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Changing Direction

June 5, 2020 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

One of the things I love most about writing is it keeps you on your toes. There is always something to learn. For my flash fiction, I am always inventing new characters to write about. So the chances of (a) being bored or (b) running out of things to write about are zilch. I like that!

And for non-fiction work, such as my posts here, there are always topics of interest to look into, research, and write about. It is also a joy to share local author news (and a nice bonus when I can include myself!).

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Being stretched mentally, whether you’re writing or what have you, is good for you. It makes you think. You develop much more as a person and I am sure that is one of the unspoken roles of any of the creative arts.

Taking part in any of the creative arts will make you assess where you are, where you might like to head with your chosen form, and so on.

[Read more…] about Changing Direction

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Tags: blogging, changing direction, creative writing, flash fiction, non-fiction

Why I Blog – Part 2

July 6, 2018 By Allison Symes 10 Comments

Feature Image 2 - Why I Blog Part 2

Following on from last week’s opener to this two-part series on blogging, I continue to share thoughts on the topic from some of my fellow writers. [Read more…] about Why I Blog – Part 2

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Tags: blogging, books, creative writing

Why I Blog

June 29, 2018 By Allison Symes 7 Comments

Feature Image - Why I Blog Part 1

It’s funny how certain types of writing remain popular, even though the format in which they are presented may change over time. Keeping a diary was something I did when younger. These days I blog! Most of us who kept diaries had no thought of publication (just as well too, you would have had to have been incredibly lucky here). [Read more…] about Why I Blog

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Tags: blogging, books, creative writing

The House at Ladywell

April 11, 2017 By Nicola Slade Leave a Comment

Nicola Slade Hampshire author

Would you fall in love at first sight – with a house?

When my second Harriet Quigley mystery was published, blogger Geranium Cat said, in what is still my favourite review:

Not listed in the Dramatis Personae at the start of A Crowded Coffin is the Attlin family’s farmhouse, although you feel it should be there; once known as the Angel House, Locksley Farm Place dates back centuries, perhaps to a Roman villa on the same site. The author conveys the sense of the house’s age and antiquity seamlessly… and the reader is left with an impression of great solidity and warmth which permeates the whole book…’

[Read more…] about The House at Ladywell

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Tags: blogging, books, education, literature, local interest, publishing, reading, writing

Published – My Debut Flash Fiction Collection

February 24, 2017 By Allison Symes 15 Comments

From Light to Dark and Back Again, by Allison Symes.

I am thrilled to announce my debut flash fiction collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again, has now been published by Chapeltown Books. It is available in paperback and in Kindle format via Amazon and, of course, directly from me but more on that later.

The stories range from 100 words tales to 500 words to 750 and there are one or two which just creep in as flash fiction, being just under the 1000 words limit. This is generally recognized as the cutting off point between flash and standard short story lengths. [Read more…] about Published – My Debut Flash Fiction Collection

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Tags: blogging, books, celebrations, creative writing, flash fiction, publishing, reading, writing

A Year of Chandler’s Ford Today in 2016

December 27, 2016 By Janet Williams 8 Comments

It’s hard to believe we are wrapping up 2016 of Chandler’s Ford Today.

Chandler’s Ford Today received 176,229 views from January to December in 2016.

Visitors numbers: 118, 107.

240 posts were published in 2016.

Since March 2013, we have pubished a  total of 1,147 blog posts. [Read more…] about A Year of Chandler’s Ford Today in 2016

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Tags: blogging, Chandler’s Ford community, community, local interest, reading, review, writing

Introducing Myself – Nicola Slade

December 13, 2016 By Nicola Slade 10 Comments

Nicola Slade Hampshire author

I write mystery novels set in and around Winchester – and sometimes even in Chandler’s Ford!

Chandler’s Ford has been home since 1981 when we moved here from Surrey for my husband’s new job. I come originally from Poole and my husband comes from Oxfordshire. When we moved here our son was twelve and went to Thornden, followed in due course by his sisters: our elder daughter who was ten when we moved here and went into the top year at Hiltingbury Juniors, and the younger one, who was five, who started school at Hiltingbury Infants. [Read more…] about Introducing Myself – Nicola Slade

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Tags: blogging, books, education, interview, library, literature, local interest, publishing, reading, writing

The Travels of Wendy and Lou in Chandler’s Ford

December 10, 2016 By Janet Williams 1 Comment

Today I’m very pleased to introduce a Chandler’s Ford blogger to you: Wendy.

Wendy keeps a lovely blog about moving into Chandler’s Ford, called Chandlers Ford Connect. [Read more…] about The Travels of Wendy and Lou in Chandler’s Ford

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Tags: blogging, Chandler’s Ford community, charity, Christmas, good neighbours, health, recommendations, storytelling

Chandler’s Ford Today Community Website – New Design, Great Content

December 8, 2016 By Janet Williams 8 Comments

You may be surprised to find Chandler’s Ford Today website has a new design today.

The colour is now much toned down.

The improvement today has made Chandler’s Ford Today a mobile friendly website. If you read this site using mobile phones or a tablet, you may find the site is now easier to navigate and read. [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford Today Community Website – New Design, Great Content

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Tags: blogging, Chandler’s Ford community, community, good neighbours, Hiltingbury, local interest, Methodist Church, publishing, writing

Interview Kate Day: Chocolate Muffin Publishing

June 3, 2016 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

One of the strange but nice things about dementia is the way arts can help retain memories. Singing, for example, seems to affect the brain in a way that can put patients on a level playing field with those without that awful disease.

Why? Because singing helps retain memories for all who take part, singing makes all feel good and can be a social event for all.  [Read more…] about Interview Kate Day: Chocolate Muffin Publishing

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Tags: arts and crafts, blogging, books, Chandler’s Ford community, community, interview, local businesses, local interest, reading, writing

Writing as Therapy: Introducing Chocolate Muffin Publishing

March 18, 2016 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

I’m a great believer in the arts being good for the soul, that the arts are therapeutic and are something we need despite there not being an obvious biological need for them.

Writing helps me unwind and it is a lot of fun creating articles for Chandler’s Ford Today as well as my short stories and novels. And I’m definitely not the only one to believe this. [Read more…] about Writing as Therapy: Introducing Chocolate Muffin Publishing

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Tags: arts and crafts, blogging, books, Chandler’s Ford community, community, interview, reading, writing

How Have Your Reading Habits Changed?

February 12, 2016 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

The natural follow up to my recent post about favourite forms of writing is about my favourite forms of reading in all its forms – non-fiction, fiction, poetry, books, magazines, e-books, newspapers.

It also takes a brief look at reading habits given it is not just a question of print media any more for sources of reading material. [Read more…] about How Have Your Reading Habits Changed?

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Tags: blogging, books, Chandler's Ford Library, Chandler’s Ford community, community, culture, event, hobby, library, literature, local interest, reading, storytelling, writing

Winter – Ugliness and Beauty in Chandler’s Ford

February 5, 2016 By Allison Symes 3 Comments

I must admit winter is not my favourite season, much as I enjoy Christmas. Aside from the cold and the storms, the nights draw in that much earlier which limits the evening walks my better half and I can enjoy with the dog.

We love walking Mabel along The Monarch’s Way and the bridleways around that area (though right now it would be more accurately called The Muddy Way). [Read more…] about Winter – Ugliness and Beauty in Chandler’s Ford

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Tags: arts and crafts, blogging, Chandler’s Ford community, community, dog, Hiltingbury, Hiltingbury Road, local interest, nature, pets, storytelling, walking

Writing, Blogging, Social Media…What’s Your Favourite Forms of Writing?

January 29, 2016 By Allison Symes 22 Comments

What are your favourite forms of writing? Fiction? Non-fiction? Poetry?

Do you ever think when you pick up a pen or put fingers to keyboard we are all following a tradition going back thousands of years? Or appreciate how important writing, in all its forms, is for cultural reasons? Or how dangerous writing can be? [Read more…] about Writing, Blogging, Social Media…What’s Your Favourite Forms of Writing?

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Tags: blogging, books, Chandler's Ford Library, Chandler’s Ford community, community, education, history, library, literature, publishing, reading, writing

Ignite Your 2016 with the Best of Chandler’s Ford Today 2015

January 2, 2016 By Janet Williams 5 Comments

Year 2015 has just flown by.

In the past year, we produced 320 posts, sharing local stories, news, and events with the community.

This ‘community’ is not restricted to Chandler’s Ford. We have readers and writers from Australia. [Read more…] about Ignite Your 2016 with the Best of Chandler’s Ford Today 2015

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Tags: blogging, Chandler’s Ford community, community, event, good neighbours, history, interview, library, local interest, reading, review, scouting, theatre, writing

A Year of Chandler’s Ford Today Posts 2015

December 30, 2015 By Janet Williams 13 Comments

Chandler’s Ford Today received 121,887 views from January to December in 2015.

Visitors numbers were 66,478.

319 posts were published in 2015. [Read more…] about A Year of Chandler’s Ford Today Posts 2015

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Tags: blogging, Chandler’s Ford community, community, local interest, reading, review, writing

My Year-End Review and Book Launch

December 18, 2015 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

I went to London on 5th December 2015 for the Bridge House Publishing/Cafelit joint book launch celebration. Naturally I left from Chandler’s Ford Station!

Though Bridge House published my first story in print, A Helping Hand in their Alternative Renditions anthology, this year I was going because my short story, The Magic Flute, is in The Best of Cafelit 4.

This was one of the books being launched, the other being Bridge House’s anthology for 2015 called Snowflakes. [Read more…] about My Year-End Review and Book Launch

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Tags: arts and crafts, blogging, books, literature, reading, review, travel, writing

The Best Birthday Gift You can Give – Donate to Support Chandler’s Ford Today

December 12, 2015 By Janet Williams 16 Comments

It’s my birthday this weekend, and I have some news for you.

Please don’t buy me flowers or chocolate. Flowers wither. And, if you don’t know about the fact yet – I don’t eat chocolate.

Over the past 3 years I’ve worked very hard building Chandler’s Ford Today as a community website for Chandler’s Ford. [Read more…] about The Best Birthday Gift You can Give – Donate to Support Chandler’s Ford Today

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Tags: blogging, Chandler’s Ford community, community, Hiltingbury, local interest, publishing, writing

Chandler’s Ford Today Needs Your Feedback

November 29, 2015 By Janet Williams 5 Comments

You may find today that I have removed the old header of Chandler’s Ford Today.

This was the old header I created two years ago. [Read more…] about Chandler’s Ford Today Needs Your Feedback

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Richard Hardie: “So You Want to be an Author?”

October 29, 2015 By Ben Williams 12 Comments

At the Chandler’s Ford library today I attended an author talk by Richard Hardie: “So you want to be an author?”.

Richard is a Chandler’s Ford author who has written two books in the Temporal Detective Agency series – Leap of Faith and Trouble in Mind. He talked to us about being a writer and good writing tips. [Read more…] about Richard Hardie: “So You Want to be an Author?”

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Tags: blogging, books, Chandler's Ford Library, education, event, library, literature, local interest, publishing, reading, review, writing
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Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Forty Years in Chandler’s Ford – a Journal by Joan Adelaide Goater

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

Growing up in Chandler’s Ford: 1950s – 1960s by Martin Napier

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

My Memories of the War Years in Chandler’s Ford 1939 – 1945 by Doug Clews

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

Chandler’s Ford War Memorial Research by Margaret Doores

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

History of Hiltonbury Farmhouse by Andy Vining

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

My Family History in Chandler’s Ford and Hursley by Roger White

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Do You Remember The Hutments? By Nick John

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

Memory of Peter Green by Wendy Green

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

History of Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) Hursley Park by Dave Key

Reviews of local performances and places

Reviews of local performances and places

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