Notebooks - ancient and modern. Where characters start to take shape. Image via Pixabay.

WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

September 25, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

When Things Go Wrong takes a look at those moments when certain fairytale characters would have known they would have been far better off staying at home that day. (But alas didn’t!).

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

A Bad Day sets out some story ideas as to what could go wrong for your characters and above all how they handle this. At the very least the thoughts here might give you ideas for how to flesh out your characters more because true character is shown when someone is put under unexpected stress. The pretences, the cover ups all come crashing down. If you really want to know what your characters are made of, drop them right in it! How do they react?

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Tonight’s theme is the joy of outlining. I also share which Scrivener tools I use to help with this process, which I find particularly helpful for the standard short story. For flash fiction, I give myself one line and the “mood” of the story as the outline and away I go but Scrivener has some useful templates short story writers might find useful. I do anyway.

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Have notebook. Will jot down ideas for how to drop my characters right in it and work out how they get out of it again. Image via Pixabay.

One of the exhibits at the Steam Museum, Swindon. Image taken by me.

PRACTICAL WORLD BUILDING

September 24, 2016September 24, 2016Leave a comment

Tonight’s posts all have a being practical theme to them.

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I look at Transport in the current post having visited a railway museum today. Magic would be an obvious form of (a) fuelling transport systems and (b) actually being the transport system. But there is a downside to most things in life, including transport, so where would that be in your fictional creation? How much magic does it take to enable someone to fly? Can everyone in your world manage it? Just a few thoughts to consider…

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I look at Practical World Building and set a few questions that I hope may help anyone who is starting off on the process of creating their own world but may not be too sure of where to start. It is a big undertaking when you think of it – a whole world out of nothing except what your fertile imagination can invent. But this is where looking around at the world we live in can be such a good place to start. What is your world’s equivalent of the trains for example? And Terry Pratchett famously started by working out what the plumbing would be for Ankh-Morpork (the waste has to go somewhere and fresh water, or as fresh as possible, is crucial of course).

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I talk more about my railway museum visit and speculate what it is about history (including things like the history of transport) that I love. It is all about stories. The story of this, the story of that, when all is said and done but there are fascinating tales in our past, any one of which can be used as inspiration for kickstarting our own ideas into play.

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At the Steam Museum, Swindon. Women at work during WW2. Image taken by me.

A beaten knight but Richard III's injuries at Bosworth would have been far more horrific. Image via Pixabay.

IMPOSSIBLE INTERVIEWS

September 23, 2016Leave a comment

CHANDLER’S FORD TODAY

Tonight’s post is the start of a new occasional series, Impossible Interviews, in which I interview historical figures. My “guest” tonight? Richard III! Maligned or monstrous? What do you think? For anyone with a love of history I think it is fair to say you can’t be impartial about the king.

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I take the Impossible Interviews theme a bit further with my post here tonight. Called Impossible Interviews – In the Magical World, I look at who I would interview in such a setting. I would quiz those who set the magical standards as to why they have set them the way they have and also chat to those who are very low down in the magical pecking order.

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In Doing the Impossible: Listening to Characters, I ask if it were possible for you as the writer to listen to what your characters have to say to you, would you do so?! Are they happy with the way you’ve portrayed them and if not, why not, and what will you do about it?!

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I share the link to my Chandler’s Ford Today post.

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The Bard tells a cracking story but that doesn’t mean any of it is true! Image via Pixabay

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

THE WORKING LIFE

September 22, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Unwinding at the End of the Day is tonight’s post on Fairytales with Bite. I look at how characters unwind and ask what might happen if their lives are turned upside down so any chance of unwinding goes completely (think Frodo Baggins knowing he’s got to go on a quest he’s unlikely to survive to try to get rid of the Ring of Power – just how do you cope with that?). Also given we all need to unwind, so do our characters and this aspect should show more of their personalities, always helpful in the overall portrayal.

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The Working Life by contrast looks at this aspect of a character’s life. What work do they do? In a magical world, what is done workwise without the aid of magic given to use that kind of power all the time is bound to be draining on the practitioner? Also who carries out the lowly jobs that need doing but where using magic is probably going to be overkill? (In any world someone has to take out the bins for example! Do you really want to use magic for that?!).

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I discuss the one thing that makes a good story or book as far as I’m concerned – the quality of the characters. Are they believable? I also share a brief thought on villains and on characters that are too good! Do you agree?

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A beautiful place in which to read stories – image via Pixabay

THE FAIRY GODMOTHER’S TO DO LIST

September 21, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Any fairy godmother who ever hopes to survive long enough to make a career out of her role knows there is nothing that can beat research and thorough preparation. So she and her colleagues all have to-do lists. My post looks at what you could expect a fairy godmother to have on hers.

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Moods and Meanings looks at how music can create and affect moods. The post also discusses how we can disguise our real meanings except from those who know us really well. Can your characters do that and who do they want to hide things from and why? Plenty of food for thought there.

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I go back to my childhood in my post tonight and look back at the fiction I really loved all those years ago. I caught up with Dahl thanks to my son loving his books but for me I suppose it was the fairytales and the Famous Five that most grabbed my attention.

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The way to the magical realm perhaps? Image via Pixabay

MIXING IT UP

September 20, 20162 Comments

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Tonight’s post is called Mixing It Up where I discuss variety in writing in terms of what you write and also in terms of short stories. After all there are markets and competitions now for the very short story and the much longer one so have a go at both! I also share news of a flash fiction piece of mine, Telling the Time, which first appeared on the Cafelit website now being available in their annual anthology, The Best of Cafelit 5.

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Not the most imaginative title I know but my post tonight called Ten Writing Tips I’ve Found Useful sums up this blog nicely! Hope you find at least some of the tips useful.

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Again I share news of The Best of Cafelit 5 on my Facebook Author page tonight but I also refer to Baubles, the upcoming Bridge House Publishing annual anthology, where I’ll also have a story appearing. More details on that when that book comes out.

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

Imagine all the stories in here! Image via Pixaba

WHAT I WOULD LOVE ABOUT LIVING IN A MAGICAL WORLD

September 20, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I don’t know if this is me being negative but tonight’s post, What I would love about living in a magical world, I found more difficult to write than yesterday’s one where I listed the disadvantages of being in such an environment! Maybe to me at least the disadvantages are more obvious!

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I discuss music in tonight’s post, The Joy of Strings, so if anyone was thinking that title meant the blog was going to be a celebration of the old string vest, you’re in for a disappointment! I was listening to a classical concert as I was typing this and I wondered what role music might play in your fictional world.

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The advantages of being a writer is my topic for tonight. I only listed a few. What could you add to the list?

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Where so many classic stories started life – just ask Dahl and Wodehouse to name just two. Image via Pixabay.

Now here is a magical environment! Enough books to be going on with for one thing! Image via Pixabay.

LIVING IN A MAGICAL WORLD – THE DOWNSIDES

September 18, 2016September 18, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I must admit I do love my lists. I love reading them. I enjoy writing them too. In tonight’s post I share my reasons for why I would hate living in a magical world. I think my reasons are pretty sound. See what you think!

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Continuing with lists and the general theme of the downsides of living in a magical environment, I share some hints and tips to those who might be called magically naive. Such people need all the hints and tips they can get!

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I discuss what I like about each stage of the writing process tonight. Do you agree with my thoughts? Or is there one aspect you really hate and dread doing?

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Books can be magical, regardless of what genre they actually are. Image via Pixabay.

BEING TAKEN OUT OF YOURSELF

September 18, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

In tonight’s post Developments I ask how your characters react to the big changes in life. I also ask how development in general takes place in your fictional world. Can big business dictate to government or is there one central power controlling everything?

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In Being Taken Out of Yourself, I ask what triggers enable your characters to escape their humdrum lives for a while. I also ask what happens when characters that need to escape for a while find they can’t do so. Just how long can they keep going before they crack.

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I discuss what I hope will become a mini series for Chandler’s Ford Today and wonder why it is I have days, like today, when I can catch up with my reading, yet on other days I barely have time to read at all!

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Books help you wind down, can be a trigger to escape life. Image via Pixabay.

A bookshelf of beautiful books. A joy to look at, but a greater one to read! Image via Pixabay.

IS THERE A MAGIC WAND IN WRITING?

September 16, 2016Leave a comment

FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

You shouldn’t be too surprised that the answer to “Is there a Magic Wand in Writing?” is a resounding “no” but I discuss how you can help “beef up” the imaginative muscle. And the best way of all is to indulge in the flip side of writing, which is to read. Is there a writer who doesn’t love to read? I don’t think so and my attitude here is go for it – prose, poetry, fiction, non-fiction – indulge, knowing it will help your own writing no end!

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On a similar theme, my post Flexing the Imaginative Muscle shares three writing exercises. Writing exercises are, of course, the other great way to fire up your imagination. Some have given me opening lines, which I’ve then used to write flash fiction or longer short stories, though a play, a novella or longer piece of fiction could also start from something like this.

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I use my FB author page tonight to discuss my Chandler’s Ford Today post called Why I Use Scrivener Writing Software. This is likely to remain the most technical piece of writing I ever produce but I hope it might be useful to those writers considering using this software. I have, however, put in links to some of my favourite authors for whom writing technology consisted of the quill and the typewriter! And those sites are worth exploring if you are a fan of Roald Dahl, P.G.Wodehouse and/or Shakespeare! At the end of the day it is the imagination that is the most important writing tool of all.

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Feature image for my Chandler’s Ford Today post. Image via Pixabay.