To be fair, there is more than one point to fairytales but, for me, the most important one is fairytales can show children things about life and people's behaviour in an entertaining way that doesn't preach. 

Cinderella doesn't need to say bullying and cruelty to others is wrong.  You pick that up from the story (and the idea virtue is rewarded, even if it is slow!).  Okay this doesn't just apply to children but for many it is their first venture into the wonderful world of reading (as it was for me).  All stories show the world we know to some extent via their characters.  We may not be able to identify with the strange world portrayed but we can do so with the character that's battling for justice against the odds.

What is remarkable about fairytales is their bluntness at times.  They call evil out for what it is and not all of them end happily either (which is also a lesson in life we all need to learn but fairytales are a great way of getting that point across reasonably gently). 

I grimace when people dismiss something as "just a fairytale".  There is nothing "just" about fairytales.  They have to be well crafted stories to hold children's attention for a start.  When people are asked to name the first book or story they read, they often refer to children's classics, including the fairytales. 

Image Credit:  All images in the slideshow come from free to use website, Pixabay.

One of the great things about events such as our Hiltingbury Extravaganza is that it gives local writers a chance to show the community (a) there is a group of local writers in it (!) and (b) to show, and hopefully sell, what we do!

It was lovely meeting a good range of people interested in books, publishing, stories (or any combination!) and we all talked about why a group of local writers had got together in the first place. 

The Extravaganza is a good example of an event where one writer would not have done this on their own.  (There are insurance costs, space hire to sort out, plus having to put your stand up and down again all on your own.  It made far more sense for a small group of writers to do all this between them and share the costs as it made the event viable for us all.  Not sure it would have been for any one of us).

Having said all that, we managed to spread the word about what we do, why writers group together to help one another and sold our books so it was a good event!  Any writer thinking of banding together with others should seriously consider it.  One other advantage was our stand ended up having a wide range of fiction on it from my flash fiction (From Light to Dark and Back Again) to romantic comedy to short stories set in our area to YA fantasy/time travel.  (More details of these in my CFT post).  The upside of this, of course, is it meant it was far more likely that at least some of our books would appeal to some of the people and this did prove to be the case.

Spreading the word is time consuming and you can never know exactly what will come from it but unless you do try to put the word out there, nobody will know what you do.  So I agree with the old proverb that "nothing ventured is nothing gained".  And having support from other writers, and being supportive in your turn, is phenomenally helpful when doing this.  Good luck!

All writers sit in judgement on themselves.  Sounds harsh but it is true.  We have to judge what is relevant for our stories and articles etc so we can edit efficiently and well. 

The thought of judgement came up for this post partly as a result of Part 2 of my Chandler's Ford Today interview with Gill James.  This does look at censorship, including the self-imposed variety, as we continue to discuss writing historical fiction and its joys and woes.  (One great joy, which is also a woe, is being tempted to use all of that lovely research which was needed to write the book but, if it were included, would weigh said book down and put readers off with far too much information). I also talk more about this issue on my This World and Others site.

This question of judgement is a strange one for writers.  In many ways we are the worst people to do it.  Why?  I think it fair to say most writers swing between thinking everything we write is total rubbish or, conversely, is a work of genius and not one word must be cut!

The truth, as with most things, is somewhere in the middle!  Yes, you've got good work here but it does need at least one damned good edit to get rid of what your reader doesn't really need to know to enjoy and get the most out of the story/article.  The judgement is in working out what is needed to be known and what isn't.  This is where that phrase "never be afraid to kill your darlings" comes in.  Everything has to be relevant to the story.  Everything has to move it on in some way.  Whatever is not doing either of those things (and ideally both) is what comes out. 

I've also found I have to put work away for a while before being able to read it again with a less prejudiced eye.  I try to read what I've written, after said suitable gap, as if I was the reader, as if I'd NOT written it and I ask myself questions as I go through the piece (mainly is this relevant?  Do I need to know this?  Would the story sag without this information etc etc?  What do I make of the characters now I am reading their story in the cold light of day so to speak?).

It has taken me a while to realise I cannot judge my story or article immediately.  I really must put it away for a bit but it does mean when I return to it, I can wear my editor's hat comfortably and get on with what I know needs to be done:  getting rid of the rubbish I wrote in that first draft!

I've never understood why some people dismiss fairytales.  I've often come across comments like "oh that is just a fairytale", "you shouldn't take that seriously, it is just a fairytale" etc etc.  For me there is no "just" to a fairytale.  There is a lot of truth behind many, if not most of them. 

I strongly suspect Hans Christen Andersen had witnessed seeing poor girls selling matches on the street, leading him to write The Little Match Girl.  There is a truth behind that story which I think comes across powerfully.  Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince to me conveys what I think Wilde would have liked to have seen happen.  The statue Prince in the tale knew his gold leaf would only be of benefit to people if it was taken off and given to poor people to sell so they could make ends meet.

So fairytales should be taken seriously I think.  They're not just for kids.  Indeed the original versions of so many of the tales are not suitable for the under-18s.  Disney could never have filmed The Little Mermaid as Hans Christen Andersen originally wrote it.  There is no happy ending in the original.  The classic fairytales are carefully crafted stories (and/or reworkings of even older tales) and should be appreciated as an art form in their own right.

I expect some of you will have come across the following attitudes to writing:-

1. Outright dismissal of what you do.
2. Making light of what you do (not appreciating how important writing is to you).
   
3. Claims anyone can do it (so why aren't they then?).
   
4. People genuinely asking if it really matters.  (Yes it does.  You can tell a lot about a country in how it treats writers.  If a country is genuinely free, then allowing for the laws of libel, most people will be able to write what they mostly like when they like. There should also be the right to reply).
   
5. Children's writing is usually looked down on (when it shouldn't be.  Writing for children of whatever age range is difficult but if you get this right, you will encourage children to read for life.  Authors of books that are YA upwards, including myself, are genuinely grateful for our colleagues in children's writing.   People don't just come into bookshops to buy books.  They're there because they have a lifelong love of reading and that starts with reading children's classic literature etc).
   

Sometimes I think writers can "do themselves down" and I'd urge against that.  For my money, a "real writer" is one who is committed to writing regularly, whether that's daily, weekly or what have you, and whether they write fiction, non-fiction or both.  This topic came up as a response to my most successful (ever!) Facebook post about How to Tell You're a Real Writer (copy of the text only below).  This was written very much with tongue firmly in cheek.

How to tell you are a "real writer":-

1. You can feel almost murderous at the sight of a misplaced apostrophe.
2. You can talk about the "its" versus "it's" rule until the cows come home, though you do your best to avoid cliche (!).

3. You really don't understand people who claim they never read books.
4. You don't want to understand people who claim they never read books.
5. You do actually write (and feel very proud of yourself whether you've written 50 words or 5K).
6. You do know how to spell alliteration and, better still, can drop the word into conversation. (You do, too, much to the consternation of your family who have this nagging fear you are obsessed. You do not share this fear. You know you ARE obsessed and simply don't care).
7. You book your spot at Swanwick at midnight on the date they open to bookings. Can't take any chances now, can we?
8. Your conversations with your characters usually make more sense and are far more interesting than most conversations you have with non-writers, family and close friends excepted (but only if you're lucky with your family and friends).
9. The moment you hear you are going to be published is met by screams and whoops. Briefly you wonder where the noise is coming from and then realise it is coming from you. (You don't care about this either).
10. You absolutely have to have photos in your Facebook posts.