Allison Symes's Blog, page 2
July 19, 2025
Books Which Live On
Books which live on is an apt topic for me at the moment as I’ve just written about Jane Austen for another blog I contribute to monthly and it was a lovely, enjoyable thing to do.
Her books will live on and have lived on long after her because she creates such memorable characters and situations. That, I think, is the secret to any good story.
Yes, sure, styles of storytelling do change over the years. We don’t need descriptions in the way Dickens wrote them because we have our own references to helps us picture things.
His readers would not have had those things - being in the film, radio and TV age does make a difference, as does universal education. But we can still understand his characters and what motivates them. I do feel it is the characters which are the important connection in any story.
Any book which does that should live on. I think the classic books can give us insights as to how life was lived back then so they can be educational in that respect.
I don’t want stories dismissed just because they’re old or not read for that reason. (Same applies to the authors!).
Her books will live on and have lived on long after her because she creates such memorable characters and situations. That, I think, is the secret to any good story.
Yes, sure, styles of storytelling do change over the years. We don’t need descriptions in the way Dickens wrote them because we have our own references to helps us picture things.
His readers would not have had those things - being in the film, radio and TV age does make a difference, as does universal education. But we can still understand his characters and what motivates them. I do feel it is the characters which are the important connection in any story.
Any book which does that should live on. I think the classic books can give us insights as to how life was lived back then so they can be educational in that respect.
I don’t want stories dismissed just because they’re old or not read for that reason. (Same applies to the authors!).
July 12, 2025
Favourite Parts of a Story
Regardless of story genre, length, whether it is in a magazine or in a book, what would you say were your favourite parts to a story?
I love dialogue because when this is done well, it is like eavesdropping an interesting conversation. I know - that probably does say a great deal about me, doesn’t it?
But good dialogue will move the story on, have a good pace to it, and leave you wanting to “hear”/read more.
Description works for me when it conveys information I need to know in a story which can’t be shared any other way.
So yes I will need to know something about setting, for example, but I won’t necessarily need to know every last detail. I just need to know what is important.
So I would need to know there was a moor, say, but I don’t need to know exactly what the moor is made up of because I will have my own ideas about that. Earlier generations would have needed everything spelled out when people didn’t travel so much so wouldn’t necessarily know this.
Naturally writing flash fiction and short stories does tend to encourage what I call tight writing.
Narrative where the story is being moved on thanks to the narrator is another favourite of mine because you usually get a good pace here. You are shown what you need to see. Everything counts so you know you need to read this.
I’ve forgotten who it was who said “try not to write the bits people skip” but they had a point!
I love dialogue because when this is done well, it is like eavesdropping an interesting conversation. I know - that probably does say a great deal about me, doesn’t it?
But good dialogue will move the story on, have a good pace to it, and leave you wanting to “hear”/read more.
Description works for me when it conveys information I need to know in a story which can’t be shared any other way.
So yes I will need to know something about setting, for example, but I won’t necessarily need to know every last detail. I just need to know what is important.
So I would need to know there was a moor, say, but I don’t need to know exactly what the moor is made up of because I will have my own ideas about that. Earlier generations would have needed everything spelled out when people didn’t travel so much so wouldn’t necessarily know this.
Naturally writing flash fiction and short stories does tend to encourage what I call tight writing.
Narrative where the story is being moved on thanks to the narrator is another favourite of mine because you usually get a good pace here. You are shown what you need to see. Everything counts so you know you need to read this.
I’ve forgotten who it was who said “try not to write the bits people skip” but they had a point!
July 5, 2025
Series Books -v- Stand Alones
Do your prefer series books or stand alones? I love both, naturally and can see the merits in both.
Sometimes a story can only be told in one book - The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey is a great example of that. Nothing can be added.
But I do love series books, such as Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, where the major characters develop over time. Indeed, you can follow a whole life story for them within the overall plots of the individual books.
Sam Vimes is the best example here as you see him go from being a drunk copper to becoming a heroic copper who marries the fabulous Lady Sybil Ramkin (what she doesn’t know about dragons isn’t worth knowing) and then on to being a Duke, still being heroic and never losing sight of himself.
He’s not one for whom fame would get to his head. Love all of that. And you get to see that slowly revealed over many novels.
This kind of thing I think is the best feature of series books and is why crime series tend to do so well. You follow the results of the individual case plus you catch up on what the lead characters have done/are doing. Plenty to like there.
In my field, short fiction, you obviously get to have lots of stand alone stories but you can have series ones too. I write linked flash fiction sometimes where a character will turn up in more than one tale yet each story is its own complete tale. Fun to do and a good challenge.
Am glad to say I will have a new book out next year (more details nearer the time) and I have had fun with linked flash in that. Looking forward to saying more about this later. But you can have series and stand alones in short stories and flash fiction too.
Sometimes a story can only be told in one book - The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey is a great example of that. Nothing can be added.
But I do love series books, such as Terry Pratchett’s Discworld, where the major characters develop over time. Indeed, you can follow a whole life story for them within the overall plots of the individual books.
Sam Vimes is the best example here as you see him go from being a drunk copper to becoming a heroic copper who marries the fabulous Lady Sybil Ramkin (what she doesn’t know about dragons isn’t worth knowing) and then on to being a Duke, still being heroic and never losing sight of himself.
He’s not one for whom fame would get to his head. Love all of that. And you get to see that slowly revealed over many novels.
This kind of thing I think is the best feature of series books and is why crime series tend to do so well. You follow the results of the individual case plus you catch up on what the lead characters have done/are doing. Plenty to like there.
In my field, short fiction, you obviously get to have lots of stand alone stories but you can have series ones too. I write linked flash fiction sometimes where a character will turn up in more than one tale yet each story is its own complete tale. Fun to do and a good challenge.
Am glad to say I will have a new book out next year (more details nearer the time) and I have had fun with linked flash in that. Looking forward to saying more about this later. But you can have series and stand alones in short stories and flash fiction too.
June 28, 2025
Reading Moods
I have various reading moods. Sometimes I want a huge novel to read. I want the complete epic story and that’s that.
Sometimes I want quick satisfying reads, which is where short stories and flash fiction come in. Mind you, it helps I write the latter two fiction forms. It does mean I’m biased but in the best possible way of course!
I deliberately mix up the word count lengths I read to as I want a variety of tales to enjoy. I also mix up the genres I read.
So for a while, I will read crime, then move on to something else and so on. I often use the short fiction forms as my reading material between reading the novels. I like to see them as appetizers!
I rarely read dystopian works on the grounds the news is gloomy enough but I love lighthearted reads, especially during the summer months. Wodehouse is ideal here I think.
Sometimes I want quick satisfying reads, which is where short stories and flash fiction come in. Mind you, it helps I write the latter two fiction forms. It does mean I’m biased but in the best possible way of course!
I deliberately mix up the word count lengths I read to as I want a variety of tales to enjoy. I also mix up the genres I read.
So for a while, I will read crime, then move on to something else and so on. I often use the short fiction forms as my reading material between reading the novels. I like to see them as appetizers!
I rarely read dystopian works on the grounds the news is gloomy enough but I love lighthearted reads, especially during the summer months. Wodehouse is ideal here I think.
June 21, 2025
Books and Stories in Culture
No matter what our own cultures are, there will be books and stories which stand out in them.
These will be the books and stories “everyone knows” but may not necessarily have read for themselves.
I am so conscious of all the wonderful English language classics I am unlikely to get around to reading though I am determined to get at least some read.
Where this comes in is when you play the great game of spot the influences when reading works by authors you love.
A great example of this is Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. There are all sorts of “nods” in those.
Another example can be found in the stories of Jeeves and Wooster by P.G. Wodehouse where Bertie Wooster inevitably gets the name of the author and/or the book concerned not quite right. Yet it is clear from context the book and author do exist.
So cultural books and stories can inspire other tales. I like this!
These will be the books and stories “everyone knows” but may not necessarily have read for themselves.
I am so conscious of all the wonderful English language classics I am unlikely to get around to reading though I am determined to get at least some read.
Where this comes in is when you play the great game of spot the influences when reading works by authors you love.
A great example of this is Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series. There are all sorts of “nods” in those.
Another example can be found in the stories of Jeeves and Wooster by P.G. Wodehouse where Bertie Wooster inevitably gets the name of the author and/or the book concerned not quite right. Yet it is clear from context the book and author do exist.
So cultural books and stories can inspire other tales. I like this!
June 14, 2025
New Books and Old Books
I expect, like me, you have a good mixture of books on your shelves. I have new books, old books, classics, contemporaries, and, what is especially nice, books written by friends of mine (and signed for me too). I treasure them all.
I have books inherited from my late mother, who was a tremendous reader and encouraged me so much here.
I have my own collections of books. The first series I went for, as an adult, was the Odhams Agatha Christie collection. Lovely red and gold hardback books. Fabulous stories, as you know.
Prior to that I collected the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton as these used to be on sale at my local newsagent, back in the days when many of those had a reasonable book selection you could buy. I miss those days!
A new edition of the series had been brought out to tie in with Southern TV’s adaptation of the series for their Sunday teatime slot. That only stopped when Southern lost their franchise. (A big mistake but there you go and at least it got me reading the books!).
I do believe it is a great idea to have a health “reading diet” and for me that has always included contemporary as well as classic books.
A great story is a great story whenever it came out after all.
I have books inherited from my late mother, who was a tremendous reader and encouraged me so much here.
I have my own collections of books. The first series I went for, as an adult, was the Odhams Agatha Christie collection. Lovely red and gold hardback books. Fabulous stories, as you know.
Prior to that I collected the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton as these used to be on sale at my local newsagent, back in the days when many of those had a reasonable book selection you could buy. I miss those days!
A new edition of the series had been brought out to tie in with Southern TV’s adaptation of the series for their Sunday teatime slot. That only stopped when Southern lost their franchise. (A big mistake but there you go and at least it got me reading the books!).
I do believe it is a great idea to have a health “reading diet” and for me that has always included contemporary as well as classic books.
A great story is a great story whenever it came out after all.
June 7, 2025
Blurbs
A brilliant blurb is an excellent draw for me to buy the book it is on. Tricky to write though! (I do think writing flash fiction regularly at least gives you practice in writing to the word count required for blurbs but I am biased here given flash is what I do).
What I want from a good blurb is a taster of the book. I must have an idea of who the lead is and the problem (the major one) the character is facing. I have then got to feel as if I must read on to find out what happens. If successful in making me do that, the blurb has done its job!
Blurbs are best kept short. You do just want a taste, not the whole buffet, but it has to be enough of a taster and that is the tricky bit to get right, I think.
Mind you reading lots of books and seeing how other authors have done this is a great way to learn for when you hopefully get to do this for yourself!
Not that I need encouraging to read more, mind you. That is always a great thing to do whether you write as well or not.
What I want from a good blurb is a taster of the book. I must have an idea of who the lead is and the problem (the major one) the character is facing. I have then got to feel as if I must read on to find out what happens. If successful in making me do that, the blurb has done its job!
Blurbs are best kept short. You do just want a taste, not the whole buffet, but it has to be enough of a taster and that is the tricky bit to get right, I think.
Mind you reading lots of books and seeing how other authors have done this is a great way to learn for when you hopefully get to do this for yourself!
Not that I need encouraging to read more, mind you. That is always a great thing to do whether you write as well or not.
May 31, 2025
Defining A Good Read
How would you define a good read?
For me, it is any story of any length and genre, where I have to read through to the finish.
Usually it is the character which grips me. Sometimes it’s an intriguing premise. The very best stories have both of those.
But I have been just as entertained and gripped by a well crafted 100 word story as I have been by the other end of the scale, a 100,000 word novel.
I like a wide variety of genres though my favourites are fantasy, fairytales especially, history (fiction and non-fiction) and crime.
Thankfully I have not abandoned many stories of any length because they haven’t engaged but in those cases where it did happen, I know it was because I wasn’t convinced by the characterisation, yet alone gripped by it.
Still in a way this is useful. I know what I like and dislike here so I can avoid making the same mistakes in my own work.
Life is too short to not have good reads in your reading pile!
For me, it is any story of any length and genre, where I have to read through to the finish.
Usually it is the character which grips me. Sometimes it’s an intriguing premise. The very best stories have both of those.
But I have been just as entertained and gripped by a well crafted 100 word story as I have been by the other end of the scale, a 100,000 word novel.
I like a wide variety of genres though my favourites are fantasy, fairytales especially, history (fiction and non-fiction) and crime.
Thankfully I have not abandoned many stories of any length because they haven’t engaged but in those cases where it did happen, I know it was because I wasn’t convinced by the characterisation, yet alone gripped by it.
Still in a way this is useful. I know what I like and dislike here so I can avoid making the same mistakes in my own work.
Life is too short to not have good reads in your reading pile!
May 24, 2025
Book Reviews
Do you read book reviews? I do. As a writer myself, I appreciate the reviews which come in on my books but I also like to write reviews on works by other authors.
Other than buying the book itself, reviewing is probably the next best way to support authors. I keep my reviews short and would put in a plea to review when you can. It helps more than you know.
I try to review the moment I’ve finished a book whether it’s on Kindle or in print. Otherwise, I know I may well forget to do it. Life getting in the way and all of that…
The best reviews give a good flavour of what the book is about without giving too much away. The good news is
they don’t have to be long to be effective.
Why not review the book you are currently reading?
Doesn’t have to be a contemporary one either (though that obviously does help current authors) but there’s nothing to stop you giving your thoughts on a classic work either. I know I still find those useful for the classics I’ve not yet got around to reading.
Other than buying the book itself, reviewing is probably the next best way to support authors. I keep my reviews short and would put in a plea to review when you can. It helps more than you know.
I try to review the moment I’ve finished a book whether it’s on Kindle or in print. Otherwise, I know I may well forget to do it. Life getting in the way and all of that…
The best reviews give a good flavour of what the book is about without giving too much away. The good news is
they don’t have to be long to be effective.
Why not review the book you are currently reading?
Doesn’t have to be a contemporary one either (though that obviously does help current authors) but there’s nothing to stop you giving your thoughts on a classic work either. I know I still find those useful for the classics I’ve not yet got around to reading.
May 17, 2025
Holiday Reading
I recently had a lovely holiday in gorgeous Northumberland and naturally took plenty to read with me.
Equally naturally, lots of walking and fresh air in forests and on beaches meant I didn't get to read as much as I'd planned!
But there is no way I wouldn't pack plenty of reading material. You just do, right?
I like to take my Kindle, one or two books, and magazines. All easy to pack, of course.
Mind you, when I could read, I made the most of it. Comfy chair, gorgeous outlook, drink to hand - perfect reading conditions.
Equally naturally, lots of walking and fresh air in forests and on beaches meant I didn't get to read as much as I'd planned!
But there is no way I wouldn't pack plenty of reading material. You just do, right?
I like to take my Kindle, one or two books, and magazines. All easy to pack, of course.
Mind you, when I could read, I made the most of it. Comfy chair, gorgeous outlook, drink to hand - perfect reading conditions.
