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Stories Are Everywhere

October 2, 2019 by Jim Potter 10 Comments

http://jimpotterauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Stories-Are-Everywhere.mp3

· Stories Are Everywhere: My Blogging Topics  ·

MY PURPOSE in BLOGGING

Book cover for Taking Back the Bullet
Front cover. Sculpture by J. Alex Potter. Photo & design by Gina Laiso

In 2017, when I sent my final draft of my novel, Taking Back the Bullet, to my editor, Jan Hurst, I started preparing drafts of written blogs for my new website hosted by Rosemary Miller, aka “The Tech Chick.”

My unwritten mission statement was this: “To be in the moment, to enjoy the adventure, and to do my best for me and my readers.”

The website was also designed to promote my books and be a public platform, a reason, an outlet for my creative writing.

The topics of my blogs/podcasts, which are similar to magazine articles, include tips on writing, author interviews, and book reviews, but it’s not only about writing. It is writing. The personal essays show, not tell, what good, even great writing looks like.

FINDING A STORY

Like a restless newspaper reporter, I’m often thinking about the next story. When I’m relaxed, open, and aware, they come to me. Stories are everywhere. And one story often leads to the next.

WRITING

“Hubcap Houdini”, pastel by J. Alex Potter

My favorite quotation is “Wisdom begins when you realize there are other points of view.” If you’re writing a novel, then this advice can really be helpful. If your characters all think exactly alike, good luck.

BOOK REVIEWS

Author Tracy Million Simmons, Meadowlark Press. Photo by Evie Simmons
Front book cover

You’ve probably all been told that if you want to help authors, then purchase their books, read their books, and write book reviews. Those are action steps I take as often as possible.

The real treat for me is using my blog and my Facebook pages to promote the books I enjoy reading. I especially focus on local authors who are members of the Kansas Authors Club (KAC).

REPORTING

Front book cover
Writers after speaking to the Kansas Authors Club, District 6. L to R: Allison Bomgardner, Tabitha Barr, Annika Smith, & Dylan Kohls

Being responsible for a weekly blog/podcast means keeping my eyes open and being curious. Locally, in Hutchinson, KS, we hold KAC meetings every month. Sometimes our guest speakers turn into stories for my next blog.  If so, I prominently display their book covers and an author photo.

Author Gloria Zachgo

This past year I promoted the first International Writing Contest run by Sandhenge Publications. A postcard was used as the writing prompt. Many of the full essays, submitted from four countries, were posted and available to read on my website, including the grand prize story by Gloria Zachgo, author of three novels.

INTERVIEWS

Robert E. Enders, Pharmacist’s Mate Third Class, during WWII.
Cyndy Enders Landon, “The Doll Lady”.

Stories are everywhere. The seed of a blog about one-room schoolhouses started from a conversation with an 85-year-old line dancer friend. Another blog was about a WWII U.S. naval veteran who served on a hospital ship in the Pacific. I first approached this 95-year-old at a meeting after seeing him wearing his veteran ball cap. After I posted his adventures, his daughter told me she was known around town as “The Doll Lady” because of her reputation for repairing dolls. An interview soon followed.

Front: Theda Sorenson; Back L to R: Leland Woodson, Galena Mae Crable, & Geraldine Triplett. Photo by Sandy Woodson
Hutchinson Police Officer James Andrew Woodson. He served 1922-1949.

My most interesting interview occurred after I asked an 84-year-old friend if he’d be willing to tell me about his father, a Hutchinson police officer during the years 1927-1949. Leland agreed, but I was pleasantly surprised when I showed up at his house. Joining us at the dining room table were three of his sisters, all older!

RESEARCH

“Sweet Ruthie,” sculpture by J. Alex Potter

My novel, Taking Back the Bullet, required a lot of research. Research is one of the writing topics I discuss in my blogs. The research rabbit hole can cause the writer delays in completing his or her book because it’s so time consuming and fun. “Beware of rabbit holes,” I caution writers.

MEMOIR

Front book cover

My police memoir, Cop in the Classroom: Lessons I’ve Learned, Tales I’ve Told, was written because so many elementary students asked me the same questions: “Is your gun loaded?” “Have you ever shot anyone?” “Can I try on your handcuffs?” I’ve shared some of my answers to these inquiries on my blog.

If you ever run out of writing ideas, just examine your old family photographs or open your junk drawer, if you have one. Stories are everywhere.

Belly dancer Alexandria and boom box guy, Jim Potter, after delivering a surprise bellygram to an unsuspecting recipient. (Late 1970s to mid-1980s). Photo by Tom Bell, Hutchinson News, 1980.

For example, I married a belly dancer. For several years, Alexandria made a good living delivering dancing bellygrams to surprised recipients. Some locations were memorable, including a salt mine, a dairy barn, and on a pitcher’s mound prior to the baseball game. Besides being the driver and male bodyguard, I operated the boom box since Middle Eastern music was a big part of every bellygram.

FINDING A STORY

Exaggeration postcard

Whenever I need an idea for a story, I simply look through my postcard collection. The exaggeration postcards and the reward postcards are gems of Americana. They lead me to stories in various genres, including historical non-fiction, historical fiction, and even sci-fi.

FUTURE BLOGS/PODCASTS

Front book cover

I look forward to the blogs ahead. I have several books to read and review, a postcard story about an Oklahoma bank robber to research, a novella to revisit, and a belly dancer to interview.

Until next time, happy writing and reading!

The Kansas Authors Club www.kansasauthors.org is a statewide organization that encourages and supports great writing. It’s divided into seven districts. In Hutchinson, Reno County (part of District 6), we have monthly meetings at Hutchinson Community College. http://www.hutchcc.edu You’re invited. Questions? Contact Jim Potter, jim@copintheclassroom.com

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Related

Filed Under: Blog posts Tagged With: A Life in Progress, Alexandria, Allison Bomgardner, Ann Fell, Annika Smith, book reviews, Cyndi Enders Landon, Deputy Jennings and the Old Order Amish, Dylan Kohls, Evie Simmons, exaggeration postcards, finding a story, Galena Mae Crable, Geraldine Triplett, Gina Laiso, Gloria Zachgo, Hubcap Houdini, interviews, J. Alex Potter, James A. Woodson, Jan Hurst, Jim Potter, Kansas Authors Club, Leland Woodson, memoir, reporting, research, reward postcards, River of Tears, Robert E. Enders, Rock Neelly, Rosemary Miller, Sandy Woodson, Sundrop Sonata, Tabitha Barr, Taking Back the Bullet, the doll lady, The Tech Chick, Theda Sorenson, Tracy Million Simmons, writing

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alex says

    October 2, 2019 at 8:06 am

    Fascinating to hear the process!
    Again, the best is hearing you read in the podcast!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      October 2, 2019 at 8:26 am

      Thank you! I’ll be on a workshop panel in Wichita this Saturday to discuss blogging. It’s part of the annual Kansas Authors Club convention.

      Reply
  2. Nancy Julien Kopp says

    October 2, 2019 at 9:23 am

    Jim, this was a great post. I’m always telling writers that stories are everywhere. They need to use the writer’s eye when observing wherever they go. Looking forward to joining you on the panel Saturday.

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      October 2, 2019 at 10:15 am

      Nancy, thank you. The very word “deadline” used to make me almost panic. Now, deadlines are part of my routine. My brain is on the lookout for the next blog. Now, for me, the world seems to be divided between something that is blog-worthy or not!
      Yes, looking forward to interacting with you on the panel. See you soon. Jim

      Reply
  3. Tracy says

    October 2, 2019 at 10:14 am

    You make me want to blog again!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      October 2, 2019 at 10:36 am

      Tracy, I’ll cover this Saturday during the blogging panel but unfortunately, for me to do this my way, I need to choose a weekly blog OR a book. My brain and time only allows me to do one or the other. However, I did a 12 episodic story on the blog over a three month span. A couple people have suggested gathering some of the blogs into a book, which is an idea I’ve considered.
      I’d enjoy reading your future blogs if you get back in the groove. You have so much to say. A Life in Progress was sure nice.
      See you soon! Jim

      Reply
  4. Veronica Coons says

    October 2, 2019 at 10:20 am

    Great post Jim! Enjoying a break and your blog was a wonderful diversion and inspiration!

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      October 2, 2019 at 10:24 am

      Thanks, Veronica. Hope you’re doing well.
      This weekend is the annual Kansas Authors Club convention in Wichita. I’m participating on a panel about blogging. As part of my 5 minute introduction, I’m going to show a PowerPoint with over a hundred photos, yours included under the interview section.
      Jim

      Reply
  5. Philip McDaniels says

    October 2, 2019 at 12:15 pm

    Small talk on a recent airline flight. A man traveling to visit his 50 year old daughter he had never met, another, a major league baseball pitcher, going home after the end of the season. Everyone has a story. To be a good writer you have to be a good listener first.

    Phil McDaniels

    Reply
    • Jim Potter says

      October 2, 2019 at 12:24 pm

      So true, Phil. Thanks for sharing.

      Reply

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What People Are Saying

Denise Low, author of Jackalope (Red Mountain Press)

Jim Potter is a cop, retired, but he brings deep understanding of this job to his novel Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery. This layered novel has literary dimensions as characters explore crisis situations. Congratulations to this fine writer for his debut novel.

Rebecca from Proud Police Wife

Taking Back the Bullet is an emotional, yet captivating novel. Jim Potter does a superb job of intertwining each character and putting their individual identities on display. All law enforcement storylines are a true reflection of Potter’s years as a police officer because they are realistic and relatable. This is a book I highly recommend.

Dennis Perrin, educator

Masterful storytelling, exquisite character development, so real as to HURT and HOPE, a real page turner. Begs for stage, screenwriters, and visual episodic development a.k.a. TV series . . . Thanks Jim Potter for telling it like it is AND providing us visions of how it could be. Well done!

Rebecca Schillaci

As a former law enforcement officer, I found the story very relatable as it details the life of a law enforcement officer and the struggles some face throughout their careers. . . Taking Back the Bullet is a journey of understanding, respect, and forgiveness . . .

Sheryl Remar

I enjoyed the different stories of this book because Tom, James, and Suanna, the three main characters, represent in their own way the different struggles with themselves and society’s idea of what is normal.

John & Cindy Morrill, 20 years Air Force retired, 17 years law enforcement

I enjoyed your book. When I am looking for a new read, I always read the first page, last page and choose a random page somewhere in the middle before I decide to buy it. You had me on all three pages. I also like reading a book where you can relate to the characters and the settings in which they live and work. It makes a story more realistic if you can say, I am familiar with the area; I know where that town is or I have traveled that street. It was easy to relate to the characters. In one way or another, I have met them all somewhere in my journeys.

Judy Hawk

. . . I was impressed with the Native American information as well as the depth of character development . . . .

Wynona Winn, PhD, retired school superintendent

Three main characters walk different paths but with the same destination – each coping with his or her self-discovery, self-identity, and self-realization. Much like their earlier counterparts – Huck Finn and Holden Caulfield – their journeys are often joyous, often tedious and often tragic.

Diana Dester

Good story line, building the characters along the way. Great job!

Deb Theis, LSCSW, clinical therapist/hypnotherapist

Jim Potter has done it again! After his book, Cop in the Classroom: Lessons I’ve Learned, Tales I’ve Told, Jim has written another great work. In Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, Jim Potter takes us on an insightful journey into the lives and relationships of numerous characters. Jim is such a talented storyteller that the reader quickly becomes immersed and has a ‘bonding experience’ with each of the characters, feeling their joy, fear, passion and pain. Jim’s novel speaks to the empowerment of persistence with the characters as they work through their trials. As a therapist, I appreciated the heartfelt struggles from each of the characters and their diversity. I also found value in the novel’s understanding of society’s misunderstanding of both mental health and other conditions in which people struggle. The novel contains rich exposure to various realities that many of us do not know about . . . but should. When I finished this captivating novel, I was wanting to read the sequel! It was an honor and a wonderful, mesmerizing experience reading this book. Congratulations, Jim!

Jane Holzrichter

I finished it last night around midnight. What a great piece of work. It kept me intrigued all the way to the end.

Sean McArdle, Winchester, England

Retired police officer Potter’s novel centres on very disparate characters and through the tried and tested means of gradually introducing each one, builds a sense of anticipation about what is going to happen to them. This often used methodology is not easy to do well but is superbly handled by Potter who knows how to give enough detail to bring the characters to life, yet not too much so as to slow down the pace of the developing story. A climactic event affects the main characters and it is at this point Potter’s deep knowledge of people and police procedures really hits home; page by page we read how a seemingly simple, though terrible occurrence, can have huge consequences. To Potter’s credit the story does not have a completely conclusive or simplistic ending. Instead it leaves the reader thinking about how the events of a single minute can affect lives forever. I would whole heartedly recommend this book not as a crime novel or even as a novel about crime but as a beautiful and positive affirmation about what it is to be human and how ultimately it is relationships which matter more than events.

Morgan Penner

Taking Back the Bullet is a novel that provides the reader with a window into the world of law enforcement. As the novel unfolds, the reader is able to see how split-second decisions alter the lives of the main characters in the story. Taking Back the Bullet also explores how humanity is impacted by mental illness. One of my favorite quotes from Taking Back the Bullet is “We’re all just a critical moment from being disabled or mentally ill, and we don’t want to think about it.” The novel also provides the reader an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how mental illness impacts the individuals, their family, friends, and society. Taking Back the Bullet is a story of forgiveness and overcoming life’s struggles and tragedies.

Steve Becker

I’m impressed. It was an excellent read. . . . I hope you continue with more projects in the future.

Larry Kruckman, anthropologist

Jim Potter displays ethnographic skills in Taking Back the Bullet: Trajectories of Self-Discovery, creating vivid scenes and fascinating characters. The Greeks had a word for subcultures and people’s behavior: ‘ethos,’ or ‘ways of being.’ In colorful, sometimes marvelous detail, this novel captures various people and settings . . . the ethos of rural Kansas: a jail, art fair, powwow, rehab center, courtroom, albinos, and even someone in the throes of postpartum depression. So detailed are the descriptions that they must be drawn from the author’s personal experience. Besides the artfully created characters such as the struggling jailer and husband Tom Jennings, local artist Jesse Thomas, and Native American Joe Morningcloud, there is a tight story line that grabs your attention and won’t let go. Human tensions, love, conflict, joys and sorrows are all there. Magically, all the many pieces come together in a final crescendo, giving hope that even when we find ourselves in big trouble we can survive. This is a novel I highly recommend!

Larry Kruckman
Anthropologist
Karleen Wilson-Moon

Terrific story relevant to today’s social issues . . . well written . . . likable characters . . . insightful perspective from an insider in law enforcement.

Karleen Wilson-Moon

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