creative writing

A Romantic Romp through the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

September 20, 2020 By Christine Clark 6 Comments

In this bit of nonsense, I have included each of the NATO Phonetic Alphabet codewords …

Last November, alpha male Mike and his Zulu boyfriend Charlie took a holiday at the famous golf hotel in Lima. Wanting a break from the game, they took a drive through the delta, up into the sierra, where they heard the famous echo. In the evening they were joined by their yankee soldier friend Victor (who was in uniform) and his Papa.

They all went to the theatre where they saw Romeo and Juliet (it was an Oscar-winning performance – ‘Bravo’, they cried) and then went dancing, first the foxtrot then the tango. [Read more…] about A Romantic Romp through the NATO Phonetic Alphabet

Tags: creative writing, humour, storytelling

A Novel Approach – Jennifer C Wilson In Conversation With Allison Symes

August 21, 2020 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

The defining thought for my recent CFT posts has been how writers can pick up on the zeitgeist, long before we know there is one to tap into!

This summer the topic has been about changing direction. Some writers do this a lot, others only every now and again. Some make the change a permanent one, others see the variation as a detour from what they usually write though they will resume that in due course. My recent interviews with Scottish crime writers, Val Penny and Wendy H Jones, are good examples of this.

Another author changing direction is Jennifer C Wilson who has gone from writing ghost stories crossed with history in her Kindred Spirits series to romance with The Raided Heart and is now writing non-fiction with her recently released A Novel Approach.

Jennifer C Wilson’s latest book is her venture into non-fiction writing. Image kindly supplied by her.

Tags: A Novel Approach, creative writing, creative writing guide, fiction, Jennifer C Wilson, Kindred Spirits, non-fiction, The Raided Heart

The Power of Why – Wendy H Jones in conversation with Allison Symes

August 14, 2020 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

Sometimes writers can feel as if they’ve “caught something” in the air and definitely not Covid-19! We refer to the zeitgeist where we subconsciously pick up on a bubbling mood which then does come to the surface and grabs public attention.

For me, and for many writers recently, that bubbling mood has been about changing direction with our writing. This has manifested itself in two distinct ways. Firstly, this has been in taking on new roles which are likely to be permanent (editing for me). Secondly, the other change has been in writing something different from what we are usually known for (as I’ve recently discussed with Val Penny and will be again soon with Jennifer C Wilson).

This week, I invite Scottish crime writer, Wendy H Jones, back to Chandler’s Ford Today as her new venture is something very special indeed. Wendy is the only UK writer in the The Power of Why (see Amazon link). There are 23 stories in this collection of women from around the globe who have taken steps to change their lives by starting their own businesses.

Wendy H Jones. Image kindly supplied by her.

Tags: author entrepreneur, changing direction, creative writing, marketing, the business of writing, The Power of Why, Wendy H Jones, women in business, women in writing

Part 3 – The Writing Game – and What to Watch For

August 7, 2020 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

For the final part of this series, I would like to say a big thank you to my wonderful guests for their excellent contributions. Please find the links to Part 1 and Part 2 here.

Writing is the fulfilment of many people’s dreams (and being published even more so) but, as with any other area of life, there are those prepared to make money out of your dreams and rip you off doing so. When you start out, it is knowing what to look out for that can be tricky. Also, where do you go for advice? (Answer: The Society of Authors, The Alliance of Independent Authors, and talk to other writers. Word does get out about scams and the like).

Scams happen in creative writing too, image via Pixabay

Tags: Association of Christian Writers, creative writing, crime writing, Jacci Gooding, Jennifer C Wilson, non-fiction, paranormal writing, scams, self publishing, short stories, Swanwick Writers' Summer School, tips, Val Penny, Wendy H Jones, writing advice

Part 2 – The Writing Game – and What to Watch For

July 31, 2020 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

Welcome to Part 2 of my new series. You can find the link to Part 1 here. Writing colleagues and I share tips we hope will be useful ranging from contracts to marketing to even handling professional jealousy. There is much to learn from here!

Any industry attracts charlatans. Writing isn’t exempt. From copyright infringements to piracy, it pays to be aware of what can happen and where to go for advice. It is also useful to know what to avoid.

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Tags: advice, Allison Symes, Amanda Baber, Bridge House Publishing, Cafelit, Chapeltown Books, creative writing, Dawn Kentish Knox, fantasy, flash fiction, Gill James, hints, humour, Paula C Readman, publishing, scams, short stories, tips

The Writing Game – and What to Watch For – Part 1

July 24, 2020 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

So much has changed in the industry since I started writing seriously. I’ve gone from using manual typewriters to laptops. I’ve gone from sending submissions in by snail mail to sending almost everything in by email. (There is still the occasional competition which prefers post but these are as common as the Dodo).

I don't miss typewriters either - I used an Olympia one and it weighed a ton - Pixabay — I don’t miss typewriters either – I used an Olympia one and it weighed a ton – Pixabay

In the joy of creativity, and unless you have decided to write solely for your own pleasure, which is fine, it is easy to forget writing is a business. As with any industry, there are charlatans out there.

It is only when you’ve been writing for a while, when you’ve had setbacks, you realise how much you don’t know. There are things I wish I’d been aware of when I started writing.

For this three part series, I share tips and contributions from writing colleagues. A big thank you to them for taking part in this series. We all hope you find it useful. There will be a brief bio for my colleagues plus links to their Amazon Author Central page and the like. Between us, we represent a very wide range of genres and experience in the industry.

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Tags: advice, Alliance of Independent Authors, Authors Reach, books, Brenda Sedgwick, creative writing, flash fiction, Francesca Tyer, local authors, Maggie Farran, Richard Hardie, scams, short stories, Society of Authors, Teresa Bassett, writing advice, writing tips, YA novels

Cat in the Bag

July 22, 2020 By Gopi Chandroth 12 Comments

This is a true story. The illustrations are by my nephew Hari Gopinathan, a talented furniture designer and freelance illustrator Hari Gopinathan (Instagram handle).

Paul,

I owe an apology to your cat. On my evening walk yesterday, I saw him halfway to Tesco, looking lost and forlorn. An elderly couple was engaged in conversation with him. He was instantly recognisable: a mix of tabby and white with tortoise shell grey, playful kitten approaching full cathood, no collar, and slight to moderate belly. It was Sonny and he was lost.

Sliding my headphones off, I said to the couple,

“It’s my neighbour’s cat”. [Read more…] about Cat in the Bag

Tags: cat, Chandler’s Ford community, creative writing, culture, storytelling, writing

Book Games

July 3, 2020 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

I’ve mentioned before that I love word games and these can take all manner of forms from Scrabble and Boggle to The Times’ cryptic crossword. (I pass on the latter. If I go for crosswords, it is always the quick kind!).

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I will often unwind after an evening’s writing by playing Scrabble on my phone.

The advantage of using technology to play a board game is it does mean I never have to worry about losing a tile again. It does also mean I can’t lose the Q or the X no matter how much I want to at times. There is always a downside to technology!

Oh and before you ask, I have been known to get miffed when the computer, which effectively is what the smart phone is in many ways, beats me at Scrabble yet again. I am improving though.

[Read more…] about Book Games

Tags: anagrams, book games, creative writing, missing words from book titles, word games, word games and the writer

Journeying into Non-Fiction Writing – Val Penny

June 26, 2020 By Allison Symes 6 Comments

I recently wrote about Changing Direction here and a good example of another author who has done precisely that is crime writer, Val Penny.

Now that doesn’t mean Val is leaving her (writing) life of crime (!), but she has turned to non-fiction with the recent release of her Let’s Get Published.

Feature Image – Journeying Into Non-Fiction Writing – Val Penny. Image kindly supplied by Val Penny.

Tags: creative writing, Let's Get Published, non-fiction, Scottish crime writer, Val Penny, writing advice

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

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

Books On The Radio – Local Author News – Richard Hardie/Allison Symes

May 29, 2020 By Allison Symes 4 Comments

Books have been on the radio for a long time. Often they are read through with music played to indicate scene breaks. My favourite novel, The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, was broadcast like this. (It is repeated every so often on Radio 4 Extra so so listen out for it. It’s a cracking story and the music is wonderful).

And of course books make for good adaptations – the right sound effects and music and no expensive sets or location costs! Radio has many advantages over TV here.

A lovely selection of old radio “sets”. Pixabay. And yes I recall them being called that.

Authors of course welcome the chance to discuss their books. The problem though is it is the big name authors who get on to Radio 4 etc so other writers need to focus on alternatives. With the ready availability of podcasting as well now, there’s another avenue for writers to explore whether they set up their own or are guests on them. Oh and don’t underestimate the hard work that goes into running a podcast or preparing well to be a guest on one!

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Tags: Allison Symes, book promotion, books, Chat and Spin Radio. radio interviews, creative writing, From Light to Dark and Back Again, internet radio, Leap of Faith, marketing, radio, Richard Hardie, Trouble With Swords

Lockdown Effects on Writing

May 22, 2020 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

I must admit the one thing the lockdown has done which I hadn’t expected has been to reduce my reading! You would expect the opposite, would you not?

I’ve found writing to be no problem at all but it is as if my subconscious is saying “you can do one creative activity, Madam, but you’re not doing two”.

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Tags: coronavirus, creative writing, effects on writing, lockdown, reading

Times

March 27, 2020 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

I’m sure you’ve heard of the phrase “May you live in interesting times”. This has been linked to the Chinese but there is evidence to suggest it has nothing to do with them at all and it is in fact an English saying.

Hmm…so maybe it’s a case of good old Chinese whispers going on there I think. (Never a game I’ve liked. I’ve never got the point. Misinformation is misinformation and all that. It always struck me as a silly game.).

Whatever the origins of the phrase, it is a great example of irony in action. It sounds like a blessing but it is anything but. The speaker is really wishing you should live in troublesome times and I think it is safe to say we are doing exactly that right now.

What interesting times we live in now. Pixabay

[Read more…] about Times

Tags: being creative, being positive, community, creative writing, interesting times

Mixing Things Up

March 20, 2020 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

I remember as a child sometimes being allowed to mix up whatever Mum was preparing in her big brown earthenware bowl and not just for Stir Up Sunday.

But writers need to mix things up too. Why and how?

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[Read more…] about Mixing Things Up

Tags: creative writing, fiction, mixing things up, open themes, set themes, writing competitions

How I Feel about the Pandemic

March 12, 2020 By Gopi Chandroth 2 Comments

As I walked briskly in keeping with the exercise requirements of my diet regime, listening to the intoxicating and incessant drumming in Get Ready by Rare Earth, I had an epiphany: I could be dead in a few weeks because of the pandemic.

I didn’t panic, but looked up at the sky and everything appeared so very special – the stars, the golden pancake moon darting between clouds, and even the clouds themselves for their amorphous fluffiness. [Read more…] about How I Feel about the Pandemic

Tags: creative writing, culture, storytelling, travel, writing

Local Author News: Richard Hardie and Introducing Francesca Tyer

March 12, 2020 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

I’m pleased to share a news update from local author, Richard Hardie, and to introduce new Authors Reach author, Francesca Tyer.

Richard and Francesca have celebrated World Book Day in the best way imaginable – by talking about books and stories to school children. Encourage a love of reading in the young, hopefully that love will stay with them for life. (I know it did for me!) See both links for World Book Day to find out more. . See Richard’s report below.

Richard Hardie. Image kindly supplied by him.

Francesca Tyer. Image kindly supplied by Richard Hardie.

Tags: author events, Authors Reach, creative writing, Francesca Tyer. The Temporal Detective Agency, local author news, Richard Hardie, The Firestone, World Book Day

Introducing Paula Readman: What Books Mean to Her

February 28, 2020 By Allison Symes 5 Comments

Paula Readman and I have publishers in common. We’ve both been published by Bridge House Publishing and Cafelit. We’ve shared the great joy recently of both of us having two stories in The Best of Cafelit 8 and also a story each in Nativity, the most recent books published by Bridge House. Naturally we are both keen on the independent small presses!

Paula R C Readman – image kindly supplied by her

Paula is going from strength to strength and is starting 2020 off in great style with a recently released novella and a short story collection to come later in the year but more on that in a moment.

I learned a long time ago if someone makes something look easy, that same someone will have worked very hard for years to get to that point. This is true for Paula and she’ll share more about this too.

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Tags: books, Bridge House Publishing, creative writing, Days Pass Like A Shadow, Demain Publishing, fiction, marketing, Paula Readman, The Funeral Birds

The Long and The Short of It – Reading

February 21, 2020 By Allison Symes 2 Comments

The major joys of reading are:-

1. There is at least one form to suit everyone – short fiction, long, or anything in between, and non-fiction with its infinite variety of forms from the essay to the book.

2. There is at least one genre to suit everyone – fantasy, non-fiction (think of the wealth of topics in this alone!), historical, crime etc.

3. Reading is one of the forms of escapism I love most; the other is music. Even when reading non-fiction, you are escaping the cares of the world temporarily to find out what you need to know or to improve your knowledge of the topic you’re reading.

The worlds conjured up by short stories or the longer forms of fiction can be incredibly well depicted. Pixabay

Tags: Chandler's Ford Library, comic books, creative writing, graphic novels, libraries, long fiction, novellas, novels, reading, short fiction, stories

Numbers Into Writing Will Go

January 17, 2020 By Allison Symes 8 Comments

Numbers in writing? What role do they play? In maths, obviously, but writing?

What possible role could they play in fiction, say? Surely there it is about the prose, how well the characters are created etc. Numbers turn up all over the place in writing.

Incidentally, the inspiration for the title comes from an old phrase hammered into me when I was learning division many moons ago at school. I had to look for numbers that “would go” into another number – e.g. 2 into 4 will go (twice!) and say 2 into 5 will go (twice but with 1 left over). Anyone else remember that style of teaching?

On to the use of numbers in fiction then…

Tags: creative writing, deadlines, fonts, numbers, publisher guidelines, publishing, word counts, writing competitions

Friends and Traditions

December 13, 2019 By Allison Symes Leave a Comment

This is the time of year when many traditions are upheld, of course, but I think the best involve getting together with friends to celebrate something you have in common.

For me, this winning combination works so well with the Bridge House Celebration Event held this year at St. John’s Church, Waterloo, in London on Saturday, 7th December 2019.

St John's in Waterloo was a beautiful venue — St John’s in Waterloo is a huge church. The Waterloo Arts Festival was held here in June. The Bridge House event in December was held in a downstairs room. Extremely handy place to get to from the station!

Tags: books, Bridge House Publishing, creative writing, friends, readings, traditions

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