Category Archives: Writing

The Moon

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Postcards From the Muse

The Moon

You’re riding in the car late at night.  The sky looks like black velvet with tiny rhinestones dotted around the darker inkblots of clouds.  You admire the dark shapes the clouds make and notice a bright sliver working its way out from under the edge of the blackest splotch in the sky.  The moon struggles for attention.

As you watch the contest, you notice that as the cloud moves at just the right angle, the illusion of a frowning brow is created over the face of the moon morphing it into a giant eye watching the earth below.  You can’t take your eyes away.  A fuzzy line of fog forms around the silver disk morphing the illusion further.  You suddenly feel certain that a being observes and takes notes of the night life on the planet.

Who or what does this eye belong to?  Does it spy on a crime taking place?  Has a lover’s tryst caught its attention?  And why does it choose to appear angry?  What story can you find here?

Congratulations.  You have just received a postcard from the muse.

Nandy Ekle

PROOF

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PROOF

by Sharon Stevens

Several years ago my husband and I attended the stage play “PROOF” at the Branding Iron Theater on the campus of WTAMU. The story revolved around a brilliant mathematician after his death. The plot included his two daughters, a former teachers assistant, and their quest to find meaning in their life. The underlying theme was to find “proof’ in the notes that the father had left behind that he had solved a theorem. And later on when they did find the documentation they discovered it was his daughter who had proved the theory.

I was reminded of this story when I saw Googles doodles of the mathematician Pierre de Fermat celebrating his birthday August 17, 1601. Fermat left behind an unfinished equation known as Fermat’s Marginalia, recorded as such because he wrote a note in the margin of the Greek text of his favorite 3rd century mathematician, Diophantus.

To me it wasn’t so much that he left a note spouting his “aha” moment for mathematicians to contemplate for over four hundred years, but that he actually penciled in his thoughts which centuries later would still be inscribed for the world to see.

It is impossible to separate a cube into two cubes, or a fourth power into two fourth powers, or in general, any power higher than the second, into two like powers. I have discovered a truly marvelous PROOF of this, which this margin is too narrow to contain.

The play “PROOF” is over and done with. While watching the performance I have no clue of numbers or intergers or powers. My mind ached as the actors in the play rattled off computations way outside my math skills. My brain just does not compute such nonsense. I left that part behind me on the theater floor. But somewhere filed away I may again find the program from that night, (hopefully) and read the notes I penciled in the margins, the bites and pieces I remember of the the stage, the lights, the audience, the performance, and the words.

Oh how I loved the words!

Each of us as writers have our own way of keeping track of the endless barrage of words we accumulate. We realize we don’t have to have pristine Post-it notes around to record our inspiration. We can find a scrap of paper in the street just perfect to describe a scene, a smell, a hatred, or even a joy or a celebration.

Give us a pen, a pencil, a marker, or a crayon and we will travel! Nothing can stop us from recording what we feel is relevant to us at that particular time.

Loula Grace Erdman, the first Writer-in-Residence at WTAMU wrote in her book “A Time To Write”…

The mere act of picking up a pencil and pushing it across the page tends to put the dream to rout. But on the other hand, the act of holding the pencil furnishes an excellent compensation.

It sets your mind to work, which is a good way to harness a dream.

It may take us years to come across the story that will fit the words we jotted in a moment of passion. What of it? We know that our hearts can wait until that specific thought comes across our path again and not the other way around. We understand that every word printed means that somewhere in the world someone scribbled a note on a scrap of paper. This method then became a sentence that strengthened a paragraph, leading to a chapter, that evolved into book. And even more than that we realize every highlighted entry marked in a book or any notation in the margins becomes a bookmark passed through generations that at the very least can became a story for a storyteller to share.

Absolute PROOF that a writer existed!

Erdman goes on to write… “I still believe, however it is important to set down a thought when it comes. I have used church programs for this purpose, and backs of envelopes and scraps of paper and even, upon occasion, a paper napkin. In working on this manuscript I have repeatedly come across notes I made while writing previous books. I look at them and wonder why I wrote some of these scrawls that confront me. Where was I? What prompted the thoughts which now seem alien and strange?

It is like encountering a ghost of one’s former self.

Pierre de Fermat left an unfinished equation penciled in the margin of a beloved book. He didn’t date those notes, his thoughts too massive to expound. But even though this was not a completed work, he knew he would be leaving behind certain PROOF he lived.

As writers we need no more proof than that, because someday these notes may harness a dream.

Sharon Stevens

Active Writing cultivates new Material.

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Reasons to Write

Why do I write? Is it because throngs of fans demand it, anticipating every word of my next masterpiece? Is it because I honestly expect to make millions of dollars on a bestseller, or desire to be famous? No.

This week I will share with you reason number 2 of why I write.

Reason #2 – Active Writing cultivates new Material.

 

As a writer do you struggle to find new material to write?

For me, ideas often come to mind when I am actively writing, as if one idea sprouts from another. As my story moves along, writing one sentence after the next, a scene will unfold unlocking a previous thought. Occasionally a secret door in that scene will open showing me an object or a thought that feels out of place and doesn’t fit. These are what I call my story seeds, seeds for another project.

 Story Seeds                                                           

Story seeds are small bits of information that emerge in your thoughts. They can be simple objects like a single red sock hung on a clothesline: why is it blowing in the wind as if forgotten, or was it intentional and a signal for someone? Maybe an animal such as a small brown dog runs through your thoughts while you write. Why is he alone? Does he have a master? These story seeds may be a specific place you’ve never been before or a mysterious person that suddenly emerges in your mind and then vanishes. When these items appear, I quickly record them to use in a future piece.

 Make a List

Make a list in a small pocket notebook or journal of story seeds when they happen. When you struggle to find something to write, use the list to spark a story. Ask when, where, who, what and how about each item on the list to generate the next story.

Make your list!

Rory C. Keel

Reason #3 Next Tuesday

 

WIP? Do Tell!

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WIP? Do Tell!

By Natalie Bright

Do you talk about your WIP (work in progress)?

Some writers feel it takes away the momentum of their story. They don’t breathe a word about the characters and scenes mulling around in their head.  Ask me about my stories, and I’ll talk your ear off.

The first niggling of an idea works itself out in my brain, and as I ponder the possibilities a character, a place and usually their problems begin to evolve. Once I have the ending in my head, I like to verbalize the story idea. When I talk about my characters, it makes them even more real to me. Their personalities and quirks come to life. The whys and reasons and obstacles begin to make sense. And thank goodness, I have a critique group that listens.

Our meetings usually run long. We delve into much more than commas and sentence structure.  Since we’ve been meeting together for several years, we are familiar with each others projects. We dig deep and talk character motivation and plot structure, and it’s wonderful.

What about you; do you spill about your WIP?

Natalie Bright

HAMILTONIAN

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HAMILTONIAN

by Sharon Stevens

Author Jennifer Archer encouraged us to celebrate National Book Week by choosing a book close at hand, turning to page 56, reading the fifth sentence, then posting it without listing the title of the book or author.

In an old used paperback I had culled from the shelves, next to my writing space (Natalie Bright, August 8, 2011) I found, “They ain’t nothing but animals, they really ain’t.” (1)

What fun! Intrigued I then took it one step further. My husband and I were stocking college textbooks on the shelves of our Buffalo Bookstore getting ready for the fall semester at WTAMU and I came across the words “In addition, some youngsters got involved painting artistic travel posters to decorate the area.”(2)

In another book I found “As if they were spiritual consumers, young adults are shopping around among a wide range of religious traditions, in the process they are finding new ways to incorporate religion into their daily lives:”(3) Last but not least I read in still another book, “Explain why the tour ABCFECDBA is not a Hamiltonian circuit for the graph below.”(4)

A journalist remarked that of all the generations this was the best time to be a reader, that with libraries, Kindles, Nooks, bookstores as well as Google and Bing you can read any time and any place. Since we own a bookstore filled with used paperbacks, local authors and college textbooks, and with being a living American and breathing free, I wholeheartedly agree! I can go anywhere and pick up whatever suits my fancy at any moment to coincide with my mood at the time. I am then free to put it back down if it doesn’t suit my fancy, (as in studying about the Hamiltonian Circuit) and pursue my passion somewhere else.

Each book to me is a treasure shared from the author directly to my heart. I celebrate each letter, sentence and chapter. Being involved in a writers critique group and a member of Panhandle Professional Writers I know what it takes to put words down on paper and pursue ideas to publication.

I found a chapter on literacy for children, “Many people seem to think that reading is pronouncing the sounds of letters and that writing is about copying print or putting sounds together. These people have forgotten that the purpose of reading is to make meaning.”

And I guess this is what I treasure the most in reading is to “make meaning”. Everything I read connects to some part of my life, my heart, and my soul. I read for pleasure, I read to learn, I read to relish, but I also read to share. What else is a good book for but to pass on to others. On that note, it is amazing how one of my favorite authors always seems to put words together meant just for me, “The silence seemed to stretch miles between them.”(5)

I have a Webster’s Dictionary from 1890, and the fifth sentence down on page 56 is written, “ANTIQUITIES-The remains of ancient times. In this sense it is usually plural.”

The next sentence goes on to relate that “Antiquities comprehend all the remains of ancient times; all the monuments, coins, inscriptions, edifices, history, and fragments of literature, offices, habiliments, weapons, manners, ceremonies; in short whatever respects any of the ancient nations of the earth.”

Thanks Jennifer Archer, as an author, for reminding me to celebrate everything I hold most dear. I couldn’t have written it better myself.

Sharon Stevens

1. Royal Stud, by Stuart Jason

2. Let’s Begin Reading Right,by Marjorie Fields, Lois A. Groth, Katherine L. Spangler

3. Sociology The New Millennium, by Jenifer Kunz & Claudia Stuart professors at WTAMU

4. For All Practical Purposes, Mathematical Literacy in Today’s World by Comap

5. Texas Blue by Jodi Thomas

Reasons to Write

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Reasons to Write

Why do I write? Is it because throngs of fans demand it anticipating every word of my next masterpiece? Is it because I honestly expect to make millions of dollars on a bestseller, or desire to be famous? No.

Over the next few weeks I will share with you a few of the reasons I write.

Reason #1

 

I write to tell a story. Everyone loves a good story. Children drift off to sleep with their heads cradled gently in downy pillows, and their minds full of colorful images from fairytales. Young adults turn the pages of books filled with adventure, loyalty, and sometimes tragedy. They experience a spectrum of emotions as they learn the meaning of dedication, true love, and even loss. Adults feel alive with the thrill of a great suspense novel. As we grow older, we can gain a sense of who we are, and where we came from by reading of our youthful yesterdays.

For a few brief moments in time, a story affords the reader the opportunity to escape reality. Traveling through time into other dimensions, we can explore the far reaches of the future, or a place in history. A story allows the reader to become someone else, able to triumph over evil, or transform into the bad guy. The words of a story can inspire us to overcome the odds stacked against us, and we can experience the exhilaration of victory.

Everyone has a story–write yours.

Rory C. Keel

Reason # 2 next Tuesday!            

HEART

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HEART 

by Sharon Stevens

A mother and her young son came into our bookstore to price college textbooks. After they found what they were looking for we took a moment to discuss the high price of books, the terribly hot weather, the rising cost of fuel, groceries, school clothes, work clothes, play clothes, cost of living and just life in general. As they were leaving I invited them to rummage through the basket up front that I keep filled with trinkets of stickers, bubbles, necklaces, bracelets, bouncing balls, slinkys and other such odds and ends that find their way into my stash.

The mother declined but encouraged her son to go through and pick something out to take home. After stirring everything up with his fingers he reached in and chose a golden heart bracelet and shared it with his mom. But he didn’t just pass it on to her, he placed it against her chest and told her he chose it special for her because it reminded him of her heart. The look she shared with her son for this wonderful gift I will carry in MY heart forever. What a precious thought from a young man to his mom.

The dictionary definition of heart describes it as a “chambered muscular organ in vertebrates that pumps blood”. I understand that. You have to have a heart to survive. But I also recognize that heart transcends all definitions and connections. Thomas C. Foster mentions in his book “How to Read Literature Like A Professor” that a heart can have so many different meanings. His book reminds me to never look at a heart simply the same way again.

And if I had my druthers I would choose for my definition the verb tense that describes a heart as one that encourages. Even though it is not in general use it fits me to a capital H.

I watched the mother and son leave our store after just heartbeats in time. I wonder how many pulses were exchanged between the three of us not only in that lifespan, but how many hours that moment will sustain us for the future. Who knows.

It wasn’t until after they left that I realized the young man had placed the bracelet heart against the RIGHT side of his mother’s chest instead of the left.

No matter, his mother and I both knew which side her heart was on.

– Sharon Stevens

Click on the author page above to connect with Sharon.

WHAT’S IN A NAME?

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WHAT’S IN A NAME?

By Rory C. Keel

“Okay, somebody write a quick blog on trying to find a name for your blog!”

                                                                                             –Natalie Bright

Choosing the one specific term that describes six different writers with very different styles and genres, can be a daunting task. One would think that such an imaginative group could quickly produce a name so extraordinary, so remarkable that the mere mention of it would describe each individual and their genres perfectly. We settled on something a little less complicated.

What about Tuesday?

Welcome to our blog. My name is Rory and every Tuesday I will be sharing with you some of the ideas and lessons that I’ve learned, and will learn along the way to publication. I’m excited to be a part of a group of writers ranging from beginners to the experienced, from the unpublished to multiple publications, and that has the motivation to move forward in their writing. I write Christian fiction and non-fiction, Historical western, short stories, and creative nonfiction. I have published several Christian devotionals, and I have song lyrics published on a CD, “Alabaster Box.”

Choosing the Name

So, how did we choose the name? We tossed words onto a dry erase board, and then the six of us wrestled them around until one stood up and screamed, “Pick Me!” And what is the name that captures the essence of our critique group?

Wordsmith Six

Wordsmith Six consists of six writers who cover the spectrum in genres—a group of a half-dozen close friends who love words, whether we’re reading, writing or researching them. We have individuals who write Women’s Fiction, Historical, Inspirational and Screenplay. Others love Romance, Western, Christian fiction and Middle grade children’s books. Included are authors with published Fiction and Nonfiction books, TV Documentaries, Song Lyrics, Humor and yes, even HORROR.

We have lots of stories to tell and you’re invited to follow along.

Click on the author page above to connect with Rory.

Rory C. Keel

WELCOME TO WORDSMITH SIX

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Welcome to Wordsmith Six Blog. Thanks for finding us! – Natalie bright

We’re New

We are a diverse group of writers based in Texas. We’ve been meeting bimonthly since 2009 and our meetings are lively get-togethers where we obsess about words and character motivation. Through this blog, we hope to share with you our love of the written word. Come, follow us on our journey.

Welcome to Monday

I’m Natalie and I’ll be blogging every Monday about juggling the writing life, writing for middle grades, and historical research. I’m published in inspirational, several local magazines, and I founded the Write Stuff for Kids creative writing workshops in my area. My first middle grade book came about because of my volunteer work at our local museum. I needed a handout, which ultimately morphed into a book titled OIL PEOPLE about the varied workforce needed to explore, drill and produce American Energy. I’m currently working on a middle grade western set in 1890’s Texas Panhandle. The main character, a wild-haired, feisty girl named Silver Belle, has occupied my mind for over a year. She even wakes me up nights begging for me to tell her story. I’ve had more fun sorting out her adventures. Book one is finished and I’m half-way through book two.

At an Oklahoma SCBWI conference, a speaker said “good stories will always find the right home”. I hope Silver Belle will find a home some day. In the meantime, my current project is on a more serious note. I’ll be releasing an eBook for grieving families on hope and healing after the loss of a baby. Two of my friends have contributed some amazing poetry. This story has been on my heart and mind for 15 years. My wish is that it will bring comfort to those suffering through this devastating experience.

I hope you’ll join us every Monday-Friday as I join my critique group to share our work, hopes,  struggles and inspiration for the written word.

Do you have a story or character that wakes you at night? We want to hear from you too…

Click on the author page above to connect with Natalie.

Hello world!

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Wordsmith Six coming Soon!