Is there anyone who can’t name a list of things they wished they’d known earlier? No matter who you are, there is bound to be something here. I thought I would look at this question from a writer’s viewpoint (otherwise this post will be far too long!). Were there things about the writing life I wish I’d known earlier? Oh yes.
As many of you will know, as well as writing for the fabulous Chandler’s Ford Today, I also write for a monthly online magazine called Writers’ Narrative. I am also their copy editor. The magazine has a monthly theme and the October edition will be about Short Form Fiction.
I’m delighted to say I will be their Featured Author for October and have been interviewed in depth by the Editor in Chief, Wendy H Jones. I also wrote a separate article breaking down one of my published flash tales and looking at how I wrote it, as well as sharing some of the influences which led to its creation. Am very much looking forward to sharing this via my website and social media later.
It was interesting being on the other side of the interview. The questions were thoughtful and challenging and a joy to answer. So I thought for this post, I would look at what makes for a good interview, what authors can do to prepare themselves for interviews they face, and how to make the best of them once they are “out there”.
Writing competitions can be useful in helping you get your short stories and flash fiction into print. There are novel competitions out there too, though the entry fee is significantly higher for these, which is understandable, because you are paying for a judge’s time to read your 100,000 words.
But for this post, I thought I would focus on the short fiction forms as there are more competitions available for them.
It can be a small world. The same applies to the writing one. I’ve followed Joan Livingston (via her Substack) for some time and recently discovered she is a friend of Val Penny, whom I met at The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick and have interviewed here. Now it is Joan’s turn to be put under the spotlight.
This interview forms part of Joan’s blog tour for her new book in her Isabel Long series, Finding The Source. The blog tour has been organised by Lynsey Adams from the Reading Between the Lines Book Vlog.
I make a point of mixing up what I read in terms of genre and type of story. So as well as reading novels, I read novellas and, naturally for me, flash fiction and short story collections.
I love reading stand alone novels. One of my favourites here is The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey. The story is complete. There could not be a follow up. But especially in genre fiction, there is a lot of the room for the series novels. Crime and historical fiction seem to me to lead the way there. I will be interviewing an American author shortly who is renowned for her crime series, but I thought for this post I’d take a look at the joys and challenges of writing stand alone books.
It is always a pleasure to return to The Hayes, Swanwick, Derbyshire for my big writing event of the year – The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. I spend a fabulous few days in the company of friends, enjoy making new friends, and learn so much from the courses and workshops on offer. I am immersed in the world of writing and it is a wonderful, tiring, and inspirational experience.
This year, the weather was gloriously sunny. We appreciated the air conditioning in the rooms where the workshops were being held, and there were new additions to the grounds at The Hayes. I do not remember seeing the goats before.
[Read more…] about Returning to The Writers’ Summer School Swanwick for 2025
By the time this goes live, I will have just returned from my annual jaunt to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. As ever, a good time was had by all (and far too good a time had by me, writing events have their social side which doesn’t necessarily do that much for the old waistline!).
I learned so much from the workshops and courses. I do think this is one aspect where writing is good for you. You keep learning all of the time and developing your craft. That keeps you on your toes, encourages you to up your game and when, hopefully, publication successes come as a result of this, that too encourages you to keep going and it encourages you to see if you can be published again. At least that has been my experience to date.
Local author, John Puzey, will be at Chandler’s Ford Library on 16th August 2025 from 10.00 am.
All are welcome. John tells Chandler’s Ford Today that a big part of his new book is about life in a POW Camp. If you have letters, photos, or diaries of relatives who may have been in camps, do bring them along to when John holds his library event. Please note it should only be paperwork you bring along to this!
John (who is part of The Chameleon Theatre Company based in Ritchie Hall), will be discussing and signing his book, Captive Audience, which is published by Authors Reach Limited.
Behind the wire and the watchtowers, three prisoners of war begin their journey to fame. An adventure of escapism and escape, set against the backdrop of war-torn Italy and the lure of post war stardom.
For more information on this book, and his others, do check out John’s website at https://johnpuzey.co.uk/
I had the opportunity recently to go and see a Jane Austen exhibition at the Dorset Museum in Dorchester. This year marks the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth and there have been various events to commemorate this. (I am sure there will be more as we head to Miss Austen’s birthday in December and it would pay to keep an eye out for events at Winchester Cathedral, where Jane is buried).
It’s always a delight to go and see the latest production from The Chameleons but this one is a little different for me. It’s the first time I’ve gone to see a play based on a famous book but which remains one I haven’t read. I don’t know whether that means I went with a more open mind than I might have done if I had read the book (though I like to think I am fairly open minded anyway). I have often watched films based on books I’ve read (and most work well) but plays, no.
[Read more…] about Review – The Chameleon Theatre Group – Notes From A Small Island
It is a great privilege and pleasure to welcome Esther Chilton to Chandler’s Ford Today. Esther is a fellow flash fiction writer, a tutor for the Writers’ Bureau, runs workshops and goes to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick, which, naturally, is where we met. She will be running a course on flash fiction there this year.
But as well as writing for adults, Esther also writes for children in the 5 to 7 years old category. Her new book, The Secret Dragon, comes out on 25th July.
[Read more…] about Author Interview: Introducing Esther Chilton and The Secret Dragon
Breaking down why a story works may seem a strange thing to do. Surely you just want to read an enjoyable tale and move on to the next one, ideally having a good mix of genres, classic and contemporary works as part of your “reading diet”?
Well, yes, but if you want to write your own stories, it does pay you to work out what it is you love about those you enjoy reading. You will learn a great deal from this, some of which at least you will be able to apply to your own writing.
Now I’m fond of a good quiz (Pointless, Mastermind, University Challenge etc) and I always count it as a good day if I get the book/author related questions right. I do feel like I’m a numpty if I don’t!
But I also use quizzing techniques when it comes to creating stories. One way I do this is to quiz potential characters. I want to find out just what it is about them which means I should write their story up. I see it almost like interviewing a potential actor for a role. I must get my cast right. If they don’t fascinate me, they’re unlikely to work their charms on potential readers.
Do you read more or less fiction when the news is grim? Are you conscious you’re doing so? I know I deliberately listen to more classical music, write more, read more. All of these are good to focus on, so unlike the news. I recall there was always a funny or warm hearted story at the end of the main news bulletin. Do those still exist? I haven’t come across them recently.
Now this is a post I’ve wanted to write for some time but am delighted I can now do so. I am thrilled to announce I have signed and returned the contract to Bridge House Publishing for my third flash fiction book called Seeing The Other Side. Chapeltown Books are one of BHP’s imprints and both of my other flash collections came out via Chapeltown).
[Read more…] about Allison Symes – Local Author News – Seeing The Other Side
On Saturday, 7th June 2025, I was delighted to go along to the Open Evening held by The Chameleon Theatre Company to celebrate their 60th anniversary.
I remain amazed at what fabulous productions they put on when you consider they don’t have the world’s biggest stage. They do make the most of every bit of space at the Ritchie Hall.
Bear in mind too they cover drama, comedy, and pantomimes, all of which have different demands. For the latter, there are more members on stage than there are for some of the dramas The Chameleons put on.
Did you know by the way their mascot is called Ritchie? I didn’t until that Saturday evening either.
This may be a strange question for a fiction writer to ask but it’s not a bad thing to look into as it ties in closely with why write at all. I believe the creative arts as a whole are worth celebrating and supporting. Fiction writers, though, have the chance to show reflections on humanity’s behaviour all through the medium of entertaining stories.
Now I’ll put my hands up and admit to being biased about editing. Well, I am an editor so I would be. But my experience wearing a writer’s and editor’s hat (and sometimes both together) is there is no middle ground here. People love it or hate it.
Before becoming an editor, when I found my acceptances were increasing when I put in decent editing work on my own stories, that changed my attitude too. I thought I’d share some thoughts on editing here which I’ve found helpful with my writing. (A lot of them can apply to when I’m editing someone else too).
This year is the 60th anniversary of The Chameleons who are based at Ritchie Hall, Hursley Road, Chandler’s Ford.
As part of their year round celebrations to mark this momentous occasion, they are holding an Open Evening on Saturday 7th June 2025 from 6 pm to 9 pm.
All are welcome to go and find out more about them and the work they do, on and behind the stage. You can also see what company members think of The Chameleons via the slideshow, along with pictures of their recent appearance at the Fryern Funtasia.
Please do see the various links I’ve shared below to find out more about them.
https://www.chameleontheatre.co.uk/
https://www.chameleontheatre.co.uk/about-chameleons.html
Better still, why not pop down and see them on 7th June? They always need people to join the company. Bear in mind they make their own sets too, they always need lighting and sound crew etc., so if acting isn’t your thing, maybe helping out here would be instead.
Many congratulations to all at The Chameleons for a wonderful anniversary!
Oh and their next show is Notes From A Small Island based on the novel by Bill Bryson (adapted for the stage by Tim Whitnall). This will be from Thursday 24th July to Saturday 26th July 2025.
Janet and I are already looking forward to going to this – it should be very funny.
