2 days ago3 min read

Why I Write by Allison Symes

It is always a joy to welcome my friend and fellow author, Allison Symes to the blog. She is not only a talented writer but also an editor, competition judge and is most generous with her time and expertise. With that in mind, I have no doubt that you will find her thoughts on why she writes fascinating. Thank you for your time today, Allison.

Thank you for inviting me to your blog today, Val. I find it hard to imagine not writing. It’s a fantastic creative challenge and addictive in a good way. I love creating characters and seeing what situations I can put them in (and whether they get out again). I find it a joy to do.

As for getting into writing at all, that was fueled by my love of the written word. I owe a huge debt to my late mother, who taught me to read before I started school. She was told she’d done this “the wrong way”. Well, I never felt the lack. Neither did she. It has given me a life-long love of stories, which is a tremendous gift.

It took some time to get on with writing of my own though. I loved Composition in English lessons. Sometimes the teacher set the theme. Sometimes they gave us free rein. I loved both. That should have been an early sign writing was beckoning me.

It was only on reaching a significant birthday later and, separately, experiencing a major life event I realised if I wanted to see my stories “out there”, it would be a jolly good idea if I wrote some!

To begin with, I wrote for my own pleasure. I wanted to see if I could write. I loved the whole process (and still do). I wrote more. Then I took the plunge and submitted my tales for competitions and markets. Could I see my name in print?

The answer was yes but it took time to get there. As most writers experience, I sent work out, received rejections (I could paper my street, which goes on for over two miles, with those I had!), and discovered you often don’t hear back.

I persisted. I read books on the craft. I went (and still go) to writing workshops. I realised the need to target my stories to the right markets. With practice and persistence, I became better. I started receiving near misses. I knew this meant I was heading the right way.

Then in 2009 I received my first acceptance (and contract). My short story, A Helping Hand, was published by Bridge House Publishing in their anthology, Alternative Renditions, which looked at fairytales from the viewpoint of alternative characters.

I have since gone on to have many short stories and flash fiction pieces published and my two flash fiction collections (From Light to Dark and Back Again and Tripping the Flash Fantastic) came out with Chapeltown Books.

The thrill of having my books out there was and remains amazing and I knew I was addicted to writing. I still am!

But I also realised I wanted to “give back” to the world of stories for giving me joy over the years, by getting my tales out there, which I hoped in turn others would enjoy. It’s a lovely way to try to give back, I think. I continue to feel this way and love creating and editing my tales.

The Author

Allison Symes is a blogger and published flash fiction/short story writer (Chapeltown Books/CafeLit/Bridge House Publishing). She is a freelance editor who also works with a publisher and is a copy editor/regular contributor for Writers’ Narrative magazine.

Allison runs writing and editing workshops, including a monthly flash fiction workshop for the Association of Christian Writers. She judges competitions and writes weekly for writers for Chandler’s Ford Today, often interviewing authors.

She has two flash fiction collections published (From Light to Dark and Back Again and Tripping the Flash Fantastic) with a third in the pipeline. She shares her flash fiction videos on her YouTube channel, writes 100-word tales for Friday Flash Fiction, and often has work broadcast on North Manchester FM via the Hannah’s Bookshelf programme.