· Creole Christmas Cake · In late November my friend in Winchester, England, told me about Stir Up Sunday. “It’s sort of a Christian festival or at least it’s connected with Christmas," he told me. “It’s always the last Sunday before the start of Advent and the basic idea is that the whole family get together to help bake a Christmas cake or pudding. Each person has to help stir the mix and then at Christmas they all eat what they made.” “Nice,” I commented. “Will Emmie and … [Read more...] about Stir Up Sunday
creative writing
Kansas Authors Club
· Author Ann Christine Fell · On Saturday I attended a district meeting of the Kansas Authors Club (KAC) in Hutchinson, Kansas. All writers and those interested in becoming writers are welcome to join. The main attraction was the guest speaker, Ann Fell, Winfield, KS. Her book, Sundrop Sonata: A Novel of Suspense (2016), was published two years following her memoir, In the Shadow of the Wind: A Story of Love, Loss, and Finding Life Again (2014). Each publication, in consecutive years, … [Read more...] about Kansas Authors Club
“I Want to Write a Book”
· Ideas Are a Dime a Dozen · I’ve been meeting a lot of people lately who recognize that I’m a writer and author. Sometimes they congratulate me on the accomplishment and sometimes they purchase one of my books, but I’m also learning that many people have a yearning to be a published author. Usually, not too long into our conversation, they spill their guts: “I want to write a book, too.” “Yeah, I know the feeling,” I want to respond. You see, I have three more books in my head and so … [Read more...] about “I Want to Write a Book”
The Big Lie
· Rolla Preceded Roswell · A good portion of the population has heard of Roswell, New Mexico; not for its desert beauty, but for the decision of the US government to cover up the truth about UFOs and early alien contact in 1947. A little known fact is that Rolla, in southwest Kansas, was the epicenter of alien visitation nearly twenty years before the Roswell Incident. My Grandpa Clarence, who farmed there, explained it to me over the course of my family visits to Hutchinson, … [Read more...] about The Big Lie
Stretching the Truth
· Tall Tales · My Grandpa Clarence used to talk about the fertile farmland in western Kansas before the drought, grasshoppers, jack rabbits, and dust storms ravaged the country. He said he and the family had some extremely productive years for over a decade before "The Crash." When our family visited, just in case I doubted him, he would dig out his photographs and hand them to me as positive proof. "A picture's worth a thousand words," he'd advise, then silently begin rolling a cigarette … [Read more...] about Stretching the Truth
Back Story
· Going Backward in Order to Go Forward · "422 to 409." "409, go ahead." "If you want to stop by, you can take some more photographs for us." "No thanks, I've got other plans. Do you have enough help without me?" "10-4." I should have been thankful for the offer, instead it only reinforced my unwillingness to be a part of one more grisly scene of death. My shift was over. I had paid my dues. I just didn't have it in me to look at one more dead body. As I pulled into my driveway, only … [Read more...] about Back Story
Mix Things Up
· Braiding · Braiding means weaving information into the story, especially characters, like a hairdresser weaving strands of hair into one strong braid. In my novel, Taking Back the Bullet, I focus on three main characters and their families. Out of thirty-four chapters in the book, I use the first nine chapters introducing the fictional characters. The first two chapters are set in Prairie Grove, Kansas, where the reader meets jailer Tom Jennings and artist Jesse Thomas. In the … [Read more...] about Mix Things Up
Getting to Know Your Characters
· Who Are These People and What Are They Doing In My Head? · I'm having so much fun thinking about the fictional characters coming alive since the last blog! In the blog titled "More Seeds to Sow," I introduced you to a veteran with PTSD who relied on a flock of ducks to help keep him calm; a woman who was nearly evicted from her home but was able to adopt out her two dozen beardless dragons in time; and a criminal duo who landed in jail after their third armed robbery in which the woman … [Read more...] about Getting to Know Your Characters
More Seeds to Sow
· Fourteen Therapeutic Pet Ducks, 24 Bearded Dragons, and a Masked Batman Caper · "You can't make this stuff up!" I tell other writers. We're all in agreement. If you want any ideas for your writing, you don't need to read fake news online. Just take a few "real" headlines and start writing. Free-writing is one form used by writers to get started. You just take a topic, start writing, and see where it leads you. Today I'm using three brief AP news stories as examples of how topics … [Read more...] about More Seeds to Sow
Seeds to Sow
· Questions to Ask · Recently, in a Hutchinson News article, there was a story about a long-time bar being forced to close due to dwindling customer support. The owner was sharing a lot of memories with the reporter, but there was one that I knew immediately would fit into many a novel, maybe one of mine. Surprise! It's not a drunken fight scene. The owner recalled how when she and all her female employees took the night off to attend an event, they left a few male employees in charge at … [Read more...] about Seeds to Sow
