I’ve mentioned adverts before and the best ones are remembered for years. Brand recognition is important.
It is for writers too.
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Finding Themes
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.
Summer Time, Maybe…
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.
Writing Prompts
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!
Reflections
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).
Understanding
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)?
Favourite Lines
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).
Judging a Book by Its Cover – Part 3
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.
Plant and Cake Stall – Friday 7th and Saturday 8th May 10 am to 4 pm – outside Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church
Life has slolwy returned to some sort of ‘normal’ in Chandler’s Ford.
Chandler’s Ford Methodist Church is planning a Plant and Cake stall (and also take-away hot drinks, how exciting is that!) over two days – on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th May 2021 from 10 am to 4 pm, outside at the front of the Church.
Previous St. George’s Day Parades in Chandler’s Ford – Video and Photos
Did you remember or celebrate St. George’s Day on the 23rd of April?
This is a video with some footage in 2017 showing the St. George’s Day parade, by the magnificent 14th Eastleigh Scout and Guide Band “The Spitfires” Band.
This video features the band’s second and third parades of the day in Winchester and Chandler’s Ford.
[Read more…] about Previous St. George’s Day Parades in Chandler’s Ford – Video and Photos
Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 2
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.
Judging a Book by its Cover – Part 1
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.
Story Types
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.
Reviews
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.
Easter Egg Trail in Chandler’s Ford
From Churches Together In Chandler’s Ford
For Christians, Easter is a time to celebrate New Life and God’s love and hope for the world. This feels especially timely this year. As churches around Chandler’s Ford are cautiously returning to worshiping in their buildings, Churches Together locally have also combined to create an opportunity for the community to celebrate these with us in the open air by taking part in our Easter Trail. You will be guided around 10 locations in Chandler’s Ford, finding clues and discovering the unfolding Easter Story.
All are welcome to join in any time from the 31 March 2021. There will be simple activities to take part in and small gifts to pick up along the way. Simply join the start of the trail at St Martin in the Wood, Randal Roadd, or look out for the egg signs. The route is about 3 miles so families with younger children may want to spread it out over more than one walk. We hope people of all ages can enjoy this and celebrate with us.
Happy Easter!
Fundraising for the 2nd Chandler’s Ford (Ramalley) Scout Headquarters
2nd Chandler’s Ford Scout Group needs your help.
The Scouts are raising £8,000 to help complete their new building on Ramalley Lane, to make it an amazing new venue for Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Explorers and the resident pre-school.
The 2nd Chandlers Ford (Ramalley) Scout headquarters celebrated its 80th birthday in 2018. Over 83 years, it has enabled local children and young people to have fantastic opportunities, have fun, and develop new skills. They have learnt team work, problem-solving, resilience, independence, to name but a few. [Read more…] about Fundraising for the 2nd Chandler’s Ford (Ramalley) Scout Headquarters
The Pandemic Has Made Us So Much More Neighbourly …
By Peter and Maggie Lippiett
The pandemic has made us so much more neighbourly …
… or has it? Perhaps it depends who we think of as neighbours! A famous question rings down the ages – ‘Who is my neighbour?’
We live on a pretty small planet. Far-off countries come nightly into our living rooms – no longer do we know nothing about them. We know that in Yemen, a civil war has decimated health systems, provoked widespread hunger, and killed almost 250,000 people. It’s a conflict that requires immediate aid. In Syria over 11 million people are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Both war-torn countries are on the brink of severe famine. So is the Sahel region of Africa, and Southern Sudan. Two of the world’s most fragile regions. No wonder the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is appealing urgently. [Read more…] about The Pandemic Has Made Us So Much More Neighbourly …
Talking About Writing
As you know, the last couple of weeks have been pretty busy for me but all good fun and a great learning experience.
Places to Go for Writing Advice
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!).
A year of notparkrundays
Yesterday (Saturday 13th March) was the 52nd notparkrunday. That’s a whole year without parkrun. When Covid-19 caused parkrun to be suspended back in March 2020, Mrs Chippy and I decided we would carry on with our regular 5 km runs at 9 am on a Saturday morning. Originally, we called them Socially Distanced Runs, until the notparkrunday word was created. I don’t think anyone expected parkrun to be suspended for more than a few weeks – there was astonishment when we reached 13.
