Tag Archives: Writing

I Spy

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Outtakes 99

I Spy

By Cait Collins

Working with children can be rewarding and frustrating. Sometimes I wonder if I do any good, but then I realize those small ones are wonderful, curious beings. Everything is new and exciting. They make me look at things with different eyes. Sometimes they make me want to be young and innocent again. I want to believe without questions. So I’m going back to my childhood for just a while.

Remember summer days lying on an old quilt spread over the grass watching the clouds. Did you find images in those white puffs? Describe what you saw.

I spy in the sky

A pirate ship

Go sailing by.

I see a galleon with sails billowing in the wind. The ship moves smoothly over the ocean as her crew watches for other ships. The sailor in the crow’s nest calls out, “Ship ahoy.”

“Hoist the colors.” A black flag rises revealing a skull and cross bones.  “All hands, man your posts.”

Maybe it’s a cliché, but it is a rough start on a kid’s story about the history of pirates in the United States.

Drive to a quiet spot outside the city limits where there are no artificial lights. When you find a good spot, unroll your sleeping bag in the bed of your pick-up. Settle in with your favorite snack and a beverage. Stare up at the night sky. Are the stars so close you feel as if you can reach out and pluck them out of the heavens? Count the shooting stars and follow their paths. Will you find a meteorite at the end of the flight?

Can you find the North Star? What about the bears Ursa Major and Ursa Minor? Do you see the stars on Orion’s belt? Did you wish on a star?

Star light, star bright

First star I see tonight

Wish I may, wish I might

Have the wish I wish tonight.

What was your wish? No, don’t tell. If you tell your wish it won’t come true.

Next time you go star gazing, take a child and point out the wonders of the heavens. Set up a telescope and explore the moon. Rediscover the glory of the Milky Way. Now write a science fiction short story for a children’s magazine.

Revisiting the simple activities of childhood opens the mind to infinite possibilities for children’s works. By looking up, we get a new perspective on the wonders of the world around us. It’s a world we can open for the young ones in our lives.

Hook the Chapter

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Hook the Chapter

By Natalie Bright

Think about your favorite author. Do you sometimes find it impossible to put down their book? Each chapter propels you to turn the page to the next, and before you know it half the night is gone.

This author might be using a technique of ending each chapter with a hook.

Chapter hooks are placed at the end of the chapter. These last sentences, or words, compel the reader to keep reading. The reader is teased into turning the page and going on. We have to know what happens next. Keep your readers curious, keep them on the edge of their seat.

Chapters are an easy way introducing a scene change or changing to a different characters point of view. “Hooks” are creative ways to end that chapter, and take your story to the next level. The exception might be if you have chapters with high tension and drama, not every one needs to end with a cliff-hangar, for example

Choose a handful of your favorite books. Work your way through the stack, reading out loud the last sentence at the end of every chapter. Listen to the words carefully. Study their order, and how specific word choices can create tension and drama.

Examples of Chapter Hooks

-decision to act

-hidden threat

-broken routine

-new disaster

-dare

-having second thoughts

-arrival

-departure

Happy writing!

www.nataliebright.com

GREEN PANTS

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GREEN PANTS

“What was I scared of?”

Dr. Seuss

Sharon Stevens

 

Our carton of milk outdated today, June 12, 2013.

That doesn’t mean it needs to gurgle down the garbage disposal drain. This just means if I leave it in the refrigerator for another day or two the milk may sour, spoil, decay, or become odoriferous. I don’t know about you but spoiled milk is not palatable on any level, not even for cooking.

The outdate occurred on the same day I read in the Amarillo Globe News that this was the anniversary of the birthday of Anne Frank. But more lovely than that was the mention of this day in history that it was the time Anne received her diary, really an autograph book, on her thirteenth birthday in 1942. Her very first writing…“ I hope I will be able to confide everything to you, as I have never been able to confide in anyone, and I hope you will be a great source of comfort and support.”

The day my milk outdated also coincided with the funeral of Mary Huntington. Mrs. Huntington was the librarian at the old Canyon Public Library for so many years. She is the one who kept the library going when others felt it needed to be closed. Also she, with the help of her volunteers and co-workers transferred and adapted all the codes from the Dewey Decimal system to switch to the computer database for the Harrington Consortium. She also volunteered at her daughter’s elementary class to help the kids with their reading, and the whole family pitched in and taught the children chess.

Mary meant more to me than anyone can ever know! When our girls were small I would take them into the library every week and we would check out a mountain of books to read at home. I told Mary that I was a failure as a mother as I just couldn’t seem to read Dr. Seuss. So even though I didn’t discourage the girls from checking out his books I didn’t encourage them either. She was such a tiny, mild mannered, little munchkin, and she looked at me sweetly and kindly and told me. “It’s because you are trying to READ Dr. Seuss”. Then she went on to explain that Seuss is not one you can read. She encouraged me to enjoy, and sing, and use expression and it will all come together. It worked and I have loved this man and MOST of his writings ever since.

As I pour out my milk and replace it with a new carton in the refrigerator I will remember Anne Frank and Mary Huntington. And I don’t mean this in a bad way or any disrespect. Quite the opposite. I know this is a lousy way to express endearment, but please bear with me. Milk, fruits, vegetables, dip, canned goods, etc. will always carry an expiration date of a time that will end. Nothing can last forever that we put in our bodies. Our brain, bones, and organs need sustenance that will separate what we put in our mouths to what can be broken down and used for fuel.

Books are different. Once they are written they NEVER expire. The stories they carry will last forever and never get old, a tangible expression of so many letters chained to words, connecting to sentences, linking to thoughts. They can be read over and over, and then read again. Books can be shared and dissected, treasured or argued, once and again.

Isn’t that a lovely sentiment? Timeless. Everlasting. Forever. Never a death, never an expiration date. Heart and soul always intact. Never spoiled, never soured. Right there on the page in front of me. What treasures, what a gift!

The only problem is, so many books, so little time. I’m the one with the expiration date.

 

A Little Child

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Outtakes 98

 

A Little Child

By Cait Collins

 

Vacation Bible School 2013 ended this evening. Tomorrow the children will be treated to a waterslide and dinner before midweek services. I had only one student in my cradle roll class. Brooklyn is about 19 months old and beautiful. Her eyes are huge, dark curls bounce when she walks, and her smile lights up a room. I love teaching this age group. Babies (0-24 months) keep you on your toes. Everything is new and exciting. They are so curious. These precious little ones are sponges absorbing everything they see and hear.

When I handed her a lion and roared, she grinned and roared back. I watched Brooklyn mimic my movements to make a stuffed tree frog “talk”. Her little fingers pressed on the left front toe but no trill came forth. She continued to focus as my finger make the frog speak. Then she tried again. Finally she found the button and the frog trilled. Her eyes widened and she smiled. Baby chatter erupted as she proceeded to explain to me how she made the frog talk. Those moments of discovery never cease to amaze me.

Studies indicate early instruction enhances the normal discovery process and can increase the child’s learning potential by as much as 15%. This should not surprise us. Think of all a child learns in the first two years of life. He recognizes mom and dad, discovers his fingers and toes, learns to say a few words, begins to walk, and strings words to make sentences. Why not encourage the learning process by reading to a child or listening as he or she, extols the virtues of an ant. You can build a tower with blocks or dig in the dirt together. It doesn’t need to be elaborate or extremely time consuming. A few minutes each day can mean so much to a little one.

Writers can play a role in educating our children. I write little songs. One of my sisters told her Bible stories in poetry form. We need to at least attempt to write something for very young children.  It’s not as easy as you might think. Children’s books are more than a series of pictures decorating pages. Like adult novels, children’s literature requires characters and a plot. Who is up to the challenge? Wouldn’t you enjoy reading your story to a jury of kids and parents? I know I would.

Where do I start?

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 Where do I start?

This is a common question by those who want to write a book. With all the many instructions and how-to’s out there, let me suggest three simple Ideas.

Develop a THEME for your book.

First, develop a theme for your story. Theme is different than subject in that it expresses a purpose or intent of the subject. For example, your subject might be a run-away girl, but your theme might be, “There’s no place like home.” The theme is what ties your plot and characters together.

Develop the PLOT

Develop the Plot or the action of your story. The plot is not equivalent to conflict, but is a series of dilemmas or encounters, which may include conflict, that helps your main character to evolve through their needs and motivations.

Create CHARACTERS

These are the people who reveal your theme. They connect with the reader by their traits and inner qualities described by the writer in a believable way. By matching their characteristics with the theme and running them through the plot, they must change in some recognizable way.

These three intertwined together will form a satisfying story. So let’s get started!

Rory C. Keel

Hook the Chapter

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Hook the Chapter

By Natalie Bright

Think about your favorite author. Do you sometimes find it impossible to put down their book? Each chapter propels you to turn the page to the next, and before you know it half the night is gone.

This author might be using a technique of ending each chapter with a hook.

Chapter hooks are placed at the end of the chapter. These last sentences, or words, compel the reader to keep reading. The reader is teased into turning the page and going on. We have to know what happens next. Keep your readers curious, keep them on the edge of their seat.

Chapters are an easy way introducing a scene change or changing to a different characters point of view. “Hooks” are creative ways to end that chapter, and take your story to the next level. The exception might be if you have chapters with high tension and drama, not every one needs to end with a cliff-hangar, for example

Choose a handful of your favorite books. Work your way through the stack, reading out loud the last sentence at the end of every chapter. Listen to the words carefully. Study their order, and how specific word choices can create tension and drama.

Examples of Chapter Hooks

-decision to act

-hidden threat

-broken routine

-new disaster

-dare

-having second thoughts

-arrival

-departure

Happy writing!

www.nataliebright.com

 

Writing Your Family History

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Writing Your Family History

By Natalie Bright 

You might be drawn to write, but maybe the thought of  crafting a novel makes you cringe. Have you considered starting with something fun, like your family history? If that seems overwhelming, start small.  Write about one event that happened.

Is there a right way or a wrong way to write your family’s history?

A million different ways:

A letter found by one of my friends in her favorite Aunt’s Bible, led to a story that was contracted by an anthology. The project fell through before it made it to the printing presses. Many years later, she submitted a reworked version of the same story to a regional magazine, and it was featured as a web exclusive. It’s since appeared in newspapers and on website year after year.

As a writer and history fanatic, I scan used book stores for first-hand accounts of regional events and family bios. There’s nothing like reading about the details of life from long ago. It’s these kinds of tidbits that make your stories come alive. I’ve discovered history in many different formats. Here are a few of my favorites.

Examples of family memoirs turned into published works:

So Great a Heritage  by Kathie Jackson

Best example of chronological and organized narration. Taking letters written by her father, Sgt. Cecil Turner, she follows his journey from WWII training camps, North Africa, Italy, France, Germany. In between his letters she provides historical detail of the 1940’s – the places, people, the battles, descriptions of the land, and sprinkled with letters he received from his parents.

Tate Publishing, Mustang OK

Growing Up In the Bradford Oil Fields by Jim Messer

Not really a chronological order, but invaluable for writers. This man’s father worked as an oil well shooter and he wrote this book for his kids. He wanted them to know what it was like growing up in the oilfields of Pennsylvania, one of the oldest producing oil fields in the world. His father delivered the nitroglycerin to the location for well ‘fracing’, or fracturing of the pay zones, a completion procedure first begun at the turn of the century. He goes into great detail about delivery systems and how they stored the nitro, how a cable tool rig works. Xlibris Corporation – self-publishing internet site

I saw Jesus this Morning by Mike Bellah, Ph.D.

Took a personal, very private experience and turned it into an extremely inspirational Bible study type book.

The Wednesday Monster by Kellie R. Sanders

Her mother, as a little girl, survived a tornado in 1947 Woodward, OK. This is a very detailed, academic look at the events of that day. Newspaper articles provide information, and includes first hand accounts of survivors which are printed in italics word-per-word. Through her research for this book, a shorter article was written for the Panhandle-Plains Historical Review. (Think about using your research to generate articles for magazines, regional newsletters, etc.)

Christmas in Old Tascosa by Judy Wise

An 81-year-old mother looks out of the window at a snow storm over Pudget Sound in the Pacific Northwest and says, “I remember a snowstorm … in Texas … in Tascosa.  I was a little girl.” Her daughter said, “Tell us.”

After she told the story, the daughters planned a trip to the Texas Panhandle. The mother flew in from Florida, one daughter from Arizona, and one from Washington, and they drove through the Texas Panhandle visiting the places of their mother’s childhood and having her retell the story over and over, making note of every detail. They knew someone who knew Red Steagal, he loved the story and referred the manuscript to Texas Tech Press. You just never know where your story might lead you. Don’t hesitate. Just follow!

Oil People by Natalie Bright

Based in part on the work my husband does as a petroleum geologist, this is a self-published book meaning I paid the publisher. I did submit this to numerous university presses and received extremely encouraging rejection letters, which is why I decided to save my money and keep control of the content.

At A Snails Pace

Keep in mind, the time frame for publishing is slow, slow. If a university or small area press accepts your story, it could be up to 18 months or longer before you have a book in hand. A self-published project can take a few months, but typos and grammar are your responsibility.

The key, I think, is organization of info and a theme.

Follow Your Heart

Theme = place, the person, the dates, the event. Why are you writing this book? What is the main focus or idea that you wish to convey to a reader?

I’ve met so many people with amazing family stories. They’re more than willing to talk about it, but so afraid of messing up. Writing words on a blank page is a frightening process to some people. If there’s a story that’s pressing upon your mind and heart,  don’t stress. Just do it. Be open minded. Maybe you have a book in mind, so start with small articles on specific events. Be flexible so that you can move segments and paragraphs around, rearranging the information until it flows into something you’ll be proud of. The thing about writing is you keep learning as you’re doing.

It’s amazing sometimes, the journey your written words will take you

Okay people, get busy because I can hardly wait to read your family stories!

www.nataliebright.com

DORIC

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DORIC

by Sharon Stevens

 

I was so down-deep, dark, under the bridge, deep in the tunnel, buried six feet under, destroyed.

Anyone who is a writer knows this feeling, that overwhelming sadness that comes with the knowledge every dream is dead, and will never see the light of day. That moment when you realize deep in your soul that any passion should have been buried way before thoughts were turned into words. Powerful images that come from within the heart of anyone that celebrates putting letters together to form a visual emblem.

Who cared? What did it matter? The pain is real. We know we must let it go, but we hang on against all hope that an idea will magically appear.

I gave up and gave it away. THEY had won and I had nowhere I could go. Actually, at peace knowing there was no way to turn, knowing that no one would be there waiting on the other side.

So I put everything aside and picked up the book I had been reading, turning to the next chapter to begin again. The first words were, “Myron Dart stood inside the Doric fastness of the Lincoln Memorial, staring moodily at the expanse of marble beneath his feet.”

OMG! In that one sentence my world was renewed! Lincoln Memorial, what a sweet memory that surfaced and broke. My faith was restored. Who could imagine that words written in a book could have that much power. This was such a message to me, for me, about me.

The book I was reading was Preston & Child’s “Gideon’s Corpse” and Lincoln’s statue had special meaning to me. I had no idea what a doric was, but I knew that within minutes I could find the definition, and I did. I had alternated between this book and my new “Chicken Soup for the Soul, Inspirations for Writers” reading each story over again. Our fellow Wordsmithsix blogger, Rory Craig Keel’s story appeared in this issue. His and all the other authors brought me such peace.

As writers we never know when our reader will be facing great joy or absolute and draining sorrow. We can’t choose anyone’s memory for them or what they will celebrate or what they will shed. So never, ever get down in the depths of darkness where you can’t see the light that surrounds you. You never know when a sentence, or word just might be the ticket to drag the reader’s heart out in the open where they can face another tragedy, another day, another memory.

The doric’s will still stand.

Crazy Daze

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Crazy Daze

By Natalie Bright

The month of May has always been whirlwind of stuff, and I can never seem to get control. What is it about May?

I’ll spare you the list because I’m sure your obligations are the same or even worse. What suffered this month is my writing. And no matter how much I worry and fret, I can’t go back and recover those productive hours. They’re gone. Poof. And I’m left with an unfinished story, patiently waiting, still digging a hole in my brain. It will take another several weeks to get back into the time and setting, maybe even longer to find the voice of my characters.

Which brings me to this question—why do writers put themselves through this kind of anguish? Maybe for you there’s a better word; torture, agony, misery? Seriously, some days I’m certain my head will explode if I can’t find thirty minutes of quiet time to write. Crazy. That’s the word. I’m just flat out psycho. We force our brains from reality to daydream, and back again, pushing our physical selves beyond the limit to get everything done so that we can disappear into our make-believe worlds. Does that sound normal to you?

And yet there it is. One chapter, or paragraph, maybe just one sentence. It’s done. It’s the key to the whole plot. Members of your critique group exclaim with excitement; “I love that.”  “Don’t change that. It’s perfect.” “Good job.”  “Send that out right away.” And you do. And it’s a best-seller. And you have legions of fans anxiously waiting for your next book…

Oh, I’m sorry – what was this blog post about? This month has been crazy!

Happy May!

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.