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. Many thanks to Janet Williams for the photo of me at the Book Fair. Screenshots taken by me, Allison Symes.
Hope you have had a good few days. Weather has turned bitterly cold. Even had some snow. Not that Lady worried. Writing wise, looking forward to sharing further author interviews on Chandler’s Ford Today. Am just putting some finishing to some flash pieces I hope to send off to competitions shortly. Wish me luck!
Facebook – General and Chandler’s Ford Today
Pleased to be back on Chandler’s Ford Today to talk about a topic very close and dear to my heart – Top Flash Fiction Writing Tips and the Benefits. I look at focusing on the character, using the first person, and not worrying about the word count immediately amongst other things. Hope you find the post useful.
Top Flash Fiction Writing Tips and the Benefits
22nd November 2024 – Esther Chilton – Guest Spot
Not one but two posts from me on here tonight.
Many thanks to Esther Chilton for inviting me to be a guest writer on her blog. See link below. Great opportunity to talk about flash fiction and to share a YouTube link to one of my favourite flash pieces of mine, Calling the Doctor. I used this as the trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again.
Hope you enjoy the post and the video.
Guest Writer Spot
Colder today than yesterday, Even had snow which lay for a while. Melted by lunchtime. Went for a swim. When the pool water feels like you’re getting into a warm bath, you know it’s perishing cold outside. It was like that today! No pals out for Lady today though she did enjoy her usual time at the park. Dogs are great believers in making the most of the simple pleasures of life.
Will be looking at Top Flash Fiction Writing Tips and The Benefits for Chandler’s Ford Today this week. Link up tomorrow. See above.
Cracking on with Flash NANO. Am putting finishing touches to some flash pieces I want to get out for competitions in the next couple of days.
Not long now until the Bridge House Publishing Celebration event. Looking forward to that and catching up with everyone. Lovely way to finish my writing event year.
Busy putting next newsletter together as well.
Another cold one today – the gloves came out. (No – not boxing ones!). Lady didn’t care. Too busy running around and having a fabulous time with her Rhodesian Ridgeback and Hungarian Vizler pals.
Looking forward to the Association of Christian Writers Flash Fiction Group meeting on Zoom next week. We’ll be looking at festive flash, which is always great fun to write. I have finally drafted some and hope to do more next week.
I do usually set exercises when I run workshops. I’ve long appreciated being on the receiving end of exercises set for me by other tutors. I’ve always got something useful out of exercises. Some pieces which started life this way ended up being published.
Facebook – From Light to Dark and Back Again
Delighted to be back on Friday Flash Fiction with Wishing Well. Tony is skeptical about Hannah’s feeling it is right to make a wish at the well but is he right to be so scathing or does Hannah have a point? Find out here.
Highlight of the day today was having an Options hot chocolate when coming in from my afternoon walk with the dog. It really is all about the simple pleasures of life.
Talking of which, what would your characters count as their simple pleasures? What would they do/how would they react if these were taken away from them? Could be some interesting stories there.
Also what would they be prepared to do to ensure nobody could ever take these simple pleasures away at all? Would these simple pleasures get in the way of them having relationships with others or could a shared simple pleasure lead to a romance story?
Hope you can make use of those thoughts. Will be giving some thought to them myself!
Hope your writing day has been a good one. Looking forward to tackling Day 20 of Flash NANO shortly. Can’t believe where the time has gone on this already. Have loved all of the challenges.
Character Tip: Motivation matters, of course, but what drives your character to have the motivations they do. Are they doing what they are to defend themselves or loved ones, out of fear, out of greed or what have you?
The drivers here will be what determines whether your characters can keep going or not. The more vital the driver is (at least to the character) the more drama and tension there will be in your story, the more readers will be gripped to discover whether your character does keep going or not.
Fairytales with Bite – Fantasy Flash
F = Flash fiction can be used for many genres including fantasy.
A = As you are following the adventures of the characters and they can be set anywhere.
N = Not a lot of world building needed, you haven’t the word count room for it, but give enough details so readers know where your characters are.
T = Telling details are what are needed here – a hint of the world your character is in, a hint of any special powers your character has and so on.
A = Always know your character well enough to know what motivates them whether you write about a fairy, an alien being or a dragon (I’ve written for all three!).
S = Story is the main focus – what is your story, what is the change, what does your character do and what are the consequences? Why does it have to be on the world you’ve created?
Y = Your character needs to grip us throughout, even in a small word count story, so how will they do that? What is it about them that appeals? No matter how alien your character, readers will still need to understand where they are coming from and what motivates them.
F = Flash has to be brief and to the point so what aspects of your character could use this as a strength?
L = Lively characters, an intriguing opening, a gripping middle, and a powerful ending – no pressure then!
A = Always focus on getting the story down worry about word count later.
S = Set your story aside for a while after those drafts and then come back after a break to evaluate it properly.
H = Have fun drafting your story. Later have fun editing it and sharpening it. Have fun creating your characters and as much of your setting as you can show us but remember you do only have 1000 words for flash.
This World and Others – Food Production
I’ve not yet come across a story where the characters don’t need to eat. (I loved the hobbits and their wish for second breakfast in The Lord of the Rings). So regardless of your setting, food has to be produced somehow. What would your world use as sources of meat? (Yes, that can be especially grim and could be a source for ideas if you want to write horror).
What would your world grow as cereals and other crops? Would we recognize their farming methods? Is their equipment the same as ours, or more or less advanced than our own? Do the main characters in your story have any involvement with food production and could their role prove pivotal to the overall plot?
Whoever controls food supply wields a great deal of power, no matter what world this is on, so that could be used to good effect in a story. Naturally climate chance could also be factored into a tale involving food production. What would the impact be on the world you’ve set up?
WRITERS NARRATIVE SUBSCRIBER LINK
This time I share the October 2023 of the magazine on the theme of horror. I look at Writing Horror: The Telling Details. And yes it is possible to write horror flash fiction. I’ve written some though mine is at the less dark end of the market.
AMAZON AUTHOR CENTRAL – ALLISON SYMES
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsWishing Well, by Allison Symes – Friday Flash Fiction https://t.co/sximYa23to Delighted to be back on FFF with Wishing Well. Tony is skeptical about Hannah’s feeling it is right to make a wish at the well but is he right to be scathing or does Hannah have a point? Find out here. pic.twitter.com/x7uMk1LqBX
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) November 22, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsThanks to Esther Chilton for inviting me to be a guest writer on her blog. Fab opportunity to talk about flash fiction and to share a YouTube link to my Calling the Doctor. This is the trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again. Hope you enjoy the post.https://t.co/L7e2gK6uMK
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) November 22, 2024
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsTop Flash Fiction Writing Tips and the Benefits https://t.co/t9Omtn4mvM Pleased to be on CFT with my favourite topic – Top Flash Fiction Writing Tips and the Benefits. I look at character, using first person, and not worrying about word count immediately amongst other things.
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) November 22, 2024
Allison Symes: Collected Works 