What are your favourite forms of writing? Fiction? Non-fiction? Poetry?
Do you ever think when you pick up a pen or put fingers to keyboard we are all following a tradition going back thousands of years? Or appreciate how important writing, in all its forms, is for cultural reasons? Or how dangerous writing can be?
My overall favourite form of writing is the short story. A “bite sized” read which is perfect for when reading time is limited. From a writing viewpoint, you can’t waste words (most short stories are between the 1500 to 2000 words mark as this fits standard writing competition rules).
Writing is one of the oldest forms of art we have.
Writing started with the need to keep records. The big problem with the oral storytelling tradition is that accuracy can be questionable. It’s so easy for Chinese Whispers to creep in and even if that doesn’t happen, there is always the risk stories and other records will be lost when those telling the stories/keeping the records die.
What’s the point of stories?
Humans are unique in that we invent art forms for our entertainment. Strictly speaking, there is no biological imperative making it crucial for us to write stories so why do it?
Sometimes it is to get messages across (Jesus’s parables are a good example of this). Sometimes it is to warn (fables are good for this given the vast majority make some moral point). Sometimes it is to entertain. Sometimes it is to comment on society (fairytales are great here – see The Little Match Girl and The Ugly Duckling just to name two examples, there are many more. The latter is one of my favourite tales and its message of beauty being within, it’s not always what you see on the surface, is as relevant as ever).
Fiction also adds to our culture, Shakespeare being the obvious example, but so does non-fiction.
History and its stories
I love British history. It is full of stories (a lot of which are bloody I admit) but they also shed light on where we came from as a nation and I believe the saying that “a nation that forgets its history is destined to re-live it” is true. Can’t say I’d fancy going through the Reformation, Counter-Reformation and English Civil War again!
I highly recommend Simon Schama’s History of Britain series. I loved watching it when on the BBC but the accompanying books are great and he has a real gift for narrative. I’m also fond of historical fiction and while I don’t write this myself, I can understand why an author would take a historical event and weave their own story around it.
Novels
I love novels for the depth they can give. You can follow characters in greater detail and have more complicated plots. Try fitting The Lord of the Rings into 2000 words!
You can build your own worlds and explore different aspects. This is one reason I adore Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. You have the police procedurals (Vimes), the magical world (the wizard and witches stories) and so on. And the final novel in the series, The Shepherd’s Crown, is touching in the way it signs off the entire series.
What’s blogging?
And then there is that great new form of writing – the blog! Originally known as a weblog to reflect its medium, it was quickly reduced to blog.
I read many writers’ blogs to find out news from within the industry, keep up to date with works they’re producing, discover hints and tips to help me improve my work and, within my websites, I write my own. One reflects specifically on my fantasy fiction world, the other is on writing (its joys and frustrations, things I’ve learned along the way and so on).
Most writers have a blog. Not only is blogging a great way of reflecting your thoughts (in that it follows the tradition of keeping a journal), it also helps you engage with readers. Being able to comment and respond to comments makes writing more of a two way process between writer and reader. (All writing has this process but with blogging I think it is more obvious because of the ease of publishing a blog and the ability to respond quickly to readers’ comments).
Blogging also makes it possible for authors to build up an audience. This not only helps traditionally published writers but is crucial for those who decide to self publish. You have to get word of what you’re doing out there and this is a great way of doing this.
I took to Twitter fairly recently and the great thing about tweeting is is forces you to be concise! Like the other great invention, email, I find I response to tweets quickly because they don’t take up much of my time. Neither can I spend that long composing a reply. As an exercise in writing to the point, Twitter is hard to beat.
THE MAGICAL HIGHWAY CODE – ACCIDENT AVOIDANCE https://t.co/pbWYwWi57K via @weebly
— Allison Symes (@AllisonSymes1) January 25, 2016
Great writers in the area
Our local area has produced its fair share of great writers.
Dickens was born in Portsmouth, and Jane Austen lived in Southampton and Winchester and is buried at the Cathedral. Alfred, Lord Tennyson was resident on the Isle of Wight and P.G. Wodehouse used relatively local names to create his characters (the most famous example being Lord Emsworth, literally named after the place).
Poetry
And then there is poetry, a wonderful art form and I greatly admire those who can write this well.
A well crafted poem can express feelings in the fewest words. The best will live on long after their authors and I’m particularly thinking of the war poets here. In Flanders Fields is haunting (as it should be).
Poems can stir up memories and create instant images in the head.
‘They will not grow old, as we grow old’ brings home the tragedy of war in one line. Good writing will make a huge and lasting impact.
And I’m glad poetry is recognised as a distinct art form. It is meant to be different from prose.
And in a sad world, fiction can be a way of escape, can provide a good laugh (Wodehouse, Austen, Pratchett hit the button here as far as I’m concerned), can help you explore other cultures (reading their history and/or their cookery books are two ways of doing this).
Writing can be very bad for your health…
I also don’t think it a coincidence that totalitarian regimes ban books or severely restrict those that are permitted to be read. Why? Writers sell ideas. And ideas can be dangerous. Writers can reach out to others via their work and promote understanding (or in the case of Mein Kampf be one of the means of future horrors for literally millions of people).
One of the saddest things I remember from my childhood was watching the Blue Peter campaign to raise funds and awareness of the horrors of the Killing Fields of Cambodia.
It is probably the first really serious news item that caught my attention and the thing that has always stayed in my memory was the revelation that anyone wearing glasses was automatically killed by the Khmer Rouge as it was evidence that person could read.
We have many problems in this country, and frankly always will, but we have our blessings. And being able to read and write freely is a major one so easily taken for granted.
I admire good journalists. I don’t care much for the tabloids and loathe celebrity gossip. Journalism for me is about news. And while there are many things written I disagree with, I don’t feel any writer should be threatened for expressing their opinion in print. To me that is something which should have been left behind centuries ago.
I don’t like lazy writing either. I like thoughtful articles which seek to understand both points of view (there always are at least two in any news item!) and where criticism is justified, that criticism is valid, well expressed, isn’t abusive, doesn’t tar everyone of a certain ilk with the same brush and so on.
On those grounds, I’ve always admired George Orwell. Anyone who can seriously annoy the extreme left and right has my undying admiration!
Appreciating writing
Writing can expand the language – Orwell has done this with Big Brother, Room 101 etc.
Shakespeare is known to have added many words to the English language, including “fortnight”.
And Charles Dickens with A Christmas Carol has added to this country’s Christmas traditions. I can’t think of any year where there isn’t a version of this story being shown. So writing is powerful then.
So how do we best appreciate writing? By supporting it in all its forms. By reading widely regardless of what format we use. By supporting the libraries as well as the booksellers. By supporting those who try to help writers in trouble with totalitarian governments (English PEN, Amnesty etc). We have not always been able to publish freely. Look at what happened to Tyndale for publishing the Bible in English.
By ensuring we pass on the tradition of writing and not allowing it to be weakened or destroyed. And for those with a creative streak to write our own stories, articles, poems or whatever fits that creative streak best (and to have fun doing so!).
So what is your favourite form of writing and why? What news item from the past had the most impact on you?
Note: Don’t miss Allison’s next post on Friday 12th February 2016.
Visit Allison Symes’ website: Fairytales with Bite
Read interviews with Chandler’s Ford writer Allison Symes: Part 1 and Part 2.
Read blog posts by Allison Symes published on Chandler’s Ford Today.
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Excellent article, Allison.
I love writing in all its forms. though my favourite will always be the novel. As an author I love working through a plot that may have multiple twists and making sure that every element is pulled together to make a satisfying and perfect ending. I admire those who write short stories with a single plot thread and loved the short stories of O Henry.
Shakespeare invented so many words that we now take for granted and he’s probably the only writer of any genre who will still be known and read in a thousand years time…. irrespective of whether he was a man, a woman, or a committee!
I’ve just finished reading Terry Pratchett’s last book “The Shepherd’s Crown” and reading the last paragraph, and realising it was the last words Terry would ever write, was such a sad experience.
I also agree that Simon Sharma’s three books on British history were wonderful. They are my main source, along with the Peter Ackroyd books on the same topic. He’s a magnificent author and I have his biographies on London and Dickens as well as his guide to the London underground systems.
Many thanks, Richard. In fairness, I think Dickens will also be known centuries hence given his impact on novel writing generally and his social commentaries via his stories. In some ways his works are historical, literary documents as he really did write about what he knew. Like The Shepherd’s Crown a lot. Am so glad TP got to finish Raising Steam which is probably my favourite Moist Von Lipvig story.
I must try and look into Peter Ackoyd’s works as they sound right up my historical street.
Another important local writer was Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 – 1909) who was brought up in Bonchurch on the Isle of Wight and is buried there. He wrote some sentimental poetry but also tackled taboo subjects.
Greatest of all must be Sir Isaac Newton who lived in Cranbury Park and died there in 1727. His Principia describing the laws of motion enabled space travel and is the basis of physics. The book was written before he came to Hursley.
“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn”
These were Laurence Binyon’s 1914 lines.
I like high impact non fiction. As well as Principia what has been more important than Darwin and more recently Watson and Cricks’ short letter in the science magazine Nature in 1953 – A structure for deoxyribosenucleic acid?
I came across some early Anatolian hieroglyph writing from 1400 BC. It turned out to be an ancient form of a very modern document, a pre-nuptial agreement.
Many thanks, Mike, for your comments and for extending my knowledge! I didn’t know of Isaac Newton’s connections with Cranbury Park.
Also thanks for quoting Laurence Binyon as they are some of the most powerful and emotive words in poetry ever, I think, though I couldn’t resist putting up the image and words of In Flanders Field, given I came across that as I was researching this post. The war poets have added so much to our appreciation of the sacrifices made, especially during WW1 and WW2. Armistice Day/Remembrance Sunday would not be quite the same without them.
I like non-fiction too though my real love there is history. I am also currently reading C.S. Lewis’s Mere Christianity which I’d been meaning to get around to for some time.
Isn’t it sad pre-nuptial agreements go back such a long way? I suppose we shouldn’t be too surprised given human nature…
And I will look into Swinburne’s works. I must admit poetry and Shakespeare are works I’ve only relatively recently got into (my love of novels and stories goes back much much longer) but then that’s the joy of writing and books isn’t it? There is always so much to look into, to discover new things to enjoy and so on.
Great post.
Sometimes it feels like reading novels and writing stories is becoming a bit of a lost art. Love letters beautifully penned seem to be a thing of the past now we have mobile social media and Skype. Since having children my ability to spend a day lost in a novel have passed, hopefully only temporarily.
I indulge my basic creative juices by writing my own blog just to prove I can string sentences together and can mostly be found with my nose in a children’s psychology book. My dream is to see spelling improve nationwide but sadly again social media and iPad typos seem to be allowing an acceptance of misspellings.
As a child I spent my days lost in books and as an adult see how that enriched my mind and vocabulary. It seems that unless a story is in 3D people don’t have the time these days to enjoy reading and writing.
Many thanks for your kind comments, Gem. Letters (love or otherwise) I think have died out, which is a shame. Some of my favourite books are the collected letters of Kenneth Williams, P.G. Wodehouse and Evelyn Waugh to name a few and that kind of book will also die out (if it hasn’t already).
I found turning to short stories (both as a reader and writer) has helped me when I have not been able to tackle longer fiction. And I love blogging. I never thought I would end up writing non-fiction but love doing so.
My biggest gripe with regard to modern grammar is the tendency for those of a younger generation to say “of” instead of “have”. For example, “we better of” (yes, I know, it makes me cringe typing it but I have heard this and many other similar examples) instead of “we better have”. I have no idea where this tendency has come from but I do know it can go straight back to whatever linguistic hell it originated from! (If it were possible for me to give it a metaphorical boot to speed its way there, I’d gladly do so!). If I was ever on Room 101, this would be one of the first things I’d consign there.
I must admit now owning a Kindle has expanded my reading and may be a way into literature for those who might be put off by the thought of wading through a book. Sometimes technology can help. And I have been pleased at schemes to encourage reluctant readers (especially boys) to get into books. I hope they work.
I’m chuckling here because I also hate that expression. I’m a stickler for writing in a grammatically correct way. Years of typing up research papers and writing official letters at the University embedded that one in me. Scott Mills on Radio 1 has a lot to answer for with his catchphrase “the one off of the tellie”. Makes me cringe too.
In my days working with young people I’d encourage reading in any form I could bribe them to read, magazines, websites etc just to get them reading. We’ve always read to our children. My 3 year old currently loves “Peepo” and anything by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler and my daughter has now found the Rainbow Fairies series which reminds me of avidly reading Enid Blyton as a child.
Growing up I adored “What Katie Did” and the rest of the series plus “Little Women”. I have re-read them as an adult and still think they are fantastic. I’m planning on introducing them to my daughter soon although use anecdotes from them with her from time to time. I use a Kindle more and more now and share an account with a friend so we read a variety of books that we’ve both chosen. I miss holding a proper book though; the weight and feel of it plus seeing how much longer there is to go until the book concludes. Sadly the Kindle cannot match that for me but is much lighter than a suitcase full of books (which I have taken on holiday with me before children).
I too loved Little Women and the others in the series. Favourite character was Jo, the writer. There’s a surprise (well maybe not actually…). Also The Gruffalo is a wonderful book. I read the Famous Five mysteries when younger and always adored Enid Blyton for those. I must admit I’m looking forward to taking the Kindle on holiday this year. My chief packing woe is having to limit how many books to take – well that won’t be a problem any more!
I think some people forget the whole point of grammar (aka “proper” English) is to make your meaning clear. Speaking and writing English in a proper way is not meant to be “posh” or “affected” but I do get the feeling anyone who is a stickler for grammar gets tarred with that brush. English pedants of the world unite: you will at least know how to use a colon properly! You will have heard of commas and know when to use them. Your meaning will be clear. And Lynne Truss is your patron saint!
The very lovely Michael Rosen defines writing grammatical English today.
Blogging is my preferred publishing platform. I had this vision of connecting people in our community, so I set up this website in 2013 (in naivety) with sincerity and passion. It has been pretty hard work maintaining this site, which has grown so steadily so well.
(I used Chandler’s Ford Today as a ‘test-site’ as I had never created a multi-author website before, and was keen to find out if this experiment would work, whether people would bother to read, or whether I was a complete idiot. My guiding principle was: “Well, Janet, you’ve got nothing to lose. It things didn’t work out, you could shut this site down and go back to your own writing.)
We have published over 900 posts with a dozen of regular writers. However our hard work has paid off as we can see many contributors and writers have all come together to build this site together, in writing stories, commenting, and reporting.
We discover more local writers along the way. Now we’ve found another neighbour and blogger – Gem is an enthusiastic blogger with a successful, inspiring blog called Life with Katie and Pip: Our Adoption Story. I quite like to read more and hear more from Gem.
Blogging has enabled me to meet people in spirit, and also meet them face to face. Some have become true friends. Friendship is priceless and it is the best gift I’ve gained from creating this site.
Allison and Richard – we live so close to one another, but I met you both online first as your readers, before we met up and became friends. Social Media (including blogging), if you use it well, it does connect, and its power of interconnectivity is truly amazing.
Talking about blogging, I always encourage people to blog on WordPress. WordPress is beautiful and powerful. Come to WordPress. This is a wonderful community. WordPress has made Chandler’s Ford Today happen and grow though my technical knowledge is limited. Your online publishing dream is possible – with WordPress.
Thanks Janet. I read your blog quietly mostly and enjoy reading all the local information that you provide. I’ve been so lucky to meet lots of bloggers in my community and it really makes the world a smaller and much friendlier place.
I’ll say I wish I’d used WordPress but I started out with Blogger which has always met my needs. I have my own domain now and soon plan to self host which means translating all my blog into WordPress so that will be fun.
Gem,
Yes I also had been reading your stories quietly for a while and I’m very impressed by your work with adoption awareness, and the stories of your lovely children.
I genuinely hope that you could inspire us with your stories on Chandler’s Ford Today. Write for us or reblog some of your stories here – it’ll be a privilege for us to hear about your adoption journey, life with Katie and Pip, and your world view.
Blogging on WordPress is the most marvellous experience. The core of WordPress is its strong community. There is something very special about the enthusiasm of the WordPress community. WordPress is the most powerful and beautiful platform, whether it is self-hosting or blogging on WordPress.com.
Considering self hosting? I would suggest you try WordPress.com first – see how you feel after that. You might not need to self-host your site as WordPress.com is powerful and versatile, and it is free.
I’m considering moving to WordPress.com so that this site is more sustainable. I’ll do some research and make a decision later this year.
Many thanks for your comments and reading the posts. Please keep your stories and comments coming.
Yes, welcome to CFT, Gem. I blog via my websites (via Weebly) so I don’t use Word Press either! (Janet hopes I’ll convert one day!).
One of the nicest things about writing for CFT has been getting to meet Janet and, later, Mike and Brenda. I’ve also discovered a love for writing non-fiction I didn’t know I had. And it has been/continues to be lovely to engage with people kind enough to respond to my posts (so thank you all!).
I think the biggest achievement of the site is that it has brought out a sense of community that was not apparent. It is a place where we can find out more about what’s going on in our area. I’ve learned far more about the Chameleon Theatre group and Thornden Hall’s facilities (just to name two examples) than I would’ve done otherwise. The site has also given writers such as Richard and myself a voice (it was great having somewhere where we could share our appreciation of the late great Terry Pratchett for one thing).
So thanks, Janet, for going ahead with what would’ve seemed like a mad idea. Sometimes mad ideas are just what the community needs!
Allison,
I’ll continue to persuade you to move home to WordPress. You know how much I love this platform. As a writer, I think WordPress is the best platform for you to connect to a wider audience.
Setting up this site was a ‘mad’ idea, though I did have a clear idea of its direction. I spoke to Hazel and she also encouraged me. “Why not!” She said.
It was my genuine attempt to get to know the place where I now live (where I now call ‘home’). It was very frustrating for me not knowing what was happening around me. When my son was little, I got to hear about events through some mothers’ groups. You’ll agree with me that Chandler’s Ford is never featured heavily on local newspapers, and only near election times did we get a bit of highlights. I remember the sense of helplessness and loneliness. I feel that I need to know about my environment, as I think lots of people were just like me – feeling absolutely isolated. (I know you’ll be asking people to get a dog, to meet friends…..)
We all have a busy life, and we do what we could. Many community websites in other parts of the country come and go, as it is not easy to maintain a site – time, effort, labour, and no pay. However I have fun and I have learnt great skills. It’s passion that get us where we are today. Thank you for your contribution in keeping this site bustling.
I remember when my son was small, my main source of information was at the doctor’s surgery (their noticeboards) and then later via the Mums and Tots group I discovered due to a notice at that surgery. Looking back would I have loved a site like this one back then? You bet. It’s a wonderful way to connect with people. (As is having a dog. I’ve made more friends in the years since owning a pet than before I did so. And CFT has enabled me to make more which is lovely).
It is so terribly easy to feel isolated and it doesn’t help either, I think, that Chandler’s Ford does not have a specific centre/”obvious” place to go to meet others. Chandler’s Ford generally doesn’t feature much in the news, unless there’s a bank robbery of course or if that old chestnut about wife swapping comes up again! Hmm…
It’s true – people searched for HSBC, Chandler’s Ford wife swapping, cat, and Santa on search engines and found the site!
Sadly they can’t even visit the HSBC any more as I belatedly discovered yesterday when I was passing and thought I’d get some cash out. Also, proving my finger clearly isn’t anywhere near the pulse, I didn’t realise we were a community with a propensity for putting their car keys in the middle of the room and borrowing someone else’s. I really need to pay more attention to this site and Streetwise for insider info……
Hi Gem,
We had a few stories about the closure of HSBC.
Closure of HSBC Chandler’s Ford Branch. Do Bank Branches Still Matter?
I actually watched the removal men clearing the bank – taking down the signs, removing furniture, on the day after its closure. But they wouldn’t let me and my friend take any photograph. We respected their request.
I’m not sure we have ‘insider info’, but we write what we see in our everyday life. I would love to see more people writing from different perspectives, and writing about different parts of Chandler’s Ford.
I hope Chandler’s Ford Today is a community where we could engage in deeper conversations, and form a meaningful connection.
We all have different lens and our lives are intertwined through our stories and our encounters in Chandler’s Ford.
‘Can’t take my eyes of off of you’ goes the song except when sung by educated singers.
The Chief Justice in Sri Lanka asked London what to do with a criminal (in colonial days). The reply was ‘HANG NOT SAVE’. The prisoner never got a chance to say that there should be a comma after NOT.
Spelling and punctuation are to make the task of reading easier for the reader.
‘Well. you know what I mean.’ Say poor writers when challenged. No, you don’t, as in the example above. There are ambiguities and misunderstandings or just a break in the thread of the idea as the reader goes back to be sure. After a while the reader will give up and read something else.
I’m a firm believer of the Oxford comma:
My favourite “punctuation story” is:-
Woman, without her man, is nothing.
Woman, without her, man is nothing.
Guess which one I prefer! (Am going to find it difficult to get that image of JFK and Stalin out of my head but I guess that proves the point!)
And I agree, Mike, if writing is too complicated to read/understand, people won’t bother.