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Blog

Paragraphs and Punctuation in Fiction

May 13, 2022 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credit:    Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. One photo directly from Pixabay.

Paragraphs and punctuation may not be the most immediate things to spring to mind for the letter P in my In Fiction series but they have important roles to play in creative writing.

[Read more…] about Paragraphs and Punctuation in Fiction

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Tags: am writing, competitions, creative writing, grammar, house style. publishers, paragraphs, punctuation

May Gardening Tips by Wellie

May 6, 2022 By Wellie Leave a Comment

Plant out summer bedding once the risk of frost has passed. Keep an eye on the weather forecast, and protect with horticultural fleece if necessary.


Dahlia plants can be planted out at the end of the month. Stake any herbaceous plants that will flop over or be damaged by high winds. Evergreen hedges can be cut from this month, but check for nesting birds before getting the shears or hedgecutter out. [Read more…] about May Gardening Tips by Wellie

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, gardening, gardening tips, hobby, how-to, nature

The Dragon of Wantley – Chameleon Theatre Company – Review

May 6, 2022 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credit:   Many thanks to The Chameleons for kind permission to use their pictures here. Photos of the programme taken by me, Allison Symes.

It was a pleasure to be back at Ritchie Hall in Hursley Road to watch The Chameleon Theatre Group perform their postponed pantomime, The Dragon of Wantley. This was originally due to be staged in January.

Janet and I had a wonderful evening which was full of laughs. Comedy can be a real tonic at times (as can farcical comedy which pantomime excels at) and I must admit I walked home, feeling cheered and uplifted for watching a fabulous show. After the last couple of years, a good laugh was exactly what was needed.

[Read more…] about The Dragon of Wantley – Chameleon Theatre Company – Review

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Tags: Chameleon Theatre productions, local theatre, pantomime, review, Ritchie Memorial Hall, The Chameleons, The Dragon of Wantley

The Chameleons – The Dragon of Wantley Till 30th April 2022. Don’t Miss This Show!

April 29, 2022 By Janet Williams 1 Comment

Showing: 22nd - 30th April 2022

You really don’t want to miss this show. There are still 3 shows till Saturday.

Showing: 22nd - 30th April 2022
Showing: 22nd – 30th April 2022

Allison Symes and my family and friends watched this on Thursday night. Amazing show; amazing music; funny and warm; lots of surprises. I last checked the website Chameleon Theatre Company and there are still some tickets left. Some of you may want to grab the tickets and I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time.

The pantomime has been moved from January to April due to Covid. This brilliant show is really worth waiting for. [Read more…] about The Chameleons – The Dragon of Wantley Till 30th April 2022. Don’t Miss This Show!

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Tags: Chameleon Theatre, Chandler’s Ford community, comedy, drama, event, Hursley Road, Ritchie Memorial Hall

Originality in Fiction

April 29, 2022 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

Is there such a thing as original fiction? Hmm… you may think that’s an odd question for me to ask and the answer to that must be “yes”.

[Read more…] about Originality in Fiction

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Tags: am reading, am writing, author voice, creative writing, fiction, finding your writing style, non-fiction, originality in fiction

Names In Fiction

April 22, 2022 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Image Credits:  Most images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images. Some directly from Pixabay. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books.

Names are as important in fiction as they are to us in life. Names give us a sense of who we are. They are a major part of our identity and names can reveal so much about ourselves.

Names can indicate someone’s likely social class, whether they’re traditionalists or not, and something of their family background too. Writers can play on that to help add depth to their characterisation. Names can also indicate the genre of a book. Well, you’re not going to find the likes of Frodo Baggins turn up in a Jane Austen novel, are you?

[Read more…] about Names In Fiction

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Tags: am writing, creative writing, fiction, inspiration for names for characters, naming characters, non-fiction, writing advice, writing tips

Living without a kitchen

April 21, 2022 By chippy minton 2 Comments

camp kitchen part 1 - boiled eggs

The Chippy household has been without a kitchen this week.  Don’t worry, no disaster had occurred. This is a planned kitchenless experience; we are having a new kitchen fitted.

This gave me an excuse to revert to my scouting days (of which there were few) and bring the camp kitchen into use.  It’s been great fun.  It’s like camping but without the discomfort of having to sleep in a tent. [Read more…] about Living without a kitchen

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Tags: camping, cooking, Eastleigh FC, eating out, kitchen

Making Characters Real In Fiction

April 15, 2022 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

It is the irony of all fiction writing that, while everyone knows the stories are made up, people want characters they can believe.

These characters must be true to life so a story writer’s job is to make their characters seem real enough that, if the situation could happen in reality, these would be the characters who would also exist in reality.

[Read more…] about Making Characters Real In Fiction

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Tags: am writing, characterisation, characters, creative writing, realistic characters

Not the film review slot

April 12, 2022 By chippy minton 1 Comment

I watched the 2019 David Copperfield film recently, having bought the DVD because it was on offer in Tesco.  It highlighted, or so the trailers had had me believe, the humour of Dickens’ work.  Yes, there is humour in Dickens, it’s not all over-long descriptions and no pictures.

David Copperfield poster or DVD image

The cast looked promising (Hugh Laurie, Peter Capaldi, Paul Whitehouse) and it was directed by Armando Iannucci.  What could possibly go wrong? [Read more…] about Not the film review slot

Tags: films, reviews, TV

April Gardening Tips by Wellie

April 9, 2022 By Wellie Leave a Comment

Hydrangea flowerheads left for winter protection can be cut off now. Remove old flowerheads of mophead and lace cap hydrangeas to just above a pair of buds, cut out any thin, weak stems around the base of the plant and remove one or two of the largest, oldest stems as low down as possible to the base to promote new shoots. Hydrangea serrata and quercifolia are lightly pruned, just removing old flower heads.

Image by Kavowo from Pixabay
Image by Kavowo from Pixabay

Hydrangea paniculate and aboresens, which flower on this year’s growth can be pruned back harder without losing this year’s flowers.
[Read more…] about April Gardening Tips by Wellie

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Tags: Chandler’s Ford community, gardening, gardening tips, hobby, how-to, nature

Laughter in Fiction

April 8, 2022 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

Laughter is one of the great joys of life and it has a huge range. This is reflected in fiction too. There are the laugh out loud stories, those wonderful moments of irony, slapstick, the great one-liners and so on. What matters in stories is that humour arises naturally out of the characters and the situations the writer has put them in (and often the greater the height from which the author has dropped their characters in it, the better).

Forcing humour never works. Something is funny or not, as the case may be. When I interviewed Fran Hill and Ruth Leigh on this topic, their insights showed how difficult writing writing humour can be though both ladies manage it magnificently despite writing in different genres. Fran writes memoir with humour. Ruth writes women’s fiction with humour.

[Read more…] about Laughter in Fiction

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Tags: am reading, am writing, characterisation, creative writing, funny lines, humorous fiction, P.G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett

Favourite Places

April 1, 2022 By chippy minton 2 Comments

Burton Dassett

On a recent trip through the Midlands recently, I managed to slip in a long-promised visit to Burton Dassett Country Park, just of the M40 between Banbury and Warwick.

This was a popular venue for family outings when I was a child, but I’ve not been there for about 50 years.  It is still as wonderful as I remember.  The hills aren’t particularly high or steep – nothing is in that area – but on a clear day they give fantastic views in all directions.

Burton Dassett

[Read more…] about Favourite Places

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Tags: days out, history, industrial heritage, parks

Hand Gestures

April 1, 2022 By Mike Sedgwick 2 Comments

Pont d’Avignon seen from the Palais du Papes gardens – Mike Sedgwick

Of the many hand gestures, from the encouraging thumbs-up to the vulgar V sign, there is one that drew me to the history of the Popes; the sign of benediction. With the hand held aloft, palm forward and the thumb, index and middle fingers extended, and the little and ring fingers curled into the palm, the priest intones the benediction and blessing. See the diagram below.

Jean-Marc Rosier from http://www.rosier.pro, CC BY-SA 3.0
Jean-Marc Rosier from http://www.rosier.pro, CC BY-SA 3.0

The three-fingered sign of benediction and of damage to the ulnar nerve.

 

Strangely the same hand posture is also a sign of damage to the ulnar nerve. The ulnar is one of two main nerves supplying the skin and muscles of the hand. It is usually damaged the elbow. Most of us have banged our ‘funny bones’ and experienced unpleasant tinglings in the ring and little fingers. That is a temporary bruising of the ulnar nerve. [Read more…] about Hand Gestures

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Tags: history, literature, memories, storytelling, writers

Kindness and Killing in Fiction

April 1, 2022 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

My topic this time for the In Fiction series is a study in contrasts.

Kindness and killing feature heavily in fiction, the latter particularly in the crime and horror genres. Kindness turns up in the classic fairytales and in fantasy and will often be those moments in a story when our hero/heroine has to rely on someone else to help them through a difficult time. It is that break, that help, which enables them to go on and successfully complete their quest etc.

This acts as a reminder to us that no man is an island, we all need help and kindness at times, and that kindness can reinvigorate us. Fiction should reflect that.

[Read more…] about Kindness and Killing in Fiction

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Tags: am reading, am writing, books, character motivations, crime, fairytales, horror, killing, kindness, kindness rewarded, stories

At The Scottish Association of Writers Conference

March 25, 2022 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-
Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Book cover images from Chapeltown Books/Bridge House Publishing. Photos from the Scottish Association of Writers Conference taken by me, Allison Symes.

I’ve recently returned from the Scottish Association of Writers (SAW) conference, which was held at the Westerwood Hotel, Cumbernauld from 18th to 20th March 2022.

How come a Hampshire based lass ended up here? Two reasons really:-

1. I am a member of History Writers, an online group only meeting once a month on Zoom. This group is affiliated to SAW. I gave a talk to them this month on historical flash fiction. I have written some historically based pieces, hope to do more, and have a general interest in history anyway.

2. Wendy H Jones! I know Wendy thanks to the Association of Christian Writers and she is president of SAW. She also set up the History Writers group. Now I’ve mentioned the importance of networking as you make wonderful writing friends and opportunities can arise too. Let nobody say I don’t take my own advice!

Wendy H Jones. Image kindly supplied by her.

Wendy invited me to judge one of SAW’S competitions – the Margaret McConnell Woman’s Short Story – and to run a flash fiction workshop. I was only too pleased to accept.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

[Read more…] about At The Scottish Association of Writers Conference

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Tags: Allison Symes, am writing, competition judging, flash fiction, flash fiction workshop, networking, Scottish Association of Writers, writing conference

A Walk on a Beautiful Sunny Day – Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

March 20, 2022 By Janet Williams 2 Comments

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

Have you been to Sir Harold Hillier Gardens recently? We went for an afternoon walk this afternoon with Chippy and his wife Annie. They also did a 10k run in Eastleigh this morning. Wondering how many steps they have done today?

Sir Harold Hillier Gardens
Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

We have captured some photos to share with our readers today. [Read more…] about A Walk on a Beautiful Sunny Day – Sir Harold Hillier Gardens

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Tags: days out, gardens, Hampshire, history, nature, recommendations, review, Romsey, signs of spring, spring, travel, walking

Spring is here, spring is here. Life is skittles and life is Beer

March 20, 2022 By chippy minton 4 Comments

HilliersGardens9

The spring is sprung, the grass is riz

I wonder where the birdy is

The bird is on the wing

Don’t be absurd

Everyone knows the wing is on the bird

We’ve been in meteorological spring since the beginning of the month and today, 20th March, is pretty close to non-meteorological spring (which probably has a better name).  And the weekend’s weather has also been spring-like too, for the first time this year.

What better time to visit Hillier Gardens at Ampfield and see the flowers starting to emerge from their winter’s sleep.

Here are a few photos from today’s wander.  I’m not a botanist so some of my descriptions may be a little haphazard.  Sorry, Wellie. [Read more…] about Spring is here, spring is here. Life is skittles and life is Beer

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Tags: days out, gardens, Hampshire, history, nature, recommendations, review, Romsey, signs of spring, spring, travel, walking

Chandler’s Ford Produce & Craft Market – Saturday 19.03 at Age Concern Hall, 10am to 1pm

March 18, 2022 By SO53 News Leave a Comment

Chandler's Ford market - soaps, jam, cards

Update: The market on 02.04.2022 has been cancelled. 

Chandler’s Ford Market is back – Saturday 19.03 at the Age Concern Hall, next to Fryern Arcade, (behind Co-Op), from 10am to 1pm. Well done for Steve Allen for organising the local market in the past few years.

Come and meet the local crafters of Chandler’s Ford and the local areas.

You’ll  find all kinds of homemade crafts and produce made by local crafters.

Chandler's Ford Produce and Craft Market Saturday 19.03.2022
Chandler’s Ford Produce and Craft Market Saturday 19.03.2022

[Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford Produce & Craft Market – Saturday 19.03 at Age Concern Hall, 10am to 1pm

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Tags: Age Concern Centre, arts and crafts, Brownhill Road, Chandler’s Ford community, community, craft fair, crafts, event, Fryern Arcade, hobby, local businesses, local interest

Journeys in Fiction

March 18, 2022 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits: Some images directly from Pixabay. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos and one photo from Allison Symes.

This post is timely because by the time this goes out I will be up in Scotland again for the Scottish Association of Writers’ Conference. I’m running a flash fiction workshop there and have judged one of their competitions (the Margaret McConnell Woman’s Short Story).

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I hope to interrupt my In Fiction series to report back on how things went soon. And yes I loved the train journey (Waterloo, King’s Cross, Edinburgh, Croy) – the scenery on much of the route is amazing. It’s the second time I’ve been up to Scotland in the last few months as I was at the Brechin and Angus Book Festival back in November.

[Read more…] about Journeys in Fiction

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Tags: am reading, am writing, characterisation, creative writing, internal journeys, journeys in fiction, point of change, questions

Imagery In Fiction

March 11, 2022 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Book cover images supplied by Chapeltown Books and Bridge House Publishing.

They say that a picture is a thousand words but don’t discount those words. For one thing, one thousand words is a flash fiction story! An artist paints with oils, watercolours etc., whereas a writer paints with words. And those words can make a powerful impact on readers.

By inventing characters readers can identify with, we can use those characters to convey deep truths in what we get them to say and how we get them to act. We can also use those characters as representations. Allegorical tales are the classical example of this.

[Read more…] about Imagery In Fiction

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Tags: am reading, am writing, book covers, fiction, imagery, painting with words, red herrings, specific details
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Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

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Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

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History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

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My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

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Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

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Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

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History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

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