Themes, of course, can reflect mood. I've often written to a particular theme (but not necessarily to a mood. I've written to see where the story takes me. I think it's more flexible that way). So to happy writing then, whether you are are specificially writing to a mood or not. But be ready to spot the theme leaping out at you when you read back your work.
Moods, I've found, quickly emerge from the story you are writing. That helps put a collection together. I've found in From Light to Dark and Back Again the mood varied so that's why I titled the book the way I did! Sometimes the mood can already there be for you to use, sometimes you have to look back at the finished piece and recognise the mood for what it is.
Themes, of course, can reflect mood. I've often written to a particular theme (but not necessarily to a mood. I've written to see where the story takes me. I think it's more flexible that way). So to happy writing then, whether you are are specificially writing to a mood or not. But be ready to spot the theme leaping out at you when you read back your work.
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I thought I ought to write this post as a follow-up to my Reasons to Write earlier in the week. I also hope to get back to more frequent blog posts on both my websites soon. The gaps have been due to dealing with a family bereavement and as things begin to settle, I will be particularly glad to get back to my usual writing routine. There are times writing can be amazingly therapeutic and part of that can be because you have to think of something else in order to do it! Anyway, reasons for reading (not that you should really need any, should you?!) include:-
There are various reasons to write, of course, and I think most writers don't have one single reason for picking up the old pen/PC. For me, it was a a combination of turning 30 and giving birth - two major life events - that made me realise if I was going to write, it would be a good idea if I got on and did so! So what reasons are there then?
There will be other reasons for writing of course but these were the few that instantly occured to me. How anyone handles grief depends on their character, whether they naturally show emotion or are of the keep it all under control persuasion, and society pressures. How do your characters handle grief and have you shown, earlier in the story, indications of how they handle emotion generally so when the grief happens we are not surprised at the way they react to it.
Grief can often be accompanied by guilt, usually at things left unsaid or undone. How do your grieving characters cope with that? Do they emerge from the grief better, stronger characters, perhaps better at showing their emotions openly than they had been before? Are they determined to show how much they love the family/friends they have left? How does your created world handle grief? Does it encourage open emotions or are people expected to keep it to themselves? Are there people the rest of society are expected to mourn at the appropriate time, whether the majority want to do so or not? What is the punishment for those who won't conform to society's ideas here? I've discussed a little about this on my Facebook page tonight but thought I'd expand the post here. So what are the advantages of writing flash fiction then? I would see them as:-
These are just some of the advantages. Why not give flash a go? What really matters to your characters? What beliefs/values do they cherish the most and why? Does this put them at odds with the society you've placed them in?
For most of us, friends and families are what really matters. Do your characters think the same? Are they closer to their friends than their families? What is the role of the family in the society you've created? What is the role of faith in your created world? (I would hope, being a Christian, that portrayals of religious people would, yes, show up the hypocrite etc but also show those who really do try to follow the faith with love and kindness etc etc). What really matters to you as the writer with regard to the story? What are you hoping to convey by it? Why does it matter and can you use that to help you write it with more passion than you might otherwise have done? What is the right title for your story? One that fits the mood of the tale? I use a variety of methods for titles.
Vary up the way you come up with titles. It's fun, using different methods will help you generate different kinds of title and then you can decide which is most appropriate. |
AuthorI'm Allison Symes and write fairytales with bite, especially novels and short stories. Archives
October 2019
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