annethology
  • Home
    • About Annethology
    • About me >
      • A little more about me
    • About my books
    • Author talks
    • Contact me
    • Forthcoming events
    • Privacy
    • Sign up for my newsletter
  • Annecdotal
    • Articles >
      • Print journalism
      • Where psychology meets fiction
  • Sugar and Snails
    • Acknowledgements
    • Blog tour, Q&A's and feature articles >
      • Birthday blog tour
    • Early endorsements
    • Events >
      • Launch photos
      • Launch party videos
    • in pictures
    • Media
    • If you've read the book
    • Playlist
    • Polari
    • Reading group questions
    • Reviews
    • In the media
  • Underneath
    • Endorsements and reviews
    • Launch party and events
    • Musical accompaniment
    • Pictures
    • Questions for book groups
    • The stories underneath the novel
  • Short stories
    • Somebody’s Daughter
    • Becoming Someone (anthology) >
      • Becoming Someone (video readings)
      • Becoming Someone reviews
      • Becoming Someone online book chat
    • Print and downloads
    • Read it online
    • Quick reads
  • Fictional therapists
    • Themed quotes
    • Reading around the world
    • Reading and reviews >
      • Reviews A to H
      • Reviews I to M
      • Reviews N to Z
      • Nonfiction
  • Free book / newsletter

The games we play: Boo Books anthology, Breaking the Rules

27/5/2014

12 Comments

 
Picture
In terms of wacky ideas for a story, what’s your verdict on these?

Henry Merriweather falls in love with a playing card; Dan and Evelyn cannot shuffle off this mortal coil until they finish the card game they began on their wedding night in 1928.  Lady Farrimond plays cards with a stranger and forfeits her most treasured possession.

Two brothers cannot agree even on the rules of a simple game like noughts and crosses; rioting has become a national sport with fixtures, policing, and the whole media circus; even Scrabble has become a dangerous game when the tiles spell out MURDER.

Picture
Breaking the Rules, a short story anthology edited by Alex Davis, is replete with such unlikely scenarios convincingly portrayed on the page.  Published by Derby-based (very) small press Boo Books, this collection of thirteen stories buzzes with quirky creativity and eloquent prose.  Unlike the editor, I’m not a particular fan of games, but I found myself entertained by the stories and in awe of the depth and breadth of creativity on show.

Picture
Observe a specialist determine, from the move of a chess piece, whether or not his opponent is human; or zoom right into the game that mimics war at the moment Checkmate is declared and see what the Queens do when they realise the old rules no longer apply.

I’m no expert in the sub-genres of speculative fiction, but these cover a wide range from humour to horror, from near-mythic fantasy to deeply dystopian science-fiction, with several stories in what I’d class as slipstream.  Although set in, or touching on, some parallel universe, several had me thinking days and weeks after reading of their implications for the game of life.

Life as a game becomes an addiction; a cruel children’s game brings about a death.  The real and virtual collide in the forest where geometry meets set theory; where the town planners become absorbed in a town-planning computer game; and the deals struck in another office promote some players to the lofty heights of Permanent Management and others to the dole queue.

Picture
As in any collection, some stories are stronger than others.  In all fiction, it’s the writer’s job to seduce the reader into suspending disbelief.  There’s an extra challenge in achieving this in speculative fiction and the more complex and imaginative the idea, the harder it is to realise on the page.  So I was impressed how many of these writers managed to convince me of their alternative realities.

My only gripe is that a couple of stories contained incorrect punctuation, especially regarding full stops, commas and capitalisation or otherwise inside and outside reported speech.  I found this distracting and, despite the otherwise attractive presentation in terms of cover, paper and font, it looked as if the editor/publisher had, to use a game analogy, taken his eye off the ball. But, apart from that, this is an excellent debut from Boo Books, and I look forward to seeing what they’ll come up with next.

As an aside, I was interested to find the male-female ratio of contributors to this collection was radically different to the predominantly female authorship of the last collection I reviewed here.  I hate to stereotype by gender, but I wondered if this theme were generally more attractive to men than to women.  Had I seen the request for submissions, I doubt I’d have had anything to put forward of my own.  Now, witnessing how creatively these writers have played with the topic, I hope it’s expanded my own ideas about what fiction can achieve. It might already have influenced my recent country-house flash with its parallels to the board game, Cluedo.

Do you enjoy wacky stories?  What’s the strangest idea you’ve come across yourself?

If you’d like to read more posts like this, see the sidebar to subscribe by email.

Thanks for reading. I'd love to know what you think. If you've enjoyed this post, you might like to sign up via the sidebar for regular email updates and/or my quarterly Newsletter.
12 Comments
Nicola Vincent-Abnett link
28/5/2014 03:34:05 am

Interesting stuff.

In this genre, I'd expect a ratio of about 3:1 in favour of male writers. I couldn't find out what the ratio was here. I certainly wouldn't shy away from writing on this topic, if asked.

On the subject of proofing and editing, I'm with you. It has become a frustration for me in almost everything I read, and, frankly many of the things I write. Two of my least favourite words in English are now 'house style'. I fight long and hard for the correct use of the comma and semi-colon, in particular, and for complete sentences. My own work has been 'corrected' to something less correct than the original, on many occasions, to fit current reader expectations or the dreaded, aforementioned house style. Go figure.

Reply
Annecdotist
28/5/2014 09:00:24 am

Thanks, Nicola. 9:4 in favour of male writers here, so pretty close to your prediction.
Ugh, I very much appreciate edits that improve the work, but so soul destroying to have it "corrected" into incorrect grammar.

Reply
Norah Colvin link
28/5/2014 06:56:43 am

It certainly sounds like an interesting and aptly named collection of stories, Anne. I do enjoy games, especially word games, but I was never keen on the croquet game between Alice and the Queen and am not a fan of chess so am not sure how I would take to these stories. I tend to agree with you and Nicola about the surface features of writing such as punctuation and spelling and am surprised at how many errors make it through to print, especially with the spelling and grammar checks available in most programs. However sometimes the predictive aspect of some applications can be particularly annoying as a word not intended can sometimes be selected instead of the correctly typed word. Vigilance is required. The grammar issue is also interesting now with the frequent exchange of text and Twitter messages requiring brevity. I often have to stop myself using the same brevity when commenting on blog posts. Please forgive me if I do! I have also been thinking of the importance for everyone to have a voice, not only those with the benefit of a full education and a decent ability with the written word. I have often seen it suggested that bloggers who do not write 'well' should not be doing so and that they should not be encouraged to continue with comments. While I find the absence of correct grammar and spelling off-putting, I'm not sure that the message these people wish to share should be ignored simply for that reason. Additionally, I don't like to point the finger when I know that I, also, am not mistake-free, although I do try hard to be. I find it especially difficult when responding on my iPad, as I am now. I know this was not the intent of your comment, but it made me think again of this issue I have been pondering. I hope I have explained myself clearly. I probably should have waited until I was at my computer to respond. I would be interested to know what you think.

Reply
Annecdotist
28/5/2014 09:32:48 am

Thanks, Norah, forgot about Alice playing croquet with the flamingoes.
Haven't spotted any errors in your iPad response, but wouldn't judge you too harshly if I did ;)
I don't think it's hypocritical to have different standards for different forms of text, and I'd expect the highest standards for a published book.
I'd also want my blog posts to be error-free, although I know I sometimes fail in this regard, although I'm less stringent about comments, as this piece testifies. As for the many mistakes I've made on twitter, not entirely attributable to my use of voice-activated software, it can be embarrassing, but it's over in a flash. I suppose I wouldn't manage to do much social networking if it had to be perfect.
I think it's hilarious that anyone should try to specify who may and may not write a blog. I thought the Internet was for everyone and there's so much around, it's not difficult to avoid any that don't meet one's standards, whatever they may be.

Reply
Norah Colvin link
29/5/2014 05:32:58 am

I agree. The should-ers should just stop should-ing on everyone else! When I first started reading blogs there were a number that "preached" error-free writing and slammed those that contained anything that might not reach their high expectations. I tended to agree initially but, like you, think these standards exist for "published" (that's another discussion) works and that everyone deserves at least an opportunity of voicing their opinions, even if some choose to not listen for whatever reason. However, if we only listen to the educated "elite" then we are silencing a large percentage of the population. Anyway I fear I am repeating myself. What I intended to say, is that I now avoid those "preachy" blogs and seek out those who are far more accepting and supportive, such as yourself, from whom I can learn so much. :)

Reply
Annecdotist
29/5/2014 07:32:33 am

We all have different strengths and weaknesses, as well as different preferences for what matters in written work. You seem to me to be very generous in your support of bloggers and very good at picking out what's praiseworthy; I'm probably less patient with people who don't manage to express themselves so well, unless they're writing about something I strongly connect with. While I agree that everyone has the right to express their opinion, and tell their story if they so wish, I don't think I have a responsibility to listen. So I engage with what interests me while trying to stay open to a range of new experiences.
One of the challenges I'm finding as I'm writing more reviews is how to be honestly critical without being denigrating. I want to give a fair appraisal of what I consider both strengths and weaknesses AND I want to write an interesting post that provokes discussion. Surely these objectives can be compatible, but it's a learning process.

Reply
Norah Colvin link
29/5/2014 09:37:30 pm

I think you are proving just how compatible those objectives are, Anne. The fact that your posts always engender a good deal of discussion is testimony to that. I have certainly never felt your posts to be weighted towards the negative; rather they have a very positive and supportive bent. Just to throw something else into the mix, I have just come across this beautiful quote by Maya Angelou: “My mother said I must always be intolerant of ignorance but understanding of illiteracy. That some people, unable to go to school, were more intelligent and more educated than college professors.” However, as you say, we may certainly decide to whom we wish to listen.

Annecdotist
30/5/2014 03:40:03 am

Thanks for your support, Norah, and for sharing this beautiful quote from Maya Angelou. Very timely, not just because of her recent sad death, but that we've just had some disturbing results in the European elections over here. I find myself furious with supposedly educated people who are prepared to build on the insecurities of others by scapegoating "foreigners".

Diane link
29/5/2014 02:50:44 pm

While I can respect the talent it takes to write short stories that buzz with “quirky creativity and eloquent prose”, I can’t say it’s a style I’m drawn to reading. I’m pulled into stories that I can relate to, not that I need to “suspend disbelief.” As for the punctuation issue you mentioned, I would find glaring errors distracting and off-putting as well. That being said, my writing is often peppered with punctuation errors that I miss (even when I proof my work over and over again). In a copy-editing and proofreading course I took, it became evident that punctuation is not my strong suit (especially those darned commas and semi-colons – argh!). I take extra care proofing my blog posts, but my standards for blogs are not as high as what I would expect in a published book for purchase.

Reply
Annecdotist
30/5/2014 03:45:15 am

Thanks for sharing, Diane. I'm always intrigued by differences in reading and writing tastes, and have developed this a bit further in my blog post today, but isn't all fiction about suspending disbelief as we have to respond as if made up characters are real?
I love seeing where our imaginations will take us and really enjoyed these stories, although I can see they're not for everyone. And, although the punctuation issues were a distraction, they appeared in only a small minority of the stories.

Reply
Nicola Vincent-Abnett link
30/5/2014 02:23:57 pm

I think expressing thoughts and ideas is priceless. Everyone should do it. How we choose to articulate them is utterly personal. If we have the confidence to talk or blog, that's a wonderful thing and should never be undermined by anyone who says someone can't do a thing 'correctly' and therefore shouldn't do it at all. It's to easy to forget that the simple act of writing, the practice, only serves to make us better at it. Blog away, I say, and I wish all who attempt it joy of it.

Of course, attracting readers takes time and persistence, and those thoughts and ideas are going to have to come across as compelling, at the very least. So there's food for thought in Anne's comment above.

Reply
Annecdotist
31/5/2014 10:27:42 am

Thanks for popping back, Nicola. You're absolutely right, even Mozart had to practice. And if we don't get the chance to try something we want to do, we'll never know whether we could learn to do it well enough for our own satisfaction.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    finding truth through fiction
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    FREE e-book of prize-winning short stories FOR SUBSCRIBERS PLUS the chance to WIN a signed copy of my next novel
    Picture
    Free ebook: click the image to claim yours.

    latest book:

    Picture
    Short stories on the theme of identity Published 2018
    Picture
    Annecdotal is where real life brushes up against the fictional.  
    Picture
    Annecdotist is the blogging persona of Anne Goodwin: 
    reader, writer,

    slug-slayer, tramper of moors, 
    recovering psychologist, 
    struggling soprano, 
    author of three fiction books.

    Picture
    My second novel published May 2017.
    Picture
    My debut novel shortlisted for the 2016 Polari First Book Prize
    Picture
    LATEST POSTS HERE
    I don't post to a schedule, but average  around ten reviews a month (see here for an alphabetical list), 
    some linked to a weekly flash fiction, plus posts on my WIPs and published books.  

    Your comments are welcome any time any where.

    Get new posts direct to your inbox ...

    Enter your email address:

    or click here …

    RSS Feed


    Subscribe to my newsletter.
    Picture

    2021 Reading Challenge

    2021 Reading Challenge
    Anne has read 10 books toward their goal of 100 books.
    hide
    10 of 100 (10%)
    view books
    Anne Goodwin's books on Goodreads
    Sugar and Snails Sugar and Snails
    reviews: 32
    ratings: 52 (avg rating 4.21)

    Underneath Underneath
    reviews: 24
    ratings: 60 (avg rating 3.17)

    Becoming Someone Becoming Someone
    reviews: 8
    ratings: 9 (avg rating 4.56)

    GUD: Greatest Uncommon Denominator, Issue 4 GUD: Greatest Uncommon Denominator, Issue 4
    reviews: 4
    ratings: 9 (avg rating 4.44)

    The Best of Fiction on the Web The Best of Fiction on the Web
    reviews: 3
    ratings: 3 (avg rating 4.67)

    Picture
    Tweets by @Annecdotist

    Read Shall I show you what it’s like out there? my latest short story hot off the press.

    Picture

    Popular posts

    • Compassion: something we all need
    • Do spoilers spoil?
    • How to create a convincing fictional therapist
    • Instructions for a novel
    • Looking at difference, embracing diversity
    • Never let me go: the dilemma of lending books
    • On loving, hating and writers’ block
      On Pop, Pirates and Plagiarism
    • READIN' for HER reviews
    • Relishing the cuts
    • The fast first draft
    • The tragedy of obedience
    • Writers and therapy: a love-hate relationship?

    Categories/Tags

    All
    Animals
    Annecdotist Hosts
    Annecdotist On Tour
    Articles
    Attachment Theory
    Author Interviews
    Becoming Someone
    Being A Writer
    Blogging
    Bodies
    Body
    Bookbirthday
    Books For Writers
    Bookshops
    Candles
    CB Book Group
    Character
    Childhood
    Christmas
    Classics
    Climate Crisis
    Coming Of Age
    Coronavirus
    Counsellors Cafe
    Creative Writing Industry
    Creativity
    Cumbria
    Debut Novels
    Disability
    Editing
    Emotion
    Ethics
    Ethis
    Family
    Feedback And Critiques
    Fictional Psychologists & Therapists
    Food
    Friendship
    Futuristic
    Gender
    Genre
    Getting Published
    Giveaways
    Good Enough
    Grammar
    Gratitude
    Group/organisational Dynamics
    History
    Humour
    Identity
    Illness
    Independent Presses
    Institutions
    International Commemorative Day
    Jane Eyre
    Language
    LGBTQ
    Libraries
    Live Events
    Marketing
    Matilda Windsor
    Memoir
    Memory
    Mental Health
    Microfiction
    Motivation
    Music
    Names
    Narrative Voice
    Nature / Gardening
    Networking
    Newcastle
    Nonfiction
    Nottingham
    Novels
    Peak District
    Poetry
    Point Of View
    Politics
    Politics Current Affairs
    Presentation
    Privacy
    Prizes
    Psychoanalytic Theory
    Psychology
    Psycholoists Write
    Psychotherapy
    Race
    Racism
    Rants
    Reading
    Real Vs Imaginary
    Religion
    Repetitive Strain Injury
    Research
    Reviewing
    Romance
    Satire
    Second Novels
    Settings
    Sex
    Shakespeare
    Short Stories General
    Short Stories My Published
    Short Stories Others'
    Siblings
    Snowflake
    Somebody's Daughter
    Storytelling
    Structure
    Sugar And Snails
    Technology
    The
    Therapy
    Tourism
    Transfiction
    Translation
    Trauma
    Unconscious
    Unconscious, The
    Underneath
    Voice Recognition Software
    War
    WaSBihC
    Weather
    Work
    Writing Process
    Writing Technique

    Archives

    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013

    BLOGGING COMMUNITIES
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photos used under Creative Commons from havens.michael34, romana klee, mrsdkrebs, Kyle Taylor, Dream It. Do It., adam & lucy, dluders, Joybot, Hammer51012, jorgempf, Sherif Salama, eyspahn, raniel diaz, E. E. Piphanies, scaredofbabies, Nomadic Lass, paulternate, Tony Fischer Photography, archer10 (Dennis), slightly everything, impbox, jonwick04, country_boy_shane, dok1, Out.of.Focus, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region, Elvert Barnes, guillenperez, Richard Perry, jamesnaruke, Juan Carlos Arniz Sanz, El Tuerto, kona99, maveric2003, !anaughty!, Patrick Denker, David Davies, hamilcar_south, idleformat, Dave Goodman, Sharon Mollerus, photosteve101, La Citta Vita, A Girl With Tea, striatic, carlosfpardo, Damork, Elvert Barnes, UNE Photos, jurvetson, quinn.anya, BChristensen93, Joelk75, ashesmonroe, albertogp123, >littleyiye<, mudgalbharat, Swami Stream, Dicemanic, lovelihood, anyjazz65, Tjeerd, albastrica mititica, jimmiehomeschoolmom