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Arts

Every photograph we take, every show we present, or every song and hymn that we sing, we bring inspiration, creativity and joy to the community. Our artists have taken risks. They have brought us wonder and beauty of nature.

Chameleon Theatre Company is Back with Two Comedies for July

June 20, 2021 By SO53 News 1 Comment

Chameleon Theatre Company, Hursley Road, Chandler's Ford.

Great news! The Chameleon Theatre Company is back with two comedies for summer. Box Office opens on 22.06.2021.

Date: 29th – 31st July; Adults £9, Seniors £8, under 16s £5; Licensed bar

Address: Ritchie Memorial Hall, Hursley Road, Chandler’s Ford, SO53 2FT

Chameleon Theatre Company: We're back with two comedies for summer.
Chameleon Theatre Company: We’re back with two comedies for summer.

[Read more…] about Chameleon Theatre Company is Back with Two Comedies for July

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

Brand Recognition and Why It Matters

June 18, 2021 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

I’ve mentioned adverts before and the best ones are remembered for years. Brand recognition is important.

It is for writers too.

[Read more…] about Brand Recognition and Why It Matters

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Tags: branding, consistency, creative writing, engaging with readers, social media

Finding Themes

June 11, 2021 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

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

Themes, like story ideas, are all over the place. It is a question of having an open enough mind to spot them and then working out which ones you like best. Those are the ones you will put heart and soul into writing up.

[Read more…] about Finding Themes

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Tags: am reading, am writing, creative writing, fiction, finding themes, non-fiction, themes

Summer Time, Maybe…

June 4, 2021 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Image Credits:-

Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.

Image of me taken at a Swanwick Open Prose Mic Night taken by Penny Blackburn.

Other images taken by me, Allison Symes.

I think the least said about the weather recently, the better. Suffice it to say May felt more like a combination of March and April combined what with the strong winds and sudden showers. (And yes I still have the central heating on as I write this).

On a more positive note, and with more of the restrictions being eased, at least it does look as if there is going to be some sort of summer in terms of being able to get out and about.

[Read more…] about Summer Time, Maybe…

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Tags: Fleming Park, holiday reading, strange weather, summer, Swanwick Writers' Summer School, swimming, The Chameleon Theatre Group, wildflower meadow at Hiltingbury, writing festivals, writing plans

Writing Prompts

May 28, 2021 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

I often use writing prompts to generate stories (standard length and flash fiction) and these come in a variety of forms.

Sometimes a prompt for fiction can be adjusted to generate ideas for future blog posts. (Before you ask, this isn’t the case for this one!).

Effectively, every writing competition with a set theme is a writing prompt – the theme is the prompt!

[Read more…] about Writing Prompts

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Tags: creative writing, creativity, fiction, ideas, non-fiction, prompts

Reflections

May 21, 2021 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

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

Reflection is an important part of life. We reflect on what we have learned, the mistakes we have made (and hopefully ensure we don’t make again). We reflect on courage and service (as shown by the Remembrance Day events).

A time to reflect makes us take that time out of our busy schedules to ponder on things that are important. Reflection also makes us slow down, also not a bad thing.

Certain life events also give us cause to reflect. And the last year or so has given us all more time than usual to reflect on what is going on (and generally not liking it much).

 

[Read more…] about Reflections

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Tags: Association of Christian Writers, Authors Electric, blogging, Cafelit, Chandler's Ford Today, character studies, creative writing, discovering flash fiction, drafting, More Than Writers, reflection, story. point of change, the writing journey

Understanding

May 14, 2021 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Image Credit:  All images created in Book Brush using Pixabay images.

One of the great roles of reading is it can encourage empathy, especially if your first choice for a good read is fictional.

Think about your favourite books (with their excellent covers, of course – see my recent series on those!).

Think about their characters. There will be characters you love to hate, or those you want to see overcome their difficulties and so on. What was it about those characters that made you feel that way (and a well portrayed character will make you feel something)?

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

 

[Read more…] about Understanding

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Tags: books, empathy, escapism, fiction, human nature, identifying with characters, non-fiction, reading, stories, understanding, why reading is good for you, working out my characters

Favourite Lines

May 7, 2021 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

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

Do you have favourite lines from books, films etc? I do and I can learn a reasonable amount from them to apply to my own writing. (They also show you what really works in prose. Lines you can recall some time after you originally came across them demonstrate the staying power of well chosen words).

[Read more…] about Favourite Lines

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Tags: books, catchphrases, editing, favourite lines, films, Jane Austen, opening lines, P.G. Wodehouse, repetition, Terry Pratchett, TV

Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 3

April 30, 2021 By Allison Symes 7 Comments

This week I chat to authors from CafeLit, Bridge House Publishing, and Chapeltown Books about the importance of book covers. The variety of book covers is amazing but every writer has one thing in common. We all want our covers to be the best they can possibly be.

The three questions I set my guests were:-

1. What was the inspiration behind your book cover?
2. What do you think your book cover “says” to a potential reader?
3. Name one top tip for a great book cover you have found works for you.

Feature Image – Part 3 – Judging a Book by its Cover. Image created in Book Brush using a Pixabay picture.

[Read more…] about Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 3

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Tags: Alyson Faye (aka Alyson Rhodes), Amanda Huggins, book covers, book marketing, Bridge House Publishing, Cafelit, Chapeltown Books, Colin Payn, creative writing, Dawn Knox, fiction, Gail Aldwin, Jim Bates, Paula R C Readman, publishing

Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2

April 23, 2021 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Whether you are traditionally published, self published, or combine the two, as many writers do now, there are two things everyone agrees about.

Everybody needs a good editor. (Nobody sees all the errors in their work. You are literally too close to it). The book cover must be well designed and draw readers in. It is the first advert for the book.

Feature Image – Part 2 – Judging a Book by its Cover. Image created in Book Brush using a Pixabay picture.

[Read more…] about Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2

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Tags: Authors Reach, book covers, books, fiction, Jennifer C Wilson, Swanwick Writers' Summer School, Teresa Bassett, Val Penny

Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 1

April 16, 2021 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Judging a book by its cover is a well known saying. We do judge by looks, even when we know we shouldn’t.There is one realm where the saying is 100% accurate and 100% justified and that is for book covers.

For writers, a book cover is crucial to get right. We all want the best cover possible to showcase our stories.

A good book cover draws people in to read the book.

A bad book cover – people are unlikely to pick the book up to even see if the blurb might be of interest.

Feature Image – Part 1 Judging a Book by its Cover. Image created in Book Brush using Pixabay photo.

[Read more…] about Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 1

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Tags: Association of Christian Writers, book covers, fiction, Fran Hill, Joy Margetts, Maressa Mortimer, publishing, Ruth Leigh, Wendy H Jones

Story Types

April 9, 2021 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

What kind of stories do you like? I hope the sky is the limit here!

I read a wide range of stories and owe a huge debt to my late mother for encouraging my love of reading at an early age. I wasn’t to know how much that gift of the love of reading (and I do see it as a gift) was going to stand me in good stead for my writing.

Feature Image – Story Types. Image created in Book Brush using Pixabay picture.

[Read more…] about Story Types

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Tags: creative writing, fuelling your creative writing, ideas, inspiration, reading, stories, story types

Reviews

April 2, 2021 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

Image Credit:  Images used from The Chameleon Theatre Group were kindly supplied by them for previous CFT reviews.

Reviews. Do you love them or loathe them?

I find them useful. I use them regularly too in checking things out on Amazon, my online food shop delivery service, and so on. I don’t necessarily take them at face value either but if 50% or more of a review of a new product is good, then I am likely to give that product a chance. That goes for everything from a new CD to a new book to a foodstuff new to me. That policy has served me well. I’ve rarely been disappointed.

Feature Image – Reviews. Image created in Book Brush using Pixabay image.

[Read more…] about Reviews

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Tags: Amazon, balancing marketing and writing, book reviews, From Light to Dark and Back Again, negative reviews, reviews, reviews for marketing purposes. obtaining reviews, The Chameleon Theatre Group, Tripping the Flash Fantastic

Talking About Writing

March 26, 2021 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

As you know, the last couple of weeks have been pretty busy for me but all good fun and a great learning experience.

Feature Image – Talking About Writing. Image created in Book Brush using a Pixabay image,

[Read more…] about Talking About Writing

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Tags: creative writing, Hannah Kate, Hannah's Bookshelf, marketing, North Manchester FM, presentation, radio interview, Share Your Story writing summit, talking about writing, The Disparate Housewive, WI, Zoom talk

Places to Go for Writing Advice

March 19, 2021 By Allison Symes 7 Comments

It soon became apparent to me, when I was new to the writing business, how much of it I didn’t know, it was much bigger than I anticipated, and it would be only too easy to be overwhelmed.

Due to direct experience, I soon came to realise there were sharks around. Every industry has its charlatans and publishing, sadly, isn’t exempt.

I was almost caught out by both a vanity agent and publisher (and what gave them both away was appalling grammar and spelling, funnily enough. I knew I didn’t want my works represented by anyone who could be that careless in a world where standards matter, particularly standards of spelling and grammar!).

Feature Image – Places to Go For Writing Advice. Image created in Book Brush using Pixabay photo.

[Read more…] about Places to Go for Writing Advice

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Tags: Alliance of Independent Authors, asking questions, Authors Licencing and Collecting Society, networking, Society of Authors, vanity publishers, writing advice

Book Trailers and Story Videos

March 12, 2021 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

I mentioned in my post last week, Musical Connections, I used Danse Macabre by Camille Saint Saens as the theme to my book trailer for From Light to Dark and Back Again.

For that particular trailer, Chapeltown Books, my publisher, produced it but for Tripping the Flash Fantastic, I made the trailer myself.

Feature Image – Book Trailers and Story Videos, Image created in Book Brush using a Pixabay image,

[Read more…] about Book Trailers and Story Videos

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Tags: Book Brush, book trailers, Canva, creative writing, From Light to Dark and Back Again, marketing, Pixabay, social media, story videos, Tripping the Flash Fantastic, Youtube

Local Author News – Allison Symes – Share Your Story Writing Summit Update

March 10, 2021 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

SHARE YOUR STORY WRITING SUMMIT

Image Credit:  The images for the summit were supplied by the summit organisers, Creative U.

Introduction

I was thrilled to be invited to take part in my first writing summit, Share Your Story Writing Summit, which runs from 18th to 23rd March.

This is a big step for me and I was told about it by Wendy H Jones.

Feature Image – Share Your Story Writing Summit Update, Image created in Book Brush using image supplied by Creative U, the organisers of the writing summit.

[Read more…] about Local Author News – Allison Symes – Share Your Story Writing Summit Update

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Tags: Allison Symes, creative writing, flash fiction, international writing summit, presentation, Share Your Story writing summit, workshops

Musical Connections

March 5, 2021 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

Music, especially classical, is one of life’s great joys as far as I’m concerned and I count myself lucky to be able to enjoy listening to this while writing my stories and blog posts. Two fabulous things enjoyed together – lovely.

But how did I get into classical music at all and what connections had I already formed with it before getting into it “properly”?

Feature Image – Musical Connections. Image from Pixabay but created with another image in Book Brush,

[Read more…] about Musical Connections

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Tags: advert music, Classic FM, classical music, film themes, TV themes

Local Author News – Allison Symes – Summits, Talks, and Interviews

February 26, 2021 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

For once I’ve summed up my news in my title! January and February have been incredibly busy but fun.

One thing all writers want is to build on what has gone before so we move forward. Those moves forward can be in big steps, little ones, or anything in between. Often one thing leads to another. It is the way of the writing life a lot happens over a comparatively short period and then nothing for a while. A bit like London buses – three turn up near enough at once! But you get used to that.

Feature Image – Summits, Talks and Interviews, Image created in Book Brush by Allison Symes using Pixabay image.

[Read more…] about Local Author News – Allison Symes – Summits, Talks, and Interviews

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Tags: Allison Symes, author newsletter, Chandler's Ford Today, Continuing Professional Development, email list, international writing summit, lots going on!, podcast, The Writing and Marketing Show, website changes, Wendy H Jones, WI talk, writing a regular column, Zoom

Launches in Lockdown – Part 5

February 19, 2021 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

This week, I chat to Amanda Jones, Gail Aldwin, and, aptly, finish the series by talking with my publisher, Gill James.

Gill, like Richard Hardie, sees the writing life from both sides of the fence as an author and publisher. She is the creative force behind Bridge House Publishing, CafeLit, and Chapeltown Books.

Feature Image – Launches in Lockdown – Part 5. Image created in Book Brush using Pixabay image.

[Read more…] about Launches in Lockdown – Part 5

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Tags: #AmandaJones, #BridgeHousePublishing, #celebrationevent, #ChapeltownBooks, #creativewriting. #amwriting, #Crocabeest, #GailAldwin, #GillJames, #Pandemonium, #VictorinaPress, Cafelit, publishing
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