Esther Chilton

For this week’s Guest Writer Spot, I’m going to let my guest take over:

Hello, Allison Symes here. Many thanks, Esther, for inviting me to join you on your blog.

Esther and I go to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick. As well as being a keen delegate, I’ve run workshops there on editing. I also regularly run workshops on my big writing love, flash fiction.

Flash fiction is any story which is 1000 words long or fewer and I often write across the spectrum. My favourite form of flash fiction to write to is the 100-worder which is also known as the drabble and I have many pieces like this published on Friday Flash Fiction, a lovely website which is so supportive of writers – to find out more here is the link – https://www.fridayflashfiction.com/

The funny thing is I discovered flash fiction by accident and had no idea I was going to be published in it. I’d been writing standard length short stories for CafeLit and Bridge House Publishing (and still do) when the former issued a challenge to write a 100 words story.

My first thought was you have to be kidding me – how can anyone tell a proper story with a beginning, middle, and end in that tight a word count? My second thought was it must be do-able, else they wouldn’t have issued the challenge.

Two books later (From Light to Dark and Back Again – 2017 and Tripping the Flash Fantastic – 2020, Chapeltown Books), and with a third accepted, I am so glad I went with my second thought!

Story Choice

One of my favourite flash fiction pieces is Calling The Doctor. I used this as the book trailer for my first flash collection, From Light to Dark and Back Again (Chapeltown Books). I especially like this one because I manage to change the whole mood of the piece on the last word (which is great fun to do).

Calling The Doctor by Allison Symes

I shouldn’t have put it off but I never liked calling the doctor out unnecessarily. Besides if you can’t afford it, you make do.

Still I’ve found a nice doctor who is calling later. I haven’t long now. All my fault but he says he can ease my pain, he’ll be only too pleased to sort everything out and I needn’t worry about what happens to my body. That’s good. All my family died before me, see, so I’m glad he’s taking care of that.

His name? Odd one, I know, but it is Doctor Frankenstein.

Ends

I love inventing people, this always has been my favourite aspect of storytelling, and I get to do this all of the time with flash. There isn’t a lot of room for description so I do have to show you what my characters see, think, feel etc.

ALLISON SYMES – AUTHOR BIO

I’m a flash fiction/short story writer, blogger and editor based in Hampshire. I run writing workshops, judge competitions, and write weekly for writers for Chandler’s Ford Today.  I also write for and am copy editor of Writers’ Narrative, an online magazine written by writers for writers.

I have two flash fiction collections published (Chapeltown Books) with a third in the pipeline (From Light to Dark and Back Again – 2017. Tripping the Flash Fantastic – 2020).  My flash fiction and longer short story work has appeared in anthologies (CafeLit and Bridge House Publishing, the latest being The Best of CafeLit 13 in 2024).

I’ve also been a winner of the Waterloo Arts Festival Writing Competition for three years in a row, writing to 1000 words maximum on a set theme each time.

I’m a member of the Society of Authors, Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading, and Association of Christian Writers.  For the latter, I run their monthly flash fiction group on Zoom.

I often judge story competitions too, most recently in September 2024.

I regularly go to The Writers’ Summer School, Swanwick where I have run one and two hour courses on editing (from the viewpoint of author, editor, and competition judge).

WHERE TO FIND ALLISON SYMES

Amazon Author Central Page:  https://author.to/AllisonSymesAuthorCent

Website and Blog:  https://allisonsymescollectedworks.com/blog/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/Allison.Symes.FairytaleLady

Facebook – Book/Flash Fiction Page (From Light to Dark and Back Again):  https://www.facebook.com/fairytaleladyallisonsymes/

Twitter/X:  https://x.com/AllisonSymes1

YouTube Channel:  https://www.youtube.com/@allisonsymes

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/allison-symes-43922075/

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Thank you, Allison. If you’d like to be included in my guest writer slot, please get in touch: estherchilton@gmail.com. Poems can be up to 60 lines and prose 2000 words. If you’d like to add a short bio and photo, then great.