Shutterstock / YanaKotina©We’re looking to the future, for this week’s Story Starter.
A truth universally acknowledged here on the “Friend” Fiction team, is that as far as our stories go, we rarely live “in the moment” – we’re always planning ahead.
Our Christmas Special, on sale throughout December, is handed over to our Production Team in August. Our December bumper issues are generally planned and with our Production team by around mid-October.
This week, I’ve begun to plan the fiction content for our Spring Special, which appears on shelves and in letterboxes in March. And for our weekly issues, I’m already scheduling into February.
So that means that for our weekly issues, we’ll soon be looking for stories set in Spring.
What does Spring mean to you?
In the Springtime
An end to cold, dark nights. Longer days. And warmer ones, hopefully!
Being able to get out and about more.
Spring cleaning. A fresh start.
Spring traditions – here, and in other countries. For example – hanami season, in Japan.
Easter
In 2022, Easter Sunday falls on April 17.
Easter services. Bonnets, and eggs. Hot cross buns.
Many of our readers enjoy traditional stories based around events such as Easter, Mother’s Day, and Christmas. I was surprised that this year, we had fewer traditional Christmas story submissions – they are always welcome.
If you’re thinking of trying some writing for the Friend, why not look up the dates of notable yearly events? They might be a story starter in themselves.
Holidays
Spring Break.
Making plans for the year ahead. Holiday planning. Exciting!
Snowdrops. Buds. The dawn chorus.
Christmas stories
A tip for authors – why not jot down some Christmas story ideas for next year, over the next few weeks? Many of our authors say it’s easiest to write Christmas fiction during the Christmas period, when they’re feeling festive.
As always – best of luck!
Lucy Crichton Better known as “Fiction Editor Lucy”, I am always on the look-out for the very best short stories, poems and pocket novels. As well as sourcing enjoyable content, I enjoy working with our established contributors, encouraging new talent, and celebrating 155 years of “Friend” fiction!
