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Writing is Like Hatching an Egg
Greetings fellow story lovers, Two ducklings hatched out of my incubator this spring. I love this project. Although it demands hard work and patience, it can produce joyous results. The same is true of the writing process. Stories begin with ideas. The fertile mind incubates a nucleus of an inspirational thought, rotating it in the mind so it’s warmed thoroughly. The shell is fragile and the wise writer doesn’t open herself up to criticism by speaking of her project until it’s fully formed. The project needs to be turned several times a day (28 days for ducks) until the last…
Inspiration
Inspiration Greetings fellow story lovers, What gets your creative juices flowing? Where are you when inspiration strikes? Among my favorite times in life are those moments when I’m driving along on a long quiet stretch of highway and my mind starts whirling with ideas. It also happens in the bathtub, upon wakening, at my computer early in the morning, and while walking my dog in the woods or horseback riding. I keep paper and pen or my mini-recorder handy because even though I think it’s such a brilliant thought I couldn’t possibly forget it, I will. Do you ever get…
Painting Word Pictures
wall Greetings fellow story lovers, Even though there are times when I wish my imagination wasn’t so active, it is a great tool for storytelling. Ever since I began trail riding in isolated woods, I’ve been terrified that my horse and I will be attacked by dogs. My imagination paints a vivid picture of the horse rearing up, unseating me and sending me crashing to the ground in the midst of viscous Rottweilers. While I’d rather not dwell on that scenario, I drew upon it while writing the fifth Kayla Montgomery mystery series, WOLVES IN SHEEP’S CLOTHING. Kayla becomes lost…
What If . . .
Greetings fellow story lovers, What if . . . are magic words to writers and story tellers. What if an animal attraction with over 100 live reptiles including crocodiles, unusual albino iguanos, and the world’s largest snake caught on fire? snake This question led to my interviewing the owner and began the fourth Kayla Montgomery book, LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION. From that question others emerged including a compelling one about love and attraction. What if my main character had to choose between a relationship based on intrique and seduction or one built on mutual interests and companionship? Free LEAD…
Passion
Greetings fellow story lovers, What makes you grind your teeth, giggle like a hyper kid, or hiss like a panther? What makes the hair on the back of your neck tingle, your fingers dig at your scalp, or your throat ache with sadness? These intense feelings can be the origin of impassioned stories. Egg A friend once described to me how concerned she was about a neighbor’s neglected horses. They didn’t have grain, hay, or water. The owner hadn’t trimmed their hooves and they’d grown so long the hooves actually curled around themselves. She reported the neighbor to the humane…
Great Things Come in Small Packages
Great Things Come in Small Packages Greetings fellow story lovers!Shortly after my young daughters and I began taking riding lessons, I dreamed of buying a horse of our own. In order to save money, I considered bidding for a wild horse at a Bureau of Land Management auction. I read many books and articles, and attended an auction where I wistfully stared at a pregnant mare. For only $125 I’d be able to get a mother and her foal. But I’d done enough research to know the many regulations about owning a wild horse. Furthermore, a horse newly captured from…
Noah’s Ark
Hello! Welcome to my blog, a place where writers and readers can meet to share the joy of stories. And who doesn’t love a swooshing good story.I was perched on top of the waterslide at “Noah’s Ark” waterpark in Wisconsin Dells. I pulled up my stretched-out one piece as I waited for my turn. The place was packed, and I noticed some former students.Finally it was my turn. I lay face first on the mat, took a deep breath, then shoved off. Whoosh! Down the enclosed tunnel, lights flashing as if in warning. Pool just ahead. waterslide “Splosh!” I hit…
