Reading to Write

My Path to Becoming an Author

Following Links to Inspiration

Day 15 of Robert’s Fantastic #MNINB April Platform Challenge says, “Reach out and make a few new connections that are thoughtful and may lead somewhere new and exciting.”  Serendipitously (Beautiful word as long as I don’t have to say it out loud.)  I had done that just the day before.  It’s truly amazing how many of his lessons are simply a matter of consciously expanding on things I was already doing.

I found another #MNNB participant from Kentucky!  On her blog, Writerlious, E. B. Pike has proposed an exercise in Flash Fiction.  A contest of sorts.  I’d never tried something like that.  I’m really not much on short stories, neither writing nor reading them.  I just always want more than that, at least 300 pages more.   But it sounded interesting and it definitely fit Robert’s “new and exciting” category.  So, I gave it a try. You can read my entry in the sidebar on the right.  I’ll probably expand on it later and make it my first fiction category offering.

I was inspired by the action of a friend in church this morning.  He and his wife have been married for more than 30 years.  Their children are grown and on their own.  He owns a business supply store with a couple of branches in other towns.  As they stood for the singing of the Doxology, he lay his hand over hers on the back of the pew.  She is just finishing up a long six months of cancer treatments.  As I noticed this small gesture of love, I wondered if the fear of losing her had caused him to appreciate her more.  Don’t misunderstand me.  They’ve always seemed to be a happy couple.  I have no reason to infer that they had problems before she got sick.  The story I wrote, and may expand on later, is pure fiction.  They only inspired the premise, not the plot.

As I scanned down the page of Erin’s blog,  after posting my flash effort, I found an earlier post about another exercise called “Lucky 7 meme” with a link to Isabel Costello’s home world.  Here I read about a sharing chain that I’d love to join.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a WIP far enough along to qualify.

But, in the post about it, Isabel mentioned a previous post called “#realcharacter – or in this case me” which led me to “writeanovelintenminutesflat,” the somewhat scary title for Cathy Dryer’s slant on writing.  She referred back the blog where she had originally found the  link and also listed several others who were participating.  This is one I can do.  In fact this is one we can all do, and the process of that will also let us learn more about each other.

Thanks Robert.  You’ve tossed me into the melee of writerly world views.  It’s exciting and scary.  There are so many more experienced and, probably, more talented people linking together out here.  I am humbled, intimidated, inspired, encouraged and thrilled to be included.

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