author newsletter and a fabulous author interview for Chandler’s Ford Today. More details on that next week. Meantime, I write on (and that is just how how I like things to be).

Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today

Pleased to share Inspiration Ideas on Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Hope you will find it useful.

I share tips on making the most of being out and about over the next few lovely weather months (well, they usually are most of the time, can’t say fairer than that!). The best thing of all is the tips I share here apply just as well if you’re not venturing far from home this summer. The idea behind all of the tips shared here is to spark your inspiration and that is always useful.

Inspiration Ideas

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Lady and I again spent plenty of time in the glorious fresh air and sunshine today. Had a fabulous time. Not too hot, pleasantly warm – just how we both like things. Has tired us both out nicely too.

Writing Tip: Think about how you can use how the good weather makes you feel for characters in your stories. Also could the weather get in their way at all?

Could good weather (dry, pleasantly warm, lots of light etc) be a disadvantage to them? Are they of a species sensitive to light levels for instance? How do they manage their “condition” here? Light isn’t always avoidable! How can your characters here get on with other species for whom light isn’t an issue?

Lady and I were out and about enjoying another glorious day. Hope you have had a good day too. Spring is at its finest right now, I think.

Writing wise, I’ll be sharing Inspiration Ideas for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday. This post will include hints and tips for making the most of being out and about this spring and summer too. See above.

Next author newsletter will be out before we know it. To sign up for writing tips, news, story links and more, do head over to my landing page at https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com

Newsletter Writing Tip: I find it a great help to write sections of my newsletter during the month. It avoids a last minute rush (and forgetting to do one at all). I also find it useful to think of a rough theme for the month as that will give me ideas for the different sections I write. I also love newsletters which have a theme running through it and find these grip me more when reading them.

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Pleased to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with my new tale, Rivalry. Two fairies are up for a top godmother job. One of them has a wand which keeps backfiring but she knows this is no coincidence. Who will prevail and get the top job here? Are more dirty tricks involved? Find out here.

Hope today has been a positive one for you.

I like to mix up themes for those places where I submit flash fiction regularly. I deliberately write lighter pieces, darker ones and then go back to light again. I like a good mixture in which I read here, as well as what I write myself.

When I am deciding on the mood of a piece, I start by outlining my character because I need to find out why they would be best suited for a light or dark piece. There should be good reasons behind your character’s approach to life (and therefore what they are likely to do and say).

Hope you have had a good day.

Don’t forget my two flash collections (From Light to Dark and Back Again and Tripping the Flash Fantastic) are available via Amazon but you can also get them from The Bridgetown Cafe Bookshop. This is the online shop for my publishers and this link (see below) also means you can buy from independent booksellers such as The HIve (UK) and Barnes and Noble (US).

Wherever you buy from, and not just for me, do leave a review. Brief is fine (and for flash collections suitably appropriate I’d say!).

Fairytales with Bite – Getting Away From It All

One of the joys of getting away from it all is to have a break from the normal routine. So what would your magical characters do to get away from their normal routine? Where would they go? Can they really escape their magical work? Or would it be a case of reducing their magical usage to the bare minimum so they recharge that way? At least they wouldn’t be on call all of the time…

Are there special places the magically inclined can go to recharge? How would these places be protected from those who would want to take advantage of magical characters being on their “down time”?

Also how eager or otherwise are your magical characters about returning to their normal lives again? Did the down time do them good, make them more efficient than before etc? How would that impact on their usual roles?

This World and Others – Exploring Other Worlds – Encouraged or Not?

Does your alien (sci-fi or fantasy) world encourage the exploration of other words or is this strongly discouraged? What are the reasons for the attitude here? Has exploration ever taken place and did it go well or otherwise? Sure to be story ideas there!

What similarities does your setting have with Earth? Could humans ever reach your setting (via time travel, portals, or extending our current scientific abilities for space travel?). Or has your world taken steps to ensure that cannot happen?

How have they encountered humans before to make them want to take those steps – or are they relying on things they have heard about us? We may not be considered the best species everywhere! Mind you, many of us here don’t believe that either or at least feel we could do a lot better than we are!

Where exploring other worlds does happen, which are considered worth exploring by your home setting and why? What is your setting hoping to achieve or gain from this? Again, sure to be story ideas there.

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WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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Am back on Friday Flash Fiction with my new tale, Rivalry. Two fairies are up for a top godmother job. One has a wand which keeps backfiring but she knows this is no coincidence. Who will get the top job? Are more dirty tricks involved? Find out here. https://t.co/HzKE6YeiDz pic.twitter.com/i3btzJJdEw
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) May 16, 2025

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Inspiration Ideas https://t.co/Ub6blWPhC2 Pleased to share Inspiration Ideas on CFT. I share tips on making the most of being out and about but these apply just as well if you’re not venturing far from home this summer. The idea behind the tips is to spark your inspiration.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) May 16, 2025

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Seasons and Scheduling

September 3, 2024Leave a comment

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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. Many thanks to Jen Wilson and Penny Blackburn for the Swanwick shots used above.

Hope you had a good weekend. I managed to get plenty of writing done and mow my lawn which did look as it if was turning into a wilderness, thanks to the rain we’ve had recently. Lady and I are disliking the humid weather at the moment but so far no storms. Hope I don’t end up regretting typing that! Lady isn’t scared of thunder but doesn’t particularly like it either. She doesn’t mind getting a good soaking though. Thankfully she dries far quicker than I do.

Facebook – General

Lovely to be back to the normal timetable for the swimming pool. Enjoyed that. Lady got to see her Hungarian Vizler friend again today and has had some long walks so all is right with her world, as it should be.

Am looking at Story Judging for Chandler’s Ford Today on Friday. Will be sharing thoughts and tips so hope it will prove useful.

Will have two fabulous author interviews coming up for CFT towards the end of the month too and am looking forward to sharing those. I always learn so much from author interviews.

Fun thought: if you could interview any author from the past, who would it be and why? I’d be torn between interviewing Jane Austen and P.G. Wodehouse, I think. I know I’d want to chat to either/both of them with regard to humour in fiction. I would hope both would be delighted their works are still so treasured too.

Hope you have had a good start to your week. Lady got to see her Hungarian Vizler friend today and it was sweet to see them both showing affection towards each other.

I prepare blog posts in advance and schedule them. I then come back to them with about a week to go before publication so I can double check them, add in anything further if appropriate (this can often be the case for my Chandler’s Ford Today posts), and then I know they’re “put to bed”, so to speak. I am a great believer in scheduling!

I use odd pockets of time, as I’ve mentioned before, to jot down story ideas but I also do this for non-fiction. On picking an idea from the pile I like, I will then start drafting a non-fiction post. Five minutes here, another short session there (and I get several of these during the week), and I am well on my way to getting my first draft done.

Those pockets of time do mount up and are worth using in this way. I’ve found they’ve helped me be far more productive.

I know it’s hard to believe we’re at September already but I think it is one of the loveliest months of the year. I love the changing colours of the leaves and the decent workout I get when I clear up the fallen oak leaves. (Not kidding there. It really does help with my keep fit!).

Author newsletter went out earlier today. Many thanks to all of my subscribers for your support.
Delighted to say I’ll be sharing fabulous author interviews later this month on Chandler’s Ford Today. More details nearer the time.

Writing Tip: Do write what you yourself would love to read. If you accept the writing journey is a long one, you do need to care deeply about what you write. It helps to keep you going.

If later, after publication say, you still need to care about what you have written/are currently writing, as you will always be promoting your work in some way.

Also given marketing is part of the writing life, it pays to find forms you enjoy doing and can therefore keep going for the long term. I only started my newsletter when I knew I could do that. I also have in mind what is it it for the reader but I try to have this in mind for all I write. It encourages me to ensure there is no purple prose, only what a reader needs/will enjoy.

Am surprised we’ve got to the end of August already but there you go. Author newsletter out again tomorrow of course.

Will be discussing Story Judging for Chandler’s Ford Today next week. Link up on Friday.

Delighted to receive a shout out as part of a lovely review for The Best of CafeLit 13 on Amazon. Well done to all of the authors in this book. It is a great collection and perfect for dipping into and/or for those times when reading time isn’t as long as you’d like. Short stories and flash fiction fill that gap nicely I find!.

I often read collections and have discovered authors new to me this way so yet another benefit to reading the short forms. Why not try this out with CafeLit 13? Link below.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Busy preparing an autumn themed story for submission later this week, I need to record it to get my timings right before sending it in. Autumn as a topic though is a great one. My gran hated the season as she saw it as the season when everything died. She too did die in the autumn.

Me? I love the season. I love the changing colours. I see autumn as paving the way for new life to come in the following spring (especially for trees). Before long I will have a good workout clearing up my oak leaves too!

But if you’re thinking of using autumn as a topic, one way in would be to consider what your character makes of it and why. Equally you could look at this from the view of something important happening to your character in the season (and why it has to be autumn rather than the others).

It’s Monday again. Having said that, it is the first one in what I think is my favourite month of the year. There is something charming about September I think. I love the changing colours of the leaves etc. But it is still Monday when all is said and done. I’ve yet to meet anyone for whom it is their favourite day of the week.

So with that in mind it is story time then! Hope you like my latest on YouTube – Moving On.

Hope you have had a good weekend. Have enjoyed my usual Flash Fiction Sunday Afternoon Session!
I like to mix up the moods of the stories I write, as well as their word counts and styles. It keeps things interesting for me and I hope readers too.

Am especially keen on lighter stories given the news is so grim. I do believe there is a place for the humorous, the feel good, and the lighthearted stories. I think escapism of that nature is appreciated. I know it is by me! One of the functions of stories is to take a reader away into other worlds for a while. They don’t all have to be grim ones!

Yes, I do write darker flash pieces too. I know the world (and therefore the fiction which reflects it) is not all sweetness and light but I do like a good balance. If you can’t have unremitting good cheer, I think it follows you can’t have unremitting grim too.

Dialogue is a great way to start any story but for flash fiction I think it has even more impact. Given there is less room for description and narrative. dialogue has to work harder in a flash story as it needs to convey information the reader needs to know, give some sort of hook to keep the reader interested, as well as move the story forwards. Not much to ask then!

This is one reason why I often use questions in dialogue. A reader instinctively knows the story will have to reveal the answers to those questions by the end of the story. From the writer’s viewpoint that gives a useful framework for your story.

And I must admit if a character came up with the line ‘How have I ended up on this alien planet and what is that being pointed at me?’, I know I would want to read on! Okay dialogue doesn’t have to be so “in your face” intriguing as that but something as simple as ‘You do know Katie got it wrong, don’t you?’ would equally intrigue me enough to read further.

Goodreads Author Blog – Music to Suit The Written Word

I had a lovely bank holiday recently listening to the Classic FM Movie Music Hall of Fame. I voted for The Lord of the Rings soundtrack, which to me has everything – classical, choral, opera, and Enya! I was delighted it was voted the favourite again.

What I love about the soundtrack is each track brings the film (and therefore the book) to mind at different stages of Frodo’s quest. It just works. That’s what I think an excellent soundtrack should do for a film and, given so many movies are based on original novels, the books too.

Often when listening to classical, I can see a piece working well for a book I’ve read (or for a particular character) and this is even the case when the music hasn’t been written specifically for this. Many of the classical pieces are based on well known works – there are a few pieces relating to Romeo and Juliet for example.

So there is a link between music and the written word. Given I love both of these things, I like this a lot.

For my own stories and characters, I can sometimes picture what would make a good soundtrack for them or I hear something and think this would suit Character A etc.. I like this too. For me, it brings those stories and characters to life even more.

WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK

This time I share the March 2024 edition of the magazine which had the theme of writing for children. My two articles in this one were about writing for children and also for writing for anthologies.

AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES

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liked Allison Symes's blog post: Music To Suit The Written Word https://t.co/WDLEZ3LZPv via @goodreads I discuss the film soundtrack for The Lord of the Rings, why I think it works as a salute to the book, and the many links between music and films/books on which they're based. pic.twitter.com/mLsHRZfyD0
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) August 31, 2024

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It’s Monday but it is the first one in what is my favourite month of the year. There is something charming about September I think. But it is still Monday when all is said and done. So it is story time then! Hope you like my latest on YouTube – Moving On.https://t.co/dE6zY5MZTb
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) September 2, 2024

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Stories!

November 30, 2018Leave a comment

Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

My latest CFT post is a review of one of my favourite stories, A Christmas Carol, as performed by the MDG Players at the Dovetail Centre recently. Well done to all!

And this is the only production where the audience got to join in! If you want to know how, read the post! Oh and yes I joined in too.

I forgot to mention I’ve had a couple of stories on Cafelit recently. Anne Boleyn fans will like my story, Consistency, published by Cafelit on 24th November. It’s been a good week on Cafelit given my Moving On was published by them on 27th November. Hope you enjoy them both.

My Doubting the Obvious was published by Paragraph Planet on 22nd November. I need more weeks like this! The link should take you to their archive for November, which is why I’ve listed the date in case you need to scroll through to find this. Having said that, have a look good at the other stories here (and indeed on Cafelit too). There is some wonderful writing here – all very entertaining tales!

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Facebook – General – and Association of Christian Writers’ More than Writers blog spot

I discuss writing goals in my monthly spot on the Association of Christian Writers’ More than Writers blog.

Do you set any? Have you achieved what you hoped to do? Did you take part in NaNo? I didn’t because I know I’d exceed the word count on some days, be under on others, and while it might balance out in the end, I just don’t need the guilt of “not achieving”! And I would feel guilty…

See what I DO do about setting goals in this post.

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Facebook – General

My CFT post this week will be a review of A Christmas Carol as staged by the MDG Players.

A Christmas Carol is my favourite Dickens story and one of my favourite tales overall. It has everything – a villain (at least to begin with), ghosts who reveal why Scrooge has become the way he has and what it will mean for him if he doesn’t change, and redemption. The story is its own little world and just works so well.

Still love the Muppet version with Michael Caine. Is on my must watch list again this year. It is just really well done. Looking forward to sharing my post on Friday.

CAN you manage time? Pixabay image.

Just what is your story then? Image via Pixabay

I remember using a manual typewriter. Pixabay image.

Memories are fragile especially over time. Pixabay image.

Be open to change. Pixabay image.

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

So true. Pixabay image.

Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Sometimes I write flash fiction with a historical flavour to it. Here’s one for Anne Boleyn fans. Consistency was published by Cafelit on 24th November. Hope you enjoy. Link given above.

The Tower of London, setting of Jennifer C Wilson’s first Kindred Spirits book. Image via Pixabay.

What journeys are your characters going on? Image via Pixabay

Always good advice. Image via Pixabay.

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

The Tower of London. Setting for Kindred Spirits: Tower of London by Jennifer C Wilson. Image via Pixabay.

Escape with a good book. Image via Pixabay.

Aiming for more “magic” from my stories this year! Image via Pixabay.

I’ve been talking about achieving goals as my monthly Association of Christian Writers’ blog has been about that. See below. I don’t set a particular number of flash fiction stories to write or submit in a year. What I DO try to do is seek to produce a regular number of stories and then submit them to outlets as often and consistently as I can.

What worlds will emerge from your writing? Pixabay image

The time turner. Pixabay image.

And which is the right way?! Pixabay image.

Puns can be visual. Pixabay image.

Goals don’t have to be huge but can give you a huge sense of achievement as you tick them off. Pixabay image.

Walking into the words maybe. Pixabay image

Let one creative idea spark another. Pixabay image.

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

Write your piece, leave it for a while before editing. Pixabay image.

Where is the point where a story really comes alive for you?

For me, it is when I realise I have GOT to find out what happens to the character, whether I love them or loathe them. I generally want to see villains get their comeuppance so read on to see if they do! Equally I want the “good guys” to win through so again read on.

So when creating my own characters, I am always trying to ask myself will this one grip a reader? Is the character strong enough? What is there to love and/or loathe about them?

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

This made me smile! Pixabay image.

Social media has made the world a smaller place. Image via Pixabay.

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

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

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

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

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

Diary keeping as I recall it but I skipped the gingham! Image via Pixabay

Indeed! Pixabay image.

Assemble your characters, assemble your world. Image via Pixabay

Fairytales With Bite – When Is a Story Ready to be “out there?”

There is no hard and fast answer to the above question, of course, but what I have found to be true is that a story is ready for submitting when:-

1. You really cannot edit another word of it without spoiling it in some way.

2. The story haunts you – and you wrote it! (Good chance readers will be haunted by it too).

3. Having deadlines to submit (for reputable competitions say) can be really useful as it makes you work to a date and encourages you to let a story “go”. It can be easy to keep editing and polishing. At some point you need to pluck up courage and test the market with your stories.

4. When you can genuinely envisage your piece as suiting Publication X, say, because you have read several of their editions, have a feel for their style and your story or article fits in beautifully. If you are right go on and send it in but be sure to follow their submission guidelines.

5. You come across other published stories which you have cause to feel are not as good as yours. Only one way to find out if you’re right or not: send your one in!

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This World and Others – Story Moods

What’s your favourite mood for a story or does it depend on what mood you are in at the time of reading?

I love humorous and poignant stories and am glad to say Cafelit have published one of mine in each of these categories in the last few days. Consistency is a historical piece and Moving Onis a changing job story, both very different in mood. I should add the mood varies for my Chandler’s Ford Today pieces too. My post this week is a review of A Christmas Carol as staged by the MDG Players recently. In articles like this, as well as the actual review, I like to give some background to either the material or the writer of the material which is being performed so I generally go for an informative. chatty style. For my scam alert pieces, I obviously adopt a more serious tone.

The key, of course, is having the right “mood” for the right story or article. Yes, you can have funny crime and I’ve read and listened to some wonderful stories in that genre, but generally, unless it is flagged up, you would expect crime stories to have a fairly sombre tone to them. This is where the blurb on books is so important. A reader will pick up on the mood of the book and decide if it suits them thanks to that so it is vital to get this right.

With my From Light to Dark and Back Again the title is the big clue that there is a variety of moods here (as is my strapline – “a story to suit every mood”).

Yes, I think you should play to your strengths when writing so if that is serious writing, go for it, but I would also say don’t be afraid to experiment and play with words. If you find you can write in more than one mood or tone of story, so much the better. It will open up more competitions and markets for you to try. Good luck!

Magical lands. 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!

What world will you enter when you next read a good story? Image via Pixabay.

You can’t beat the trusty notebook and pen for interview notes. Image via Pixabay.

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

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

Two formats for reading and Chandler's Ford library stocks both. Image via Pixabay.

Two formats for reading – why limit yourself?

Books can make you lose time but what a way to lose it! Music can do the same. Image via Pixabay

Fantasy may look at other worlds but often reflects on our own. Time is different too. Music can interpret worlds too. Think of classic film scores like that for The Lord of the Rings. Image via Pixabay.

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

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.

The old way of writing a story! Image via Pixabay

Flash fiction for impact. Image via Pixabay

Escape into another world. Image via Pixabay

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

Brainstorming ideas, just one of many good things to come from well run writing conferences and the exercises set there. Image via Pixabay.

The good old notebook. Image via Pixabay.

All books are gateways to other worlds, fantasy and science fiction especially I think. Image via Pixabay.

What fictional world have you created? What ways and rules have you set for your characters? Image via Pixabay.

Heavenly books. Image via Pixabay

A world of technologies means more places for stories to appear! Image via Pixabay

STORIES, STEREOTYPES, TRICKS AND UNICORNS

September 21, 2018Leave a comment

Be fair, that is quite a mix, isn’t it?! I share links to three new stories of mine on Cafelit this week as well and discuss them in my Facebook posts throughout the week too. Hope you like the stories. I loved writing them.

Facebook – General – and Chandler’s Ford Today

Busy night tonight. My latest CFT post is live and looks at favourite views, literal and metaphorical. I also discuss how to develop “the writer’s eye”.

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Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again

Delighted to have three new stories due to appear on Cafelit over the next few days. Will share links as and when. But back to the idea of using the same word to start the sentences of a flash piece with. My word for tonight is Restless and I will ‘fess up and admit I have given this one more thought though I did like the environmental theme that came through with Habitat.

RESTLESS
‘Restless, you are, Wilma, that’s what you are – always have been, always will be.‘
‘Restless, surely not, I just can’t get comfortable, that’s all’.
‘Restless, I said, and restless I meant.’
‘Restless, that’s the last thing I should be in here, George; I always thought I’d have peace HERE.’
‘Restless spirit, restless grave – I did think I’d have a break from your fidgeting when I joined you in here!’

ENDS.

Allison Symes – 18th September 2018

Hope you enjoy.

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

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

Books are the keys to knowledge. Image via Pixabay

Writing tips! Pixabay image.

Generating the writing ideas. Image via Pixabay.

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

Get those ideas coming! Pixabay image

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

Always good advice. Image via Pixabay.

I do enjoy reading and writing flash stories told from the viewpoint of a minor character looking at the “main action”. Tonight’s story on Cafelit by me, The Balcony Seen, takes this approach. I don’t even name the character in this one. What matters is showing you what they observed and what they felt.

As ever, with flash, it is vital to focus on sharing what the reader needs to know. It is likely you will need to know a lot more before you put pen to paper or write directly to screen but that is what outlines are for. Outlines are fun to write. The difficult bit can be selecting what it is the reader DOES need to know and leaving out all those lovely pieces of information that are good to know but not crucial to the story. What is crucial for you as writer to know isn’t necessarily the same as what the reader needs to know!

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I love writing throw away lines in a story which tell you something about the character and move the tale on. In my Leaving Home (on Cafelit tonight), there is an example of this. But the crucial thing is it moves the story on. Anything that doesn’t is cut. And that’s the way it should be!

Assemble your characters, assemble your world. Image via Pixabay

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

Another one I’ve yet to see happen. 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)

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

Fiction can take you anywhere. Image via Pixabay.

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

Can’t beat a good book or several. Image via Pixabay.

Facebook – Publication News – Cafelit

The first of my three stories appearing on Cafelit is The Balcony Seen (I make no apologies for the pun!). This story is based on an exercise set by Simon Hall as part of his A-Z of Novel Writing at this year’s Swanwick Writers’ Summer School. Hope you enjoy. Most of the images below were taken by me at a Hampshire Medieval Fair a year or two ago and shows the scrivener’s wares and his accommodation, which was good by the standards of the time.

A beautiful woodland walk. Pixabay image

The tools of the medieval writer's trade

The medieval scrivener’s wares. Image by Allison Symes

The Scrivener’s tent. Image by Allison Symes

The scrivener had good accommodation compared to most! Image by Allison Symes

As promised, story number two from me on Cafelit this week is now live. Leaving Home shows that the problems of kids pinching parents’ transport is nothing new (or necessarily confined to this world!). Hope you enjoy.

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As promised, the third of my three Cafelit stories is now on site. Dignity and Injustice looks at the death of Anne Boleyn from a very different perspective. Hope you enjoy.

Another view of the Tower of London - image via Pixabay

The Tower. Pixabay image.

The Tower of London as night falls - image via Pixabay

The Tower at night. Pixabay image.

Fairytales with Bite – Fairytales A to Z Part 7

Marching on towards the end of the alphabet then, this post looks at letters S, T and U.

S = Stereotypes.
It could be argued fairytales have a lot of stereotypes in them. The Big Bad Wolf represents villainy and indeed the saying has passed into the language. We say someone is known to be “a big, bad wolf”. The downtrodden types that have their lives turned around for the better are known as Cinderella types. I think what any fairytale writer should do is use the tropes wisely but not be confined by them. What does your Cinderella type do to try to help herself/himself out of the situation that they’re in? Maybe it is that which attracts the attention of the fairy godmother to help them in the first place. Stereotypes can also be spoofed or reversed as in the Shrek series. So use stereotypes, they can be a useful shorthand, but put your own stamp on the characters you are creating so they are clearly “their own people”.

T = Tricks
It is fine to use stereotypes to create shorthands for your characters, who should then still go on to be characters that are uniquely your creation, and other writing techniques to improve what you do, but those should be the only “tricks” played in your stories. Indeed they shouldn’t even show! Your stories should read “naturally” with nothing drawn to the reader’s attention any “artificial devices” have been used in the making of that story. As for tricks played by characters on others, there should be ground rules set out early on in your story as to magical capabilities so readers know that character A could be reasonably expected to play such a trick on character B.

U = Unicorns (and other mythical beasts)
Use sparingly if at all! For me a story is all about the characters. Unless you are writing a story from the viewpoint of the unicorn or other strange creature, there seems to be little use for these, other than as transport, possibly, or to set the scene for how your world works and looks.

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

Stories can take you to fantastic places. Pixabay image.

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

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

What wonderful worlds we can creat! Image via Pixabay.

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

Just what is your story then? Image via Pixabay

Reach for those ideas. Pixabay image.

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

This World and Others – Story Moods

I’m pleased to say I have three new flash stories on Cafelit. I share the link to my author page here.

The Balcony Seen started life as an exercise at Swanwick Writers’ Summer School this year. Leaving Home and Dignity and Injustice are new to me in that they share a common character. But these stories remind me of one of the reasons I really love flash fiction. They all vary in mood and it is easy to switch from one mood to another and back again.

I also think really short stories can carry the most impact at times. Yes, there are exceptions (the sadness of Hamlet goes beyond saying) but I generally find the shorter the story the more powerful the reaction. I suppose part of the reason for that is there is no room to dilute that impact with sub-plots etc. In a novel, you would need those sub-plots to give a proper ebb and flow to the overall story and avoid having a monotone. No need to worry about that for flash fiction!

Anyway, hope you enjoy these.

Planning your characters. Image via Pixabay.

Aids research whether it is tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc! Image via Pixabay

My latest CFT post. Pixabay image.

A truly beautiful book. Pixabay image.

Writing to screen. Image via Pixabay

Even in the heart of a city, books can provide escapism. Image via Pixabay.

Love what you write. Image via Pixabay.

Edit on paper, not on screen. Pixabay image.

Charging up for new ideas, maybe? Pixabay image.

Creating great characters does mean hard work. Image via Pexels.

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

Goodreads Author Programme Blog – Opening Lines

What is it about an opening line that makes you want to read on?

For me, that opening line has to intrigue me, show me something of the fictional world to come, or show me something about the lead character. The very best opening lines combine at least two of these.

I’m thinking especially of Orwell’s 1984 “It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen.”. I’m immediately intrigued by the thirteen and I want to know about what kind of world it could be to have clocks capable of doing this. The opening line has definitely fulfilled its role there!

The challenge then for the writer is to make sure that everything which follows lives up to the promise of that opening line and delivers on it! And some people think writing is easy…hmm… I learned a long time ago that when someone makes something look easy, that same someone has almost certainly worked their socks off for years to get to that point.

So what are your favourite lines and why?

I also love the opening to Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities. Very different in style but they intrigue and set the tone for what is to come.

Happy reading, and writing!