(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · 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 … [Read more...] about Back Story
literary fiction
Mix Things Up: Braiding
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · 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, … [Read more...] about Mix Things Up: Braiding
Getting to Know Your Characters
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · 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 … [Read more...] about Getting to Know Your Characters
More Seeds to Sow
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · 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 … [Read more...] about More Seeds to Sow
Seeds to Sow: Questions to Ask
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · 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 … [Read more...] about Seeds to Sow: Questions to Ask
Seeds to a Story: Listen, Read, Write, Repeat
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Listen, Read, Write, Repeat · If you're a writer, or want to be a writer, do you save story-starters? Do you file newspaper clippings, save Pinterest images, or write down bits of overheard conversations, certain you'll use the comments or pictures in future dialogue? Maybe your file is labeled, "Save - to Use Later." I'm reading the Hutchinson News, and I glance at the obituaries and see the name, "Billy … [Read more...] about Seeds to a Story: Listen, Read, Write, Repeat
Cultural Exposure: Albinism and Africa
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Albinism and Africa · I've never been to Tanzania, but I've researched the country, especially the PWA community. The acronym stands for People With Albinism. If you want to learn more about the genetic condition called albinism, I recommend the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH). If you want information on the fight against attacks on people with albinism, especially … [Read more...] about Cultural Exposure: Albinism and Africa
Creative Writing: Fake News
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Fake News · Today the media talks about the alarming impact of "fake news." No doubt that in our instant, mass communication world, one fraudulent or deceptive story can cause massive confusion with grave consequences. Check out this "exaggeration" post card from 1937 showing a rather large grasshopper that died of lead poisoning. Similar manipulated, tall-tale images had been in circulation since the … [Read more...] about Creative Writing: Fake News
Best Character Descriptions: Wanted for Murder
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · WANTED FOR MURDER · I've been collecting "Reward" postcards since I was first hired by the Reno County Sheriff's Office (KS). I find the descriptors fascinating. Most of these penny postcards were quickly printed and mailed once a criminal offense was reported to local law enforcement. Of course, this was in the day long, long before instant communication. The sheriff told the receivers of the card … [Read more...] about Best Character Descriptions: Wanted for Murder
A Writer’s Rabbit Hole
(To listen to the audio of this blog post, use the purple play button.) · Down the Rabbit Hole · I've traveled down many rabbit holes before completing a first draft of a book. The trip down the black hole always begins innocently enough, with nothing but good intentions: I believe I need to get enough useful background on a topic before I can start the story. But there are inherent risks in entering a rabbit hole. Once you start on the path, it can become disorienting, … [Read more...] about A Writer’s Rabbit Hole
