Tag: writing

YOUR CHARACTER’S WISH LIST

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I look at the changes of direction that can come to your characters, whether these are eagerly anticipated or forced on your hero/heroine by circumstance, the actions of others,  mysterious documents turning up and so on.  Indeed it would be a strange story if there wasn’t at least one forced change of direction your hero/heroine has to come terms with before then defeating it.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

I look at what your characters would wish for, if they were given the chance to have their say.  (I know some of my characters would be ensuring they have more than their fair say).

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I discuss my love of swimming here tonight.  I thought when I first started I’d use the rest periods to think out my plots and stories and soon discovered, instead, my mind goes a complete blank.  But I do find  I’m refreshed and reivigorated after a swim that that is the point of writing creative non-fiction.

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Helping out especially if there's a change of direction to navigate. Image via Pixabay.

Helping out especially if there’s a change of direction to navigate. Image via Pixabay.

 

 

 

 

GLORIOUS BOOKS AND STORY FORMATS

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I discuss my favourite fairytale and collection of fairytales in my blog post called Books, Glorious Books (and they so are!).  Working out what you like to read most can be a great aid to working out what you most want to write.  Sometimes it can help you work out what you love to read but don’t feel “strong” enough to write.  For example, I love crime stories.  I’ve written a few short pieces but know I couldn’t make crime the main category in which I write.  I also briefly discuss the inspiration we get from books and ask if what drives your writing is strong enough to sustain a novel or if it would be better for a short story.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

I discuss story formats in tonight’s post and stress the important thing is getting the story across effectively to people.  The actual format in which that can be done varies of course.  I’ve been inspired to read an author thanks to watching a great film adaptation of some of their work.  Other times I’ve read the book and found the film a wonderfully enjoyable way of enjoying the story a second time!

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I discuss story formats again here and wonder what film adapters would do without books!  I think the creative industries would grind to a halt without books – so more power to the book writers then!

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Some of the anthologies my work has appeared in - image by me.

Some of the anthologies my work has appeared in – image by me.

 

 

Magazines are a wonderful read. I like the writing mags and some history ones. Image via Pixabay.

AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT…

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Tonight’s post is called And Now For Something Completely Different.  Much as I love humorous lists (reading and writing them), I thought I would look at the differences in the worlds you might create for your stories that would draw readers in.  What makes the world you’ve created different from what we know?  What is only all too familiar (but is easy to identify with)? These are some of the things discussed.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Talking of the familiar, I look at this in Right Under Your Nose, tonight’s post for my writing tips and prompts website.  It is frighteningly easy to take for granted the familiar settings around you (and indeed the people!).  Do your characters do this?  Do they have cause to regret it?  This post looks at this in a little more detail.

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I discuss what I’ve been reading, magazine wise, tonight and also a novel competition I hope to have a try for over the next few months.  (Closing date isn’t until January 2017).  I also raise the spectre of the “C” word, which I generally refuse to even think about until after the end of September, though I’ve seen so many cards and some seasonal parties being advertised already.  (And I love the “C” season but in August?  Really?)

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Overview of a local Extravaganza event, sadly not to be held this year. Image by me.

Overview of a local Extravaganza event, sadly not to be held this year. Image by me.

 

 

WHAT NOT TO SAY TO A FAIRYTALE HEROINE AND ASSUMPTIONS

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

You’ll have spotted a theme developing with my recent posts on here.  Tonight’s one looks at what not to say to a fairytale hero/heroine (though I ended up merely writing about heroines!). The gullibility of some characters does get to me sometimes…

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Tonight I have a bit of a rant about Audi drivers and discuss assumptions that irritate writers.  I also look at what assumptions your characters might have and what the world of your story might have.  Can these be challenged?  Has anyone in your stories done so and what were the consequences?  Plenty of story ideas there!

CHANDLER’S FORD TODAY

Friday night is usually when my posts appear.  Tonight’s one is a short reminder of a creative writing class coming up in the area shortly.  These classes are being run by the very wonderful Barbara Large, who founded and ran the Winchester Writing Conference as it was known.  Today it is the Winchester Writers’ Festival.  I can’t begin to tell you how many writers Barbara has encouraged but I happily recommend her classes as I’m sure they will be fascinating and enlightening.

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I mainly share news of my Chandler’s Ford Today post on a Friday night.  See link.

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Story ideas often still start life on paper - image via Pixabay

Story ideas often still start life on paper – image via Pixabay

Part of the New Forest in late autumn, image taken by me.

WHAT NOT TO SAY TO A FAIRY GODMOTHER AND THE CHANGING TIMES

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Following on from yesterday’s post, I suggest things that should not be said to any fairy godmother who happens to drop by.  They’re not always sweet tempered creatures and, in any case, will not want some useless herbert who is not magical at all questioning the likes of them!

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Tonight’s post looks at new beginnings and discusses how these should show at least some change in your characters.  The post also discusses the impact of new beginnings both on your characters and those around them.

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I discuss the change of the season now we’re into September, share one of my favourite songs from Earth Wind and Fire, and from a writer’s viewpoint, why I love autumn.  As it gets colder and darker outside, it is so much easier to stay at my desk immersed in a fictional world!  Link below.

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Whatever the season, walking the dog is a labour of love. (Image by me, pose by Mabel the border collie).

Whatever the season, walking the dog is a labour of love. (Image by me, pose by Mabel the border collie).

WHAT NOT TO SAY TO A FAIRYTALE WITCH AND OTHER ADVICE…

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

Sometimes the most innocent of conversations can rile people.  Here is some advice on what not to say to a fairytale witch (assuming you like living and want to stay the same species you were born into).

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

Tonight’s post looks at the four seasons and discusses, amongst other things, whether the natural world in a story can ever fight back against magic used on it.  I think that any environment, where magic has been used, would show the scars of that.

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I ask what is the point of https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAllison.Symes.FairytaleLady%2Fposts%2F768997693203212&width=500” target=”_blank”>housework and queues in the Post Office in tonight’s offering on my author page.  I also suggest how writers can use “dead time” to their advantage.

CHANDLER’S FORD TODAY

This week’s post from me will be a reminder about local creative writing classes coming up soon.  More details a bit nearer the time.

Listening to an inspiring talk. Image via Pixabay.

Listening to an inspiring talk. Image via Pixabay.

 

 

 

Some of the books my stories have appeared in - image taken by me.

UNWELCOME GUESTS AND TIME TELLING

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WEBSITES

The title of this post shows there’s quite a mix tonight!   On my Fairytales with Bite website, I discuss the Unwelcome Guest and what makes them unwelcome.   I’m not naming any names as to who or what might have inspired me to write this post!

On This World and Others I discuss calendars and how time is organised on your fictional world.  Is it how we know it – based on a 24 hour day following the patterns of night and day – or something completely different, as the saying goes?

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On my Facebook page, I look at an old Chandler’s Ford Today post I wrote called My Desert Island Books.  See the link below but I base this on the Radio 4 show, Desert Island Discs, and you can name 8 books you would have to have with you on a remote island.  No smuggling in of a Kindle or other device so you could take in more.  As with the show you can have Shakespeare and the Bible.  I will add in, being a generous sort, the complete works of Dickens and, in my view, our finest funny writer ever, P. G. Wodehouse.  So now what would you choose for bookish company if you were stuck on said island for a while?

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The lakes at the Hayes Conference Centre, Derbyshire. Home to the Swanwick Summer School. Image taken by me.

SWANWICK AND A MAGICAL SHOPPING LIST

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FAIRYTALES WITH BITE

I don’t know about you but I have to have a shopping list when preparing for the weekly shop.  That’s fine for everyday stuff but what kind of things could you expect to see on a magical shopping list?  My post tonight has a lighthearted look at that.

THIS WORLD AND OTHERS

I discuss having a to-do list in tonight’s post.  I find these really helpful for planning out what to write (and therefore how best to use what time I’ve got available that day) but I discuss whether characters could have their own version of this.  After all they do their have their own agendas in the story, haven’t they? I also ask whether a character that does have such a list is more scary than one that doesn’t.

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On my author page tonight (link below), I finally get around to sharing some of my favourite images taken by me using my trusty phone camera of Swanwick Summer School.  Absolutely beautiful place. I discuss one reason why I love flash fiction and, theme for tonight or so it appears, why I like to-do lists.

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The Hayes Conference Centre, Derbyshire - image taken by me. Stunning place.

The Hayes Conference Centre, Derbyshire – image taken by me. Stunning place.

 

 

TODAY’S ROUND UP

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MY POSTS ON MY WEBSITES

On my Fairytales with Bite website, I discuss what not to ask for when your fairy godmother turns up.  Well it is best to be prepared, don’t you think?  Forewarned is forearmed and all that…

On my Allison Symes – This World and Others website, I discuss anniversaries, including the impact of the Battle of Bosworth given that anniversary is today, 22nd August.  One of my earliest Chandler’s Ford Today posts is a review of The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, which is one of the few works of fiction to really impact on my views on a person, Richard III.  If you’ve read the novel and feel like posting a comment about my review, I’d be glad to hear from you.

CHANDLER’S FORD TODAY

My most recent post is part of a mini series reviwing a Medieval Weekend recently held by the Road to Agincourt Project.  My most recent writing related post is a notice about creative writing classes coming up in the area, which are being run by Barbara Large, MBE.  Barbara was the founder of the Winchester Writers’ Festival as it is now known and I hope to be interviewing her soon.

One of my writing advice posts was how to spot a real writing competition and I hope the link to this might be useful.  It’s a pity scammers get everywhere but I’ve learned to enter any writing competition with my eyes wide open, knowing exactly what it is I’m putting work in for on the basis it is best to know.  If people aren’t keen to say, I simply don’t enter those competitions.

With some of the anthologies my work has appeared in

HELLO!

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Welcome to my Word Press blog where I will link the best of my website posts, Facebook pieces and Chandler’s Ford Today articles.

I write fairytales with bite, mainly as short stories (including flash fiction) and novels.

I have two websites:-

www.fairytaleswithbite.weebly.com

www.allisonsymes-thisworldandothers.weebly.com

The Fairytales with Bite site discusses the world of my stories and I sometimes share some of my flash fiction pieces here.

The Allison Symes – This World and Others website is where I share writing hints and tips.  I also write pieces which can generate story ideas.  For example, I have recently written pieces about historical artefacts and asked questions about how these could be used in your story ideas.  I also put on to this website anything that does not really fit in to the Fairytales with Bite website.

I blog regularly for Chandler’s Ford Today on writing, book, stories, history, local events and have interviewed local authors.  My posts appear  usually every Friday evening.

I am a member of the Society of Authors and Association of Christian Writers.  My favourite authors include Terry Pratchett, Jane Austen, P.G. Wodehouse, Agatha Christie but must admit this year I’ve been discovering the joys of the Kindle.  As a result I am reading more non-fiction than ever and loving that too.

I have short stories published online at Alfie Dog Fiction, Cafelit, Shortbread Short Stories (archived) and Scriggler. com (which is US based).  I have stories published in print by Bridge House Publishing and Cafelit (and am glad to say will be having two stories coming out later this year in each of their annual anthologies).  More details later, as they say.