Allison Symes's Blog, page 17
September 3, 2022
What Makes You Read?
Leading question, hmm?
What makes me read is curiosity first and foremost. I have to find out what happens to the characters in the story.
Or I have to find out what an expert is imparting to me via their non-fiction work.
I read to escape worries and cares for while. I read because I love stories and finding out things. I read because it is a privilege and pleasure to be able to do so.
Reading fuels the imagination and that is why I think all writers should read widely and regularly, inside and outside of their chosen genre.
I’ve had story ideas come to me from reading non-fiction. Occasionally a blog idea will occur to me from reading something in a story.
I also see reading as supporting the industry I am part of - makes great sense to me.
Besides, as we go into autumn in my part of the world, what is better than curling up with a hot chocolate and a good book or something fascinating on your Kindle?
What makes me read is curiosity first and foremost. I have to find out what happens to the characters in the story.
Or I have to find out what an expert is imparting to me via their non-fiction work.
I read to escape worries and cares for while. I read because I love stories and finding out things. I read because it is a privilege and pleasure to be able to do so.
Reading fuels the imagination and that is why I think all writers should read widely and regularly, inside and outside of their chosen genre.
I’ve had story ideas come to me from reading non-fiction. Occasionally a blog idea will occur to me from reading something in a story.
I also see reading as supporting the industry I am part of - makes great sense to me.
Besides, as we go into autumn in my part of the world, what is better than curling up with a hot chocolate and a good book or something fascinating on your Kindle?
August 27, 2022
Book Shelf Joys
One of the great pleasures of being a writer as well as a reader is getting to buy books brought out by your writing friends and having them sign them for you.
I have plenty of those on a special shelf and it gives me great joy whenever I walk past it. I look at the books on there and happy memories come flooding back, (for instance of times spent with said writing friends at the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School).
Another shelf bringing me joy holds the books I inherited from my late mother (hardback copies of Dickens amongst many others).
As for the shelves that give me a distinct case of the giggles, well those hold the works of P.G, Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett.
Then there is the shelf containing hardback works by Agatha Christie, the first set of books I collected as an adult.
Books have meaning well beyond the stories they contain - and I love that too.
Having said that, the ebook very much has its place here. I’m rediscovering the joys of finding out just what is on my Kindle and am currently reading Churchill’s Wizards, a fascinating non-fiction book.
So which book shelves have special meaning for you? It is the meaning that makes the shelf special.
I have plenty of those on a special shelf and it gives me great joy whenever I walk past it. I look at the books on there and happy memories come flooding back, (for instance of times spent with said writing friends at the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School).
Another shelf bringing me joy holds the books I inherited from my late mother (hardback copies of Dickens amongst many others).
As for the shelves that give me a distinct case of the giggles, well those hold the works of P.G, Wodehouse and Terry Pratchett.
Then there is the shelf containing hardback works by Agatha Christie, the first set of books I collected as an adult.
Books have meaning well beyond the stories they contain - and I love that too.
Having said that, the ebook very much has its place here. I’m rediscovering the joys of finding out just what is on my Kindle and am currently reading Churchill’s Wizards, a fascinating non-fiction book.
So which book shelves have special meaning for you? It is the meaning that makes the shelf special.
August 20, 2022
What Does a Book Give You?
This is a leading question is it not? Where to start! Well what does a book give me?
Books give me escapism, entertainment, educate me, and show me things I had not realised I needed to know.
Books can and do encourage empathy with characters. I can see where characters come from and why even if I still disagree with the actions they’ve chosen to do.
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is something you get to do all the time when reading fiction, regardless of story length.
Books take me away from my problems for a while - and sometimes that break is all which is needed for me to work out solutions to whatever I’m facing. Even when that’s impossible, just having the break away does my mental health the world of good.
And I get to discover worlds and situations I would never face for real but that in turn leads me to wonder what I would do in those situations and why.
Books do act like a kind of portal then. And it was the classic fairytales that showed me girls could be heroes too (see The Snow Queen by Hans Christen Andersen for this).
Above all books and stories encourage you to keep on reading. That in turn fuelled in me the desire to write stories and books myself. I see it as a kind of giving back to the wonderful world of books.
Books give me escapism, entertainment, educate me, and show me things I had not realised I needed to know.
Books can and do encourage empathy with characters. I can see where characters come from and why even if I still disagree with the actions they’ve chosen to do.
Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is something you get to do all the time when reading fiction, regardless of story length.
Books take me away from my problems for a while - and sometimes that break is all which is needed for me to work out solutions to whatever I’m facing. Even when that’s impossible, just having the break away does my mental health the world of good.
And I get to discover worlds and situations I would never face for real but that in turn leads me to wonder what I would do in those situations and why.
Books do act like a kind of portal then. And it was the classic fairytales that showed me girls could be heroes too (see The Snow Queen by Hans Christen Andersen for this).
Above all books and stories encourage you to keep on reading. That in turn fuelled in me the desire to write stories and books myself. I see it as a kind of giving back to the wonderful world of books.
August 13, 2022
Writers and Books
When this post goes live I’ll be at the Swanwick Writers’ Summer School once again for a glorious week in the company of fellow writers and where we celebrate all things relating to writing.
Books a plenty are in the Book Room and I am sure I’ll go home with additions to be To Be Read pile. (No writer worth their salt ever has a Be Be Read list. It has to be a pile - a huge one too! Don’t even ask about the electronic version of that pile!).
What draws writers into writing at all? Simply It is their own love of books and wanting to produce their own. We’re inspired by those authors we’ve read over the years and ideas will kick start from what we have enjoyed reading.
Books and writers are inseparable then. The two things most writes are advised to do is to write regularly and to read widely and well. All of that is a complete joy to do.
What every writer I know would appreciate (and this goes for me too) are reviews of our books on sites like Goodreads. It helps more than you know.
It is useful affirmation of our ability to write (ignoring the one star reviewers who are clearly just trying to knock the author down rather than give constructive criticism which might be useful).
For stories to be produced for entertainment there has to be the writers producing them. I can’t imagine a life without books. Neither do I wish to!
Books a plenty are in the Book Room and I am sure I’ll go home with additions to be To Be Read pile. (No writer worth their salt ever has a Be Be Read list. It has to be a pile - a huge one too! Don’t even ask about the electronic version of that pile!).
What draws writers into writing at all? Simply It is their own love of books and wanting to produce their own. We’re inspired by those authors we’ve read over the years and ideas will kick start from what we have enjoyed reading.
Books and writers are inseparable then. The two things most writes are advised to do is to write regularly and to read widely and well. All of that is a complete joy to do.
What every writer I know would appreciate (and this goes for me too) are reviews of our books on sites like Goodreads. It helps more than you know.
It is useful affirmation of our ability to write (ignoring the one star reviewers who are clearly just trying to knock the author down rather than give constructive criticism which might be useful).
For stories to be produced for entertainment there has to be the writers producing them. I can’t imagine a life without books. Neither do I wish to!
August 6, 2022
Soothing Reading
I read for all manner of reasons. I read for entertainment. I read to escape. (And with the news so grim everywhere you look, this is an important one!).
I read books by friends because I want to find out what they’ve come up with and to support them. Given they write outside of my genre of flash fiction, I expand my reading tastes doing this and ensure I get plenty of contemporary reading done too so win-win here.
I read non-fiction to find out things in, hopefully, an entertaining way.
And I read comfort books when life is especially grim.
My go-to here is humour. Who doesn’t need a laugh?
Another advantage to networking with fellow writers is I also get useful ideas to add to my reading list. There is always plenty of room for more books on there.
I see nothing wrong in having reading materials specifically to sooth. There is plenty of room for the challenging books. I find you have to be in the right mindset to appreciate those.
But soothing reading is always welcome. There is never a wrong time for that kind of reading.
I read books by friends because I want to find out what they’ve come up with and to support them. Given they write outside of my genre of flash fiction, I expand my reading tastes doing this and ensure I get plenty of contemporary reading done too so win-win here.
I read non-fiction to find out things in, hopefully, an entertaining way.
And I read comfort books when life is especially grim.
My go-to here is humour. Who doesn’t need a laugh?
Another advantage to networking with fellow writers is I also get useful ideas to add to my reading list. There is always plenty of room for more books on there.
I see nothing wrong in having reading materials specifically to sooth. There is plenty of room for the challenging books. I find you have to be in the right mindset to appreciate those.
But soothing reading is always welcome. There is never a wrong time for that kind of reading.
July 30, 2022
Reading Between the Lines
I write as well as read flash fiction and implying happens all the time here. You do get your readers reading between the lines all the time. You just give them what they have to know to be able to do that.
With my reading hat on, I love having to read between the lines. Crime writers do this constantly too - give us clues to work things out and you accept some of them will be red herrings. All great fun.
I don’t want tonnes of description. I just need enough to be able to picture the character and the setting.
Specific details often work better anyway. A moth-eaten chair conjures up a stronger image than just saying an old chair. (Well, how old? Are we talking antique here or something that is only 30 years old?). ]
Specific details matter. Whenever a writer put them in, I am looking to see how important these things prove to be later on in the story. They usually are important.
At the very least they have significant meaning for the lead character and that’s the important thing (if only because their opponent could use that against them).
I love reading between the lines then. The great stories encourage this I think.
With my reading hat on, I love having to read between the lines. Crime writers do this constantly too - give us clues to work things out and you accept some of them will be red herrings. All great fun.
I don’t want tonnes of description. I just need enough to be able to picture the character and the setting.
Specific details often work better anyway. A moth-eaten chair conjures up a stronger image than just saying an old chair. (Well, how old? Are we talking antique here or something that is only 30 years old?). ]
Specific details matter. Whenever a writer put them in, I am looking to see how important these things prove to be later on in the story. They usually are important.
At the very least they have significant meaning for the lead character and that’s the important thing (if only because their opponent could use that against them).
I love reading between the lines then. The great stories encourage this I think.
July 23, 2022
Light Reading
Light reading is something I do all year round. When the world is being especially grim, as it is right now, then that’s the time to turn to books that help you escape.
I was not surprised the sales of Wodehouse rocked up during the pandemic. People need an escape and lighter reading can be a great way to have that escape. (Especially if you really can’t go anywhere to get that escape another way!).
Light reading for me also includes reading short stories and flash collections, no matter what their theme. I just love short reads (and getting plenty of value for money by having lots of stories in one book!).
I do wish genre fiction wasn’t looked down on by some. It is snobbery.
Genre fiction helps subsidize the more literary works and everyone has different tastes in books anyway.
I was not surprised the sales of Wodehouse rocked up during the pandemic. People need an escape and lighter reading can be a great way to have that escape. (Especially if you really can’t go anywhere to get that escape another way!).
Light reading for me also includes reading short stories and flash collections, no matter what their theme. I just love short reads (and getting plenty of value for money by having lots of stories in one book!).
I do wish genre fiction wasn’t looked down on by some. It is snobbery.
Genre fiction helps subsidize the more literary works and everyone has different tastes in books anyway.
July 16, 2022
First Audio Books
I love audio books - really useful for long journeys. The first ones I listened to, and which are still great favourites, were the Terry Pratchett Discworld ones, narrated by Sir Tony Robinson.
These were great for another reason. I got my better half into these stories thanks to the audio books and it mean for several birthdays, wedding anniversaries etc., presents for him were sorted! Alas no more because we’ve got the lot!
What was the first audio book you enjoyed? What made you go for it? Had you already read the paperback? I had with the Discworld ones but my other half had not.
I’m never worried about book formats. People find different ways into stories.
There will always be a need for the printed book but I do love it when those who are not great readers, such as my other half, discover and love stories another way. Audio books are a fabulous invention.
These were great for another reason. I got my better half into these stories thanks to the audio books and it mean for several birthdays, wedding anniversaries etc., presents for him were sorted! Alas no more because we’ve got the lot!
What was the first audio book you enjoyed? What made you go for it? Had you already read the paperback? I had with the Discworld ones but my other half had not.
I’m never worried about book formats. People find different ways into stories.
There will always be a need for the printed book but I do love it when those who are not great readers, such as my other half, discover and love stories another way. Audio books are a fabulous invention.
July 9, 2022
Opening Lines
When I have small pockets of time I jot down ideas for potential opening lines for future flash fiction/short stories of mine. It is a good use of time and the opening line is so important in hooking a reader in to reading your story and your books.
So it is worth jotting down ideas for me to work on at a later date. And it is opening lines which draw me into reading a book at all. Every writer knows they’ve got to polish these up and get them as good as possible.
It was a truth universally acknowledged - just that section of Jane Austen’s opening to Pride and Prejudice drew me in.
Why?
Firstly, I wanted to know what that truth was.
Secondly, the word universally implies agreement but it also opens up the possibility someone somewhere won’t agree (and I wanted to find out if I might be that someone. I can only find out by reading on).
Thirdly, there is already a hint of irony here and in only six words. Now that is quality writing!
There has to be a sense you’ve got to find out what happens next. That’s how I know an opening line will work for me.
If the opening line works, it is highly likely the first page, the first chapter will and so on and before I know I’ve read the book!
So it is worth jotting down ideas for me to work on at a later date. And it is opening lines which draw me into reading a book at all. Every writer knows they’ve got to polish these up and get them as good as possible.
It was a truth universally acknowledged - just that section of Jane Austen’s opening to Pride and Prejudice drew me in.
Why?
Firstly, I wanted to know what that truth was.
Secondly, the word universally implies agreement but it also opens up the possibility someone somewhere won’t agree (and I wanted to find out if I might be that someone. I can only find out by reading on).
Thirdly, there is already a hint of irony here and in only six words. Now that is quality writing!
There has to be a sense you’ve got to find out what happens next. That’s how I know an opening line will work for me.
If the opening line works, it is highly likely the first page, the first chapter will and so on and before I know I’ve read the book!
July 2, 2022
Story Collections
One of the earliest books I had (and still have) are the Reader’s Digest Fairytale collections.
These are two huge books full of the classic tales by Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christen Andersen, and so on. You don’t want to drop these books on your foot is what I am saying here!
I spent hours as a kid looking at the wonderful colour illustrations and later reading and re-reading the tales. I loved The Snow Queen. For the first time I came across a girl as the heroine, the one doing the “derring-do”, and I loved that (and still do).
What I deeply appreciate here is the way people collected these old tales so we still have them now. Invaluable. I also appreciate it from the viewpoint that short stories are worth collecting - they so are!
My late mother collected the works of Dickens, I collected the works of Agatha Christie. Both Mum and I used a book club for these. (Mine was via Odhams Publishers but they set up an Agatha Christie collection kind of club and naturally I wanted the lot. Never regretted getting those).
What story collections do you treasure and why?
These are two huge books full of the classic tales by Perrault, the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christen Andersen, and so on. You don’t want to drop these books on your foot is what I am saying here!
I spent hours as a kid looking at the wonderful colour illustrations and later reading and re-reading the tales. I loved The Snow Queen. For the first time I came across a girl as the heroine, the one doing the “derring-do”, and I loved that (and still do).
What I deeply appreciate here is the way people collected these old tales so we still have them now. Invaluable. I also appreciate it from the viewpoint that short stories are worth collecting - they so are!
My late mother collected the works of Dickens, I collected the works of Agatha Christie. Both Mum and I used a book club for these. (Mine was via Odhams Publishers but they set up an Agatha Christie collection kind of club and naturally I wanted the lot. Never regretted getting those).
What story collections do you treasure and why?
