I love fairytales no matter what the time of year is, but the Christmas season I think makes those who don't usually read the genre more open to it.  I think a lot of this is due to the influence of pantomime (at least in the UK it is.  Several of the best known pantomimes are fairytale based - The Babes in the Woods, Aladdin, Cinderella, Puss in Boots etc). 

Also it is the perfect time of year in the UK when it is cold and gets dark early to curl up with favourite stories and books and again fairytales play a huge role here.

The one thing I wish I could wish away is the image of fairytales being twee.  They are  NOT.  Just look at what Hans Christen Andersen wrote!  Also I'd like to get rid of the "it's just a fairytale" statement that people come up with sometimes.  There's nothing "just" about being a fairytale.

Fairytales contain truths, show up humanity for what it can be like, and can be scathing about greed and unkindness.  Justice can be on the rough side too!  So no unfair dismissal of fairytales then?  I think that's a good wish for 2019!

Happy New Year!

My Chandler's Ford Today post talks about Christmas Stories (and I share some links to some of mine on this too).    One of the great things about this time of year, when the nights draw in so early, is that it is a fantastic time for reading more!

One of my highlights at Christmas is at the end of Christmas Day itself when I've put my feet up on the sofa and I'm curled up with a book given to me as a present.  It is very easy to please the writer in your life by the way - just ask them what books they'd like and Christmas present shopping problems are resolved!

So what stories do you hope to enjoy over the Christmas period?  I like a mix of fiction and non-fiction books plus, of course, there is the chance to enjoy stories as films.  (Watched The Muppet Christmas Carol earlier tonight, which is one of my favourites). 

As for writing stories, I tend to take a short break over Christmas and then resume but I come back eager to write again and find the respite incredibly useful for recharging the imaginative batteries.

However you spend Christmas, do have a lovely time, and I hope you get to enjoy stories old and new!

]It occurs to me I should have written this post long ago but never mind!

I use the phrase "fairytales with bite" as a lot of my flash fiction work, in particular, is set in a fantasy world and I use a lot of irony.  There really is a bite to a lot of what I write.  I like quirky writing - my own and that of others!  I also use twist endings a lot and there can be a great deal of bite behind those.  I am, after all, looking to make an impact with my stories. 

My catchphrase is also a reaction against those who think fairytales are twee.  I know I've touched on this topic before, here and on other blogs I'm involved in, but fairytales can show up human nature for what it is and are anything but twee as a result.  Think of all the tales where kindness is rewarded and/or greed is punished.  What happens to the villains in lot of fairytales is anything but twee!

Of course, with the Big Bad Wolf, you could argue the fairytale with bite is literal here!

Some of the ways I edit a story are:-

1.  To put it aside for a while.  Sounds odd I know but you need to put some distance between you as the writer of the piece before you can become you, the editor of that piece.  You are too close to the work to be objective about it just after you've written it.  You're either going to think it is the best or worst thing ever written (there seems to be no happy medium here!) so remind yourself, you will look at the piece when it will seem like new to you again.  Then and only then can you judge it properly.  Assuming you have done that:-

2.  Read work out loud.  This is great for literally hearing whether your dialogue works as well as you think it does.  If you stumble over words or phrases, so will your reader.  I've sometimes recorded a story (using Audacity) and played it back.  You get to listen to it as a listener would then. 

3.  Do a basic edit first.  I start by getting rid of my known wasted words, repetitions, and go through for spelling and grammatical errors.  You will need to do this again at least once more once you've got a final draft but I have found it useful to use this to get me into "editor mode" and to get started on the whole business!

4.  Look at whether the structure makes sense.  Are there gaps the reader can't follow?  Where you have hinted at something happening in the story, did you follow through on it later? 

5.  Do all of your characters have a vital role in the story?  If not, can you get rid of some or amalgamate them into one person?

6.  Do all of the plot lines tie up and make sense?  Have you shown a point of change in the characters?  Have you ensured the story reaches a logical conclusion (which doesn't need to be a happy one)? 

Good luck!