July 27, 2016
With the centenary of the birth of Roald Dahl, what better time to celebrate twist-in-the-tail tales? These days most praise is heaped on Dahl for his delicious, wickedly funny children's books, but in the 1970s he was equally famous for his Tales of the Unexpected, the TV series of his short stories that was prime-time viewing.
There's still a thriving market for stories with twist endings. Many women's magazines have a special slot for them, but they can belong to any genre or none. Despite their popularity, there's a tendency for critics to look down on them, perhaps because some aren't as surprising as they might be and rely solely on the plot to keep the reader's interest. The best twist-in-the-tail stories are in another class. They make the reader think that they know what the twist will be and then give the plot an extra turn that takes them completely by surprise while being satisfyingly apt. The danger is that if readers or editors guess what happens they'll dismiss the story as predictable. Even if they guess wrongly they might not read the whole story; at best they'll probably skip to the end to check, unless you give your story something extra.
Roald Dahl's twist stories are peopled with memorable characters, use lively, original language and have weird situations that not only grip readers until the last line, but send them back for a second read even though the end is no longer a surprise. His style is unique. It's no surprise ending that his work should be cherished by so many people young and old. Hopefully, his centenary will encourage anyone who has previously dismissed twist-in-the-tale stories to give his darkly humorous tales a try.
Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
July 14, 2016
'No man or woman have' or 'no man or woman has'? The first didn't sound right to me, but you know how it is, once you question something, you're no longer sure of the answer. I had to look it up to be certain.
If I hadn't had access to a copy of The Oxford Manual of Style, what could I have done to avoid making an embarrassing mistake? There are numerous grammar and spelling websites, of course, but you need to be careful that you use the right country's English e.g. not US English when yo...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
July 4, 2016
What are the similarities between them? Sometimes you can go ages without one and then several arrive at once. I seem to have hit a plentiful patch.
My feature on taglines: how to write them and why you need them, is now online at
http://www.wow-womenonwriting.com. I also have a story, retitled 'Ready, Steady, Chop!' in the July issue of Take a Break's Fiction Feast. There's news of two other publications I can look forward to. 'The Enchantress's Pets; has been accepted for Horrified Pres...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
June 10, 2016
Alfie Dog Fiction is no longer taking short story submissions.
This is sad news. The site, which carries six of my pieces, has stories and books to download in every genre. Readers can pick and mix as the mood takes them, buy one story or dozens. If you just want something to read that will while away the time as you wait for a bus or eat your lunch, you can download a story for a few pence, assured that the standard of writing is high. Until now, writers could find a home for previously publ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
May 17, 2016
Last time, I wrote that I would celebrate the anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth and death by writing a sonnet inspired in some way by the Bard. Rash promise! Once again, real life intervened, and I've spent much of the last few weeks sitting beside my elderly mother's hospital bed. She's slept through most of it and she isn't in any imminent danger, apart from being old, so I found myself with nothing to do.
The time wasn't wasted, however. I don't feel able to concentrate properly o...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Competitions
April 20, 2016
You might have heard this already: on 23rd April it will be 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare, arguably England's or even the world's greatest playwright and poet. It seems everyone in the arts world or who is interested in it will be doing something to celebrate. I don't want to be the exception, so what am I going to do?
The most obvious and easiest thing would be to go and see one of Shakespeare's plays or read some of his poetry but, let's face it, I can do that at any ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
April 5, 2016
Do you like Science Fiction and other speculative genres? Yes? Then put 16th May in your diary. That's the day when Third Flatiron Anthologies' Hyperpowers issue goes live at
http://www.thirdflatiron.com. My story, 'Alien Dreams' will be in it alongside 15 other stories chosen by guest editor Bascomb James, a respected author, lecturer and editor of Far Orbit anthologies. The hyperpowers theme covers space opera and military science fiction, so readers can look forward to tales that push the ...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Coming Soon
March 28, 2016
Research has once again show what writers have instinctively known for years–letting your mind wander and spending a few minutes skiving can make you more productive.
One of the latest surveys to hit the headlines is that for the National Bureau of Economic Research. It confirms previous studies, such as that by the University of Melbourne in 2011, that workers who mentally play truant to surf the web or daydream for up to 20 per cent of the time, become up to nine per cent more product...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
March 22, 2016
Sometimes I think life would have been so much easier if I'd been an overnight success. Some writers have their first novel taken up by an agent and soon rival publishers are fighting each other to offer the highest advance. Before long, they're on the bestseller lists, being feted by the media and doing a deal for the film rights. Undoubtedly, it does happen–rarely.
Most 'overnight' successes have served a long apprenticeship in one way or another. They might have studied a degree or t...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley.
March 15, 2016
Last week I responded to a request on a writers' forum for people to relate the catalyst that inspired a novel. I wrote about the incident that eventually led to
Monkey-tail, which is awaiting a rewrite. I was on holiday with my husband in Cornwall when we saw a man fishing without a rod in the sea from the rocks. He constantly cast and drew in the line, so that my husband said he looked as if he was conducting the sea. I was rewarded for the tale by someone sending me a poem by William Carlo...
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Posted by K. S. Dearsley. Posted In : Inspiration
