Writers' Narrative August 2023

EDITORIALTEAM

WendyH.Jones-EditorinChief-isalsoourExecutiveandFeaturesEditor.Sheisthemulti-awardwinning,best-sellingauthorofadultcrimethrillers andcozymysteries,children’spicturebooksand non-fictionbooksforwriters.Inaddition,sheisa writingcoach,partnerin Auscot Publishing and Retreats andhoststheWritingandMarketingShow podcast.

EditorinChief

SheenaMacleodisourdeputyeditor.Sheis authorof thehistoricalfictionnovels,ReignoftheMarionettesand TearsofStrathnaver,andco-authorofthenon-fictionbook So,YouSayICan’tVote!FrancesConnelly.

DeputyEditor

EileenRollandisourgraphicdesigner.Eileenwrites mainlycontemporarywomen’sfiction.Herworksincludethe ChrysalisTrilogyseriesand Isleof Somewhere.

GraphicDesigner

PaulineTaitmanagesoursubmissions.Paulineisaprolificnovelistandchildren’sauthor.Shewritesboth suspensefulromanceandchildren’spicturebooks for3to7years.

Submission Manager

AllisonSymesisourcopyeditor.Sheisanawardwinning,publishedflashfictionandshortstorywriter. Shealsowritesaweeklycolumnontopicsofinterest forwritersforonlinemagazine, Chandler's Ford To-

CopyEditor

MaressaMortimeroverseesourmarketingandoursocial mediaengagement.MaressaisauthoroftheElabi Chronicles, Burrowed and Sapphire Beach.

Marketingand Promotions Manager

FeaturedAuthorInterview withMarsaliTaylor

BookReviews

NewReleases

Writingfortheshortstory andjournalmarket.And muchmore….

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Writers’NarrativeispublishedmonthlybyScottandLawsonPublishing,GraphicDesignbyEileenRolland.

AllcontentsCopyright©theindividualauthorsandusedwiththeirpermission.Allrightsreserved.

48 MusingsonMaintainingNarrativeMomentum bySheenaMacleod

51 IvoryTowerSyndrome bySCSkillman

52 Writing AmidstSummerChaos byMaressaMortimer

16 ToRhymeorNottoRhyme? byLisMcDermott

MonthlyWritingPrompt 24 Promptsprovided byWendyH.Jones andTami.C. Brown

26 HistoryWriters byLexieConyngham

27 WestBarnesLibrary byBibaPearce

35

Iwouldliketoextendaverywarmwelcometo you,thereadersofthefirstissueofWriters’ NarrativeMagazine.Therehavebeengreat celebrationshereintheofficewithbucketsof Bollingerbeingquaffed–virtualofcourse.

Youdon’tmakemuchmoneyfromafreemagazine.Youmaybeaskingwhywedecidedtobring outamagazineforwritersinthefirstplace,never mindmakeitfree.Theanswerissimplythatthe editorialteamhasavisiontohelpwritersglobally,regardlessofincomeorresidency.Wearedelightedthatourvisionhascometofruition.With articlesonWriters’Block,GettingStartedWith ShortStories,FlashFictionWriting,TheValueof ConferencesandRetreatsandsomuchmore, therereallyissomethingforeveryonetohelp themuptheirwritinggame.

WearedelightedthatSophie,theofficedog,has agreedtowriteamonthlycolumnwiththehelp ofherowner.Shebringsauniqueperspectiveto thewritingworld.Eachmonthwewillbringyou abookshopofthemonth,writinggroupofthe monthandlibraryofthemonth.So,ifyouwould likeyourlocalbookshop,writinggrouporlibrary tofeature,pleasegetintouch.

Ihopeyouenjoythemagazine;pleasewriteand letusknowviaouremailwritersnarrative@gmail.comWewouldlovetohearfrom you.

Wendy H. Jones Editor in Chief

Wendy H. Jones Author, Publisher, Writing Coach

Letterof theMonth

DearEditor, CongratulationsonthelaunchofWriter’sNarrative.

Amagazineaimedatwriters–toinspire,motivate,educateandentertainus,isexactly whatIamlookingfor.

Sharingexperiencesandadviceandmaking connectionswithfellowwritersthroughWriters’Narrativeisanexcellentprospect.

Ican’twaittositdownwithacoffee(andperhapsacaketoo!)andhavearightgoodread.

Powertoallourpens.

Bestwishes,

LindaBrown

Everymonth,a£10booktokenwillbe awardedtotheselectedletterofthemonth. Congratulationstothismonth’swinner.

Pleaseemailletterstotheeditorto writersnarrtive@gmail.com

Dear Editor,

Wow! I am so excited to have a new resource for writing information. As a new writer I am always searching for tips and tricks to improve my craft. I can’t wait! I will definitely be a subscriber.

Congratulations on the new endeavor!

Sincerely,

Jakki Hatchett

Dear Editor,

Congratulations on the launch of the new Writers Narrative Magazine.

I’m truly excited and looking forward to each new edition which I’m sure will be packed full of writing tips, industry information and everything that needs to be done to stay motivated.

I’m so glad to have Writers Narrative with me on my writing journey.

Kind regards

S. McVey

Dear Editor,

Congratulations on the new magazine! It is so exciting to see a new resource for writers make the scene, and I for one cannot wait to read this first issue from cover to cover. Cheers to great success in this new endeavor!

Sincerely,

Lisa Harris

FeaturedAuthorInterview MarsaliTaylor

InterviewedbyWendyH.Jones

MarsaliTaylor istheauthoroftenShetland-set detectivestoriesstarringliveaboardsleuth CassLynchandherpartnerDIGavinMacrae. She’salsopublishedahistoryofwomen’sfight forthevoteandarticlesforalocalmagazine

ShetlandLife.Shehasamonthlycolumnin PracticalBoatOwner.Here,WendyHJones talkstoMarsaliaboutherlifeasawriter.

Marsali,thankyouforjoiningushereatWriters’Narrative.Wearedelightedtohaveyouas ourfirstfeaturedauthorforthemagazine.

Aniceeasyonetostartwith,canyoutellusa bitaboutyourselfandwhatyouwrite?

IgrewupnearEdinburgh,studiedatDundeeUniversity,thenmovedtoShetlandformyfirst teachingpost,inAith,onthebeautifulwestside. ItaughtFrench,EnglishandDramatopupils agedfrom5to16foroverthirtyyears,untilproblemsafterbowelcancersurgerymeantIhadto leaveteaching.However,Iwaslucky–Ihada newcareertomoveinto,asacrimewriter!Ilive inanoldhousewithmycomposerhusband,Philip,andtwocats,amotheranddaughtertortoiseshellpairwhoinsistIcan’twriteawordwithout theiractiveassistance–oneonmydesk,onein mylap.WealsohaveaShetlandpony,redand whitewithenoughblondemaneforadozenHollywoodstarlets.

Iwriteold-fashionedpuzzlecrimestoriesstarring myliveaboardsailingsleuthCassLynch.Atthe startoftheseriesshereturnstoShetland,where shegrewup,andmeetsoldfriendslikeMagnie, hersailingteacher,andherschoolfriendInga.who appearinlaterbooksalongwithherIrishfather andFrenchopera-singermother.Eachbookisintendedtobereadableasastand-alone,but there’salsoaslow-growinglovestorybetween CassandDIGavinMacrae,whocomesupfromInvernesstoinvestigatethecrimes.

I’mcurious,whycrimefiction?

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

Ilovepuzzlesandthatsenseoftryingtooutwit yourreader.Ipreferamoreold-fashionedapproachtomurder,butIthinkmoderncrimenovels canalsolookatwhat’swrongwiththeirworld

MarsaliTaylor

whichistheunderlyingcauseofcrime.Mostof mycrimesarebroughtaboutbypersonalemotion,butI’vealsobeenabletowriteaboutthe environmentaldestructioncausedbywindturbines,risingpovertyandcrimesagainstwomen.

Whydoyouthinkitisthatcrimefictionisso popular,particularlyinScotlandwhereyour booksareset?

Ah,weScotshavealongtraditionofcrimewriting!TheScotsballadsarefilledwithmurder andrevenge.Hoggs Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner wasaJaneAustentimeexampleofafirst-personnarrativedeludedmurderer –orwashe?SirWalterScott’s The Bride of Lammermoor waspureGothichorror.Thenthere wasRobertLouisStevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde. I thinkweScotsjustliketalesofintenseemotion.Also...well,IrecentlyreadShonaMaclean’sabsolutelywonderful The Bookseller of Inverness andrealiseditwasthefirsttimeI’d readaScottishaccountoftheaftermathofCulloden.Crimefictiongivesusachancetotellour ownstory–whatit’sreallyliketolivehere,ratherthantheover-sentimentalwashoftartan againstmistyheatherhills.Realisticpolice officersinthatsettingmaybeadmiringthe technicoloursunset,butthey’realsocursing themidges!

areShetlandersfrommanygenerationsback, stilllivinginthehousebuiltbytheirgreatgrandparents(oranewoneonthesamesite),so ifCasswantstofindoutaboutasuspect,shejust asksMagnie,who’llgiveherpedigreebackfive generationsandafullworkandmaritalhistory. Thentherearelocaleventsasawaytogather peopletogetherandgetsomethingexcitinghappening,orletCassoverhearsinisterconversations.

Whatadvicewouldyougiveanyonewho wantstogiveanauthenticsenseofsetting?

Gothere!Foreachofmybooks,I’mplanninga yearormoreaheadwhichareaofShetlandit’llbe setin,andwhen.Atthattimeofyear,Ispenda weekwithanotebookjustgoingoutandabout, looking,listening,noting:whatbirdsareabout, whatflowers,what’stheweather,thecolourof theskyandhills,howmanyjumpersamIwearing?ThenonceIhavearoughoutlineofmystory, Igoandvisittheplaces,notebookattheready, andtrythingsoutformyself.CouldCassreally climbupthewallofScallowayCastle?What wouldsheseefromthetopofthishill?Ineedto makeitrealformyselfbeforeIcanwriteit.

Theseaandsailingalsofeatureheavilyinyour books.Arethereanyuniquechallengeswhen writingaboutthese?

ThesettingforyourseriesisShetland,where youlive.WhatisitaboutShetlandthat makesitsoperfectforacrimeseries?

Ithinkanywherecouldbeagreatsettingfor crime,butShetlandiswhereIlive,whereI know.IthinkI’dfinditdifficulttowriteabout anywhereelse.However,ithasgreatadvantages:wemaynothaveCCTVeverywhere, butwehavesharp-eyedcountryfolkwithapair of‘spyglasses’handyonthewindowsill.No movementgoesun-noticed.Mostwestsidefolk

Definitely!Thattooisagoandsee!I’veletCass usemyownbeloved Karima S forheradventures, butsometimesinthehert-holofwinterit’shard torememberwhatitwaslikebeingafloat(this yearwasparticularlybad,becauseadamaged ruddermeantIcouldn’ttakeheroutevenunder motor,asIusuallydoonfinewinterdays,from Novemberuntilmid-May).Lifeaboardatallship wasdefinitelyfunresearch–Ididthevoyagedescribedin Death in Shetland Watersasatrainee, andhelmingthebeautifulSørlandetintoBelfast isashiningmemory.I’vedoneallthepassages

Cassdoesin Khalida (theNorwayoneina friend’s32footer)exceptforthevoyagedownto Gavin’slochandback.Cassisyoung,fitandbelievesherselfinvincible–I’mneitheryoungnor fit,andI’moldenoughtoknowbetter.Iresearchedthatonewithchartsandinternet,and interestingly,whenIdidsailitonboard Sorlandet itfeltsofamiliar,asifI’dalreadybeen there.

standupinit,andbannockswithsaatflesh,followedbyfancies.

Howcanyouwriteaboutsuchaniconicfestivalanddoitjusticeinabook?

I’mcuriousastohowyougiveanauthentic flavourofsailing,soitsatisfiesreaderswho aresailorswithoutoverwhelmingthenonsailors?

Itrytogivethethingseveryonenotices:thecolouroftheseaandsky,thesails,thesoundofthe water,thesmellofsalt.It’sdifficult,because Cassknowsthenamesofthingsaboardandto methesetermsarenaturalwordstouse,butI dotrytorememberthatnoteveryonegrewup messingaboutinboats,orreadingArthurRansome,soIexplainlesswellknowntermslike spinnaker(thebigcolouredhalf-balloonfront sail).Myfavouriteeverreviewwasfromanonsailorwhosaidhowcaught-upshe’dbeeninthe dramaticsearescuein The Shetland Sea Murders.

IhadalotoffunusingtheScallowayFireFestivalin The Body in the Bracken, nowretitled Grave of a Shetland Sailor. Thisisonewherethe galleyislaunchedandburnsonthewater,and thenightIwatchedwasaflatcalm,sothe flameswereperfectlyreflected–spectacular. Thentheactsarebasedonlocalhappenings,so Casswassurprisedtofindthatonesquadwas doingsomethingabouther–infactsheended upinthatsquadhidingfromnefariousvillains, andhadthesurrealexperienceofmeeting someonedressedasherself.Ihaven’tyetused thebiggestone,theLerwickUpHellyAa,partly becausetheLerwicksocialstructureisdifferent tothecountry(theyhaveclasses,wecountry folkallmuckintogether)andpartlybecauseit wasonlythisyearthattheLerwickUpHellyAa committeefinallyagreedtoallowwomeninthe squads.I’vehadalotoffuncarryingmytorchin countryUpHellyAas,soIdidn’tfeellikewriting aboutsomethingthatexcludedmeonthe groundsofgender(thoughIwouldn’tbeallowedanyway,asyouneedafive-yearresidenceinLerwicktoo).

WecannottalkaboutShetlandwithoutmentioningUpHellyAa.Tellusaboutthis?

Well...they’reaseriesoffirefestivalsheldin differentShetlandtownsorareasfromJanuary tomid-March.Theleadersofeacharedressedas Vikings,whoseleaderiscalledtheJarl,andother‘squads’dressuptoo,differentthingsdependingontheiract.There’samorningdisplay ofthegalley,orVikingship,thenaprocession withflamingtorchesafterdark,endingwiththe burningofthegalley.Thenthesquadsgo aroundvenuesinthearea,performingtheir acts,andeveryonehasagreattime,dancingall night–fuelledbysoupsothickaspooncan

Let’sfindoutabitmoreaboutyou.Howdid youcometowriting?

I’vealwayswritten.Istillhavealittlenotebook withstoriesfromwhenIwasfiveorsix,goingby thespelling,andacompleteYAnovelfrommy teenageyears,aswellastwohistoricalromancesandmyfirstthreeShetland-setcrimenovels fromthose15minutesor150wordsdays–all unpublished.Ialsowroteloadsofplaysformy pupilstoperform:shortplaysforclasswork, one-actonesforthelocalDramaFestival,murdermysteriesandtheannualwhole-schoolpantomime.Yes,wereallydidmanagetosqueeze

upto150childrenontooursmallHallstagefor thebigfinale!Thatwaswhatstartedmewriting inthebeautifulShetlanddialect:I’dwriteinEnglishandtellthechildrentospeakasthey’dsay it,butsomehowtheycouldn’t–Ineededto writeitasIheardthemspeak.

statementsaidI’dsoldover14,000e-booksand 2,000paperbacks,aswellas11,000libraryloans –I’mstillnotsureIreallybelievethat!

Whatwouldbeyourtoptakeawayforanyone readingthisarticle?

Wouldyoumindmeaskingaboutyourroute topublication?

Notatall.Itwasamixture.Myfirstpublished pieceswerearticlesforthelocalmagazine Shetland Life, andthatwasgreattraining:writingto alengthanddeadline.Ialsohadsomeofmy playspublishedviaDramaWorksandthrough approachingtheScottishpressCapercaillie.I’ve alsoself-published–my320pagetomeon Women’s Suffrage in Shetland,andtwootherhistoryrelatedbooks.

OnceI’dfinishedmysecondhistoricalnovel,I sentitdirectlytopublishersandamasseda sheafofrejectionslips.WhenIwrotemyfirst crimenovel,IdecidedIneededanagent,soI wentthroughthe Writers and Artists Yearbook for agentswhodidbothhistoricalandcrime,and phonedeachonetoaskifIcouldsendthemmy work.Itwasanexcitingdayinthehousehold whenTeresaChrisphonedbacktosayshewantedtoreadthewholebook!

MyfirstpublisherwasAccent,andwhileIwas thrilledtoseemyselfinprintatlast,itwasjusta stepupfromself-publishing–Ihadtoorganise sales,oftenataloss,andwithahugeamountof effort.IthendidtwobooksforAllisonandBusby,buttheydidn’twanttocontinuewithmebecausethefirstbooksintheseriesweren’tbeing promoted.HoweverjustbeforeCovidIhada hugestrokeofluck–Accentwasboughtbythe giantHeadline,andTeresapersuadedmynew editorthatIwasworthpromoting.Theycommissionedanotherbook,thenanother,then three,andbroughtthefirstfivebooksbackinto print,witheye-catchingcovers.Mylastroyalties

Ifyouwanttowrite,doit!Findlocalpublications togiveyouawritingrecordwhileyoucreate yourbignovel–andtherewasnoquestionfor this,butmywriters’groupareabsolutelywonderful,andhavemovedfrombeingstrangersto beingthebest,themostsupportive,writers’matesIcouldpossiblyhave.Ifyouhaveachoiceof groupsinyourarea,tryseveraltillyoufindone youfeelathomein.Also,assoonasyoucan,join yourappropriateassociation–I’vegainedso muchfrommymembershipoftheCrimeWriters’ Association.

Wherecanreadersfindoutmoreaboutyou andyourbooks?

Ispentpartoflockdownworkingwithalocal firm,ntl,tocreateanabsolutelybeautifulwebsite,whichI’mveryproudof,withagorgeous maptoshowwhereeachbooktakesplace,and loadsofphotosofShetland. Pleasejoinmeon it:www.marsalitaylor.co.uk

IalsohaveaFBauthorpage, https://www.facebook.com/MarsaliTaylorAuthor Thankyouonceagainfortakingthetimeto shareyouradvice.Itismuchappreciated.

Thankyou!It’sanhonourtobeasked.

AShetlandWinterMysteryby

MarsaliTaylor.ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

It'sthedarknightsintherunuptoChristmas,andsailingsleuth CassLynch'sfirstnightondrylandisdisturbedbystrangenoises outsideherisolatedcottage.Tinyfootprintsinthemoonlitsnow trailfromherfrontdoorbeforemysteriouslydisappearing.Soon Casslearnsotherswerevisitedbythesametinyfeetinthenight.

Itlookslikeingeniouslocalteenagersplayingtricks-butwhat happenswhenfestivegamesturndeadly?

Casssoonfindsoutasaschoolboydisappears,leavingonlyatrail offootprintsintothemiddleofasnowyfield.She'sdeterminedto investigate,butuncoveringthetruthwillalsoputherindanger...

Youknowabookisgoingtobegoodwhenthefirstlinedrawsyou inandmakesyouwanttokeepreading.Fortunately,everyother lineliveduptothepromiseofthefirstandIreallydidwantto keepreading.AtfirstthebookseemstobeaNorse/Shetland mythbutitsoonemergedthatsomethingfarmoresinisterwasat workinthebackground.InthisbookCassisondrylandrather thanatsea,althoughthenauticalallusionsarestillthereand boatsarenotentirelyomitted.Sailingfansshouldnotpanic.

ThereisarealScottishflavourwithShetlanddialectsprinkledthroughoutbuttheseareexplainedwell withinthetextwithoutpullingthereaderoutofthestory.

YoumaythinkitisstrangetobereviewingawintermysteryinAugustbut,it’sthetimeoftheyearwhen thoughtsturnto,dareIsayit,Christmas.Thisbookwouldmakeafabulouspresentforabirthdayor Christmas.OneoftherealstrengthsofthisbookisthesettingasShetlandisportrayedinallitswondrous, wintrybeauty.Thedescriptionsallowedmetopictureitperfectly.IhavealwayswantedtogotoShetland,andthishasmademydesiretodosoevenstronger.Theauthorhasarealflairforwordsanduses eachwordtogoodeffecttoplacethereaderdirectlyontheislands.

Cassisagreatcharacterbut,atfirst,Iwasunsureofherforayontodryland.Ishouldnothaveworriedas thisaddedawholenewexcitingdimensiontothestoryline.Allofthecharactersarewelldrawn,andI foundmyselfrelatingtothemonmanylevels.Asaformerteacher,Taylorhasarealunderstandingof teenagersandchildren,andthiscameacrossinherportrayaloftheyoungercharacters.

Thestoryitselfisexcellent.Thisisaslowburnbookratherthananontheedgeofyourseattale,butI thinkthetensionisallthebetterforit.Igenuinelylovedthisbookandcanhighlyrecommendit.

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Blurb

DaysbeforethefinalShetlandfirefestival,inbroaddaylight,aglamorousyoungsingertumblesdownaflightof steps.Thoughitseemsatragicaccident,sailingsleuth CassLynch,awitnessatthescene,thoughtitlookedlike Chloesleepwalkedtoherdeath.

Butyoungwomendon'tslumberwhilelaughingand strollingwithfriends.Coulditbethatsomeone'scasta spellfromtheBookoftheBlackArts,recentlystolen fromaYellgraveyard?

Aweboftensionsbetweenthevictimandthosewho knewherconfirmthatsomethingmoredeadlythan blackmagicisatwork.Butprovingwhat,orwho,could belethal-anduntilthemysteryissolved,innocentpeoplewillremaininterribledanger...

Review

IamahugefanofMarsaliTaylor’swork,soIhadextremelyhighexpectationsofthisone.Icancategorically statethatthis,thelatestbook,didmeetmyexpectationsandthensome.Taylorhascraftedastorythat hadmehangingontoeveryword-Iwouldexpectnothinglessfromthisconsummatewordsmith.Itiswell plottedwithastorylinethatsurprises,intriguesandleavesthereaderbreathless.Yes,Iknowit'sacliche, butoneIuseproudly.Fromtheopeninghistoricalprologuetothefinalpagethetensionisplayedoutwell. CassasacharactercontinuestogrowandyetsheisthesameoldCass;someonewhofeelslikeanold friend.Theothercharactersarewelldrawnandbelievablebringingtheirownuniqueslanttotheoverall narrativeandmystery.Ofcourse,Shetland,sailingandboatsarecharactersinthemselves.Alloftheseare portrayedwell,allowingaglimpseintolifebothontheislandandonthesea,withoutoverwhelming.One isallowedaglimpseoftheseinawaywhicheducatesthosewhoknowlittleaboutthembutwithoutthe readerfeelingtheyareoutoftheirdepth.Pleaseexcusethepun.Bringallthistogetherandyouarefaced withacrackingreadwhichwillnotdisappoint.Icanhighlyrecommendit.

YoucanfindourmoreaboutthisandMarsaliTaylor’sotherbooksviaherwebsite: https://www.marsalitaylor.co.uk

NoShortStoryHasanEnd

Jocelyn-Anne Harvey shares her experiences of writing the beginnings of a short story and discusses the importance of this to writers.

Everystoryhasabeginning.It’sawellknownfact.Thinkaboutfilmopenings, fairytalesorwhenweseeafriendand say,‘Doyouknowwhatjusthappenedtome?’

Gettingstarted

Weneedtostartsomewhere,andlikethelyrics ofafamiliarsong,thebeginningcanbethebest point.Aswriters,weknowthatfeelingwhenconfrontedwiththeblankpieceofpaper.Ourwords needtomaketheirmark,buthowcanthey? Oftenthisdilemmafreezesourimagination.We haveanideabutit’snottangible.Wehaven’tyet craftedthosesub-consciouswispsofwhatwe knowweneedtowriteaboutintoanactualstory shape.So,whatdowedo?

“Thebeginningcanbethebestpoint.”

’Wecanchoosetoprocrastinate.Waituntilthe perfectsentencematerialises.Relyonwhatwe feel.Orwecanjustjumpontothetrain.WhatdoI mean?Well,firstweneedtotakealittletrip.

PictureThis

PicturemebackwhenIwasafresherstudying creativewriting.Weusedtositinabighallwith theneatchairswhereyoucouldflipoveralittle tabletoholdyourstackofbooksandessential caffeinehit.Andoftenitwasanenthusiasticlecturerwhoworealongblackandredstripedscarf thattaughtthosefirstsemestermodules.His passionwascatching,whetherweweredissectingtextssuchas,‘HillsLikeWhiteElephants’or workingonwritingexercises.

“Weneedtoletourcharactersjumponandoff thetrain.”

Lisa Turley is from West Virginia. She is on numerous ARC street teams and reads in multiple genres. She is passionate about helping authors get the wordoutabouttheirbooks.

OneTuesdaymorninghesaidsomethingthat strengthenedmywritingmuscleandhasstayed withmeyearslater.Andthisparticularpieceof advicehegavewasaboutshortstories:weneed toletourcharactersjumponandoffthetrain. Thismightsoundconfusing,butwhenyouapply ittowritingthisformitmakessense.It’sstopped mefromditheringaboutmanyatime.

Jocelyn-Anne Harvey

Why?Becauseit’sempoweringtoknowwedon’t needtobeginorendourshortstories.Allwe needtodoistoenableournarrativestocommenceatonestationandthenleavethematanother.Andenablingourcharacterstobeginhalfwaythroughtheirjourney,orleavebefore they’vereachedtheirfinaldestination,givesus libertytoexplorethedepthsofwhotheyare.It allowsustoconfidentlyplacethoseinitialwords onthepage.Becausewithshortstorieswecan nevertrulybeginatthebeginning.Wecannever conclusivelycompletethenarrativearc.Andif wedid,woulditbeashortstory?

“It’sempoweringtoknowwedon’tneedto beginorendourshortstories.”

Thejoyofwritingthisformisthatwecanleap intoamoment.Giveaglimpseofemotionally skewed,intriguingandcomplexlives.Beittwo peopletalkingatabaroracorporatewoman wholongstosailtheworld.Wecantakeour readersonajourneywithinthejourney.Andwe canleavethem,likeus,wantingtoknowmore aboutthecharacterswecareabout.Andwecare aboutourcharactersbecausewe’vebegun. We’vebeenbraveenoughtostart.Topropelourselvesintoourimagination’smotion.

Whenwefeelthatfreezeofablankpagemoment,let’sreassureourselvesthatwecanhop aboardthetrain.Andindoingso,we’llfindthose inspirationalwispsformingshapesthatsendus ondifferentdirections.We’llfindthefreedomto write.

 With short stories we can never truly begin at the beginning. We can never conclusively complete the narrative arc. And if we did, would it be a short story?

 The joy of writing short story is that we can leap into a moment. Give a glimpse of emotionally skewed, intriguing and complexlives.

 Perhaps you have your ownviewsthatyouwould liketoshare.

Jocelyn-Anne Harvey is a published writer, speaker, Creative Writing teacher and mentor who loves encouraging people. She has a MA in Creative Writing and is the author of Not Knowing, but Still Going. Coastal walks, cake and coffee are mandatory activities to spark her imagination.

ToRhymeorNottoRhyme?

For many, poetry must rhyme, otherwise it isn’t poetry. Lis McDermott discusses this along with the process behind her Dancing with Dandelions.

Formanypeople,poetrymustrhyme,otherwiseitisn’tpoetry–abitlikecappuccinowithoutchocolatesprinkles!Whereas forothers,free-verse,orprosepoetryisjustas acceptable.

Ithinkpoetsshouldbefreetoexpresstheirpoemsinanywaytheywish,andIthinkonoccasions,thereistoomuchsnobberyaboutpoetry. AsfarasI’mconcerned,itshouldbeaccessibleto everyone.

“Poetsshouldbefreetoexpresstheirpoems inanywaytheywish.”

WhenIfirststartedwritingpoetry,inthe6th form, Igenerallywrotefreeverse.ThenwhenIstarted writingpoetryagain,sevenyearsago,attheage of64,IfoundthatalthoughIdidn’tuserhyme consistently,Ioftenrhymedwordswithinsentences,andsometimesattheendofverses.

I’verealisedthatinthepastIhadnegative thoughtsaboutrhymingpoetry,whichIblame onmytimeinprimaryschool.Weweremadeto chant,asaclass,thebeautifulpoem,“Iwanderedlonelyasacloud”byWordsworth. However,surroundedbymyprimaryschoolclassmates, ‘chanting’thepoem,hadtheeffectofabsolutely murderinganybeautyithad.Duetoperforming ittogether,maybetheteachertohelpusspeak asone,overcompensatedbyemphasisingthe IambicPentameter;whichgivesitthat‘dadeda

deda’feel,andIcan’tforgetthatwhenInow readthispoem.

Muchofthepoetrythatwereadduringmytime atschoolwasformalwhereas,muchofthepoetryIreadnow,evenwhenrhyming,islessrigid.

Ilovelisteningtoyoungerpoetsperformingtheir ownpoetry.Hearingthemperformtheirpoems intheirownaccents/voice,iswhereyougainthe bestunderstanding.Ilovethefactthatpoetry hastakenonalessformalguiseinmanyways.

Rhymesinpoetrynaturallysingandhelppoetry tosoundfinished. Whenapersonwritesapoem wheresomelinesrhymeandothersnot,completelyinconsistentthroughout -itjars,andthe poemsoundsunfinished.Likeapieceofmusic endingonthewrongnoteorendingonthe wrongcadence.

Irunapoetrygroup,andinterestingly,although manyofthemhavebeenwritingpoetryforsome time,quiteafewofthemwrotefreeverse,but theytendedtorambleonandon. Bylearning aboutrhymingpatterns,anddifferentpoetry forms,forquiteafew,ithasbroadenedtheir style,andthosewhodidwaffle,arenowmore concise.

LisMcDermott

I’vealsofoundthelongerI’vewrittenpoetry,the moreIenjoythechallengeofwritingwithin differentpoetryformats.

Arecentpromptformygroupwastowritefourlineverses,thatrhymed.Thereareseveralpermutationsyoucanusetorhyme:

V.1ABAB;v.2CDCD;v.3EFEF;v4GHGH or

V.1AABB;v.2CCDD;v.3EEFF;v.4GGHH or

V.1ABBA;v.2CDDC;v.3EFFE;v.4GHHG or

v.1AABA;v.2CCDC;v.3EEFE;v.4GGHG

DancingwithDandelions

Earlysummer,fields,meadowsandwoodlands awashwithcolour,aspetalslifttheirheads,rise upwardstothebrightblue,cloudlessskies. Thegentlynoddingbloomsourattentiondemands.

Buttercups,daisies,woodanemones,primroses cowparsley,violetsandcreepingjenny, grasped in hot little hands, unable to hold too many, litterthepath,aspretendbridespass,prettywith posies.

Inthesunshine,dancingwithdandelions,happily pirouetting, sparklingeyesmeetforget-me-notsmilesbeneaththeblue, creatingmemoriesforthefutureoffriendswe onceknew, Asummertimescene,ofinnocentlove,merrily duetting.

Thispoemdoesn’thaveasyllablecount,butthe endrhymesare:ABBA;CDDC;EFFE.

anypoem,whetherrhymingorfreeverse,Igenerallymakealistofwordsthatlinkwithmysubject.

Forthispoem,Ilookedonlinetoseewhichwildflowerswouldbearoundatthesametimeasdandelions. ThenIthoughtaboutanidea,ortheme tobegoingthroughthepoem.Inthiscase,Ichose youngchildrenplayinginfieldsandwoods.

Becauseitwasaboutdancing,Ichosetorhyme. Therefore,Iwentbacktomylistofwords,and startedtofindsomerhymingwordstomatch thoseinmywordbank.Othertimes,Ijuststart writingandtherhymingwordsappearontheir own.

IseethingsvisuallywhenIwrite,soinmymind’s eyeIpicturedtheplaceswherechildrenwould play,thefacttheflowerswouldbemixedinthe meadowsandinthewoodland.Iimaginedthe littlegirlspickingbunchesofflowers,andrunning downthepathways,withtheirbouquets.

nisewhereitdoesn’tflowwell.”

Theideascometogether,andthenIstarttocreatemypoem,untilI’mhappywithhowitreads. Whereappropriate,Itrytoaddalliteration,metaphor,onomatopoeia,emotion,andwordsthat evokethesenses.Itcantakeseveralgoestogetit toapointwhereI’mpleasedwithit,andIalways readthepoemsoutloud,becauseassoonasyou dothat,you’llrecognisewhereitdoesn’tflow well.Itmaysoundfineinyourhead,butwhen spoken,thatcanchangeeverything.

If you’ve not tried writing poems with rhyme before, why not try writing a simple four-line poem. Write one verse, and see if you can extend it…

HowdidIgethere? Myprocess: Usually,thoughnotalways,mystartingpointfor

Lis McDermott is a multi-genre author, poet and writing mentor. Visit Lis’ website: https://lismcdermottauthor.co.uk

“Ialwaysreadthepoemsoutloud, becauseassoonasyoudothat,you’llrecog-

EmbracetheChallengeandPersist

When Vonnie Winslow Crist set herself a challenge to write and submit 100 stories or poems to publications in 2020, little did she know that a pandemic and personal challenges would try to stop her. Vonnie discusses how she still achieved her goal.

Lifepresentswriterswithobstacles.It's partofthewriter'sjourney.Thatsaid,the year2020wasfilledwithmoreroadblocks thanusualformanywriters meincluded.

LittledidIknowonDecember31,2019,whenI madeaNewYear'sResolutiontowriteandsubmit100storiesorpoemstopublicationsin2020, thatapandemicandpersonalchallengeswould trytostopme.Isoondiscoveredallofthose thingsandmore did standbetweenmeandmy 100submissionsgoal.ButIwasdeterminedto persist.

Ibegan2020withremindersdesignedtoinspire mepinnedtothebulletinboardbehindmycomputer.Quoteslike:“Finishthethingsyou'vestarted,”(ahardoneforme).“Everythingispossible”

–DeepakChopra.“Knowthyself!Knowyourlimitations,habits,andstrengths.”“Doyourbest.” “Persist!”Ialsohungacalendarontheboardon whichtojotdeadlines.

BesidethebulletinboardIhungtwolegal-size clipboards.Oneachofthese,Iclippedahand-

madecharttitled, Project Planner.Underthetitle, Imadethreecolumns,exactlythesizeofasticky note,labeled: Projects, Next Action, Pending. Then,Iusedthreedifferentcolorsofstickynotes tofillinthecharts.Inthe Projects column,I placed 100 Submissions andthenamesofseveral storiesIwasintheprocessofwriting, Beneath Raven's Wing, Dragon Rain, How to Write for Anthologies, andtwootheruntitledbooksIwas workingon.Inthe Next Action column,Ilisted whatstepneededtobedonetoreachthatgoal. Thingslike:editastory,finishapoem,pulltogetherresearch,orlookforamarket.Under Pending,Iplacedtaskswhichweren'tpressing, butIcouldaddresswhenwritingseemeddifficult.ExamplesofwhatIlisted:updatebibliography,updatewebsite,writeablogpost,enter dataintoInternetSpeculativeFictionDataBase, rewriteaflawedstory/poem…

VonnieWinslowCrist

WhythebulletinboardandProjectPlanner charts?I'mavisualperson.Ineedremindersin frontofmeoftaskstobedone.Also,itwaspositivereinforcementwhenItookdownthetitleofa finishedstorywhichhadbeensubmittedtoa market,andreplaceditwiththetitleofanother storyI'djustbegun.

Butwheretofind100storiesorpoemstosubmit? Ihadafewpiecesofwritinginmyfileswhich neededtoberevised.Irevisedthose,thenlooked formarkets.Whilesearchingforsuitablemarkets, IjotteddownthesubmissioninformationonseveralanthologycallsI’dspottedontheSubmissionGrinderhttps:thegrinder.diabolicalplots.com orinFacebook'sopensubmissioncallgroups.I usedthethemesofthosesubmissioncallsasinspiration.IfIwasgoingtowritemorestories,why notwritewithananthologyinmind?

wasoneperson'sopinion.Isignedthecontracts fortheacceptances,andimmediatelyfoundnew marketsfortherejectedpieces while continuing to write new work.

The continuing to write new work partoftheformulatoreach100submissionswassometimes difficult.Theworldseemedtobecrashingdown. HowcouldIworryaboutwriting?

“Everyday,Iremindedmyselfstorieswere notonlyimportant,butnecessary.”

Everyday,Iremindedmyselfstorieswerenotonlyimportant,butnecessary.Fromchildhoodon, I'dalwaysvaluedthefamilystoriesIwastold. FromthemomentItaughtmyselftoread,I'd readbooksineveryspareminute.AssoonasI wasabletostringtogetherafewsentences,I'd toldstoriesandrecitednurseryrhymes(oneof thefirstnarrativeswediscover)toyoungersisters,family,andfriends.

Whichbringsmetodrabbles.Youmightask, “Whatisadrabble?”Answer:It'sapieceofflash fictionexactly100wordsinlength,notincluding titleorbyline.Havingwrittenpoetry,agenre whichrequireseverywordtoearnitsplace,writingastoryin100wordsseemedaneasytask. Wrong!ButI'ddecided2020wastheyeartoembracechallenges,soItriedmyhandatdrabbles.

Sometimes,ItookalongerstoryI'dalreadywritten,andcondenseditscorenarrativedownto 100words.Othertimes,Iwrotea100-wordtale knowingIplannedtoexpanditlaterintoalonger story.Committingtoonlywriting100wordsdidn'tseemedtobeahugemountaintoclimb.An unforeseenbonustodrabbles,marketsforthe littlestoriesusuallyallowedmultiplesubmissions andacceptances.Ta-dah!Iwasmovingtoward mygoal.

Mygo-towordfor2020,persist, becamemoreimportantasacceptancesandrejectionsarrivedin myin-box.Ihadtoremindmyself,whetheran editorlovedorhatedmystory/drabble/poem,it

WhatIstillremindmyself,andencourageothers toremember,is: Story,whethertoldinprose,poetry,orpaint,isoneofthethingswhichbindsall humanstogether.Therefore,storytellingisimportant.Andthoseofuswhowearthestoryteller'ssweater,areessentialtothisworld.Rememberingyouandyourwritingarevaluable,makes thosehoursspentatyourdeskworthwhile.

“Story,whethertoldinprose,poetry,or paint,isoneofthethingswhichbindsallhumanstogether.”

Tocompletethe2020writingchallengesuccessfully,Ineededtheknowledgethatstorytelling wasimportant,marketstosendto,andinspirationfor100stories/drabbles/poems.Discovering newthemeswhilelookingformarketswashelpful.Researchingthosethemeshelpedevenmore. WhenIspottedacallfordrabblesaboutancient societies,Ileafedthroughabookaboutlostcivilizations.IdiscoveredmanycivilizationsI'dnever heardofbefore.Doingalittleonlineresearch

“I‘ddecided2020wastheyeartoembrace challenges.”

gavemefarmoreinformationandideasthan couldbeusedin5drabbles.

Afterwritingthe5ancientsocietiesdrabblesand submittingthem,Iwrotean“extra”drabbleasa replacementincaseofarejection.Then,Iwrote severalpoemsbasedontheresearch.Onesociety inparticularappealedtome,soIbeganalonger storybasedonthatcivilization’spossibledemise. BeforeIcouldcompleteit,Ispottedananthology lookingforflashfiction(upto1,000words)about Easterandotherspringholidays.

“Five-hundredwordsdidn'tseemtoolong.”

Alittleresearchgeneratednotonlyideasforfour shortEasterandSt.Patrick'sDaystories,butfascinatinginformationaboutuncommonfolkcustoms.ImanagedtowriteaboutoneofthosecustomsbeforeIspottedananthologycallfor500wordstorieswithwitches,magic,orspellsasthe theme.Five-hundredwordsdidn'tseemtoolong. SoIwrotethreewitchytalesandsubmittedthem.

Theresearchforthosethreesubmissionscallshad givenmeanideaforalongstoryfeaturingamagicalwoman,folkcustoms,andanancientsociety.I addedthechallengeofsettingthewitch/folk/ ancienttaleinthefutureonEarthafterthegrid hadbeendestroyed.Afterwritingsomanydrabbles,flashfictionstories,and500-wordtales,Iwas readytosinkmyteethintoanovelette!

Whatelsekeptmewritingwhenothersfoundit difficulttoputfingerstokeyboard?Isignedupfor awritingcontest!Withnoexpectationofwinning,I wantedthechallengeofwritingfourstoriesof 4,000-6,000words,infourdifferent“surprise”genres,assignedoneafteranother,withonlythree weekstowriteeachtale.

Youmightask,“Why?”BecauseIknewafterI'd paidthe$10entryfee,Iwasn'tgoingtowastemy money!Rememberthe“Knowthyself!”saying frommybulletinboard?IknewifIinvestedmoney,I'dcompletethecontest.Sowhilerecovering

fromsurgery(Ididmention2020wasatough year),Iwrotefournewstoriesforthecontest.

“Discoveringnewthemeswhilelookingfor marketswashelpful.Researchingthose themeshelpedevenmore.”

ButIstillneededmoremotivationtowrite!Rememberthelistofprojectsfrommybulletin board? Beneath Raven's Wing and Dragon Rain werestorycollectionsIhopedtopulltogether.I focusedontheravenstoriesfirst.Ihadalmost enoughstoriespublishedandunpublishedfora 45,000+wordcollection,buttheyneededtobe edited,ordered,andslightlyrevisedtoeliminate repetitiveimagery.Also,atleasttwomorestories neededtobewrittentoincreasethewordcount toanacceptablelength.Nosoonerhadthetask beencompleted,thenIspottedanopportunityto submit Beneath Raven's Wing toFaeCorpsPublishing.Thebookwasaccepted,andtheediting processbegan.Twostorieswerepulledbythe publisher,soIhadtowritetwostoriestoreplace them.RemembertheresearchI'ddonemonths earlierandtheextraideasnotused?Here's wheretheycameinhandy.Sixmonthslater, Beneath Raven’s Wing waspublishedinlateJanuary 2021andwonthe2022InternationalEdgarAllan PoeFestivalVisiterAward.

NosoonerhadIsentofftheravenstorycollection,thenIpulledtogether Dragon Rain. Again, storiesneededediting,ordering,andrevising. Again,Ihadtowriteadditionalmaterial.The dragonstorycollectionwassentoff,accepted, thenpublishedbyMochaMemoirsPressinSeptember2021.

“Storytellingispartofwhatmakesushuman.”

Imustsay,itwaswithgreatreliefIreturnedto writingafewpoemsanddrabbles.Ineededto catchmybreath.ThatwasuntilIspottedacall foraWeirdWesternanthology.Anidea,which requiredlotsofresearch,poppedintomymind. Andso,thecyclebeganagain.

Thoughmywritingoutputmightseemlargeto you,someofmywritingfriendscompletedmore thanone novel in2020!Ican'tevenimaginedoingthat ormaybeIcan.

When2020putupobstacles,Iviewedthemas challenges.Whenitwasnear-impossibleto musterthedrivetowrite,Ipersisted.Whenrejectionshitthein-box,Isentthestoriestoanothermarket.Whenwritingnewmaterial seemedimpossible,Ididwriterly“chores.” Whenideasseemedscarce,Iresearched.When theworldseemedtobefallingtopieces,Iremindedmyselfstorytellingispartofwhatmakes ushuman.

Inconclusion,Isaytoeachofyoureadingthis essay,beproudofbeingastoryteller.Remember, asourlongagoancestorsgatheredatnight aroundthefiretochaseawaytheshadowsand warmnotonlybody,butsoul,itwasthestorytellerswhohelpedtheworldmakesense.Itwasthe storytellers,withlittlemorethanastickwitha glowingredtipandtheirimagination,whowove thethreadsofoursocietyandinspiredourfuture.

“Persistdespitesetbacks foreveryyearwill comewithitsownchallenges.”

Now,theall-importantquestion:didIwriteand submit100stories/drabbles/poemsin2020? Yes!Infact,Isurpassedthatgoal(notcounting thestories/drabbles/poemsresubmittedafter rejection).Asforthecontest?Iwasoneofthe winners,andthosefourstorieswerethecoreof Dragon Rain.Countingreprints(whichasaconstantreviser,Irevisebeforesendingoutagain), over100ofmystories/drabbles/poemswere published in2020.AbonusofpersistingInever expected.

Bethatstoryteller.Persistdespitesetbacks for every yearwillcomewithitsownchallenges.Find inspirationintheordinary.Trywritingnewthings. Cheeronthesuccessesoffellowwriters.Don't allowacloseddoortopreventyoufromknocking onanotherdoor.Seizeopportunityifitshowsup onyourdoorstep.Andchallengeyourselfto weavethewarpandweftofstory whichmake upthefabricofwhoweareandwhowewantto be.

So,whatishappeningnowadays?I’mwaiting foracontractforacompletedstorycollection fromadifferentpublisher.I’vemodifiedafew drabblesandwrittennewshort,shortstoriesfor amiddle-grade-and-up,scary,storycollection, Shivers, Scares, and Chills. It’sthefollowupto 2022’s Shivers, Scares, and Goosebumps. Plus, I’mworkingonanovel.Iexpecttherestofthis yearwillcomewithitsownroadblocksanddetours.Still,Iwillpersist.

Vonnie Winslow Crist, MS Professional Writing, is the award-winning author of Beneath Raven's Wing, Dragon Rain, The Enchanted Dagger, Owl Light, The Greener Forest, and other books. Believing the world is still filled with mystery, miracles, and magic, she strives to celebrate the power of myth in her stories, poems, and illustrations:

http://www.vonniewinslowcrist.com

“When2020putupobstacles,Iviewedthem aschallenges.”

“Beproudofbeingastoryteller.”

BoostYourWritingwithFlashFiction

Allison Symes shares how flash fiction can boost writing skills for any writer.

Iwasfirstpublishedwithstandardlength shortstories(1500to2000words)and branchedintoflashfiction(withitstoplimit of1000words).

Writingflashisaninvaluableformforallwriters topracticebecauseithelpsdevelopskillsin showingandnottelling.Itremovesallfearof editing.Youlearntowritewithprecisionandeditwithmore.

Practicingwritingtoashortformcanhelpwith thepreparationofsynopsesandblurbs.I’veyet tomeetanovelistwhoenjoyswritingthose. They’vecomeupwith80,000to100,000words ofwonderfulprose.Havingtothenwriteabout 500wordsbringsaboutbrainfreeze.Yetifyou arealreadypracticingwritingtoshortword counts,youwillatleastknowyoucanwriteto XXXnumberofwords.JusthavingtheconfidencetoknowIcandothis,I’vedoneitbefore, willhelpwiththisdemandingformofwriting.If nothingelse,ittakessomefearaway.Sometimesthatcanbejustwhatyouneed.

Soyoumayhavebeenwritingflashfictionalready,butyoucannowtakethosepieces,polish them,andsubmitthemtoflashfictionmarkets andcompetitions.I’vehadworkpublishedthat way.

“Writingtoashortformcanhelpwiththe preparationofsynopsesandblurbs.”

It’sagoodidea,ifyou’rewritinglongerworks,to havesomeshorterpiecestoaddtoyourwriting CV.Whileyou’rewaitingtohearfromanagentor publisher,whynotwriteshortpiecesandseeif youcanbuilduppublicationcredits?It’sawonderfulboosttoyourmorale.It’sevenbetterif whenyousubmityourqueryletter,youcansay you’vegotsaidcredits.

Atwritingconferences/events,exercisesare oftensetbythetutor.Digoutyournotebooks. Havealookatthedraftsyou’vewrittenhere.In thetimetutorsusuallygiveyou(minutesonly), youwon’tbeabletowritemorethanamaximumofahundredwordsorso,ifthat.

Italwayslooksgoodwhenapublishercansee someoneelsethoughtyourworkworthyofpublication.Itshowscommitmenttothecraftof writingandprofessionalismonyourpart.Itwill alsoshowthemyouhaveworkedwithaneditor beforesoyouwillhavesomeideaatleastof whatisexpectedfromyouwhen,hopefully,you areofferedacontractforalongerpieceofwork.

Flashfictionisagreatwaytobuilduppublicationcredits.Thereareonlinemagazinesyoucan

AllisonSymes

“Writingflashisaninvaluableformforall writerstopractice.”

submittoforfree.Thereareotherswithminimal feesandthentherearethecompetitions.Most ofthesedohavefeesbutcheckthefeesarein proportiontotheprizeonoffer.Someonewanting£20.00foraflashfictionentrybutonlyoffering£50.00asatopprizeissomeoneyourun awayfromfast.Therewillbemoneymakinggoingontherebutnotbyyou.

Thegoodnewsisthereareplentyofreputable marketsandcompetitionsoutthere.Checking outwebsitestofindoutbackgroundsofthe competitions,whorunsthemetcisneverwastedtime.

Fromamarketingviewpoint,ifyoucangetlong orshortlistedinreputablecompetitions,let’s justsaythiswouldlookverygoodindeedona queryletter.Itisalsoeasytoshareflashpieces onyourwebsiteandyoursocialmediaplatforms asawayofspreadingthewordaboutwhoyou areandwhatyouwrite.Thathastoboostwhat elseyouwrite.

Flashfictionencouragesfocus.Thatwillhelp withwhateverotherformofwritingyoudo. Thinkofflashaswhereyouwriteabouttheone singlemostimportanteventinyourcharacter’s life.

“Flashfictionencouragesfocus.”

For stories under 500 words, focus on one character (though they can refer to others. It is like being off stage here and it works well, while still keeping your characters to a minimum). For stories over 500 words, you could have two characters. Again, you can have them refer to characters“offstage”.

It is a question of making the most of your word countsothinkaboutwhatthereadermustknow and no more. This isgood advice for any writing, including non-fiction, regardless of word count. Seeitasagoodanti-waffledevice!

Cutthedescription.Selectchoicemorselsto

helpyourreaderconjureupthesceneyou’resetting.Flashusesinference.Usethattoyouradvantage.Youdon’tneedtotellyourreaderswhat ahouselookslikebutyoucouldrefertoitsrun downcondition.Thereaderswillconjureupin theirheadswhattheythinkarundownhouse lookslike.

“Itisaquestionofmakingthemostofyour wordcount.”

Usespecifics.Don’tgetacharactertorunquickly upahill.Getthemtorace/sprintupetc.Those specificsarestrongerimages.Youwanttomake themostofthose.Thinkofwordslikevery,particular/particularly,actuallyandsoonaswasted words.Theyarebecausetheydon’taddanything ofvaluetoyourstory.

Forexample,ratherthansayacharacterisvery cold,whynotsaytheyarefreezingorshowthey areshivering?Eitherofthoselasttwooptionswill conjureupstrongerimagesforyourreader.Itis theimagesandthewayyourstorymakesthem feeltheywillremember.

Allofthesetipswilltightenupyourotherwriting.

Asforanystoryformat,ifsomethingdoesn’t moveyourtaleforwardthenitshouldbecut.I’ve foundhavingarestrictiononwordcountencouragescutting.IhavegottothinkdoIneedthis? Whyshoulditbeinmystory?I’vegottoanswer thoseobjectively.IfIcan’t,Icut.

Writingflashfictionmakesyouthinkaboutwhat mattersforyourcharacters.Thegoodthing aboutthatfocusisyoucanthenapplythistoany otherwritingform.

Allison Symes is a flash fiction/short story writer, blogger and editor based in Hampshire. She runs writing workshops, judges competitions, and writes weekly for writers for Chandler’s Ford Today. She has two flash fiction collections published (Chapeltown Books) with a third in the pipeline.

MonthlyWritingPrompt

Wendy H. Jones and Tami C. Brown set this month’s writing prompts. They hope you enjoy them. With plenty of options to choose fromwords, music and images - why not give it a go ?

Simplyput,awritingpromptissomethingthatstimulatesourbrainstothink indifferentwaysandenhancescreativity.Apromptcanbeusedasthebasisforashort story,flashfiction,generatetheideaforanovel, poetry,orevenanon-fictionbook.Theycanalsofireupideasforplottwistsinyourworkin progress.Eachmonthwearegoingtobringyou writingpromptsinthreedifferentways–Words, MusicImages.

Words

Fulsome.Generation.Telephone.

Astorksittingonashed.

Darkcloudsonasunnyday.

Music

Tchaikovsky’s1812overture

SummerHolidaybyCliffRichards

BatoutofHellbyMeatLoaf

Images

Ourresidentpromptphotographer,Tami Brown,scoursthehighwaysandbyways,town, countryandbeachtofindthebestphotos whichwillgetyourcreativejuicesflowing.Iam sureyouwillagreetheseonesreallymakeyou thinkandgiveyoumanyideasfornumerous typesofwriting.

(Photographic images 1-4 taken by Tami C. Brown)

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WendyH.Jones TamiC.Brown

Ihopeyou’veenjoyedthismonth’sprompts.Pleasesendusaletterlettingusknowwhattheyinspired youtodo.Wewouldlovetohearfromyou.

Editor in chief, Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award -winning, best-selling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

Tami C. Brown loves to have her camera ready to snap beauty wherever she goes. Her family and friends, affectionately known as the Queenies, are well prepared for random stops along the journey to have a photo op. She’s grateful for all photography opportunities and the adventures that come along with it.

Image2

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HistoryWriters

Our featured Writing group of the Month is History Writers. Author and historian, Lexie Conyngham, outlines the nature and purpose of this monthly online group.

HistoryWritersstartedupduringlockdownasanonlinegroupwithamaximumof25members(sowecouldall fitononeZoomscreen!),andtheintentionof stayingonline.We’remostlyScottish-basedbut wehavesomemembersfromEngland,Wales andAmerica,too.

Wemeetonceamonthtosharenews,take turnstogiveinformalpapersaboutourresearch,havealaugh,andtalkallthingshistory writing,fictionandnon-fiction.Betweenuswe currentlycovereverythingfromthePictstothe SecondWorldWar.Wehaveteachersandlecturers,archivists,peoplewhohaveworkedfor theNationalTrustforScotland,andinterested amateursinourranks.

“Betweenuswecurrentlycovereverything fromthePictstotheSecondWorldWar.”

Thissummerwe’relookingforwardtoaspecial guesttalkfromlibrariansfromtheNationalLibraryofCongressinWashington,aswellasour ownarticle-writingcompetition.

AffiliatedtotheScottishAssociationofWriters, memberscantakethechancetomeetinperson attheannualSAWconference.Definitelyoneof thebetterthingstocomeoutoflockdown!

You can find out more about History Writers by visiting

https://w.scottishassociationofwriters.com/ find-a-writing-group/

Lexie Conyngham is a historian living in the shadow of the Highlands. Her Murray of Letho and Hippolyta Napier novels are born of a life amidst Scotland’s old cities, ancient universities and hidden-away aristocratic estates, but she has written since the day she found out that people were allowed to do such a thing.

Beyond teaching and research, her days are spent with wool, wild allotments and a wee bit of whisky

LexieConyngham

WestBarnesLibrary

West Barnes Library in Motspur Park is our featured library of the month. Find out more about this friendly and active library from crime writer, Biba Pearce.

WestBarnesLibraryinMotspurParkis nottheprettiestofbuildings,but whatitlacksinaesthetics,itmore thanmakesupforinfriendliness. Irecentlyattendedanauthortalktherebythewonderful crimenovelistandauthorofthebestsellingRuth Gallowaybooks,EllyGriffiths.AssoonasI walkedin,Iwasgreetedbyasmilingface.Ithen metthemanager,Ian,andthe"friends"ofthe library.

TheFriendsofWestBarnesLibraryisavolunteer groupthathostseventsatthelibrary,suchas readinggroups,coffeemornings,knittingand

paintinggroups,authortalksandcouncillor's surgery.They'reextremelyactiveandthereis alwayssomethingon.Sowelcomingwerethey, thatinJune,Iheldmyownauthorbooksigning eventatWestBarnesLibrary.

So,whetherit’sreadingmaterialyou’reafter,a localinterestgroup,orjustanatteraboutbooks atonetheirpopularcoffeemornings,dopop alongandcheckitout.

Youcanview“What’son”ontheirwebsite athttps://www.friendsowbl.org.ukorfollowthe FriendsonInstagram(www.instagram.com/ friends_of_west_barnes_library).

TheMertonLibrarieswebsiteandsocialmedia account(@MertonLibraries)alsohassomeusefulinformation.

Biba Pearce is the author of the bestselling DCI Rob Miller and Kenzie Gilmore books. She lives in Surrey with her family, and when she isn’t writing, can be found rambling through the countryside or walking along the river Thames.

BibaPearce

BenefitsofWritingGroups

Kathryn Holme shares her experience of participating in a variety of writing groups and the benefits from this.

I’vealwaysenjoyedwritingandIhaveattendedmanycreativewritingcoursesandworkshopsoverthepasttwenty-fiveyears.Ilove learningaboutdifferentformsofpoetryandhow tostructureastory,alongwithgainingadvice fromsuccessfulauthorsandplaywrights.However,I’vefoundthatmyownworkhasbenefitted significantlyduetotheinputofpeers.

Myfirstexperienceofbeinginawritinggroup wasinLeedsandmytimeaspartoftheScribblershelpedmetodevelopskillsingiving(and receiving)constructivefeedback.Ibegantounderstandthathavingsomeonetoreadmywork andprovidehonestcommentswasvitalformy ownpersonaldevelopmentaswellasforimprovingthepiecesIwrite.

ImovedtoScotlandafewyearsagoandjoined CityWritersandFifeWrites.Thesegroupsoffer differenttypesofsupport-theformerhosting regulartalksonvarioustopics,andthelatterrunningnumerousmonthlysupportgroupsindifferentgenres.

“Thesegroupsofferdifferenttypesofsupport.”

Asmymainfocusatthemomentisontryingto completemyfirstfull-lengthplay,Ifacilitatethe

FifeWritesscriptwritingsupportgroup.Itisalot offunperformingthescriptsandmonologues withotherparticipantsofthegroup.Hearingthe scriptaloudreallyhelpstodiscoverwhichbitsof itsoundrealisticandwhichneedamending.The participantsareincrediblysupportiveofoneanother,offeringvaluableinsightintohowthe scriptcouldbeenhanced.

“Theparticipantsareincrediblysupportiveof oneanother.”

Membershipofawritinggroupalsoenablesme toheardifferentstyles,especiallythroughthe regularopenmicsessionswherepeoplereadout poems/partsoftheirnovels/memoirextracts.It isalwaysfascinatingtodiscoverwhatothersare writingabout,andthemultitudeofwordsand phrasestheyusetoconveyimagesandemotions.

KathrynHolme

IbelievethatthefeedbackobtainedfrommembersofFifeWritesledtomyrecentsuccessin poetryand3–5-minutesketchcompetitions. This,inturn,hasincreasedmyself-confidencein myabilitytowriteandIamdeterminedtomake timeforwritingovertheforthcomingmonthsin ordertocompletemyplay.

“Itisalwaysfascinatingtodiscoverwhat othersarewritingabout.”

Aquickinternetsearchwillenableyoutofinda writinggroupclosetoyou,oronethatoffers onlinesessions.Irecommendyougivethema go,anditwouldbegreatifyoucouldletme knowhowyougeton.

Scottish Historical Fiction

by Sheena Macleod

Howfarwouldyougotofightforwhatyou believeareyourrights?

Kathryn Holme writes flash fiction, poetry and short scripts which have been performed at the Byre Theatre. Kathryn is currently working on her first full-length play and a novella-in-flash.

Find out more about Kathryn at:

KathrynHolme-Writer|Facebook

Twitter: @kathryn_holme

ThePictureHouseMurdersbyFionaVeitchSmith

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

ThePictureHouseMurders byFionaVeitchSmith

(TheMissClaraValeMysteryBook1)

HistoricalCozyMystery

Releasedate 28th August,2023

Publisher- Embla Books

Blurb

Murderisnooccupationforalady...orisit?

1929:MissClaraValeisawomanaheadofher time.RatherthanattendingOxfordtobaganeligibleDuke(ashermother,LadyVale,sodesperatelyhoped),shethrewherselfintoadegreein chemistry,withaspirationstobecomeascientist inherownright.

Buttheworldisn'treadyforClara.Unableto landajobinsciencebecauseshe'sawoman,she isstuckbehindthedeskatadingyLondonlibrary.

UntilherestrangedUnclediessuddenly,leaving herhisprivatedetectiveagency,andlaboratory, inhiswill.

FionaVeitchSmith

Claracouldn'tbecomeadetective,couldshe?

Thedecisionismadeforherwhenoneofher uncle'soldclientscomestoherforhelpwitha casesurroundingthelocalpicturehouseand invitesClaratoseethelatestshow,beforethey discussthedetails.

Butduringthefilm,afiresuddenlyengulfs thepicturehouse,withtragicconsequences.

Itseemsatfirstanaccident,butClarasoonbeginstoquestionifitwasinfactacarefullyorchestratedmurder.

She'ssuddenlyinthemiddleofadeadlymysteryandwilldiscoverherscientificskillsmake herasleuthtobereckonedwith...Canshecatch thekillerbeforetheystrikeagain?

Thefirstinabrand-new,glitteringGolden Agecozymysteryseries.FansofVerity Bright,HelenaDixonandTEKinseywillbe hookedfromtheveryfirstpagetothefinal breathtakingfinale.

1920s.WithanoxforddegreeinChemistryandexceptionalintelligence,sheiswellplacedtostep intoherdeaduncle’sshoesrunninghisdetective agency.This,despiteknowingnothingaboutbeingadetective.Ienjoyedreadingthestoryofhow shegrewintotheroleandsolvedherfirstcase.

Ofcourse,onecannotreviewahistoricalfiction bookwithoutcommentingonthesettingandhistoricalaccuracy.VeitchSmithhastakengreatcare onbothcounts.Herskilfulwritingbringsthe scenestolife,andIcouldpicturemyselfinboth LondonandNewcastleinthe1920s.Thisiswoven inwithgreatcaretoensureonegetsarealsense ofthehistoricalsettingbutavoidinginfodumps whichoftenpullthereaderoutofthestory.

Itisobviousthebookiswellresearched;from buildingstopeople,viaclothingandfood,everythingishistoricallyaccurate.Alightsprinklingof eachbringstheeratolifeinthereader’smind.

Attheendofthebook,Iwasleftwitharealsense thatIwasleavingfriendsandwantedtomove straightontothenextone.Ishallcertainlybe lookingoutforthenextonewhenitdoesarrive.

Review

Iamalong-timefanofVeitchSmith’swork,particularlyherPoppyDenbyMysteries.Therefore, itwaswithgreatexcitement,andalittletrepidation,Isatdowntosavourthefirstinhernew MissClaraValeMysteries.Thetrepidationwas bornofafearthatthisserieswouldnotmeasure uptoherpreviousseries.Letmeputyououtof yourmiseryandsay,thisonemetallmyexpectationsandthensome.

IlovethecharacterofClaraVale–sheisfeisty, independent,notafraidofachallenge,andhas personalitybythebucketload.Claraploughs herownfurrow,adifficultfeatforwomeninthe

Thank you to the publisher, Embla Books, for the advance reader copy of this book. You can preorder the ebook and audio book before its release date of 28th August, 2023.

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HowtoWriteAMercurialMagazineArticle (Part1)

Magazines are made up of ideas. You want your article to be compelling and something that rivets the reader once they start reading, but where do you start? In the first of two articles, part two will follow in September, John Greeves discusses where he gets his ideas from.

Thinkingofsaleableideasisaskillinitself. Oftenthosestartingoff,worryaboutrunningoutofideasandwherethey’llfind them.Themostobvioussourceistobeginwith yourself.Youaremostlikelytoproducegoodqualitymagazinearticlesifyouchoosetopicsincluded inyourareaofexpertiseorinterest. Thinkabout yourlifeandtheabundanceofideaswhichcan springforthfrom:childhood,homes,places,interests,skills,work,marriage,childbirth.Lifetoo,is tingedwithsadandhappyevents,aswellasbizarrehappenings,yourfifteenminutesoffame, andthosespecialencountersthatmakeupyour existence.

“Magazinesaremadeupofideas.”

Outsidethispersonalrealmtherearenewspapers, theever-ubiquitousinternet,bodiesandagencies likeRSPB,theNationalTrust,HistoricEngland, TheForestryCommission,RSPCA,ArtsCouncilof Englandwhichallhaveanongoingseriesofstories totell.

WhatIfindintriguingaretherichvarietyofobscurebodiesandassociationswhichare online.SuchasTheBritishButtonSociety, StarTrek.com,theBritishBalloonandtheAirshipClubthatcanallprovidearichseamof futureideas.

“Manyofmyownideashavecomefrom chanceencounters.”

Ifyouwanttoconjureupthemostesoteric subject;thenthere’salwayssomeonewhohas spentalifetimeconnectedwithit,whetherit’s tropicalmoths,militarybuckles,ordetecting andreadingcolouredauras.

Manyofmyownideashavecomefromchance encounters.IremembertalkingtoRob,inalocalpubwhotoldmethatheandhisbrother

JohnGreeves

weresenttoAustraliaintheearly1960saschildren.Alarmingly,130,000childrenweresentto formercolonies,likeAustraliaandCanada fromthe1920sto1970sunderthechildmigrantprogrammefora“betterlife.”

Chancealsointervenedwhen,afterheavyrain, IfoundaGeorgeIIIhalfpennywhichhadtumbledfromahedgerowbank.Notaparticularly valuablecoin,butonemanyconvictsfiled downinNewgatePrisonandinscribed,to makea‘LoveToken,’beforetheyweretransportedtoAustralia.Theequivalenttoday wouldbelikesendingprisonerstothemoon, knowingtheywouldneverseetheirlovedones again.Thiswashistoryturnedonitshead.Insteadoflookingdownfromthetop,theseLove Tokensrevealedarichhistoryemanatingfrom thebottomofsociety.

“Ideasandopportunitiesaboundaround us.”

Mypointhereremainsthesame,thatideasand opportunitiesaboundaroundus.Ipurchased anoldphotographofaSecondWorldWarB17 aircraftinaHayonWyebookshop.Withalittle research,Iwasabletotracetheserialnumber ontheside42.5918(HeavenlyDaze)andlearn thatithadtakenofffromHorhaminSuffolk.I managedtocontactthelastremainingmemberofthecrewlivingintheUSA,throughan B17associationwhotoldmehowtheaircraft hadbeenshotdownandmostofthecrewhad bailedoutatthetime.IrvineRothmanfound himselfinaPOWcampandlatersurvivedthe “BlackMarch”wheregroupsofmenwere marchedunderguardacrosscountryduring thecoldestwinterinGermanyfor50yearsand allthisfromasinglephotograph.

Magazinesaremadeupofideas.

Thosestartingoffoftenworryabout runningoutofideasandwherethey’ll findthem.

Thinkingofsaleableideasisaskillin itself.

Choosetopicsincludedinyour areaof expertiseorinterest.

Ideasandopportunitiesaboundaround us.ManyIdeascomefromchanceencounters.

Tohelpgenerateideasdrawupamatrixliketheoneonthenextpage.

Producearticlesthatarecompelling andsomethingthatrivetsthereader.

Whynotgiveitagoandgenerateyourown ideas? Drawupamatrixliketheoneprovided onthenextpage.

John Greeves originally hails from Lincolnshire. He believes in the power of poetry and writing to change people’s lives and the need for language to move and connect people to the modern world. Since retiring from Cardiff University, Greeves works as a freelance journalist who's interested in an eclectic range of topics.

Whynotgiveitagoandgenerateyourownideas? Drawupamatrixliketheonebelow(addingvarious headingsofyourown)andusethistoillicitsomegreatideastosetyourselfontheroadtomagazine writing.

DevelopingAnIdeaMatrix

Heading Subject

Interests WoodCarving

Woodcarving-Acureallfor mentalhealth?

Connected ideas

1.Beingcreativecanincreasepositive emotions,reducedepressivesymptomsandanxiety,andimprovethe functionofourimmunesystems.

2.Developingaprojectfromthestart. Materials/tools.Health&Safety.

3.Assessingitsbenefitstomental healthanecdotes/emotionalresponse sinceundertakingthisinterest.

Pastimes/hobbies

Childhood

Domestic/Home

Family

Work/business/finance

Outsideactivities

FoodandDrink

Fashion

Specialabilities/Skills

Leisure:Travel,Arts/

Entertainment

Education

Environment

WritingBookoftheMonth

HowtoWriteYourFirstNovelbySophieKing

HowtoWriteYourFirstNovel

ReviewedbyWendyH.Jones

Publisher:HowtoBooks

ISBN:1845285522

Blurb

bySophieKing

NovelistSophieKingguidesthereaderthroughthesteps forwritinganovel,fromfindingideasthatwillkeepthe plotgoing,tocraftingtheperfectending.Itwillhelpyou createcharactersthatsingfromthepageandunravel themysteriesofdialogueandviewpoint.Eachchapter alsocontainsexercisestohoneyourskills.

Review

Whilstthisisanolderbookitoutlinestheprinciplesofwritingwhicharestillrelevanttoday.Kingtakes youthroughallthestagesofwritinganovelstartingwith,areyoureadytocommit,allthewaythrough to,writingthenextnovel.Yes,itreallydoescovereverything.Thechaptersarewritteninastylethatis easytoreadandyettheycontaineverythingyouneedtoknow.Astheblurbsays,eachchaptercontains exerciseswhichhelpyoutodevelopyourskillsmorefully.Thesebuildoneachotherandareexceptionallyhelpful.

Althoughthisbookisaimedatthosenewtowritingnovelsitalsoactsasareminderfortheestablished authorwhomightalsobeabletopickupsomenewtipsalongtheway.Icertainlydon’tregretreadingit.

WritingFillers

What are writing fillers? Author, Maggie Cobbett explains what these are and includes a host of helpful tips to help you get started .

Whatare‘fillers’exactly?

Originallyadevicetofillthespaceatthe endofanarticle,thesecannowbealmostanythingthatappealstoanindividualeditor:anecdotes,examplesofmangledEnglish,badlythought-outsigns,usefultips,nostalgia,jokes...thelistgoesonandon.Somemagazineshaveregularslotsdevotedtoparticularcategories,andsubmissionsaccompaniedbyaphotographaregenerallybetterpaid.Although they’renotfillersinthestrictestsenseofthe word,I’dalsoincludereaders’letters.

Whocanwritethem?

Anyonewithsomethingtosay.Ageandformal qualificationsareunnecessaryunlessyouchoose ahighlyspecialisedarea.Manyseasonedwriters usethemtogetoverdrypatches.

“Whocanwritefillers?Anyonewithsomething

Whereshouldtheybesubmitted?

Thecheap,cheerful,andoftenluridmagazines thattakeprideofplaceonsupermarketshelves areaneasyplacetostart,butanygoodwork,appropriatelyaimed,willsell.Theknackistofind

therighttarget,whetheritbestaid,upmarket, chatty,formal,brash,orpopular.Editorsknow theirreaders–theadvertswillgiveyouclues–andarisquéanecdoteorjokewelcomedbyone won’tgodownwellwithanother.Tryalsoto matchyourvocabularyandstyletosuitthepublication.Browsethrougholdnumberswherever youcomeacrossthembutcheckthelatestissue (orwebsite)foruptodaterequirementsandcontactdetails.

“Tryalsotomatchyourvocabularyandstyleto suitthepublication.”

Should you only write about subjects you knowwell?

Maybe,butwhynotspreadyourwingsoccasionallyandtrynewones?Therearepublicationsfor almosteverythingthesedays.TheWriters’&Artists’YearbookandWillingsPressGuideareuseful, andyoudon’tneedtosticktoUKtitles,although smallfeescomingfromabroadcanbeswallowed upbybankcharges.AsubscriptiontoReadly.com givesaccesstothousandsofmagazinesand

tosay.”

Maggie Cobbett

newspapers.Youdoneedtohaveplentyofresilience.There’salotofcompetitionoutthereand someonemayhavebeatenyoutoit.Afterafew weekswithnoresponse,you’refreetosubmit yourfillerelsewhere.Keeprecordsand DON’T EVER sendthesameitemtomorethanoneeditor atatime.

“KeeprecordsandDON’TEVERsendthesame itemtomorethanoneeditoratatime.”

Whatdoyouneedtogetstartedandwhat doesitallcost?

Notebook,pen,digitalcamera,computerwith accesstotheInternet.Fewwriterscanaffordto buyeverymagazineandnewspaperbutbrowsingtheshelvescostsnothing.Earslikeabathelp too!

Howlongshouldfillersbe?

Short,sharpandtothepoint.Generally,under 250words,oftenfarfewer.Somepublications evenrewardTweetsnowadays.

HowmuchcanIexpecttobepaid?

Anythingfrom£5toa£100incash,vouchers,or usefulprizes.(Ifnotusefultoyou,passthemon orsellthem.)

Willtherebetax/benefitsimplications?

Therecouldbe,althoughthere’sagreyareabetweenwhat’sconsideredaprizeandwhat countsasearnings.Beupfrontifyoumakeacottageindustryoutoffillers.

Shamelessplug:

‘EasyMoneyforWriters&Wannabes’,mylittle handbookonthissubjectisavailablefromAmazonasadownloadorpaperback.

A Yorkshire girl through and through, Maggie Cobbett lives on the edge of the Dales. With five books to her credit, she also writes short stories, features and even the occasional poem. Her many travels, as well as careers in modern language teaching and television background work, have furnished an inexhaustible supply of inspiration.

http://maggiecobbett.co.uk/

Dundee

Manager: Peter Rome

Indie

Bookshopof

T

Oursuppliershaveaccesstomillionsofbooksso ifwedon'thaveaparticulartitleinstockthat someoneislookingforwecanusuallyacquireit withinadayortwoforthem.Weliketothinkwe provideaninvaluableservicetothelocalcommunity,beingacommunitybookshopandare verywellsupportedbyourlocalcustomers.

WetakepartinNationalCampaigns,suchas ‘WorldBookDay’on2ndMarchthisyearandIndependentBookshopWeek"from17th-24th Junethisyear,whereweofferdealsandevents foreveryonetojoininthecelebrations.Wealso workcloselywithlocalschools,hostingchildren'seventsandbringingauthorsintoschools tomeetthekids,suchasbackinMarchwhere wevisiteddifferentPrimarySchoolsinDundee withInternationalbest-sellingchildren'sauthor PamelaButchart(whoisalocaltoDundee).

heBookhousewasfounded2017and stocksawiderangeofchildrenandadult titles,fromclassicliteraturetocontemporarybestsellers.WeinitiallyopenedinMonifiethbutmovedtoBroughtyFerryin2020.Weare anIndependent,Family-runbookshopandwe prideourselvesonapersonalisedshoppingexperienceforallourcustomers.EditorinChief,WendyH.Jones, insidetheBookhouse,Broughty Ferry,withmanagerPeterRome.

WeworkwithmanyIndependent,localauthors, sellingtheirbooksanddoingauthoreventswith themandadvertisingnewreleases.

WearethebookshopwhichsuppliestheScottish AssociationofWriterswhentheyhavetheirannualconference,sowesellalloftheattendees’ booksatthateventeachyear.

RecentReleases

AThief'sJustice:ACompanyofRoguesBook2)byDouglas Skelton

ASIN: B0BN7MDMRT

Publisher:CaneloAdventure(18May2023)

Thecityiscaughtinthevice-likegripofasavagewinter.Even theThameshasfrozenover.ButforJonasFlynt–thief,gambler,killer–thechillingelementsaretheleastofhisworries…

JusticeGeoffreyDumonthasbeenfounddeadatthebaseofSt Paul’scathedral,andayoungmalesex-worker,SamYates,has beentakenintocustodyforthemurder.Yatesdeniesallcharges,claiminghehadreceivedamessagetomeetthejudgeatthe exacttimeofdeath.Theyoungmanisafriendofcourtesan BelleStClair,andsheasksFlynttoinvestigate.AsSamendures thehorrorsofNewgateprison,theymustdoeverythingintheir powertouncoverthetruthandsaveaninnocentlife,before thebodiesbegintopileup.

Buttimeisrunningout.Andthegallowsarebeckoning.

AVengefulHarvest(AlecCattanachBook1)byLexie Conyngham

ASIN: B0C1DB3LCT

Publisher:TheKellasCatPress(21April2023)

Twoseriousroadaccidents,afireinthewrongplace,anda declarationofwaronGermany:AlecCattanach,oftheAberdeenCityPolice,hashadbetterweeks.Butitwillonlygrow worse–awomangoesmissing.

Theanswersseemtobeinherpast–butwhocantellhimwhat thatpastwas?Someonehaslitatouchpaper,andnowallCattanachcandoiswaitfortheexplosion.

Words,Words,Words

Writer’s block can happen at any time, even to the most experienced writers. Jenny Sanders shares her views on how to get past this creative hiatus.

IrecentlylearnedthatthereareoveronemillionwordsintheEnglishlanguage,although accordingtoGoogle,somedictionariesdisagree.Itseemsanawfullybignumber.It’salso truethatEnglishiscurrentlythemostspoken languagearoundtheworld,beatingMandarin Chinesebyagoodthirty-threemillion,comingin atonebillion,fourhundredandfifty-twomillion speakers.

Thesearedizzyingstatistics.Britishprimary schoolchildrenaresuitablyimpressedwhenI tellthem.Withsomanywordsattheirdisposal,I say,theirwritingneedneverbeboringforeither themortheirteachers.Wehavearich,extensive languagetodrawon;Iencouragethemtodoso.

Allthisbeingso,itisastonishingthatsitting downatthelaptop,openingafreshdocument, youmayfindthatnotasinglewordcomesto mindinanycoherentshapeorform. None. Of. Them.

Thismaynotmattersomuch,unlessyouconsideryourselftobeawriter,inwhichcaseitcanbe littleshortofcatastrophic.

Apparently,writersblockcanaffectallofus, fromthehumblebeginnertothejadedjournalistichack;fromthevillagemagazinecontributor

totheaward-winningprofessionalnovelistwho hasactuallymanagedtomakealivingfromproducingmanuscriptswhichrealpeoplepayreal moneytoread.

“Writersblockcanaffectallofus.”

Perhapspartoftheknackofgettingbeyondthis creativehiatus,istohaveanidea before yousitin frontofthescreen.Easilysaid.

Theremaybeenviableindividualswhofindthat thekindlymusedescendswithcomfortingconsistencyattheexactmomentwhentheyraise theirhandstothekeys;butformostofus,thatis purefantasy.

“Eventhegermofanideaisbetter thannoideaatall.”

Iamnotabigfanoftheblankpagemyself.I’d ratherhavebulgingnotebooksofscribbledideas, electronicfoldersofbrainstormingsessions,and aphonefullofmis-typedgobbledygook,regardingthingswhichstruckmeaspotentiallyriveting

JennySanders

themes,butmaynowneedsomeonewitha workingknowledgeofancientSanskrittodecipherthem.

Bulletpointsareaparticularfavouriteofmine, especiallyforthosecovetedtimeswhenmy brainspontaneouslyandinexplicablypushes outasurgeofthoughtsthatneedcapturing asap,beforetheyrollawayintothedustycornersofmymindfromwhence,theyaresodifficulttoretrieve.Thesearethe3amideas,sofamiliartousall.Wethinkwe’llremembercome themorningbut,Iforone,seldom(ifever),do.

Eventhegermofanideaisbetterthannoidea atall.

“Thewordsareoutthere;they’resimply waitingforustocapturethem.”

Mytip,forwriterswhoareoverwhelmedbythe blankpage,issimplytowalkawayanddosomethingelseforawhile.Ideasstillevolve,deepin oursub-conscious.Thechancesareyou’llbedoingsomethingquiteunrelatedwheninspiration strikes,andyou’llknowexactlyhowtoresolvea plotline,weavearelevantarticle,orintroduce theperfectcharacter.

Thewordsareoutthere;they’resimplywaiting forustocapturethem.

 Writers block can affect all of us.

 With over one million words in the English language the words are out there; they’re simply waiting for us to capturethem.

 The chances are you’ll be doingsomethingquiteunrelated wheninspirationstrikes.

 Even the germ of an idea is betterthannoideaatall.

Jenny Sanders is a speaker and mentor who writes in different genres. Spiritual Feasting is her faithbased exploration of authentic living in tough times. Her collection of humorous children’s stories, The Magnificent Moustache and other stories is out now. Charlie Peach’s Pumpkins and other stories, will be published in summer 2023. She is available for author visits with key Stage 2 children.

“Thelanguageisperpetuallyinflux:itisa livingstream,shifting,changing,receiving newstrengthfromathousandtributaries, losingoldformsinthebackwatersof time.”

(Quote taken from page 83, The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. With Revisions, an Introduction, and a Chapter on Writing by E. B. White. 4th Edition, Pearson Education, Inc. 1999)

TheValueofConferencesandEvents

Wendy H. Jones identifies the need to balance the solitude of writing with the need to market, promote and network and discusses how writers can achieve this.

Itissaidwritersareneverhappierthanwhen sittinginanoffice,betterknownasawriting cave.Manyofthosereadingthiswillbenoddingandcheering;somemaybeshakingtheir head.Themythofthesolitarywriterpounding awayatthekeyboardorburningthroughseveral notebooksisn’tsomuchmyth,asreality–writingiscrucialifonewantstobepublished–meaninglonghoursatthedeskareanecessity bornofneed.Theyarealsobornofpassion,and abelieftheworkmatters.Andmatteritdoes–to readers,theindividualdoingthewriting,the publishingcompaniesandtothewritingcommunityasawhole.

Havingestablishedthatwritingisimportant, afterallitisthefoundationofanauthor’slife,I wouldliketosuggestthatthewritinglifeshould beoneofbalance.Thismeansnotonlywork/life balance,whichismoreimportantthananyone everknows.Spendingtimewithfamilyand friendsisasnecessaryasbreathing.Thisisa timetorechargeandrefresh.Tobetheperson youweremeanttobeoutsideofwork.Thesaying,noonegoestotheirgravewishingtheyhad workedharderistrue.

However,thisisnottheonlybalanceawriter needsinhisorherlife.

Writerstodaymust,ofnecessity,market,promote andnetwork;thereisnogettingawayfromthis fact.Ifabookistobeseenbyanaudience,then thebook,andthewriter,mustbeseenbythose wishingtobuyit.Thismeansthrowingopenthe cavedoorandsteppingthroughintothereal worldtomeetotherpeople.Thiscanbescary stuff.Itcanalsobeexhilarating,invigoratingand motivational.DidImentionitcanalsobefun.

“Writerstodaymust,ofnecessity,market,promoteandnetwork.”

So,wherecanthewriterstarttomix,andmeet readersandotherwriters?Conferencesarean idealwaytodothis.Writingconferencesand readereventsareessentialtoensuregrowthand developmentaswriters.Theyarealsoameansof helpingothers.Iamfortunatetobebothattendingandspeakingatseveralthisyear.Infact,Iam notlongbackfromLondonBookFair(LBF), whereIwasnetworkingandmeetingwithpeople. LBFisatradefair,soyouwouldthinkitwould havelittletoofferauthors.However,whereit comesintoitsownisasawayoffindingoutwhat

WendyH.Jones

ishappeningintheindustry.Theyhavenumeroustalksandattendingthesegivesyouarealflavourofpublishing,andthebusinessaroundpublishing,today.ArtificialIntelligence(AI)isoneof thisyear’smostcontroversialissueswithseveral talksbeinggivenaroundthistopic.Whateverwe feelaboutAI,itisimportanttofollowtheconversationregardingthetopic.

“Writingconferencesandreadereventsare essentialtoensuregrowthanddevelopment aswriters.”

Largeeventsareofgreatbenefittowriters.The opportunitytomeetwithanddiscussbookswith representativesfromeverypartofthepublishing landscapeshouldnotbemissed.However,smallereventsandconferencesshouldnotbeoverlooked.Anewerauthormaynothavetheopportunitytospeakatlargereventsbutcanfind themselvesonpanelsorevencentrestageat smallerones.Speakingatconferencesisawayof establishingcredibilitywithintheindustry.Itallowstheauthortogetseenandtogettheirname infrontofothers.Speakingallowstheauthorto determineauthorityincertainsubjectsandtobe seenasanindustryexpert.

Ofcourse,onemustnotforgetthatattending conferencesandevents,whetherspeakingoras anattendee,meansmeetingotherauthorsand readers.Itisawayofbuildinguprelationships. Relationshipsareimportant,notbecauseof someonemightbeabletodoforourcareer,but tosupportothersandbesupportedinreturn. Yes,theserelationshipsmightleadtoopportunitiesinthefuturebutthatshouldnotbetheprimaryconsideration.Opportunitiesoftencome becauseyouareseenassomeonewhohascredibilityandisseenassupportivewithinthewriting community.

ourbooks,sofindingnewreaders.Theycanalso helpturnreadersintofansandfansintosuperfans.Again,itcomesdowntorelationships. Readerswhofeeltheyknowtheauthoraremore likelytonotonlybuybooksbutkeepbuying themasnewonescomeout.

Readereventscanbeanythingfromoneauthor inabookshoptomulti-authorevents.Laterthis yearIwillbeattendingtwohugemulti-author eventsintheUSA.GettingWitchyWithItisin SeptemberinSalemMassachusetts;yestheSalemWitchTrialstown.TheotherisatGraceland, Memphis,Tennessee;yes,thehomeofElvisPresley.Iamverymuchlookingforwardtothese.One couldargue,withsomanyauthorsinoneplace, itwouldbedifficulttogetnoticed.However,Ido haveacunningplan–onewhichdoesnotinvolveanycriminality.Whatever,theoutcome,I willhavefunandwillcertainlymeetalotofreadersandbeintroducedtonumerousnewauthors.

“Theopportunitytomeetwithanddiscuss bookswithrepresentativesfromeverypartof thepublishinglandscapeshouldnotbe missed.”

Tosummarise,therearemanywaysinwhichwe cannetworkandgetourbooksseenwithoutthe fearfactorkickingin.Meetingthepubliccanbe fun.Thenallyouweneedtoworryaboutisfindingtimetowrite.

Let’snotforgetreaderevents–reallydonotforgetthem.Readereventsarecrucialformanyreasons.Theyareawayofintroducingthepublicto

Wendy H. Jones is the multi-award-winning, bestselling author of adult crime thrillers and cozy mysteries, children’s picture books and non-fiction books for writers. In addition she is a writing coach, editor in chief of Writers’ Narrative, partner in Auscot Publishing and Retreats and hosts the Writing and Marketing Show podcast.

“Largeeventsareofgreatbenefittowriters.”

SomeAdviceforAuthorswhoWriteAboutAnimals

Writers face many pitfalls when including animals as characters. In this article, Peter Thomas’s spaniel, Sophie, observes a tendency to ‘dumb down’ animals as characters in books. Sophie challenges writers to provide a more realistic portrayal of animals .’

Youmayhavereadsomeofmyprevious works,suchas Nobody Will Guess You Are a Dog, The Distressing Incident of the Missing Anteater,and The Spaniel of the Opera.Being afanofmyground-breakingTheologyofthe Paw,ourbelovededitorinchiefkindlyinvited metosharemyuniqueperspectiveonthesubjectofwritinganimalsinbooks.MytitleisBanoffeeofBeechwood,andIamaspaniel.Most peoplecallmeSophie.

“Whydoauthorsrestricttheiranimalcharacterstoaccomplishingtaskswhichmerehumanscoulddo,whenwearecapableofso muchmore?”

Authorsfacemanypitfallswhenwritingabout animals.Iwillreturninfuturearticlestothe problemsofanthropomorphisingandofstereotyping.Ibeginwiththegreatestflawinsomany portrayalsofbeastsinliterature–dumbing down.

Sophie

Withthenotableexceptionofthedolphinsin TheHitchhiker’sGuidetotheGalaxy(themice don’tcountbecausetheywerehyper-intelligent pan-dimensionalbeings)toomanywritersunderestimateanimals,andparticularlydogs.Obviously,wearecuteandcuddly,butpeoplewrite asifourabilitieswereaslimitedasthoseofour owners,wheninrealitymanycreaturesandespeciallydogsaresuperiorinsomanyways.

Everybodyknowsthatadoghas50timesas manyscentreceptorsasahuman,makingour

“Toomanywritersunderestimateanimals, andparticularlydogs.”

senseofsmell10,000timesmoresensitive.My four-inchspanielnosecanout-smellanyhuman’spunyhalf-inchnoseeverytime.Whenmy auntiewasoutjogginganddroppedher smartphone,Isniffedmywaybackformiles acrossthefieldsandfounditforher.

“Thegreatestflawinsomanyportrayalsof beastsinliterature–dumbingdown.”

Adog’shearingissuperiortoo.Weperceive soundsatahigherpitchbeyondhumanhearing andwecanalsohearallkindsofnoiseswhen theyaretooquietforhumans.Iletthewhole houseknowwhenmydaddy’scarturnsintoour roadlongbeforeanybodyelsenoticesheiscoming.Whydoauthorsrestricttheiranimalcharacterstoaccomplishingtaskswhichmerehumans coulddo,whenwearecapableofsomuchmore?

“Toomanywritersunderestimateanimals, andparticularlydogs.”

Thenthereistheissueofintelligence.Whois cleverer?Isitthehumanwhohasbeentrainedto dispensetreatseverytimeadogcompletesa trivialtasklikeretrievingaball,orthedogwho enjoysmultiplesnacksforminimaleffort?CompareLassie’sabilitytocommunicatewithout evenusingwordsthecomplicatedmessage, “Timmyhasfallendownthewell”,withthebrainlesschild(nooffence)whokeepsonfallingin.

“Authorsfacemanypitfallswhenwriting aboutanimals.”

I presentthischallengetoauthorseverywhere. Don’tdumbusdown.Writeanimalcharacters whodemonstratetheskillsandintelligence whichweallpossess.Makeapublicadmission thatintheclassicdetectivenovels,Watsonwas human,butSherlockwasactuallyabloodhound. RecognisethatCleopatrawasShakespeare’s mostcomplexfemalecharacterbecauseshewas infactacat.Forgetgreyingmiddle-agedmen–castabanoffeespanielasthenextJamesBond.

IfIcanutilisea“wooftotext”apptowritethis article,surelyyouwriterscangiveyouranimals moretodo.Anythinglesscontinuestheaffront andblatantdiscriminationagainstthoseofus whoarealternativelyfurred.

“Ipresentthischallengetoauthorseverywhere.Don’tdumbusdown.Writeanimal characterswhodemonstratetheskillsandintelligencewhichweallpossess.”

Rev Peter Thomas has published three nonfiction books and is delighted now to assist Sophie in her creative writing projects. Originally a teacher and author in the fields of chemistry and computing, Peter retired in 2023 after 36 years as a Minister of local Baptist Churches. He continues to add to his blog and videos of more than a thousand sermons and reflections found at www.pbthomas.com.

PeterThomasandSophie

ThePrivilegeofWritingforChildren

With a background in Primary Literacy Support, Pauline Tait is passionate about encouraging children in their reading and writing. Pauline shares why it is a privilege for her to write for children.

Tosaywritingforchildrenisaprivilege,is notanoverstatement.Itisindeedafact thatweasauthors,shouldcherish.We havewithinourgraspachancetoempower,feed creativemindsandprovideanescapeforchildrenwhoperhapsstrugglewithday-to-daylife.

That,however,isaboveandbeyondtheinitial benefitsourwordscanbestowonouryounger generations.Takepicturebooksforexample. Theyhavethepowertoenrapturechildren.To feedtheirimaginationsandignitetheircreativity. Allwhilemomentarilytransportingthemtodistantworlds.

Whetherfictionornon-fiction,apicturebookcan bepowerful,educate,instilmorals,andsend positivemessagesallwhileintroducingfriendly, loveable,inspiringcharacterschildrenwilladore. Equally,avillaininastorycanencourageempathy.Aschildrencheerontheunderdog,willing themtoovercometheirvillainousrival,they begintocareforandfeelaneedtoreadonas theyseetheirnewcherishedcharacterblossom andovercomeadversity.

Thepowerofthepicturebook,however,isnot solelyinwhetherourchildrenlikeordislikea character.Itisnotjustinwhichdistantlandtheir nextpicturebookwilltransportthem.Itisfar more.Youngerchildrenwillfollowthestoryvisuallywhilebeingreadto.Theywilllistenasthe

reader’svoicelamentsthestory,theirvoicerisingandfallingasexcitementandtensionsbuild.

Bydefault,wearealsoencouragingearlycommunicationandlanguageskills.Aswereadto ourchildren,theycanbecomeenthralledbythe charactersandtheiradventures,whichdevelops intrigue,excitement,concern,andcompassion. Theywillwanttoaskquestionsandcommunicatetheirthoughtsandhopes.

“Bothreadingandwritingareessential elementstoourchildren’sfuturelearning.”

Initially,youngerchildrenwillpointwiththeir fingersormakeafacialexpression.But,asthey develop,theywillbegintochataboutthestory andoffertheirinsightastowheretheythinkthe storymightbegoing.

Astheyfurtherdevelop,theywillstarttofollow thewords.Itmightbewithapointedfingeror throughaskingquestions,butnomattertheir method,theyarelearningthebuildingblocksto reading,sentencestructureand,inturn,the buildingblockstowriting.Allwhilebondsare beingbuilt,andearlychildhooddevelopment encouraged.

PaulineTait

Atthesametime,picturebookscanaidolderor reluctantreaderswhoneedextraencouragement.Nottoolong,andwithvisualstorytelling throughillustrations,apicturebookcanhelp keepachild’sattention.Andseeingastory throughtoitsconclusioncanbepowerfulfor thosewhoseattentionspansmaywander.

“Whetherfictionornon-fiction,apicturebook canbepowerful.”

Bothreadingandwritingareessentialelements toourchildren’sfuturelearning,andpicture booksareoneofthefirstcrucialrungsintheir developmentalladder.Life’snaturalprogression meansthataschildren’sreadingabilityandvocabularydevelop,wecancontinuetoinspire theircreativityandimaginationsthroughchapterbooksandthennovels.

Chapterbooks,aimedat5to9yearsareagentle transitionforchildren.Oftenempoweringthem astheybeginreadingabooksimilarinpresentationtothoseoftheadultsintheirlives.Theycan unwittinglybolsterachild’sconfidenceintheir ownreadingandopenthemuptomoredetailed worlds.

Stillshort,simpletales,childrenlearntofollow thestorywithoutthevisualaidesofillustration oneverypage.Ratherillustrationsbecomea sporadicjoythroughthesebooksand,subconsciously,achild’sreadingenduranceincreases. Andwithit,theirownabilitywhenitcomesto creativewritingintheclassroom.

Fastforwardafewyearsandchildrenprogressto chapterbooksfor9to12yearswherethereisa vastselectionofliterarygold!Thesebooks bridgethegapbetweenearlychapterbooksand fullnovelsandthereisanabundanceofgenres, authors,andworldsforouradolescentstoimmersethemselvesin.

vastassortmentofworldsaimedmorespecificallyat9-10-and11–12-year-olds.Meaningchildren cantransitionthroughthisagebracketatapace thatsuitstheirownreadingstage.Theycanbe confidentintheauthorswhowriteintheseage brackets,andtheycanimmersethemselvesin seriesthatwillenveloptheirworldsforweeks, monthsandevenyears.Theywillfindcharacters thatwillstaywiththemintotheiradultreading andwillflourishastheyfurtherintheirliteracy education.

Manychildrenoftenstepawayfromreadingas theyventureintoadulthood.Furthereducation maymeantherearereadingeducationalbooks ratherthantheirpreferredgenre.Lifebecomes busierasemployment,andallthatcomeswith growingup,isgivenovertomakingtheirwayin theworld.

Butneverfear,theloveofbooksisdeepseated,it willreturnwhentheybecomemoresettledinlife. Meanwhile,thegiftofearlychildhoodreadingis carryingthemforth.Theirstamina,creativity, abilitytocompleteforms,writereports,read complicatedworkjargon,deciphercomplicated instructions,communicateinaprofessional manner,allcomefromtheworldstheyescaped toaschildren,thecharacterstheyadored,and thebondsbuiltwiththosewhoreadtothem.

“Theywillfindcharactersthatwillstaywith themintotheiradultreading.”

Introducingchildrentoreadingatanearlyage,is agift.Withoutthemrealising,wearecementing thebuildingblockstotheirfutureeducationand personaldevelopment.Wearegivingthemthe world.

Justastherearevastdifferenceswithinthereadingabilitiesof9-and12-year-olds,therearea

Pauline Tait is a prolific novelist and children’s author. Based in Perthshire, Scotland, she writes both romantic suspense and children’s picture books for 3 to 7 years.

MusingsonMaintainingNarrativeMomentum

Life has a habit of pulling us away from reading, usually at a pivotal moment. But what if we are pulled out of reading by something within the writing itself? Sheena Macleod gives examples of what pulls her from a story and discusses maintaining narrative momentum within her writing,

Ilovethefeelingofgettinglostinagood book,ofbeingdrawnintoandthenpulled alongbytheever-increasingmomentumofa story,fromthefirstwordstothelast.Andonce I’mimmersedinreading,andamrootingforthe characters,Idon’tlikewhensomethingwithin thenarrativejoltsmeoutofthestoryandmakes metakeastepbackfromwhatI’mreading.

Ifyou’reanythinglikemeinthisregard,then you’llknowthatfeelingofwhentheflowofastoryhasbeeninterruptedandlostitsmomentum. It’sabitlikewatchingaCatherineWheelfirework startingtospininincreasingcircularmotiononly forittofizzleoutbeforeitgetsgoing. Whenthis happens,Icanchooseeithertokeepreading,in thehopethatthestorypicksupmomentum again,orabandonthebook.Eitherway,theoverallexperienceformeasareaderofthatstoryhas beenaltered.

ofthebookswearereading usuallyatapivotal momentintheplot.Itcouldbethedoorbell ringing,timetomakeorserveameal,oritmight evenbetheneedtoshutyoureyesandgoto sleep.Butoncewearefreetoimmerseourselves againinreading,weareusuallyabletoregain thepaceandmomentumofthestoryatthe placewhereweleftoffwhenwereturn.

What makes some books more engaging than others?

Readersdifferwidelyinwhattheyfindengaging inabook.Whatweliketoreadisusuallybased onpersonalpreference,butitcanalsorelateto thecharactersandstorystructureswithinour preferredreadinggenres.

Thisreaction,whenIaminterruptedbysomethingwithinthestoryitself,isquitedifferent frommyreactiontointerruptionsoccurringfrom externalfactors.Lifehasahabitofpullingusout

Asawriter,I’vebecomeincreasinglyawareof theneedtomaintainthenarrativemomentum inmyworkbutlessthancertainaboutwhetherI alwaysachievethis.Iamreassuredtolearnthat I’mnotaloneinmystruggles.Masteringthenarrativemomentumwithinastorycanbealifelongeffortforsomeauthors.Ofcourse,aswith

“Lifehasahabitofpullingusoutofthebooks wearereading.”

SheenaMacleod

manyaspectsofwriting,somewritersaremore naturallyabletodothisthanothers.

Whatisnarrativemomentum?

Storytellinghasbeenaroundforaslongashumanshavecommunicatedwitheachother. Throughouttime,storieshavetendedtosharea commonstructure.Atitsmostbasic,stories haveabeginning,anendandsomethingthat happensinbetween.Whetherit’sthestoryof GoldilocksandtheThreeBears,ahistoricalromanceorapsychologicalthriller,narrativemomentumiswhatmovesthestoryforward.It’s whatkeepsreadersturningthepageswantingto findoutmore.

Irememberreadingtomychildrenandconstantlybeinginterruptedbyquestionslike, ‘Whatdidtheydo?‘Whathappensnext?Studies nowsupporttheideathatasenseofstorystructureisengrainedwithinus,evenatayoungage. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20180503our-fiction-addiction-why-humans-need-stories

“Masteringthenarrativemomentumwithina storycanbealife-longeffort.”

AccordingtotheMerrium-Websterdictionary (accessed May 2023),momentumisbroadlydefinedas–‘...strength or force gained by motion or by a series of events.’ Anobject,therefore,gains momentumasitgathersforce abodyinmotion.Thinkofastonedroppingfromagreat hight evenapebble,itdoesn’thavetobebig. Withoutobstruction,gravitycausesthestoneto travelinalineardirection,gatheringspeeduntil itachievesterminalvelocityorisforcibly broughttoastop.

travellingatanincreasingspeeduntilitis broughttoastop,storiestooshouldpullreadersalongfromthefirstwordtothefinalword usuallyinalineardirection.Youhavethestart pointandanendpointinastory,narrativemomentumisthe‘movement’ofthestoryinbetweenthesetwopoints,regardlessofgenre.

Thinkaboutnarrativemomentuminrelationto wordsreadersuseinreviewsofnovelstheyhave enjoyed– ‘Compelling’. ‘Addictive.’ ‘Page turner from start to finish.’ ‘Keeps you on the edge of your seat.’ ‘Heart pounding.’ ‘Read it in one sitting.’

Whatcanbreaknarrativemomentum?

Herearesomeexamplesfrommylistofthings thatcanpullmeoutofastory. Perhapsyoucan addmoreofyourown.

 Theattentionofthereaderisdrawntosomethingwithinthenarrative suchasaninconsistencyinacharacter’sdescription,aplot hole,somethingthatdoesn’tfitorfeelright. Any,orall,ofthesethingscanbreakareader’simmersioninthestoryandremindthem thattheyaredoingexactlythat...reading.

 Includingirrelevantdetails thesearethings thatdon’tmovethestoryforward.Superfluousdetailsaboutthecharacter,theirmovementsandactionsorthesettingmaybeinteresting,butiftheyinterferewiththeflow ofthestoryandarenotrelevanttotheoverallplot,eitherbebriefinthedescriptionof themorleavethemoutaltogether.

Althoughthetermmomentumhasitsoriginsin maths,scienceandphysics,itisalsousedtodescribetheincreasingmovementofastorytowardsitsnaturalconclusion.Justlikethestone

 Notopeninginawaythatenablestheinitial flowofthestorytostartmovingforwardand capturethereader’sattention. Also,starting astorytoosooncanspoiltheoverallpaceof thestory.I’masuckerforstoryopeningsand readtheopeninglinesofvirtuallyeverybook Ican.VeryoftenIthenfeelcompelledto keepreading thatisthepowerofgreat openings.

“Narrativemomentumismadeupofthose elementsthatpropelastoryforward.”

 Includingbackstorythatiseitherirrelevant,too lengthyorinsertedatthewrongpointcanimpactonthepaceofastory.Thesameapplies toflashbacksanddreams.Theseallchange theforwardmotionofastoryandshouldbe addedatanappropriatetimeandmanner thatdoesn’tinterferewiththeoverallmomentum.Althoughgoingbackorforwardin timemayseemtechnicallytobemovingout oftheforwardmotionofastory,backstory, flashbacks,anddreamscanaddtotheoverall forwardmomentumifincludedatanappropriatepoint.Somestoriesarewrittenentirely eitherindualtimelines,asbackstory,oras flashback,andthiscanworkwell.

 Notmakingthecharacters’goalsclearorearly enoughinthestory.Gatheringmomentumin astoryisn’tallaboutaddingmorehighdrama orfightorflightscenes,it’saboutareader’s continuedinvestmentinthecharactersin pursuitoftheirgoals.Itisanythingthatcausesreaderstokeepturningthepages.Ifacar chaseenablesorblocksthecharacter’spursuitoftheirgoal,sobeit,butitcanequallybe anyactionthatmovesthestoryforward.Ifthe highdramapointsaretoolonganddrawn out,thiscanalsoleadmetoskipforwardto getbacktotheoverridingquestionof ‘what happensnext?’

 Thereisnothinglikesayingthisisjustastory formethanhearingtheauthor’svoiceintrudingintothestoryatthewrongmomenttotell mesomethingtheythinkInowneedtoknow ormighthavemissed.Ifthisinformationis essentialforreaderstoknowatthatpointto aidtheirunderstandingofthecontinuingstory,thenthiscouldbeaddedinsomeother way,suchasthroughforeshadowingordialogue.Also,whenauthorialintrusionisdesignedtosignpostdramatocome,inorderto addtension,itcanfailtodosoifallitdoesis takethereaderoutofthemoment.

Someauthorsintentionallybreakthetraditional forwardnarrativemomentum,suchasstreamof consciousness,andthiscanworkwell.But,for me,thisisaskillbestlefttothemasters.Meantime,I’llkeepworkingonhoningmyskillsin maintainingthenarrativemomentuminmywriting.Iprefertodothisbycompletingafirstdraft andthenspendingtimeduringeditingofthestorystructuretolookforanymisplacedelements orbreaksintheoverallflowthatcoulddraw readersoutofthestory.Sometimesit’sacaseof gettingtotheactionsoonerorreplacingpassive wordswithactiveones.Sometimes,Ihesitateto sayit,thereisanobviousneedtokilloffmydarlings.Betareadersandeditorscanalsohelp pointoutwherethenarrativemomentumhas beeninterruptedorbroken.

Inconclusion,narrativemomentumismadeup ofthoseelementsthatpropelastoryforward a pacewithinthestructureofthestorythatpulls readersinandkeepsthemturningthepages fromthefirstwordsuntilthelast.Thisappliesto bothfictionandnon-fiction.Thisnarrativeflowis maintainedwordbywordasreadersaredrawn furtherintoastory,continuallyasking,‘what happensnextinthecharacter’spursuitoftheir goal?’

Sheena Macleod lives in the east coast of Scotland. She lectured at the University of Dundee where she gained her PhD. Although Sheena mainly writes historical fact and fiction she is currently working on a thriller featuring crime reporter, Mackenzie Malone.

“Sometimesit’sacaseofgettingtotheaction soonerorreplacingpassivewordswithactive ones.”

IvoryTowerSyndrome

SC Skillman writes psychological, paranormal and mystery fiction and non-fiction. She shares how it took her many years, plenty of life experience and writing challenges before she had the confidence and self-belief to publish her first book.

Yourgreateststrengthisyourcompulsion andyourneedtowrite.Yourweaknessis twofold:one,yourwholephilosophical thingaboutivorytowers,andtwo,technically youhaven’tcrackedityet.Thefirstisthemost serious.Thesecondisn’taproblem.Somewriterscantaketwentyyearstotechnicallycrackit.

Thesewordswerespokentomedecadesagoby asenioreditorinapublishinghousewhomIhad metforachataboutpublishing,havinganswered anadforaneditorialassistantpost.Helaterread someofmywritingandwentontoencourage me.

Whatis‘ivorytowersyndrome’?

Mostpeopleknowtheterm‘ivorytower’.It meansbeingoutoftouchwiththe‘real’ world.Anivorytowerisametaphoricalplace or anatmosphere wherepeoplearehappilycutoff fromtherestoftheworldinfavouroftheirown pursuits,usuallymentalandesotericones.From the19thcentury,ithasbeenusedtodesignate anenvironmentofintellectualpursuitdisconnectedfromthepracticalconcernsofeveryday life.

Whattheeditormeantwhenhesaidthosewords tome,wassimplythis:Ihadbeencaughtupin mydreamofwritinggreatliteratureandhe warnedmeagainstdismissingtheideaofwriting commercialfictionwithmarketappeal.

AsIrememberhisobservationaboutsomewriterstakingtwentyyearsto‘crackittechnically’,I askmyself:‘whatisthekey?’‘Technicallycrackingit’is,Ibelievenow,allaboutbeingrealand comingcleanwithyourself.Andthat’sprobably whathemeantbytheivorytowersyndromebeingthemoreseriousproblem.

DespitethefactthatIhadbyserendipitymetthis editor(wholaterbecamealiteraryagent),andhe didgoontoreadsomeofmywriting,andtoencourageme,itstilltookmemanymoreyearsand ahugeamountoflifeexperienceandwriting challengesbeforeIhadtheconfidenceandselfbelieftogoaheadandpublishmynovel.Infactit wasthethirdfull-lengthnovelIcompletedafter meetinghim.

Ithensetupawebsite,blogandsocialmedia presenceandstartedtocallmyselfanauthor.I beganbyindependentlypublishingmyfiction butnowI’vesignedthreecontractsfornonfiction bookswithatraditionalpublisherandmylatest noveliswithpublishersandliteraryagents.

Ihavenevergivenupthat‘compulsionandneed towrite’:ithascarriedmethrough.Thinkofa stageversionof‘Cinderella’whereallthetropes ofthefairytalearesubverted:andthatbeginsto expressthechallengefacingsomanyofusas writers.

SCSkillman

WritingAmidstSummerChaos

Maressa Mortimer shares how she manages to find time to write amidst the competing demands made by four children, pets and life in general.

It’ssummer,thekidsareplayinginthegarden,aneighbourfoundtheenergytomow thelawn,andI’mstaringthroughthewindowatthestackofwashingup.Afriendjustsent meatext,“Lovedyourbook,whenisthenext onecomingout?”

Judgingbythewashing-upstack,notthisweek, that’sforsure.Writingwithkidsaroundishard and,inthesummerholidays,itcanbeeven harder.Notonlyaretheyhomealotmore,but therearealsoplaydates,daytripsandfamily holidaystowritearound.Ikeeptellingmyselfit giveslotsofwritinginspiration,butinreality,all itdoesisgivemeatanandaheadache.

Forafewyears,Iwroteintheevening,asthe kidswereinbedniceandearly.Forthepast year,therehadbeensomecluboractivitynearly everyevening.Asifthatwasn’tenoughtowork around,thereisalsoapuppythatneedsmein theevening.Findingtimetowriteisimportant, andthestoriesarebuildingupinsideme.August soundslikealovely,peacefulmonth,butnotfor writingmums!

“Findingtimetowriteisimportant.”

Idon’tknowwhatyourwritingstyleis,butIprefertositandwritesolidlyforacoupleofhours.

Sadly,Idon’thavethosekindsoffreeslotsany more.Youmightbeinthesameboat.Sohere’s theplan:Thinkaboutwhatyouwanttowrite, andhowlongyouhave.Canyouworkouthow manywordsyoucouldwriteinthattime?Seta timeranddoawritingsprintforfifteenminutes andsavethedocument.Plananotherslotlater thatdayoreventhenextdaywhenyouwillgo andedit,orwritethenextpartofthechapter. Whilstwashingup,Igetsomegreatideasand plans,soIwillonlyneedtenminutestowrite thenextpartofablog.

“Thinkaboutwhatyouwanttowrite,and howlongyouhave.”

Whenthekidsarehappilyplayinginthegarden,andthepuppyisbeingentertainedsoshe doesn’tdigherwaytoAustralia,Iliketogetmy laptopoutinthegarden.Todealwiththe screenglare,Iputacardboardboxaroundit,so Ihavemyowngardencubicletowritein.Inbetweensavingthepuppyfromeatingtoomany plants,andremindingthekidsthatwedohave

MaressaMortimer

neighbourswhohaven’tlosttheirhearingyet,I willmanagetowriteacoupleofthousand wordsinanafternoon.

Ittookmesometimetogetusedtonewwriting styles,butactually,thesummerholidayshave beengoodforthisaswell.Lifeisalittleless rushedand,asit’sutterchaosanyway,adding tothatbytryingthingsoutdoesn’tfeeltoobad. Goingawayforholidaysissimilaraswell.Finda writingspacethatworks,andbepreparedfor short,quickbursts.Maybeyouenjoywritingon paper,soyoucanusesomeofthosebeautiful notebooksyouhavebeencollecting.

Don’tgiveup,andfeelyouhavetowaittobea writeruntilthelastchilddoesn’tneedyoureverymomentoftheday.Andwhentherearedays whenyou’resittingonthebeach,smothering kidsinsunscreenwithnotalaptopinsight,you arestillawriter.Forthatoneplotsnaghasjust resolveditselfinyourhead,andonceallsand hasbeenshoweredaway,youwillfindacouple ofminutestoaddtothattrickychapter.

“Findawritingspacethatworks,andbe preparedforshort,quickbursts.”

Happywriting,anddon’tworry,thelaundrywill alwaysbethereandwritinghalfablogisn’ta housekeepingdisasterwaitingtohappen.Just makesureyouenjoythosemomentswhenyou diveintoanotherworldofwordsandforbidden adverbs.

ApraBehn(1640- 1689)

“Allwomentogetheroughttoletflowersfall uponthetombofAphraBehn……foritwas shewhoearnedthemtherighttospeaktheir minds.”

VirginiaWoolf (1929)

AphraBehn(1640-1689)wasregardedasaleadingwriterin17thcenturyRestorationLondon.She waspossiblythefirstwomaninEnglandtoearna livingfromwriting.

Aplaywright,poet,novelist,andtranslator,Aphra Behnwasawomenwhobrokebarriersduringher lifetimeandmadeasignificantcontributionto womenintheArts.Shewroteavarietyofgenresfrompoliticalsatirestobawdyballads,whichwas radicalforwomenwritersofthattime.

NotmuchisknownaboutAphraBehn’searlylife. HermaidennamewaslikelyJohnsonandherfatherabarber,soshewasnotbornofthenobility. Shepossiblyspenttimeinadebtorsprison.She laterbecameasignificantmemberofCharlesII’s courtandworkedforatimeasanEnglishspy.

Sheusedthepseudonym,Astrea.

Hermostnotablepublishedworksinclude:

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife. Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.

Plays

The Forc’d Marriage(1671)

The Rover (1677)

Prose

Oroonoko (1688)

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