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Allison Symes

Reading Journeys

February 15, 2019 By Allison Symes 3 Comments

Feature Image - Reading Journeys.doc

I’ve talked about my writing journey before but how about the reading one? Do you remember which book you first read by yourself or the one that was always read to you as a child because it was your favourite?

I can’t remember what was the first book I read myself though it wouldn’t surprise me if it was a picture book. Once you pick up a few words, going through a picture book to find those words for yourself because you can now read them, is special. This is yet another reason why a well produced picture book is important in a child’s reading development. They build confidence in reading and with that comes the wish to read other things. A child that lacks confidence in reading will be reluctant to try something they don’t already know. [Read more…] about Reading Journeys

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Tags: books, fiction, Kindle, libraries, non-fiction, reading journeys, stories

Picture Books and Other Hooks: Interview with Sally Goodden and Anne Wan

February 8, 2019 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Feature Image - Picture Books and Other Hooks

It is a pleasure to welcome back Anne Wan to Chandler’s Ford Today and also to welcome her illustrator for her latest book, Manners Fit for the Queen, Sally Goodden. [Read more…] about Picture Books and Other Hooks: Interview with Sally Goodden and Anne Wan

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Tags: Anne Wan, Chandler's Ford Library, picture books, reading, Sally Goodden. Manners Fit For the Queen. children's fiction, story and craft

All the Fun of The Panto: Ali Baba and The Chameleons

February 1, 2019 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Feature Image - Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves Director's Montage

Image Credit:  Stuart Wineberg, Lionel Elliott, and the Chameleons.

If there were ever such a thing as a Chandler’s Ford Today “works outing”, it is when Janet and I go to the latest production by the Chameleon Theatre Group. This time it was to enjoy the classic fairytale, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
[Read more…] about All the Fun of The Panto: Ali Baba and The Chameleons

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Tags: Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, fairytales, pantomime, The Chameleon Theatre Group

BOOK EVENT NEWS: Anne Wan / Sally Goodden – Chandler’s Ford Library

January 31, 2019 By Allison Symes 1 Comment

BOOK EVENT - Anne Wan and Sally Goodden - image supplied by Anne Wan

THE QUEEN, CHANDLER’S FORD LIBRARY, ANNE WAN, AND SALLY GOODDEN

What do the above have in common?

They will be appearing in Chandler’s Ford Library on Saturday, 2nd February 2019 between 10.30 am and 12 noon.

Hang on… let’s revise that a moment. [Read more…] about BOOK EVENT NEWS: Anne Wan / Sally Goodden – Chandler’s Ford Library

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Tags: Anne Wan, book event, books, Chandler's Ford Library, children's fiction, Manners Fit For the Queen, picture books, reading, Sally Goodden

The Story of Stories – Ali Baba

January 25, 2019 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Feature Image - The Story of Stories

The origin of stories is an interesting one in itself – oral was king long before print became a reality. It had to be given the lack of literacy as we know it now but what I find great is that the oral tradition is still hugely important and will remain so. This to me implies a consistent flow of stories over the centuries and long may that continue. The world of stories should not remain static (otherwise it will stagnate and what stagnates dies). [Read more…] about The Story of Stories – Ali Baba

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Tags: Ali Baba, books and memories, storytelling, The Chameleons

Three Wishes

January 17, 2019 By Allison Symes 3 Comments

Feature Image - Three Wishes

Right now is the height of the pantomime season and I’m looking forward to seeing The Chameleons’ production of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves soon. It should be great fun (as Robin Hood was before). One common element to pantomimes is the use of magic. It comes in somewhere to make the character change directions or to rescue them from what seems an inescapable problem.

So let’s pretend the fairy godmother has turned up for us and, being the kindly soul she is, offered us three wishes.  What would you go for?  Firstly, the ground rules (you knew there would be some, bureaucracy gets everywhere!). [Read more…] about Three Wishes

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Tags: fairytales, fiction, pantomimes, three wishes

Tried and Tested Writing Tips

January 11, 2019 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Feature Image - Tried and Tested Writing Tips - Pixabay

Over the years, you pick up many useful writing tips and then you need to work out which are the most useful to you. Following on from an earlier CFT post of mine about writing tips, I thought I’d take a look in greater depth at why I use the tips that I do.

In general, I don’t look at those tips for playwrights, given that’s not my specialism, but one that is aimed at them (read your work out loud) is good advice regardless of what type of fiction you write. It also works well for non-fiction given it can help you pick up on whether your prose flows as well as you thought. So how do you deduce which writing tips are the most useful? [Read more…] about Tried and Tested Writing Tips

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Tags: creative writing, fiction, non-fiction, the writing voice, tried and tested writing tips

Winter Traditions

January 4, 2019 By Allison Symes 8 Comments

Feature Image - Winter Traditions

Some of my post-Christmas traditions include riding on the Watercress Line, having a day trip to Dorset and walking along West Bay beach, enjoying a New Forest walk, and catching up with members of the family who live a little further away. Have ticked those all off for this year and a good time was had by all.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year celebration.  Many best wishes for 2019 from us all at CFT! [Read more…] about Winter Traditions

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Tags: Carols, Christmas traditions, dog walking, Morecambe and Wise, New Forest, The Two Ronnies, walking, West Bay, Winter Traditions

Year End Review 2018 – Allison Symes

December 27, 2018 By Allison Symes 9 Comments

Feature Image - Year End Review 2018 - Pixabay

It may be me becoming more cynical but isn’t every year described as a “momentous year” somewhere in the media? Certainly you’ll hear a lot of that phrase in the next few days!

It is true 2018 has had its moments but it will be overshadowed by 2019 and whatever happens with Brexit. And that is as political as I want to get! [Read more…] about Year End Review 2018 – Allison Symes

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Tags: classical music, Fleming Park, Graham MacLean, highlights, publishing news, wildflower meadow at Hiltingbury, year end review

Christmas Stories – Allison Symes

December 21, 2018 By Allison Symes 1 Comment

Feature Image - Christmas Stories - Pixabay

One of the things I love about this time of year is that it is a wonderful time for stories. The weather’s cold and grim, it can be getting dark by 3.30 pm (which I find depressing), there’s not much on TV, so what could be better than keeping cosy and warm while reading a good book?

Naturally the publishers try to tap into this. It is with very good reason the Christmas book market is a major “pay day” for publishers and long may that continue. Book sales now should help fund the discovery of other writers and fabulous books later. [Read more…] about Christmas Stories – Allison Symes

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Tags: books, Cafelit, Christmas, Christmas stories, fiction, reading

Celebrations, Crackers, Chapeltown, and Cafelit – London 2018

December 14, 2018 By Allison Symes 3 Comments

Feature Image -Celebrations, Crackers, Chapeltown and Cafelit

On 1st December, it was my great joy to travel to London once again to meet up with fellow Bridge House Publishing/Cafelit/Chapeltown Books authors at the annual celebration event. On the way up by train, I enjoyed my usual routine of writing stories on my phone app and getting quite a bit of work done by the time I got into Waterloo. [Read more…] about Celebrations, Crackers, Chapeltown, and Cafelit – London 2018

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Tags: Allison Symes, anthologies, author event, book celebration, Bridge House Publishing, Cafelit, Chapeltown Books, creative writing, flash fiction, independent press, short stories

Scrumptious Cooking, Charity, and Barbara Large

December 7, 2018 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Feature Image - Scrumptious Cooking, Charity, and Barbara Large

There are many ways to raise money for charity and often people will do something extraordinary like bungee jumping or having a parachute jump etc (though it is not a good idea to try the pair of these at the same time!). All kudos to those who are brave enough to have a go but this kind of thing is definitely not for me.

The idea of writing a book for charity is much more up my street and this is what Barbara Large, MBE, has done recently. Barbara was the founder of the Winchester Writers’ Festival (formerly the Winchester Writing Conference), which is one of the major writing conferences in the country. Barbara has also run creative writing classes, including at the Dovetail Centre. [Read more…] about Scrumptious Cooking, Charity, and Barbara Large

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Tags: Barbara Large, creative writing, non-fiction

A Christmas Carol – The MDG Players – Review by Allison Symes

November 30, 2018 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

FEATURE IMAGE - A Christmas Carol - The MDG Players - Review by Allison Symes

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is amongst my favourite stories, as I’m sure it is with many of you. It is ultimately a tale of redemption and also a cracking ghost story.

My favourite versions of it (and there have been many produced over the years) are The Muppet Christmas Carol (Michael Caine playing Scrooge) and the version starring Patrick Stewart. It is a question of getting Scrooge’s hardness of heart right without it spilling over into melodrama, something both knights of the realm did fantastically well. [Read more…] about A Christmas Carol – The MDG Players – Review by Allison Symes

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Tags: A Christmas Carol, acting, arts and crafts, Chandler's Ford, community, Dovetail Centre, drama, entertainment, event, fiction, humour, local interest, MDG Players, Methodist Church, review, social, theatre, Winchester Road

The Light Fantastic

November 23, 2018 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Feature Image - The Light Fantastic

I love autumn, as I’ve mentioned before, but must admit I do dislike the earlier and longer nights.

I like lighter evenings. They make it easier to spot my black collie, Lady, for one thing. At the moment we have to put one of the click on lights on her collar from early evening so she lights up the world like a little fairy light! She isn’t impressed by this but it does make her easier to spot. Walking around Hiltingbury at this time of year, you get to spot a few of these lights and the full on illuminated coloured collars. There are some well lit up dogs around here! [Read more…] about The Light Fantastic

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Tags: photography, writing

Time Management and Time Travel

November 16, 2018 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

Feature Image - Time Management

I don’t know about you but time management is one of those things I always seek to get better at, given there is plenty I’d like to do (especially in writing) but there are still only 24 hours in any one day!

I like my lists, my calendar has plenty of notes scribbled all over it, and by the end of the week, I’ve usually achieved a reasonable amount of what I set out to do. I’ve learned to carve up bigger tasks (like editing my novel) into smaller chunks and accept there are simply some tasks that can’t be done all at once, no matter how much I’d like to do so! [Read more…] about Time Management and Time Travel

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Tags: Doctor Who

The Importance of Memories

November 9, 2018 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Feature Image - The Importance of Memories

This is an appropriate topic as we approach Remembrance Day and Armistice Day and also after my review last week of The Chameleon Theatre Group’s excellent performance of Blackadder Goes Forth.

Why do we need to remember? To be grateful to those who made so many sacrifices, in too many cases the ultimate one, so we can live as we do now. To be grateful to these unknowns who gave up their fathers, sons, brothers, husbands, wives, sisters, daughters and other family so we do not have to give up ours. [Read more…] about The Importance of Memories

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Tags: history, local history

The Chameleons: Blackadder Goes Forth – Review by Allison Symes

November 2, 2018 By Allison Symes 5 Comments

FEATURE IMAGE Blackadder Goes Forth programme-1

IMAGE CREDIT:  A very big thank you to Stuart Wineberg and The Chameleons for kind permission to use the images in this post.

I’m delighted to review the Chameleons’ latest production – Blackadder Goes Forth. [Read more…] about The Chameleons: Blackadder Goes Forth – Review by Allison Symes

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Tags: Blackadder Goes Forth, Chameleon Theatre, drama, entertainment, review, Ritchie Memorial Hall, theatre, World War One

The Joys and Challenges of Writing Series Novels Part 3

October 26, 2018 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Feature Image - Series Novels Part 3 - Pixabay image

In this final section of my mini-series, Jennifer C Wilson, Val Penny, Anne Wan, Wendy H Jones, and Richard Hardie continue to share their thoughts on different aspects of writing the series novel. Tonight we look at how to ensure each novel can be read as a stand-alone book, specific things my guests love and loathe about writing series, and whether they know, ahead of time, how many books are going to be in their respective series. [Read more…] about The Joys and Challenges of Writing Series Novels Part 3

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Tags: Anne Wan, books, creative writing, fiction, Jennifer C Wilson, Richard Hardie

The Joys and Challenges of Writing Series Novels – Part 2

October 19, 2018 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Feature Image - Series Novels Part 2 - Pixabay image

It was a great joy last week to introduce my fellow writers and contributors to this series which looks at the joys and challenges of series novels. Amongst tonight’s topics for Jennifer C Wilson, Val Penny, Anne Wan, Wendy H Jones, and Richard Hardie to tackle are the challenges of writing a series and what are the issues which arise in trying to promote a series. (Trust me it is challenging enough promoting a single book!).  And as ever many thanks to all of my guests for supplying the author pictures and book cover shots. [Read more…] about The Joys and Challenges of Writing Series Novels – Part 2

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Tags: Anne Wan, books, fiction, Jennifer C Wilson, reading, Richard Hardie

The Joys and Challenges of Writing Series Novels – Part 1

October 12, 2018 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Feature Image - Series Novels Part 1 - Pixabay image

The joy and challenge of writing flash fiction is creating a short story out of nothing, with a proper beginning, middle and end, to a tight word count.

The joy and challenge of creating a novel is conjuring up your own world out of nothing and having an enthralling story set there, which usually comes in at the 80,000 to 100,000 word mark. (So your story must be strong to literally go the distance). [Read more…] about The Joys and Challenges of Writing Series Novels – Part 1

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Tags: Anne Wan, books, fiction, Jennifer C Wilson, reading, Richard Hardie, writing
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