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Writers never go on vacation; not when the world is filled with experiences that inspire new thoughts, sensory adventures or new characters in future stories. Travel, vacations and community events provide food for writers’ souls and fingertips. Be bold.     Jump in.     Even at home you’ll find adventures. Experience a new coffee shop or visit a different park. Walk down a new-to-you street or visit a new shop. Attend a theatre in the park or an open-air market. Try a new food you find in an ethnic market. Take a class in art, woodworking, drama, or bee keeping. Attend a parade,...

There is always a moment in the morning, between the silence of the night before and the noise of the day to come, when it seemed…that time stopped for a beat, when all the world was motionless, expectant. The Pilot’s Wife by Anita Shreve (p.82) From my vacation lanai, I see and feel this every morning. The waves off Kona take a breather, slowing before they gather force to crash against the black lava coast. The palm trees stand dark against the dawn. Stars that were bright moments ago, fade and are forgotten for now. Facing west-southwest, I see the...

I started a journal of sensory impressions several years ago. The idea being to record what I saw, heard, tasted, touched and smelled as well as lines I read that impacted me Like many people, my daily follow through dipped after a few weeks. Now I’ve gone back to look at what I wrote to see if I can challenge myself to lift my mundane comments to original ideas. Examples of changes: Icy grapes ….. icy grapes, a burst of coldness The cars on a nearby highway ….. an ocean of cars, surging forward Grass clippings ….. mown grass: green...

“After today, nothing in her well-ordered life would remain the same; she was not a woman who liked the sharp, jagged edges of change.” Kristin Hannah, On Mystic Lake, p.4 This quote hit home, hard and fast. That’s me! Oh my! I do like my well-ordered life. The day-to-dayness flowing like a lazy river of meeting my friends for coffee, reading my book club book-of-the-month, heading off to the cabin or flying to Kona is drifting away . I’m stepping into a deep river of surging water, whirlpools and cascading waterfalls. I hope I won’t drown in the river of...

* barre: a two-inch diameter cylinder made of wood or metal, affixed waist high along a wall or on a portable stand that dancers hold for balance and mild support during warm-up exercises   84 Ribbons is warming up as Launch Day dances closer. To celebrate, I’m inviting you to subscribe to my website so you’ll be able to follow and possibly attend some of my book events. Watch for the subscribe contest today. Exercise your chance to win by signing up.  I look forward to having you join me as we step into Marta’s world of ballet and her...

It’s important to write the main, tension-filled story, but don’t forget to write the in-between parts as well: sensory details, secondary characters, secondary plots. These add depth to a storyline and give the reader a chance to settle in and get comfortable while the story unfolds. Thin streaks of magenta lay between the dark mountains and the blue-black sky. The Lake Dreams the Sky by Swain Wolfe (p.48) There was a quarter moon sending a white shaft of light through the open window. It wasn’t cold, just cold enough to make you pull the covers to your chin and let...

Week 3 of 8 weeks begins. Note-taking ends. Research begins. Always a challenge.   I decided to ignore my previous charting of When the Music Stops and guess what? My new charting was close to identical so I must be on the right path in my mind’s eye. Such a funny statement, a mind’s eye. It’s that consistent place where ideas spring forth and stick to the sides of my memory and wait for me the rediscover them. Research. Most of my research was done when I wrote 84 Ribbons so I got an 85% slide-through on that work. Just...