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FRAN SPEAKS OUT! Talk Online with Children's Book Author Fran Lewis |
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Interview with Mayra Calvani
Interview by Kit Grady, www.KitGrady.com
Multi-genre author, reviewer and animal advocate, Mayra Calvani, enjoys writing for children and
adults. A regular contributor to BLOGCRITICS MAGAZINE and AMERICAN CHRONICLE, she's a
member of SCBWI, CWCC and Broad Universe. She keeps two blogs, Mayra's Secret Bookcase
and The Dark Phantom Review.
Additionally, she's the co-author of the ForeWord Best of the Year Award winner, THE SLIPPERY
ART OF BOOK REVIEWING.
Visit her newest, fun blog, Pets and Their Authors, where her golden retriever interviews authors'
pets.
Mayra does Spanish translations of children's picture books, is co-editor of Voice in the Dark
newsletter, and the National Latino Books Examiner for Examiner.com.
Check out her children's books at Mayra's Secret Bookcase.
When working on a story, what steps or process do you use?
For a picture book, what usually happens is I get an idea and then let it simmer in my mind for
weeks, sometimes even months or years. Then one day I just feel the need to write it down and
the whole thing pours out of me in a sitting. When this happens, I stay working on the story a
whole morning or a whole day. I then take a break from it for maybe a day or two before going
back and polishing it. Then I send it to my critique group for feedback. This is very helpful. I may
or may not take on their suggestions, but their advice is always good. I save each version of the
story, so if I edit the story 5 times, I’ll save those 5 files of each version under a folder named after
the book’s title.
What sparks your ideas for stories?
Real life, newspaper articles, TV shows, family stories, memories, photos, beautiful scenery.
Everything around me may spark an idea in me. The Muse is a very curious thing.
What is your strongest personal trait that make you a better writer?
I would say persistence. I never give up, no matter how many rejection letters I get or the
competitive state of the children’s book market.
Where did your last story idea come from? Where were you when you began working on
it?
For a long time I wanted to write a picture book story about a little mouse or hamster who loved
books so much, he didn’t have time for friends. That’s how Humberto the Bookworm Hamster
came about. As usual, I let the idea simmer for some time, then, one morning, I got up from bed
and had to sit down and write it. So that’s what I did, and the story poured out of me in one sitting.
Humberto loves books so much, he reads at all times of the day; even while he sleeps he reads—
audio books. The other animals want to become his friends, but he doesn’t have time for them. He’
s too busy reading! Then one day a flood comes and he must decide whether to salvage the rest
of his books before they sink in the rising water or helping the animals. Humberto’s story is a tale
about books and the true meaning of friendship: how good are books really if you can’t share
them with people who care about?
I can sympathize with my character because many times I see myself in him. As a writer and
reviewer, I’m so involved with books I tend to become a hermit. Socializing is important too.
What advice would you give a new writer?
My first advice would be, of course, to read a lot. If you want to write picture books, read dozen of
picture books a month. Especially read award winners and when you read these books, study
them and what made them so successful. If you’re new to the craft of picture book writing, read
nonfiction books on the subject, take a course or a workshop. Join a good critique group, one that
focuses on picture books. A writer who’s not familiar with this genre won’t be able to help you, no
matter how good they are at writing, let’s say, chick-lit novels. Last but not least, WRITE. I try to
write one picture book story a week, or at least two a month. You get better the more you write
and, most importantly, the writing will come easier.
Peek inside Humberto, the Bookworm Hamster at Guardian Angel Publishing.
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/humberto.htm
Interview by Kit Grady, www.KitGrady.com
Multi-genre author, reviewer and animal advocate, Mayra Calvani, enjoys writing for children and
adults. A regular contributor to BLOGCRITICS MAGAZINE and AMERICAN CHRONICLE, she's a
member of SCBWI, CWCC and Broad Universe. She keeps two blogs, Mayra's Secret Bookcase
and The Dark Phantom Review.
Additionally, she's the co-author of the ForeWord Best of the Year Award winner, THE SLIPPERY
ART OF BOOK REVIEWING.
Visit her newest, fun blog, Pets and Their Authors, where her golden retriever interviews authors'
pets.
Mayra does Spanish translations of children's picture books, is co-editor of Voice in the Dark
newsletter, and the National Latino Books Examiner for Examiner.com.
Check out her children's books at Mayra's Secret Bookcase.
When working on a story, what steps or process do you use?
For a picture book, what usually happens is I get an idea and then let it simmer in my mind for
weeks, sometimes even months or years. Then one day I just feel the need to write it down and
the whole thing pours out of me in a sitting. When this happens, I stay working on the story a
whole morning or a whole day. I then take a break from it for maybe a day or two before going
back and polishing it. Then I send it to my critique group for feedback. This is very helpful. I may
or may not take on their suggestions, but their advice is always good. I save each version of the
story, so if I edit the story 5 times, I’ll save those 5 files of each version under a folder named after
the book’s title.
What sparks your ideas for stories?
Real life, newspaper articles, TV shows, family stories, memories, photos, beautiful scenery.
Everything around me may spark an idea in me. The Muse is a very curious thing.
What is your strongest personal trait that make you a better writer?
I would say persistence. I never give up, no matter how many rejection letters I get or the
competitive state of the children’s book market.
Where did your last story idea come from? Where were you when you began working on
it?
For a long time I wanted to write a picture book story about a little mouse or hamster who loved
books so much, he didn’t have time for friends. That’s how Humberto the Bookworm Hamster
came about. As usual, I let the idea simmer for some time, then, one morning, I got up from bed
and had to sit down and write it. So that’s what I did, and the story poured out of me in one sitting.
Humberto loves books so much, he reads at all times of the day; even while he sleeps he reads—
audio books. The other animals want to become his friends, but he doesn’t have time for them. He’
s too busy reading! Then one day a flood comes and he must decide whether to salvage the rest
of his books before they sink in the rising water or helping the animals. Humberto’s story is a tale
about books and the true meaning of friendship: how good are books really if you can’t share
them with people who care about?
I can sympathize with my character because many times I see myself in him. As a writer and
reviewer, I’m so involved with books I tend to become a hermit. Socializing is important too.
What advice would you give a new writer?
My first advice would be, of course, to read a lot. If you want to write picture books, read dozen of
picture books a month. Especially read award winners and when you read these books, study
them and what made them so successful. If you’re new to the craft of picture book writing, read
nonfiction books on the subject, take a course or a workshop. Join a good critique group, one that
focuses on picture books. A writer who’s not familiar with this genre won’t be able to help you, no
matter how good they are at writing, let’s say, chick-lit novels. Last but not least, WRITE. I try to
write one picture book story a week, or at least two a month. You get better the more you write
and, most importantly, the writing will come easier.
Peek inside Humberto, the Bookworm Hamster at Guardian Angel Publishing.
http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/humberto.htm
Keeping It Together - Dellani Oakes |
If you're like me, you need an intervention. No, not with drugs, alcohol or gambling, organization!
My desk and files are an organizational nightmare! I'm not the most disorganized person I know, but I'm close. Being an author with O.D.D.,
(Organization Disability Disorder), I've come up with a couple very simple tricks.
Since I work on more than one story at a time, I'm juggling characters and story lines. To keep myself straight, especially with minor characters, I
keep a three ring binder with sections and tabs for each story. Using the file name from the computer file, I write it on the tab. On one page, I keep
a list of characters, all of them, no matter how small a role they play. On another, I keep a list of chapters and their page numbers. It's very easy to
continue writing until a story is complete, but it's good to give the story some natural stopping or slowing places.
Every author has to do research at some point. Although I bookmark pages on my browser, it's a horrible mess. Despite my best efforts to do
better, it's still a mile long and a disaster. To combat that, I print out the pages of research that I need, complete with the web address, in case I
have to go back. These, I punch and put in another three ring binder. I keep it within reach so that I can find what I need.
I have in mind to tag the pages per story or at least per subject, but I haven't gotten that far. That's my goal – though it may be next year before I
get it done. These are very easy things for any writer to accomplish. Even for the clinically O.D.D., there is hope!
| When Cliches Don’t Resemble Themselves? by Claudette J. Young |
Cliches surrounds us. People like using phrases that express a visual concept/behavior/truism in a few words. I’m sure that’s why they’ve continued
to thrive in a business that puts a firm heel on their throats at every opportunity. However, since the writer, as well as the reader, habitually thinks in
cliché terms, why can’t both fresh writing and the chche share the spotlight.
This seemed a subject I could jump on like a fox on a mouse. I know you were thinking something else. That proves my point. There comes a time
when the reader will come across a cliche that does a twist mid-phrase and ends someplace unexpected.
I discovered this little trick not long ago completely by accident. I’d been railing against clichés for months ever since my instructor caught me flat-
faced from having fallen on one in an assignment.
Later I spent a few minutes putting together an e-mail to a writer friend and while typing realized that I was using another cliché. I backed up,
deleted half of the phrase and twisted the words. The phrase ended up meaning much the same thing but elicited an entirely different mental
picture from the reader. It worked very well.
Good things come from this handy trick, though. It demands that the writer stop and consider the impact of her/his words; how an analogy, allegory,
metaphor, or like device can enhance the visual aspect of the writing. Writers know that plotting depends on the twists added to take the reader to
unanticipated destinations. This phrase activity does much the same thing for effect.
Did you know that one hand can wash a dish without needing assistance to do it? I’ll bet you hadn’t thought about which of the two heads is smarter
when they’re working together. For me, I’d ask why the person wants to take two birds out of the bush to begin with. I mean, if you’re going to all the
trouble to pull two out, why not take the third one, too?
Cliches grate on editors’ nerves. Put in a twist and new destination and the sentiment remains without jangling editors’ nervous systems. It takes
only one or, at most, two in a piece to show freshness of thought without causing distress. I usually do this type of writing when working with humor.
If you want a fun exercise to practice new thoughts for old sayings, try this:
Build a traditional Haiku poem of 5-7-5 syllables around a cliché, concept, proverb, etc. Because you have to shift your perspective, you should be
able to come up with fun and entertaining examples to keep you on your best writing behavior. No toes allowed.
Example: Nine stitches saved now,
A deed begun yesterday
As one well-timed stitch.
Few would miss the adage of: A stitch in time saves nine. The reverse visual, though, has changed the writer’s approach to the saying. As well, the
reader of the poem comes away with a different experience.
If you want one of a more literary bend, try something like this:
Bodies litter ground,
Aerial attack by gas,
None understand truth.
Took you to a battlefield, no doubt, didn’t it? Yet, in truth, this short piece sums up the small French children’s story about a tailor who killed seven
flies with one blow. In fact, if memory serves (fresh version: if I found the right mental file) the name of the story was “Seven With One Blow.” I did
change weapons for my poem, though. I modernized it with an aerosol attack instead of heavy artillery. New perspective can frame an amazing
beginning.
Whether it’s cliches that the writer make fresh or just the attitude used when expressing a description, this exercise pays off. Try it. Do your own
experiments. Be obscure, if that’s your need, or be obvious as I did with stitches. It all serves the same master. YOU.
Everyone judges a book by its cover. The average bookstore browser spends about five seconds looking at the
front cover and about ten seconds scanning the back cover. Human animals share a tendency with monkeys
and crows; we’re all attracted to bright, shiny objects. Having a gold seal on your book cover (and maybe even
printed on the back cover) attracts attention and denotes the “seal of approval” from someone of authority.
An award sticker brings extra credibility to a book that can give it an edge with buyers making a decision
between competing titles.
Freda Roberts
front cover and about ten seconds scanning the back cover. Human animals share a tendency with monkeys
and crows; we’re all attracted to bright, shiny objects. Having a gold seal on your book cover (and maybe even
printed on the back cover) attracts attention and denotes the “seal of approval” from someone of authority.
An award sticker brings extra credibility to a book that can give it an edge with buyers making a decision
between competing titles.
Freda Roberts
Terry Spear
For children's literature: Read the age level books that you love to write. It helps to get a feel for what publishers are looking for, the cadence, the
kinds of material that is acceptable, the word count, what's been done to death before and come up with something unique! Terry Lee Wilde,
Author of The Vampire...In My Dreams, Deidre's Secrets,http://www.terrywildeteenbooks.com
For adult literature: Start the story where the character is facing a dilemma. Too much past history in the form of back story slows the pacing and
makes for a slow start for readers. If back story is necessary, sprinkle it through the story in small bites so it doesn't take the reader out of the
present. The story should move forward--toward some resolution--good or bad. Terry Spear, Award-winning author of Urban Fantasy & Medieval
Romance,http://www.terryspear.com
For children's literature: Read the age level books that you love to write. It helps to get a feel for what publishers are looking for, the cadence, the
kinds of material that is acceptable, the word count, what's been done to death before and come up with something unique! Terry Lee Wilde,
Author of The Vampire...In My Dreams, Deidre's Secrets,http://www.terrywildeteenbooks.com
For adult literature: Start the story where the character is facing a dilemma. Too much past history in the form of back story slows the pacing and
makes for a slow start for readers. If back story is necessary, sprinkle it through the story in small bites so it doesn't take the reader out of the
present. The story should move forward--toward some resolution--good or bad. Terry Spear, Award-winning author of Urban Fantasy & Medieval
Romance,http://www.terryspear.com
My advice for writers:
The best advice is “persevere.” You may write a piece you love, but it never finds a good home in the public eye. No matter: readers come in all
tastes, and if you like your stories, chances are someone else out there will like them, too. Keep trying, and try not to be discouraged by rejection.
Accept constructive criticism; if you need to work on your craft, and/or find an editor to help you with the details, then do so. Don’t let one editor’s,
one reviewer’s, one reader’s opinion of your work cause you to throw in the towel, though. If all else fails, will your writing to the college or high
school you attended, and some future generation will discover your unappreciated genius.
Do read your work out loud to yourself; don’t take rejection personally.
Erin O'Riordan
www.erinoriordan.blogspot.com
The best advice is “persevere.” You may write a piece you love, but it never finds a good home in the public eye. No matter: readers come in all
tastes, and if you like your stories, chances are someone else out there will like them, too. Keep trying, and try not to be discouraged by rejection.
Accept constructive criticism; if you need to work on your craft, and/or find an editor to help you with the details, then do so. Don’t let one editor’s,
one reviewer’s, one reader’s opinion of your work cause you to throw in the towel, though. If all else fails, will your writing to the college or high
school you attended, and some future generation will discover your unappreciated genius.
Do read your work out loud to yourself; don’t take rejection personally.
Erin O'Riordan
www.erinoriordan.blogspot.com
| SECRETS OF COLLABORATION by Karen Elizabeth Rigley |
Writing can be lonely and isolate you, so it’s fun to write with others. Co-writing means someone to brainstorm with you, a
partner to share the load, who adds depth and speed; maybe a kindred spirit to inspire (or carry) you when words won't flow.
My most frequent writing partner and I have worked together for over a decade. Also, I have collaborated with other writers on
various projects from novels to scripts. In fact, right now I’m collaborating with a friend and novelist on a mystery. She has
current deadlines, so I’m beginning the book on my own, but sending it to her and incorporating her edits as I go.Collaboration
gone awry can be a dangerous thing: ripping apart friends, crippling careers and poisoning once cordial personalities. It doesn't
take luck to make collaboration work -- it takes trust.In collaboration you share the benefits and you share the problems.
Attitudes that are adaptable and willing to compromise spell the difference between stop and go or unfinished and sold. Forget
POWER. No such thing exists in a true partnership. Work together. Build upon each other's words, ignite one another's
creativity and draw dimension from your differences.Here are some collaboration rules to smooth your co-writing path:*Trust
and respect your co-writer.*Believe in your partner's skill.*Share a vision of the project.*Don't get stuck in a your way or my
way mindset. (There's always another choice, an additional alternative.)*Be flexible and willing to compromise.*Don’t jockey for
power or battle for control.*Blend your writing. Don't force your style on your partner.*Once you complete a project,
collaborators should go over it carefully for a seamless manuscript – no one should be able to detect a difference in who wrote
what. It should flow together like two streams winding into one river.*Agree on terms before you begin collaboration.*Sign a
simple contract beforehand. We have a brief agreement stating we share 50/50 all earnings and major expenses such as agent
fees.*Make sure you are compatible -- from software to personalities. *Define your collaboration methods upfront; then please be
flexible. *Be supportive. Life throws everyone curves at times.*Keep a sense of humor. You can handle anything, if you can laugh
about it.*Remember nothing is carved in stone.Co-writing doesn't work for every author or on every project. Don't be crushed if
it doesn't work out. Maybe you were paired with the wrong writer or at the wrong time.Collaboration can add dimension to
writing, enhancing one another’s talents to create an end product better than either could produce alone. If you want to
collaborate – go for it. Co-writing can be fun. Maybe you’ll discover it’s your favorite way to write.PARTNERSCollaboration
takes respect,compromiseand trustcombined with a bitof magicand humor to glue it.Without the right formula,don’tdo it. ***K.
E. Rigley bio:A multi-award winning author/poet/designer, Karen is recognized for her ability to touch readers with her myriad
of stories, articles, scripts and poetry. She’s a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America and also the
International Women’s Writing Guild. She was editor/director of Writer's Rainbow and has been a first reader for several
publications.Her work’s appeared in: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Love Stories, Underwired Magazine (Sept 08), WritersReign, On
the SingleSide, Magic, The Magic Within, Today’s Woman, Grit, Science Fiction Review, ComputerEdge, Andre Norton’s TALES
OF THE WITCHWORLD (Volumes Two & Three), CATFANTASTIC Edited by Andre Norton & Martin H. Greenberg,
CATFANTASTIC II and CATFANTASTIC III, Romance Writers Report, RhymeTime, SouthWest Writers Workshop, Science Fiction
& Fantasy Workshop, Inkling, Today’s Writing Community, Keystrokes, MysteryTime, Housewife Writers Forum, Strange
Wonderland, Stuff My Ear Magazine, Warrior Wise Woman 2 anthology (Norilana Books), etc.
partner to share the load, who adds depth and speed; maybe a kindred spirit to inspire (or carry) you when words won't flow.
My most frequent writing partner and I have worked together for over a decade. Also, I have collaborated with other writers on
various projects from novels to scripts. In fact, right now I’m collaborating with a friend and novelist on a mystery. She has
current deadlines, so I’m beginning the book on my own, but sending it to her and incorporating her edits as I go.Collaboration
gone awry can be a dangerous thing: ripping apart friends, crippling careers and poisoning once cordial personalities. It doesn't
take luck to make collaboration work -- it takes trust.In collaboration you share the benefits and you share the problems.
Attitudes that are adaptable and willing to compromise spell the difference between stop and go or unfinished and sold. Forget
POWER. No such thing exists in a true partnership. Work together. Build upon each other's words, ignite one another's
creativity and draw dimension from your differences.Here are some collaboration rules to smooth your co-writing path:*Trust
and respect your co-writer.*Believe in your partner's skill.*Share a vision of the project.*Don't get stuck in a your way or my
way mindset. (There's always another choice, an additional alternative.)*Be flexible and willing to compromise.*Don’t jockey for
power or battle for control.*Blend your writing. Don't force your style on your partner.*Once you complete a project,
collaborators should go over it carefully for a seamless manuscript – no one should be able to detect a difference in who wrote
what. It should flow together like two streams winding into one river.*Agree on terms before you begin collaboration.*Sign a
simple contract beforehand. We have a brief agreement stating we share 50/50 all earnings and major expenses such as agent
fees.*Make sure you are compatible -- from software to personalities. *Define your collaboration methods upfront; then please be
flexible. *Be supportive. Life throws everyone curves at times.*Keep a sense of humor. You can handle anything, if you can laugh
about it.*Remember nothing is carved in stone.Co-writing doesn't work for every author or on every project. Don't be crushed if
it doesn't work out. Maybe you were paired with the wrong writer or at the wrong time.Collaboration can add dimension to
writing, enhancing one another’s talents to create an end product better than either could produce alone. If you want to
collaborate – go for it. Co-writing can be fun. Maybe you’ll discover it’s your favorite way to write.PARTNERSCollaboration
takes respect,compromiseand trustcombined with a bitof magicand humor to glue it.Without the right formula,don’tdo it. ***K.
E. Rigley bio:A multi-award winning author/poet/designer, Karen is recognized for her ability to touch readers with her myriad
of stories, articles, scripts and poetry. She’s a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America and also the
International Women’s Writing Guild. She was editor/director of Writer's Rainbow and has been a first reader for several
publications.Her work’s appeared in: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Love Stories, Underwired Magazine (Sept 08), WritersReign, On
the SingleSide, Magic, The Magic Within, Today’s Woman, Grit, Science Fiction Review, ComputerEdge, Andre Norton’s TALES
OF THE WITCHWORLD (Volumes Two & Three), CATFANTASTIC Edited by Andre Norton & Martin H. Greenberg,
CATFANTASTIC II and CATFANTASTIC III, Romance Writers Report, RhymeTime, SouthWest Writers Workshop, Science Fiction
& Fantasy Workshop, Inkling, Today’s Writing Community, Keystrokes, MysteryTime, Housewife Writers Forum, Strange
Wonderland, Stuff My Ear Magazine, Warrior Wise Woman 2 anthology (Norilana Books), etc.
CAPTURING CHARACTERS
by Karen Elizabeth Rigley
Nonwriters often ask, "Where do you get your ideas?"
The answer is everywhere.
A word or phrase can fire a writer's imagination. Overhearing a conversation in a café, or the way a person cocks their head, or watching strangers
say goodbye at the airport may spark a story. News items, children's antics, cloud formations, an unusual name or the scent of a night-blooming
flower, can be the match to burst a twig-size idea into forest fire.
Writers can discover things to write about any where they care to look. How often has an emotion or memory or disaster struck you with "I must
write about this"?
Frequently a character picked from real life or imagination demands to be written about, maybe because of a special strength or flaw. A quality
which makes that character react in a special way to problems and situations.
Even a real life crime can inspire a story (preferably with an ending customized by the author). One story of mine actually developed from an old-
fashioned used typewriter ribbon, one from a pretty name, another from a missing housewife and her cup of coffee. An intrigue can blossom out of
secret passages within the walls of a fourteenth century German castle or a curious classified ad. Who? Why? A match lights!
The stealthy silhouette of a man standing by a street lamp on a rainy night can inspire a mystery. Seeing an unknown woman crying can spark a
writer's imagination. Even an unidentified noise at midnight can spin into a tale.
Hobbies fuel ideas for characters, background and plot. So can careers. Or an author can discover a story in research. Perhaps a historical
novelist striking gold in a century old journal kept by a medical student. Some authors can write an entire book around one antique gown. Where
will it be worn? When? Who will where it? For who? What happens?
Often a writer's ideas spring from questions like: "What if?" or "What happens next?" Anything can ignite a novel's action/reaction plot if it strikes an
author. Lobsters at the supermarket, a shadow through a shower curtain, even a trip to the zoo have sparked entire novels. Anything can set off a
writer.
We aren't safe anywhere -- not washing the dishes, sitting in a dentist chair, or flying over the desert. Keep notes to stockpile your ideas. Organize
your ideas in notebook, on index cards or in your computer. Writers never know when that idea-spark might be needed to light a story bonfire.
Ideas are everywhere. Capture them.
bio: A multi-award winning author/poet/designer, Karen is recognized for her ability to touch readers with her myriad of stories, articles, scripts and
poetry. She’s a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America and also the International Women’s Writing Guild. She was editor/director
of Writer's Rainbow. Her work’s appeared in: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Love Stories, Underwired Magazine (Sept 08), On the SingleSide, Magic,
The Magic Within, Grit, Science Fiction Review, ComputerEdge, Andre Norton’s TALES OF THE WITCHWORLD (Volume Three), CATFANTASTIC
Edited by Andre Norton & Martin H. Greenberg, CATFANTASTIC II and CATFANTASTIC III, Romance Writers Report, Today's Woman, SouthWest
Writers Workshop, Science Fiction & Fantasy Workshop, Inkling, Keystrokes, MysteryTime, Housewife Writers Forum, Strange Wonderland, Stuff
My Ear Magazine, Warrior Wise Woman 2 Anthology (Norilana Books), etc.
by Karen Elizabeth Rigley
Nonwriters often ask, "Where do you get your ideas?"
The answer is everywhere.
A word or phrase can fire a writer's imagination. Overhearing a conversation in a café, or the way a person cocks their head, or watching strangers
say goodbye at the airport may spark a story. News items, children's antics, cloud formations, an unusual name or the scent of a night-blooming
flower, can be the match to burst a twig-size idea into forest fire.
Writers can discover things to write about any where they care to look. How often has an emotion or memory or disaster struck you with "I must
write about this"?
Frequently a character picked from real life or imagination demands to be written about, maybe because of a special strength or flaw. A quality
which makes that character react in a special way to problems and situations.
Even a real life crime can inspire a story (preferably with an ending customized by the author). One story of mine actually developed from an old-
fashioned used typewriter ribbon, one from a pretty name, another from a missing housewife and her cup of coffee. An intrigue can blossom out of
secret passages within the walls of a fourteenth century German castle or a curious classified ad. Who? Why? A match lights!
The stealthy silhouette of a man standing by a street lamp on a rainy night can inspire a mystery. Seeing an unknown woman crying can spark a
writer's imagination. Even an unidentified noise at midnight can spin into a tale.
Hobbies fuel ideas for characters, background and plot. So can careers. Or an author can discover a story in research. Perhaps a historical
novelist striking gold in a century old journal kept by a medical student. Some authors can write an entire book around one antique gown. Where
will it be worn? When? Who will where it? For who? What happens?
Often a writer's ideas spring from questions like: "What if?" or "What happens next?" Anything can ignite a novel's action/reaction plot if it strikes an
author. Lobsters at the supermarket, a shadow through a shower curtain, even a trip to the zoo have sparked entire novels. Anything can set off a
writer.
We aren't safe anywhere -- not washing the dishes, sitting in a dentist chair, or flying over the desert. Keep notes to stockpile your ideas. Organize
your ideas in notebook, on index cards or in your computer. Writers never know when that idea-spark might be needed to light a story bonfire.
Ideas are everywhere. Capture them.
bio: A multi-award winning author/poet/designer, Karen is recognized for her ability to touch readers with her myriad of stories, articles, scripts and
poetry. She’s a member of Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America and also the International Women’s Writing Guild. She was editor/director
of Writer's Rainbow. Her work’s appeared in: Chicken Soup for the Soul: Love Stories, Underwired Magazine (Sept 08), On the SingleSide, Magic,
The Magic Within, Grit, Science Fiction Review, ComputerEdge, Andre Norton’s TALES OF THE WITCHWORLD (Volume Three), CATFANTASTIC
Edited by Andre Norton & Martin H. Greenberg, CATFANTASTIC II and CATFANTASTIC III, Romance Writers Report, Today's Woman, SouthWest
Writers Workshop, Science Fiction & Fantasy Workshop, Inkling, Keystrokes, MysteryTime, Housewife Writers Forum, Strange Wonderland, Stuff
My Ear Magazine, Warrior Wise Woman 2 Anthology (Norilana Books), etc.