A Change of Scene by Allison Symes

Image Credit:  Images created in Book Brush using Pixabay photos. Images of the north-east coast of Scotland were taken by me, Allison Symes.
 

By the time this goes out on Authors Electric, I would have just returned from a wonderful week away on the beautiful north-east coast of Scotland, which is somewhere I am always pleased to head. Going here makes me feel as if I have got right away from it all.

 

But how would our characters have the change of scene which does them the world of good and can be a pivotal story point? Would they have to literally get away from where they are based or would the right conversation with a mentor like character be enough to give them a change of scene in terms of seeing what they now have to do when before they could not?

A change of scene doesn’t need to be for something as dramatic as for a quest story, though it is the obvious route to go. A minor change can often be enough to get the character through something. 

For example, if someone wanted to make a potential prize winning cake at the village fete but something always went wrong, a change of scene for them could be to go a cake baking course, which would bring home where their problems with their baking may have been.

The idea of any change of scene is for characters to find the help or have the respite they need before going on to fulfil the story’s purpose. The change of scene has to be pivotal for them.

I will be having a change of scene again shortly as I get ready for publication day for my third flash fiction collection, Seeing The Other Side, which is due out on 18th June (Bridge House Publishing). It has been a while since I’ve had to think about launches, putting an order in for good old Vistaprint for things to go with my book etc. It will be fun to do this again though.

My Tripping The Flash Fantastic came out in 2020, the year most of us would prefer to forget so launches then had to be online only. These were fine and a lifeline but I am looking forward to in person launches again. It has been odd in terms of thinking how much has changed over the last few years. I can divide my books into pre-pandemic, during pandemic, and now after pandemic. Plenty of changes of scene there!

The writing life is not meant to be static. The writer will have plenty of changes of scene along the way. 

I went into short form fiction after long form didn’t work out for me though as part of that I discovered and joined the wonderful Society of Authors so this was not a wasted experience, far from it. 

I discovered flash fiction thanks to going into short form work. Running workshops and judging competitions has come out of having flash fiction collections published.

I wonder what the next change of scene will be, writing wise. I plan to have fun finding out!