Creating worlds for me is the great joy of fiction writing.  I love all aspects of this from inventing the setting to the characters and then going on to tell the tale.

I thought I'd share a link tonight with Chapeltown Books who are currently producing my first flash fiction collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again.  They are also producing collections by Neil Campbell and Gill James.  The link shares samples of work from Neil and myself.  There are also links (Amazon) to The Best of Cafelit series.  I have work in Best of 4 and 5 and I reviewed 3!

My sample is one of my 100 word stories from this collection, A Kind of Hell.  I love the way stories of all lengths are their own universes.  And the nice thing is you can immerse yourself in a totally different world in a very few words.  I met another writer at Swanwick Summer School this year who was regularly writing 75 word stories (including the title - now there's a challenge!!). 

Hope you enjoy the samples.  Will of course share more news on when my collection is going to be out.  But I've not just loved creating the individual stories, what I really like is the fact that I will have in the not too distant future a whole "world" of them between the covers of one book! 

Books are their own world and the great thing is there is absolutely no limit to how many worlds you visit.  Happy travelling!

I went to see All My Sons (Arthur Miller) at a local theatre tonight and will be writing a review of it in due course for Chandler's Ford Today.  I was impressed by the powerful impact of this play and it led me to think about provoking a reaction in would-be readers to what I have written.

I think the success of a story boils down to whether it provoked a reaction in the reader (and that it was the reaction the author wanted!).  The best way of doing this is to create interesting characters, drop them right in it metaphorically speaking, and see how they react.  Your characters have got to care about the outcome of whatever situation you've dropped them in.  Your readers have got to care about what happens to your characters.

So what reactions are your characters provoking?  The worst reaction is indifference because it will mean a reader is either put off by your characters not  evoking a reaction.  Alternatively the reader will also be indifferent to your character and story.

Generally when thinking about reviewing, you think about reviewing books (sometimes individual stories), plays and so on but it occurred to me it might not be a bad idea to look over your own characters from time to time. 

I've mentioned before I don't write a full character biography before a story but I do love to work from that character's central trait as that then tells me how they are likely to behave in most situations.  I find it easier to flesh out other details from that point.

But whatever way a writer chooses to create their characters, perhaps a review of them every so often is something worth considering.  Why?

1. To check the characters are still coming across the way you want them to do so.
   
2. If they're not, is this because the characters have developed? 
   
3. If so, is that in the way you wanted them to develop or is it something that has come out of your initial story ideas?  The latter is no bad thing but it pays to check you are happy with this.  What should happen is your character is now stronger than they might otherwise have been. 
   
4. If they're not, why is this?  Is it something you need to fix or is the character meant to become weaker? Do you need to go back in and rewrite the story as a result of these changes or do you need to rethink the character?
   
5. To check the character is still playing a vital role in your story.  That vital role can be a small "walk on part" if you like but it still has to be crucial.  If not it and the character should be cut.
   

Part 2 of my interview with Barbara Large, founder of Winchester Writers' Festival as it is now known, is now up on Chandler's Ford Today.  Barbara shares what she thinks all writers need and what the common mistakes of new writers are amongst other topics.  It is difficult to overestimate just how much wonderful help Barbara has given over the years to writers of all genres.

On my Fairytales With Bite website, I use this post to make me think about the role of fictional interviews. But it also led me to think about the role of teaching and advice in fiction.  As well as the fictional schools (Hogwarts, Unseen University and so on), the role of advisor/mentor is often crucial. (I always think of Gandalf as chief amongst these and I know that's not just his only role, far from it, but for Frodo Gandalf is very much his turn-to-for advice person!).

So in your fiction, who does the teaching?  Who gives the advice?  How much experience do they have and how did they gain this?  Are they respected or despised?  Is their advice generally heeded or ignored (and what are the consequences of either of these?).  Do your teachers/advisors get to have the joy of seeing those they've mentored go on to achieve great things?  Or are they killed off to try to stop the person being mentored from carrying on with their quest?

Plenty to muse on there I think!  (And I do hope you enjoy the interview with Barbara.  I can't think of anyone else who has done so much for writers in the UK).

One of my favourite things about writing is you get two hobbies for the price of one, so to speak.  In order to write well, you must read well, ideally in and outside of your genre. I would also add read non-fiction widely too.  Ideas spark from all over the place so cast your net widely and you will spark a greater number of ideas you can develop for your fiction.

I can't think of any writer I know or who I have read about who doesn't love their books and reading their favourite authors.  The other great thing is you learn a lot from absorbing story whether you read directly or whether you take the story in via another format.

I'm going to a local theatre this weekend to see All My Sons by Arthur Miller.  I haven't seen any of his work before and am looking forward to this and finding out more.  I am certain I will learn something from the way he presents his story and that the actors will bring it to life wonderfully.  That in itself tells me about how to use dialogue to great effect and reminds me to read my work out loud.  There is nothing to beat that for hearing how your dialogue sounds.  If you trip over your own words, so will any potential reader.

So if you're not writing, read!  Take stories in wherever and whenever you can - audio books, short stories, flash fiction and listening to/watching plays, whatever takes your fancy here!  (Radio plays can teach a lot about how to really make dialogue work given you can't see actors' facial expressions and so on, everything must come through the words as spoken.  I suspect this is a really interesting challenge for an actor.).  I've found it especially useful to enjoy stories in genres and forms I don't write in myself, partly I think because I come to these with no expectations.

We all cover up when we need to do so (more accurately, we feel  we need to do so!  It doesn't mean we are right).  There is the "me" I show the world, the "me" I wouldn't dream of showing the world, the "me" I would only show very close family and friends etc.

Our characters should be like this too.  There is in all of us that tendency to want to put on a front, especially if we are trying to impress someone.  So who are your characters trying to impress and why?  What aspects of themselves are they keen to show?  Conversely, what aspects are they keen to keep well hidden?!

Which of your other characters can see right through this behaviour?  (Do they do it themselves or, say, expose Character A's weak points because they want to impress Character Whoever and don't want Character A as a rival?  Obviously really relevant for love stories).

Do you sympathise with your characters' weaknesses?  Why do they have these particular ones?  How do these affect your stories?

Regardless of genre, or word count, what makes up a good story?  My thoughts on this are:-

1. Intriguing Characters.  Intriguing in that they make you want to find out more about them and why they are acting the way they are.  The really great stories ensure the villains are as interesting in this respect as the heroes. This leaves the reader torn between wanting the villains to achieve some of their aims because they can see where these characters are coming from and wanting the hero/heroine to succeed.  But all that matters here is that the reader must read on.
   
2. The story is the right length for the story.  You feel by the time you come to the end that the story has been told, not a word is wasted and nothing more can be added.
   
3. You can envisage the characters AFTER the story.  If ever there was one true sign showing the story really gripped you, this is it.  It is the basis for fan fiction, of course, but it is a huge compliment to the original author.  Perhaps it should be something all writers should strive to achieve - that their works grip people so much, they want the characters to continue long afterwards any role for them is finished.
   
4. The story provokes a reaction.  Whether it is to laugh or to cry, makes you wish the author had not killed off your favourite character in it, or wish you had written anything half as good, this shows the story hit home all right.
   
5. You remember the story later.  Not necessarily all the salient details but you do recall why you loved the story and part of it at least always stays with you.  Ironically this can sometimes happen with a story you loathed but there it is staying with you for all the wrong reasons!  (The only good thing about that from a writing viewpoint is recognising what you loathed and ensuring that doesn't turn up in your own work!).
   

Below are some of the most helpful writing tips I've used over the years (and continue to do so).

1. Never edit on screen, always run out a paper copy and then edit.  I don't know why but typos etc show up better when you are looking for them on paper.  I've missed loads on screen in my time.
   
2. Enter reputable writing magazine competitions.  If you win or are shortlisted, it is something to add to your writing CV.  If not, you can always rework the story and send it out elsewhere.  It's a good way of ensuring you are creating something new regularly.
   
3. Write when you can in the way that best suits you.  I was annoyed when I read an interview once when an author claimed that if you can only write for an hour a day, that's no good, you've got to commit to more time.  Now that's not always possible with family commitments and so on.  You are far better off writing for half an hour a day but doing that daily (or near enough) than writing for three or four hours at a stretch once in a blue moon.  The important thing is to write regularly.
   
4. Always put work aside for a while before reading it again.  You need to distance yourself a bit from what you've written to be able to judge it objectively.
5. Blogging regularly helps exercise your writing muscles.  You may even find, as I have, you suddenly discover a love for writing non-fiction.  It doesn't stop you writing fiction, far from it.  I've found the more widely I write, the more I want to write across that divide.  As a result my fiction and non-fiction work is increasing.  But I am loving it all!
6. Above all enjoy writing, enjoy editing, enjoy trying to get work out there and so on.  You need to enjoy as much of the writing process as possible to get the most from it and to cope with the bad days and weeks when all you seem to receive are rejections.
7. Rejections are not personal.  All they are saying is this work is not suitable for that publication.  It doesn't stop you seeing if it can fit another publication and submitting the piece there if it is or could be.
8. Pick up writing advice from reputable writing conferences, magazines and so on.  One thing I love about writing is you don't stop learning.  And that is good for the brain.  Writing can be good for you (and that's ignoring the creative value).
9. In the UK, join the Society of Authors as soon as you can.  Every writer needs somewhere to turn to for advice and help.
10. Accept you are playing the long game.  It helps you cope with rejection better. Always be determined to improve on what you've done.
    

And toner cartridges etc always run out in the middle of a document!  It really isn't just you that happens to!

The pivotal point of any story is that moment when things have gone horribly wrong for your hero/heroine, yet somehow before the end, they have to find a way to overcome things well enough to ensure there is, at least, some sort of a happy ending.

One of the best tests of character is to examine what happens when you drop said character in it.  I quite enjoy doing this!  And you get at least a good scene out of it too.  Their basic main trait will come to light doing this (are they heroic?  are they cowardly?).  You should also see how the character reacts to stress. 

So things may have gone horribly wrong for your creation but for you, as writer, things are opening up.  Knowing the way your character reacts when under pressure will shape the way you write for that character for the rest of the story.

What would you most like to be remembered for?  Gloomy thought?  Maybe but I ask as a life dedicated to a good cause, such as writing, is no bad thing.  My Chandler's Ford Today post tonight is part 1 of an interview with Barbara Large, MBE, who founded the Winchester Writers' Festival (as it is now known).  Her dedication to supporting and encouraging writers from all backgrounds and levels of expertise is amazing.  (Part 2 of the interview should follow next Friday). And there is great advice for all writers in both segments of the interview.

What would your main characters consider to be their life's work? What are they most proud of and how are they hoping it will help them develop (personaly or in terms of career or both!))? What/who gets in the way of your characters achieving what they would like to do?  That should trigger some good stories!

Reading matters for a variety of reasons but the chief one for writers is that without reading well, how can you hope to write well?  You need to know what's already out there before adding to the literary pool so to speak.  But reading matters for your characters too.  Can they alll read and write?  What is the literacy rate?  Is the knowledge obtained from reading banned to any one species? 

What do characters read for pleasure?  What books are banned on the world you write about and why?  How does the government get its messages out to people? 

Is the media, expiecally the print based media, free to write as it sees fit or is any kind of reading subject to rules and regulatins?

My favourite writing exercise is the classic Hemingway one of coming up with a story in a few words.  His classic of 6 - For Sale:  one pair baby shoes - is hard to beat.  There's a wealth of story behind those words which could be written up into a short story or novel.  I find my efforts on this exercise  usually mean I come up with 5 or 7 word attempts.  Some of my offerings are:-

1.  He refused to cry again.
2.  The brakes failed on the cliff approach.
3.  The mother dragon wanted revenge.
4.  Dracula was given the blood bank keys.
5.  Frankenstein refused to moisturise.  (Has comic potential I think!).

I use this exercise to help trigger starting points for stories for competition entries.  Also every so often I make myself have a brainstorming for ideas session and I find this exercise very useful for that.  I must see if I could use this to trigger ideas for blog posts/articles as well.  It is the starting point that is important here and it strikes me that could be used for non-fiction too.

What role does humour play in the lives of your characters and of those who hold the rein of power in your created world?  I can't imagine life without being able to have a giggle every now and then but I have come across one or two odd folks who really don't have a sense of humour.  Given fiction should reflect life, maybe it is time to look at what characters you have in your story - are any humourous at all? 

Does your fictional world have comedians/comedy actors/comedy programmes?  If the latter, who produces them and what form does the humour take?  Would any satire against the ruling regime be acceptable for instance? Are there comedy magazines/clubs/gigs?  Who polices these?

So who really does do the joking in the world you've set up?  And are there ever any comebacks for those who break the rules?  What form would that take?

What do your characters really want and how are they hoping to achieve their aims?  That is the basic structure for any story - from flash to short story to novel. 

Naturally there will be obstacles in their way for them to overcome.  Naturally also there is no guarantee they'll succeed.  Did Scarlett O'Hara really succeed at the end of Gone with the Wind?  I would say not.  She did end on a note of hope though and for her, given all that happened in the novel/film, that was a success of a kind.

So what defines success then can vary.  What a character's expectations are can vary.  Being introverted or extroverted will make a huge difference as to how likely it is that character will succeed in their aims.  (It's far too easy for those lacking in self confidence to give up far too soon).  And what about those deep down wishes your characters won't confide to anyone?  Most of us all have things we would like but never say out loud because it "would sound stupid" or those around us wouldn't understand why we would want that something and we have no wish to hurt them.  Our characters should behave like that too. 

What will a character sacrifice in terms of what they want because they care deeply for another?  How does that torn sense of loyalties - between what they want and suppressing that to help someone else - affect that character?  Does the "hidden want" come out in the end and what are the consequences?

Following on from yesterday's post when I looked at how characters treat others, the flip side, of course, is how do your characters react to the treatment they receive/experience (especially if it is unfair or unjust in any way)?

There was an old insurance company advert in the UK years ago with the strapline "not making a drama out of a crisis" and this ran for many years.  So do your characters manage to do this?  Can they rise above anything that is thrown at them and deal with the crisis sensibly?  Or do they fall apart and need the help of others to recover?  Or do the dramas hit them hard but, with time and assistance, they get through it all and learn not to react so badly another time?

Stories are a form of travel journal in a way.  Each story shows how a character has something happen to them and how they react to it and what happens as a result of that reaction.  Sometimes the event and/or reaction is positive, other times not.  But the story is in the character development as they come to terms with what has happened and, as with us all, some characters will handle this better than others.

So how do your characters react?  Do they temper that reaction depending on who they are with?  (We've all wanted to save face in front of someone we care about or who we feel might react badly if we react badly to a situation).  What is behind that reaction - previous experience of the situation, how they know other characters have reacted or what they know is expected of them by family, friends, the society they are in?

Lots of story ideas to be had there I think!

How people treat each other (especially when it is in relation to dealing with someone who can do nothing for them) is one of the major indicators of underlying character.  And so it goes for your characters.  How do they treat each other and why?  Who do they love/hate/fear and why? 

What are attitudes like to the less talented (especially in the magical/fantastical realms)?  Are they treated with contempt or respected because they are "different"?  What has led your main character to be the way they are?  Have they learned from experience not to ill treat others because they have been on the receiving end of that kind of thing and understandably hated it?

What part, if any, does religion play in your fictional setting?  I was watching a documentary about Margaret Beaufort (Henry VII's mother.  Any fans of Richard III/the Wars of the Roses period of history will know of this lady).  She was renowned for being very openly devout.  In an era when practically everyone did believe, she was still renowned for this.  That fact to me speaks volumes as I do sometimes wonder about any character that is prone to conspicuous displays of any kind.  The thought keeps going through my head - what are they covering up that they need such a conspicuous display for?  (It is my general experience that those who are genuine in their faith, and I speak from a Christian perspective, live their faith out or walk the talk, to use that wonderful Amercian phrase, and don't want to show off or be thought to be doing so).

So what is the main motivation behind your characters' behaviour(s)?

The Story Shuffle Project, my post tonight for Chandler's Ford Today, is all about learning from the past in a fun way, which encourages the use of libraries, creative writing, looking into historical legend and using technology.

Learning from the past is important for our characters, indeed it is more than that.  It is vital.  A real story has something happen to a character and the tale is in how that character handles that event.  Do they develop and learn and go on to better things?  Or do they refuse to learn and disaster strikes? 

Anyone with any sense will learn from their mistakes, if only to try to avoid repeating them. So how do your characters do this?  What do they learn?  How do they apply it?  When the potential for the same mistake comes up again (as it so often does in life), do they make the same mistake again or avoid it?  See Groundhog Day as a great film example of this.

The past of course can be the character's own, the history of their setting (local, national and/or global), the history of their family or any combination of those things.  But characters, if they are going to develop and be fully rounded, must make mistakes (it is how anyone learns anything of real value after all) and learn from those errors. And of course exploring the character's past and how it affects them now offers up all sorts of classic story ideas.

One of the lovely things about music (especially classical) is the way it can evoke moods and memories.  When I hear Jupiter from The Planet Suite, I am always reminded of the hymn I Vow To Thee My Country as part of the music is used for that.  And the hymn words are very moving, especially when they talk about "making the final sacrifice".

So what music exists in your fictional setting and does it encourage mood changes as our own can do?  Or because music is known to affect mood, is it treated (and controlled) like a classified substance?  How are orchestras made up?  What musical instruments exist in your world?  Is learning to play an instrument encouraged in schools?

What kind of songs exist in your fictional setting?  Are there any contests (I'm thinking as I type that of Eurovision)?  Do your characters, regardless of background, enjoy music or does one group say, for reasons of its own, ignore music altogether?

Music can be powerful and encourage relationships.  Does anyone try to control/stop/abuse that?

I've always admired composers.  That kind of writing is so skillful and needs so much talent - and, as with all forms of writing, the ability to see what to cut and what to keep!  Poetry, I think, is "musical words", partly because as you read a poem, you pick up on the rhythm of it and also because the imagery it conjures up, metaphors and so on, makes you feel, as does any good musical work.

Bards of course have a very long history, as do all oral storytellers, but in your fictional world, how are the musical arts celebrated?  What kinds of music does your world have - classical only (as we would know it) or across the board with all genres from rock to ballads and so on?  What status is held in society by musicians and composers? 

I don't have a favourite composer.  I just know what I like when I hear it.  Do your characters react similiarly?  Or are they antagonistic to music or a specific composer and, if so, why?  All worlds have celebrations and feasts and music usually features strongly so what goes on in your fictional settings here?  You could have a world without music, which to me would seem utterly soulless but then that is almost certainly the point of your story!

What form(s) do the arts take in your fictional setting?  Is it big on, say, music but weak on portraits?  Is anyone seeking to corect that?  How much support does the arts get from government (central or otherwise)?  Can any of your characters take part in/support the arts or is this restricted?

Appreciating the arts is one thing that emphasizes our humanity.  What do your own characters have in common with you? I sometimes take a piece I know and get a character to like or loathe something I'd either adore or hate.  I see this as proving the characters may start life in my head but they don't stay there.  They get out and develop lives of their own, as it shoud be.

I had always promised myself in previous  years I would listen to more of the BBC Proms Concerts other than just the famous Last Night (which I adore). Finally, this year I have done so and loved them.  I particularly loved discovering classical jazz and the Quincy Jones Prom stood out as a highlight. 

I continue to listen to BBC Radio 3 and Classical FM and really enjoying working with classical music in the background.  I had thought, given this had happened, I would never be able to work with music on given it can affect your mood and therefore how/what you write. 

I was once in the middle of a story when I realised the mood of what I was writing had changed to match the mood of the music I was listening to.  So far it has not happened with classical music.  I am finding it calming and maybe it is that which is helping me be more productive.  I hope so anyway.

So what forms of music exist in your fictional creations?  Do all of your characters have access to music and/or appreciate it?  Equally if music is banned, who brought than ban in and why?  Do characters find secret ways of enjoying music instead?  Who are the composers?  Do songwriters (of all genres) have complete artistic freedom or are there restrictions in what they can write about?  How are such restrictions enforced? 

Having had a wonderful time at the Association of Christian Writers' Day in London on 8th October and, also happily tieing in with my recent Chandler's Ford Today post on good writing conferences, I thought I would look at what I like most about writers' days/conferences.

1. Getting to meet and talk with lovely people, who all understand the joys and frustrations of writing.  The really great thing is this is across all genres and types of writing too.
   
2. Finally putting a name and getting to talk with those I've "met" on Facebook.
   
3. Picking up information from other writers that may be of use to me.
   
4. Being able to share information with other writers I know may well be of use to them.  It is good to share!
   
5. Learning from the talks.
   
6. Realising if a talk gives a writing exercise, what you write at the conference is going to be very rough but a good edit means you still have got something there.  The piece I drafted at the ACW day I hope to transform into a blog post at a later date.  Am very happy with this because the exercise sparked off ideas.  I also suspect some of other writing prompts I didn't get to use on the day may either become other posts, possibly even short story ideas.  Am even more happy with that!
   
7. Feeling invigorated and encouraged in my writing by the time I leave to go home again!
   
8. Bringing home wonderful books to read (well you've got to encourage other authors, right?  What better way of doing so than buying their books?!  The fact I am a total bibliophile...  okay that has a lot to do with it too but there are worse vices).
   
9. Sometimes every writer needs a little bit of vindication.  A good day/conference can make you "feel" like a writer.  Sometimes, especially when the rejections are coming in, that kind of confidence boost can make all the difference to your own creativity levels when you get back home again.
   
10. Getting away from the desk is good for you sometimes.
    

I discuss punishments in my blog on my Fairytales With Bite website tonight and thought for here I would look at the opposite side of the coin.  What does count as crimes in the magical world?  Aside from the obvious things that should be included (poisoning Snow White to name one example), here is my list.

1. Stealing someone else's spell and passing it off as your own. 
   
2. Revealing the existence of the Fairy Kingdom (especially to humans). 
   
3. Betraying magical secrets, especially the selling of spells to others for profit.
   
4. Thinking you are far more magically powerful than you are and causing chaos when a cleaning spell goes wrong.  Having had this happen with one apprentice who thought he was being clever, the Fairy Kingdom is determined to ensure it never happens again.
   
5. Breaking someone else's magical talking mirror.  Many think this harsh given almost all magical talking mirrors are extremely irritating and have no problems whatsoever in criticising even their own owner's appearance, standard of beauty and so on but it is the law that you should not meddle with someone else's magical equipment.
   

Writing advice is now no longer just about spelling, grammar, the importance of thorough editing of your work and so on, but about how to market your work as well.  Spreading the word is the only way to let people know your stories are out there given publishers are increasingly wanting authors to do a lot of this work themselves.  And I would be hard pushed to imagine any author not wanting to do something to help matters along in this area even if it is just putting some details on their website.  (Talking of which I have put details of The Best of Cafelit 5, the latest anthology where some of my flash fiction appears, on the news page).

But when it comes to the fictional setting itself, how do your characters spread the word?  What, if any, technology (as we know it) exists in the world of your stories?  If your world's technology is far behind or ahead of ours, why is this and how have they come to this point?  In the case of not being very techological, what is preventing progress?

How does your world spread the word if its people are illiterate?  What form does the word take?  After all we have not always had written stories.  All stories start from the oral tradition.  And with regard to news and programmes like that, is there journalistic freedom or is the world of your story controlled and the media very much expected to do as it is bid?  Now there is plenty of room in that alone for some very good stories (and of course I think the master here has got to be Orwell's 1984).