Every writer has wishes. We work hard to try to bring some at least to fruition. But there are other, bigger wishes going on now and most are centred around Artificial Intelligence (AI). Nobody wants creativity destroyed by it. Many are wary of what it can be capable of.
I love those moments in any fiction where a character stands out. They say or do something which has resonance and, if at the same time, this can provide a laugh, even better.
I was delighted to have another story, Out With The Old, recently broadcast on Hannah Kate’s Spring Equinox show on North Manchester FM recently. It was also a joy to hear the other tales too, especially since another was from a dear friend of mine from the Association of Christian Writers.
https://www.mixcloud.com/Hannahs_Bookshelf/hannahs-bookshelf-spring-equinox-special-21032026/
Every writer has hopes – hopes of being published, being read, receiving good reviews, being published again and again, winning the Booker or any other respected writing prizes (I refuse to believe that is just me!), and many more thoughts besides.
But our characters should have hopes too. It will be hopes which will be the driving force behind them wanting to achieve their overall goal and this applies equally to villains as well as the goodies.
I’ve always thought a story works or fails based on how well the character grips a reader’s imagination. If you don’t care about the characters you read about, why should you read about what happens to them? For this reason, I’m firmly on the side of character in the character versus plot debate.
A great character can do a lot to help save a weak plot but a weak character will only let a great plot line down. So this is why I do like to outline my characters before I write my stories. I need to know enough about them to know I am interested in them (and then a reader is more likely to be too).
The writing journey can throw up plenty of surprises. I remember going to my first writing event, many moons ago, and feeling terrified at being set my first writing prompt by someone else. I was sure I wouldn’t be able to do it. I did by the way. You do just get on with it. But there was no way on this earth I was sharing that first effort with anyone! I also had no idea what a variety of writing exercises there are. I have found out since!
Hooks are crucial for holding a reader’s interest, regardless of whether you’re writing fiction or non-fiction.
They can also be placed in varying places within a piece to give maximum effect. The idea here is an opening hook draws readers in, one somewhere in the middle will keep their interest going, and then another one at the end brings in a satisfying conclusion to the piece.
This mirrors the Three Act structure though the hook in itself isn’t enough to keep things going. The golden rule, if there could be said to be one, is there should be no boring bits, nothing readers might be tempted to skip.
Do you like the prospect of catching up? I guess it depends on context. I’m not fond of those times when I’m catching up with the housework, say. But when it comes to catching up with my reading and writing, that’s different. I have no problems with either of those.
I thought I’d use this post as a “catch up” one with my writing matters. A few things have been going on since I last wrote this kind of post.
Hopefully later this year, I will be off once more to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick and I expect to take in a couple of other writing events. It took me ages as a new writer to pluck up the courage to go to my first writing event where, ironically, I ended up meeting the lady who would become my publisher. Neither of us could have known at the time.
Why go to writing events at all? What benefits are there for writers? Does it pay to work out what it is you would like to achieve by going to a specific writing event? I hope the following helps.
Themes crop up all the time in creative writing. Many story and article competitions set a theme. Many writers have a theme in the back of their minds when creating a story or piece of non-fiction writing. Indeed, my theme here is to share tips about writing to themes.
For Writers’ Narrative magazine (which can now be found via Substack), there is a monthly theme the core contributors, including me, write around.
My most recent marketing development has been to have a monthly author newsletter. I started this on Mailchimp but as they stopped their free plan, I moved over to MailerLite. The transition was painless, I’m glad to say, and there are certain things I can now do which I couldn’t on Mailchimp. The important one is being able to schedule my newsletters. I schedule pieces all the time including for Chandler’s Ford Today so I appreciated coming across this feature.
I enjoy putting my newsletters together and work on them throughout the month so there’s no last minute rush to get a newsletter out. It also gives me time to add things as more news and ideas occur to me. It also gives me plenty of time to review my draft ahead of scheduling it so it is good to go on the first of each month.
I have a soft spot for a good spoof. This is because I love stories, films etc., which make me laugh. I also think there is a huge need for these especially at times when the world seems unremittingly grim as it is right now. The dictionary definition of a spoof is something which mimics something else to comic effect and often uses exaggeration to get the laughs.
Other than the word “marketing”, the word “pitching” can be enough to make a writer’s blood run cold. Why? In both cases, it is because we all know it has to be done. We also all know we would far rather be writing.
We also know with pitches we do open ourselves up to rejections. Indeed, it is common to have far more rejections than acceptances for any kind of pitch.
One reason I love conducting, reading, and/or taking part in author interviews is because I often learn what inspires a writer and/or a particular tale of theirs.
Inspiration comes from many sources, which is immensely encouraging to any writer, but it does pay to know where the great “hunting grounds” are for it. It pays not to rely on it coming to you but by actively seeking inspiration, you are in with a much better chance of finding it.
This post looks at inspiration “haunts” I’ve found repeatedly useful and I hope you’ll find them useful too.
I hope you had a lovely Christmas break and may I wish you a very Happy New Year.
One of the things I love about the period between Christmas and New Year is having more time to catch up on reading. The rush of Christmas is over and there are a few blissful days before normal routines kick in again and I use that time to enjoy books. Winter is the perfect time for this, isn’t it?
I am fond of short story collections for various reasons, not least of which is the fact they gave me my way into being published. My first story in print was A Helping Hand in the Bridge House Publishing anthology Alternative Renditions back in 2009.
Coming right up to date, I am also pleased to say another short story of mine, The Family Legend, has recently been published in Bridge House Publishing’s Magi anthology. I’m looking forward to celebrating that book at the Bridge House Publishing celebration event in London next week, which is always a fun event.
It is always a joy to welcome fellow authors to Chandler’s Ford Today, especially when they are fellow Bridge House Publishing writers. Penny Dale, who writes as Penny Rogers, is someone I have often chatted to at the Bridge House Publishing Celebration Event held annually in December.
Penny has had many stories in The Best of CafeLit anthologies. Indeed she and I have had our work in the same books but it is a great joy to congratulate Penny on her forthcoming book, Amelie at the Window.
The title story started life as a short story but other stories about Amelie’s life emerged in response to popular demand and this led to the book being written. It is written in two halves as a collection of short stories about the people who lived in a fictional small town in France in 1914 and again in 1924. So much happened in those ten years.
[Read more…] about Author Interview – Introducing Penny Rogers and Amelie At The Window
Last Saturday, 25th October, I had the joy of going to Egham for the Association of Christian Writers Autumn Gathering. It is the annual in-person gathering. The other ACW meetings are held on Zoom and are so useful but there is something special about getting together with other writers in person.
[Read more…] about Author News – Allison Symes – Getting Out and About with ACW
Given last week’s post looked at Starting a Piece of Fiction, I thought it would be apt to write about ending the said piece of fiction. The beginning of a story has to set up interesting characters and a good premise to hook the reader in, but the ending must deliver on this.
I’ve often found starting a piece of fiction can be more problematic than finishing a first draft. How come? Knowing where to start is a crucial component to any story and every writer knows the opening lines, especially the first one itself, have to be strong enough to hook the readers in to want to read the rest of the tale. So no pressure then!
