So what do I mean exactly by a “good” writing topic? Surely whether it is good or not depends on the nuances, personal bias etc of the writer in question (and whether you agree with them or not!), and whether they “deliver” on the theme in an entertaining and/or interesting way?
Like most schools, mine had inter-house competitions. One year, it fell to me to be House Captain of Music because I was the oldest boy who could play the clarinet. The Housemaster chose the Captain on age, not on ability. Every boy had to sing in the choir, and the performance piece chosen was John Ireland’s setting of Sea Fever by the poet laureate at the time, John Masefield.
Everyone had to sing, from the few with treble voices to the tuneless late-teen tough-guy growlers. We learned about melding music and words, how to enunciate ‘whetted knife’ as if you were cut by a cold wind; how to sound the sibilants to suggest gale and spray and how to prolong the final word – over. The poem was ended, but the feeling and atmosphere lingered on. [Read more…] about Forgotten Letters of John Masefield
By the time this post goes out, I will have returned from the Association of Christian Writers’ AGM and Writers’ Day held on 9th October 2021 at Mary Sumner House in London, which is the home of the Mothers Union incidentally. It will be ACW’s first in-person event since before lockdown.
What ACW did for events and groups was switch everything to Zoom and this worked well. The plan is to combine a mixture of live and Zoom events and group meetings in future.
How did I feel about going back to live events like this? I was fine with it, especially having been to the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School in August. But what are the advantages of one-day events such as the ACW one?
This topic was inspired by last week’s post when I talked about Pinch, Punch, The First of the Month. I’ve often used well known sayings in my flash fiction. Sometimes I’ve used them as titles. Sometimes I’ve used them as themes. And I have written stories where the well known saying was both the title and theme.
[Read more…] about Sayings – Their Uses in Fiction and Non-Fiction
And with that welcome to October!
Pinch, punch, the first of the month is one of those peculiar sayings most of us picked up on during childhood. And yes it was followed up with the pinch and the punch. (I suspect the rougher the school, the harder the pinch and the punch too).
The idea behind this phrase, and the one that often follows it (”white rabbits”), is that by saying it, we are meant to have good luck for the month in question. Naturally you wouldn’t want to miss out on said good luck so the moment the calendar shows it is the first again, out comes the saying again.
Image Credit: Book covers from Chapeltown Books. Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Author images taken by Adrian Symes.
Today would have been my late parents’ 61st wedding anniversary. (They made it to 55 years together when we lost Mum in 2015).
Anniversaries are important. They form much of our history (1066 probably being the most famous and yes the entire year is an anniversary date. A less “well known” year for this is 1936 – the Year of the Three Kings – George V, Edward VIII and George VI. There has been a Year of the Three Queens too – 1536 – Catherine of Aragon, who always maintained she was rightful Queen of England, Anne Boleyn, both of whom died in this year thanks to the same brute of a man, and Jane Seymour. I’m no fan of Henry VIII incidentally as you might have been able to tell!).
Image Credit: Book covers and author pics were kindly supplied by Maressa Mortimer. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.
It is lovely to welcome back Maressa Mortimer to Chandler’s Ford Today. This week, Maressa shares her thoughts on marketing (every writer has views on that!), and how she feels her writing has developed. She also discusses book tours and why she has used Facebook Live for her book launches. So with no further ado, over to Maressa.
[Read more…] about Maressa Mortimer – Part 2 – Being An Indie Author
Image Credit:-
Many thanks to Maressa Mortimer for book cover pictures and author headshot photo.
Images for Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion for Writing kindly supplied by Wendy H Jones.
Most of the other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.
One of the joys of the writing life is meeting other authors. I met Maressa Mortimer via the Association of Christian Writers.
Maressa, who is originally from The Netherlands, and I, as well as meeting at ACW events, regularly meet on her Zoom event held most weeks where ACW writers get together to chat. It can be very funny and at times therapeutic. There is nobody like another author who understands when you have had a rough week.
Likewise, those same authors will rejoice with you when things go well. What goes around comes around in writing circles. Most authors are supportive of each other’s efforts. We know it is not an easy thing to do. We know marketing and drafting the next work is tiring (and invigorating). You do need a shoulder to cry on sometimes (yet another reason to network well and develop friendships).
[Read more…] about Introducing Maressa Mortimer – Being an Indie Author – Part 1
Image Credit:-
Book cover image and author picture kindly supplied by Wendy H. Jones.
Some images created in Book Brush by both Wendy H Jones and Allison Symes. Other images from Pixabay.
I am pleased and proud to be taking part in Wendy H Jones’ new book – Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion for Writing. This came out earlier this week (1st September 2021).
Naturally I’m talking about flash fiction and short story writing. It will be my first venture in non-fiction in print and I hope to do more of this in the future.
[Read more…] about Creativity Matters – Wendy H. Jones – A New Direction
It is December 14th 1984, “My driver”, Gran writes:
… called for me at 10.15 this morning to take me to hospital again to have part of the spot cut out for analysis… the operation, under local anaesthetic, did not take too long and I was home by 12.20. I had taken ham rolls in case I was much later, but had one after soup at home. I am perfectly well and am to see Dr Charlewood on Wednesday or Thursday to have the stitches out.
Gran and some other Club members are picked up by coach in Kingsway for transporting to their Christmas dinner on the 15th, and Gran has clearly managed to produce the required floral table decorations, asked for at short notice. She writes:
… as I stood with the table decorations, a lady came and asked me if they were for sale, and another, who lives over the wine shop, and knows Ruth, said she had seen a copy of my “Te Deum”, [recently read out at one of her Club meetings] which Mrs Burton has and she wanted to know if she might read it to a prayer meeting to which she goes. I gave her permission…
[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 173)
Image Credit: All but one of the Swanwick photos were taken by me, Allison Symes, though I have used Book Brush for captioning purposes. It is a useful tool. Many thanks to Fiona Park for using my phone to take the photo of me signing books. It is tricky to do that kind of photo yourself! Other images from Pixabay as usual.
It was wonderful to be back at the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School recently. For the first time in its 70+ year history, it was cancelled last year due to You Know What. So getting back together again at The Hayes Conference Centre in Derbyshire was especially nice given I met friends I haven’t seen in person for two years.
There is something special about getting together with fellow creatives in person. Many of my Swanwick friends I keep in touch with via Facebook/Twitter and/or Zoom, which is something positive about social media. It has been a lifeline like that but when you get together in person, you do bounce ideas off each other, share useful tips and so on. There is something in the atmosphere which encourages this.
And it was my first train trip since before March 2020. Annoyingly Cross Country had taken off the direct service from Southampton Airport Parkway to Derby (the service runs on to Newcastle) so I had to go in to London Waterloo, across to St. Pancras, and then go up to Derby.
To be fair it only added another 40 minutes to my journey, which is not bad, but I do still feel it was odd to say the least to send people into the capital when it wasn’t necessary. I am hoping the direct service will be back next year.
The Swanwick Writers’ Summer School runs from a Saturday to the following Friday and comprises workshops, talks, guest speakers, specialist courses, and shorter ones over the space of those few days. The range of topics is incredible.
This year’s school covered flash fiction, poetry, historical fiction, social media, non-fiction submissions, world building (fantasy and science fiction), crowdfunding, book trailer production, creating suspense, writing compelling crime, competitions, writing for children, and the list goes on! I haven’t named half of what was on offer this year.
All meals (which are generous!) and accommodation is included and I pay a little extra to be on the coach that takes me to and from Swanwick from Derby Railway Station. Many of us meet up at Derby to enjoy coffee and a sandwich before heading off to the school. For us, Swanwick week starts there!
After a full day of workshops and courses, the evening entertainment consists of guest speakers who are experts in their field. One talk was from Tony Faber of Faber and Faber who talked about the history of the publishing firm. (Yes, he does have a book out on that topic. How did you guess?!). But it was fascinating to hear the history and especially about the links with T.S. Eliot.
On other nights, there are quizzes. One is a literary one and the other is a general knowledge quiz. I am part of a team known as the Prosecco Queens (no prizes for guessing why) and we ended up in medal position for both (one silver, the other bronze before you ask) so we can hold our heads up reasonably high.
Before Swanwick, there is a competition called Page to Stage where writers are encouraged to send in a script for a five minute play. These are judged anonymously by a professional theatre company and the best scripts go through for performance at Swanwick.
This year seven out of eighteen entries went through. At Swanwick itself, these plays are staged and volunteers are sought for acting, to direct, and of course the writers get to see their plays being performed. During the week the plays are then performed in the main hall in front of the other delegates and we the audience vote on the ones we like best. The winners are awarded a “Swannie”, which is literally a small trophy made to look like an Oscar but clearly isn’t! Trust me, these things are coveted….
Swanwick has a Book Room where authors can put out their wares. Writers fill out a form listing the books we’re taking in for this ahead of the conference and at the end of the week, when we pick up any unsold books, we sign our unsold books out on that list. Payment is made via BACS after Swanwick.
I was thrilled to sell out on Tripping the Flash Fantastic and I only took three copies of From Light to Dark and Back Again back home with me. This was my best year at Swanwick for sales and my first live event since before lockdown.
Networking is the other big benefit. It was a joy to meet up with Linda W Payne, a fellow Bridge House Publishing/CafeLit and Chapeltown Books author especially. We usually meet at the annual Bridge House event in December and that too was cancelled last year. We have high hopes it won’t be this year.
But you also get to meet new authors, publishers, all kinds of people at Swanwick, and they tell you what they do and you tell them what you do. Nobody thinks it odd here that we sit at our desks and make things up all the time! Of course a lot of the networking takes place at another side benefit to Swanwick – the bar!
The grounds at The Hayes are wonderful to walk around (and the main time for this is after lunch and/or if you decide to not go to a workshop etc). The nice thing about Swanwick is you can pick and choose what you go to. Nobody worries if you decide you don’t like a course and then try the others out instead.
And, after Swanwick, you can download the notes from all of the courses, whether you went to them or not. I don’t know of any other writing event that does this. Most tend to let you download notes only from the ones you went to. And you do feel connected to the overall writing community in a way you simply can’t do when you’re sitting at home drafting a story or a blog post on your own.
The biggest problem most delegates have is when there is a clash of courses you’d like to go to on the same day. I don’t envy the Swanwick Committee for putting this together. There is no way of pleasing everybody but being able to download the notes later from the ones you couldn’t get to helps enormously here.
The Hayes is an old country house and it has its own Chapel. A daily service is held during Swanwick week (only for about 20 minutes) and I led a Lift Up Your Hearts session, as these services are known, on the Monday I was away. I shared my favourite parable, The Good Samaritan, and talked a little about how stories can be told in hymns. (Possibly another form of flash fiction going on here as all hymns are well under the 1000 word count limit for flash!). One lovely thing is here is that the names of Swanwickers who have passed on are specifically remembered at the services here. And Swanwick has its own war memorial too.
So there is a lot going on and a huge creative buzz but everything stops for afternoon tea which is fabulous but fattening!
Of course, you get a chance to try out workshops here on subjects that may interest but which you are not perhaps yet writing in and that is useful. I never started out as a flash fiction writer. Would I have gone to a course on it when I was starting out? Probably. Out of sheer curiosity to find out more.
The one thing I don’t join in with at Swanwick is the Fancy Dress Evening/disco. (I have two left feet when it comes to dancing. Trust me, I am being kind on everyone in sitting that out). On the Thursday afternoon, there is a Dregs Party out on the main lawn and, later in the evening, a formal Swanwick Farewell in the main conference hall.
There are a couple of mini competitions during the week so prizes are awarded for the winners at the Farewell. It is also when the Swannies are given out for Page to Stage and I was delighted a friend, Penny Blackburn, won Best Drama for her five minute short play. I didn’t win the flash fiction competition but another friend, Fiona Park, did. Fiona also took this fabulous picture of me happily signing copies of Tripping the Flash Fantastic – I have the feeling I will be using this picture again in marketing efforts!
I had a fabulous time at Swanwick as you will have gathered from the above. The Hayes, for the first time, created packed lunches for people to take outside when the weather improved and that was a great idea which went down very well. Prior to that, you could have had three cooked meals a day there!
There were plenty of sanitisers all over the place and people were pretty sensible about distancing when possible, masking in enclosed spaces and so on. There was plenty of ventilation in our rooms and in the conference rooms. (We all carried out lateral flow tests before going and I carried out another on my arrival home on the Friday. Both negative I am glad to say).
What is wonderful is there was a sense of normality coming back, something everyone picked up on and appreciated, I feel. Now for more author events, please, live and on Zoom. I hope to share more news later on in the year as I have a couple of things coming up.
Oh and you may well know The Hayes for something else. It is the setting for the book and film, based on true events, of The One Who Got Away. Yes, The Hayes did see the only German prisoner of war escape Britain. Oberleutnant Franz von Werra escaped from their marvellous grounds during World War Two. On previous visits to Swanwick, you could go and see the remains of the tunnel he escaped from (and it is tiny, even by my standards and I don’t even make it to 5’ tall!).
Will I be back at Swanwick next year? Let’s just say I can’t wait for the booking slots to re-open!
Printpack
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.
Never miss out on another blog post. Subscribe here:
If you use Wikipedia today (24.07.3021), you may find the Featured Article today looks rather familiar:
“The Chandler’s Ford shooting was an attempted robbery on 13 September 2007 in which two men were shot dead by officers of London’s Metropolitan Police while robbing a cash-in-transit van. The Met had been tracking a gang who had stolen an estimated £500,000 from security vans and learned that the gang intended to rob the HSBC bank in Chandler’s Ford.”
Not sure how often Chandler’s Ford gets the global attention like today.
However we don’t think the community is proud to be defined by “The Chandler’s Ford Shooting”. [Read more…] about How do you Define Chandler’s Ford? What does Chandler’s Ford mean to you?
Image Credits:-
Many thanks to Fran Hill and Ruth Leigh for supplying author images and book cover photos. Also thanks to Ruth Leigh for sharing pictures of her garden (her character Isabella M Smugge would never let weeds be amongst the flowers! Just as well Isabella hasn’t seen my garden – she’d have a fit).
Other images are from Pixabay or from Book Brush using Pixabay photos.
I am delighted to welcome back to Chandler’s Ford Today Fran Hill and Ruth Leigh to continue their interview about writing humour.
Fran writes memoir. Her first book, Being Miss, was followed up by the wonderfully titled Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean?, which is my favourite title for 2020.
Ruth has written a marvellously funny and moving diary in The Diary of Isabella M Smugge and is working on its sequel.
So back to our conversation on writing humour…
[Read more…] about Part 2 – The Joys and Perils of Writing Humour – Fran Hill and Ruth Leigh
I’m pleased to welcome back to Chandler’s Ford Today two of the funniest writers I know – Fran Hill and Ruth Leigh.
Fran’s second book, Miss, What Does Incomprehensible Mean?, ought to get some kind of award for most amusing title. The book (which is a memoir of life in the classroom) is both funny and moving.
Ruth has created a fabulous character in Isabella M Smugge (to rhyme with Bruge) in her debut novel, The Diary of Isabella M Smugge. Think Hyacinth Bucket deciding to write her own diary a la Adrian Mole. Great combination of ideas there. And Isabella’s exploits, while often laugh out loud funny, are also moving.
[Read more…] about The Joys and Perils of Writing Humour Part 1 – Fran Hill and Ruth Leigh
At home at The Ridge on September 29th 1984, Gran does not hear the early arrival of the postman and coming downstairs finds:
… there was a Post Office card on the mat, saying that it had not been possible to deliver a registered package and it must be signed for and collected from the Post Office in Eastleigh. So I had to go there this morning but I was pacified when I found that it was stamps and coloured postcards from Tristan da Cunha. The stamps were featuring the constellations in “the night sky at Tristan da Cunha” and, as always, are very attractive. Also mentioned in the bulletin was the cottage craft of knitting garments from native Tristan wool, and those collecting the stamps are offered the chance of purchasing them. I have ordered a cardigan but it will be months before it comes. There was a Speckled Wood flying about in the sunshine…
Gran has not forgotten the presumed theft of her painting of an Early Spider Orchid while it was on show a few years ago, but she still remains pleased to be able to exhibit some of her work in order to raise money. On October 2nd:
In the Parish Magazine (Compton) today there was an appeal for funds for urgent repairs to the 800 year old Church, so I phoned Mr Ovenden to ask if he thought enough parishioners would be interested in seeing my paintings. I explained there would be some difficulty as, since one was stolen when I lent them out some time ago, Barry has said they must not go out of the house. Mr Ovenden thought it a splendid idea and he agreed to give some thought to it. He is going to pick me up or arrange for someone else to, for the Family Service in Church at 10 a.m. on Sunday and once monthly in future. I shall feel better if I can go.
And a few days later:
… Mr and Mrs Paris, from Shawford, kindly called and said they would gladly call for me at 10 o’clock on Sunday morning to take me to Church and bring me home again. Mr Paris has recently retired from the Solicitors Paris, Smith and Randal, who looked after Aunt Em’s affairs. A very nice couple indeed..
In the “Echo” was a picture of Lou [Meadon], unrecognisable at 89 and dressed in an embroidered blouse and now living at Fleming House Home. After having known her always in a black costume and hat, summer and winter, she now looked to be another person. I wrote to Barry and Jane Elizabeth and sent this cutting…
[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 172)
Image Credit: A huge thank you to The Chameleons for the pictures. I took the screenshots of the programme and the Chameleon Facebook page. (Do check that out – see the link!).
It was a joy to finally return to Ritchie Hall to watch The Chameleon Theatre Group take to the stage for the first time since the pandemic “broke” in March 2020. It has been a long year without you all.
(Though it was a pleasure to share posts here during lockdown – The Chameleons Say Hello. See the Related Posts section at the end of this for links to these and also for when my last review of a Chameleon production was – ages ago, basically).
Britain has a problem with litter. Despite several decades of “keep Britain tidy”, it seems that you can’t go anywhere without coming across discarded food wrappers and drinks bottles.
June 23rd 1984 Gran calls “A day of extreme emotions, starting most pleasurably and ending in great disappointment.”
Barry phoned and the Family has been making great efforts for my eightieth birthday celebrations and they can all manage the Monday 23rd July, the day after (except Andrew, who will be in Norway), and Julian and Sue want it at their house, Sue specially wanting to do the catering. Barry and Jane go to France at 6 o’clock the next morning and will stay at Farnham on the Monday night and no-one will actually be here on my birthday. That will not matter…
… but it was athletics that caused my heartache and disappointment. Julian did run, but the 10,000 metres started late and only the early laps were shown and the introducer said the result would be given on the News at 5.55. I became more and more nervous and was shattered when it was announced that Julian again ran third and did not qualify for the Olympic Games. This is the second time he has missed out… I watched Val Doonigan’s [sic] show without my usual enthusiasm and enjoyment and have retired sick at heart for Julian.
[Read more…] about Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal (Part 171)
Image Credit: Photos of the wildflower meadow at Hiltingbury Recreation Ground taken by me, Allison Symes. Other images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.
Am glad to say that, after a late start, the wildflower meadow is back at Hiltingbury Recreation Ground. There is a surfeit of yellow this year. One year the dominant colour was white. I prefer white as a backdrop to show more colourful flowers off with but that’s probably just me.
Now I must admit I’m not the world’s best gardener but I do know what I like when I see it when it comes to flowers. The wildflower meadow here has been a delight and all credit to those who have made this happen so thank you all.
Image Credits:–
Some images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos.
Many thanks to Wendy H Jones for supplying the book cover credits for Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion for Writing.
Many thanks to Gill James at Chapeltown Books for the cover pictures for The Best of CafeLit 10.
Screenshots of Mom’s Favorite Reads, Friday Flash Fiction, and new ACW Flash Fiction Group details were taken by me, Allison Symes.
This summer, I have been kept busy with more Zoom talks. I spoke again to the Dundee City Writers on 19th July and am due to speak to another Scottish group, Byre Writers, right at the end of the month.
This is made possible thanks to the wonders of Zoom and a huge thank you to both writing groups (as I know here and now Byre Writers will make me very welcome!).
I had a lovely time talking about short story writing to Dundee City Writers. I am looking forward to talking about flash fiction writing with the Byre Writers. And there has been plenty else going on too.
[Read more…] about Local Author News – Allison Symes – Crossing Fiction and Non-Fiction
