WHEN AUTHORS ROAM
March 15, 2021 by Rebecca Forster in category The Write Life by Rebecca Forster tagged as #writingtips, traveling, writing craft
Hiking in Albania. Met a bride & groom. We were invited to the wedding.
I was going through my travel pictures – some as close as another town in Southern California, others as exotic as China and Albania – and was reminded that my writing was richer for each experience. But it wasn’t just the places that fired up my imagination. By far, it was the people I met that made the journey unforgettable. Here are the five groups I seek out on every trip because meeting them always inspires my work.
Keepers of the Keys: A hotel maid, a waiter, a shopkeeper. The interaction with these people might be fleeting, but they know what goes on behind closed doors. Sometimes the small details, the seemingly most insignificant secondary character, can make a good story great.
Merry Makers: Festivals, a local pub, a county fair are where people let their guard down. Join in. Experience the sights and sounds to enrich your descriptions. Festivals are especially fertile ground for romance writers.
A shepherdess we asked for directions. She told us she had 7 unmarried daughters for my son.
Wise old Sages: A simple hello, an offer to help carry a package, a greeting in their language, will make an instant friend of the elderly. From them you will learn the history of the country and the person. Seeing through their eyes enhances the pacing of your work and the backstory of your character.
The Village People: No, not the singing group. These are the folks outside the mainstream. They are a wonderful contrast to city dwellers. Taking the time to go off the beaten path to meet them is invaluable to those who write family sagas or historical fiction.
Fellow Travelers: Some people travel out of necessity, others are running away from something and some running to their destiny. The traveler you think most humble might be a titan of industry. One of my favorite encounters ended up as a major character in one of my books. He literally inspired a complete novel because he was not what he seemed.
When the pandemic comes to an end, travel. Near or far, it doesn’t matter. Meet one or all of these five people. They will be an inspiration. If you take the time to truly connect, you will inspire them too.
Books by Rebecca Forster
The Extra Squeeze Book Club
March 14, 2021 by The Extra Squeeze in category The Extra Squeeze by The Extra Squeeze Team tagged as book club, books you love, fiction, The Extra Squeeze Book Club
The Extra Squeeze Book Club
The Extra Squeeze Team loves book. We love to read them. We love to talk about them. We love to find new books or revisit old friends.
So, we’re going to hold a book club on A Slice of Orange, and we want to hear from you.
What books would you like to read and discuss in the book club. Do you have a favorite book? A book that made you laugh? A book that made you cry? A book that made you think?
Some of the titles suggested so far:
- Paris Never Leaves You by Ellen Feldman
- Before Her Eyes by Rebecca Forster
- A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
- City of Blaze by H. O. Charles
- Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
- Infinite by Brian Freeman
Send us the title and author of a book you love by using the handy dandy form below.
Enter the Bethlehem Writers Roundtable 2021 Short Story Award
March 13, 2021 by Bethlehem Writers Group in category Writing Contest tagged as Bethethem Writers Group, Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award, Charlaine Harris, The 2021 Short Story Award
Enter
The Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
2021 Short Story Award
Our theme: An Element of Mystery (broadly interpreted)
We are seeking never-published short stories of 2,000 words or fewer for a chance to win:
First Place:
$250 and publication in our upcoming anthology: An Element of Mystery: Sweet, Funny, and Strange Tales of Intrigue or in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable.
Second Place:
$100 and publication in An Element of Mystery or in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
Third Place:
$50 and publication in An Element of Mystery or in Bethlehem Writers Roundtable
The 2021 Guest Judge is Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris is a true daughter of the South. She was born in Mississippi and has lived in Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, and Texas. After years of dabbling with poetry, plays, and essays, her career as a novelist began when her husband invited her to write full time. Her first book, Sweet and Deadly, appeared in 1981. When Charlaine’s career as a mystery writer began to falter, she decided to write a cross-genre book that would appeal to fans of mystery, science fiction, romance, and suspense. She could not have anticipated the huge surge of reader interest in the adventures of a barmaid in Louisiana, or the fact that Alan Ball would come knocking at her door. Since then, Charlaine’s novels have been adapted for several other television series, with two in development now. Charlaine is a voracious reader. She has one husband, three children, two grandchildren, and two rescue dogs. She leads a busy life. www.charlaineharris.com is her website.
For more information and to submit a story please visit Bethlehem Writers Roundtable Short Story Award.
There is No Such Thing As Too Many Books
March 12, 2021 by Denise M. Colby in category The Writing Journey by Denise Colby tagged as books, Denise M. Colby, readingI’m a firm believer that there is no such thing as too many books. I’m sure that’s a quote I’ve seen somewhere. Maybe I should get a t-shirt with that specific phrase on it!
My To-Be-Read-Pile is ever growing, is yours?
I have books on my Kindle, books under my bed, books on my nightstand, and in the special pieces of furniture that I purchased specifically to hold books.
And yet, I still love to go to the library and peruse possibilities or hunt for treasures at used book or garage sales, or add to my Kindle list through all the different newsletters I receive from the many authors I follow.
Am I the only one who does this?
Any suggestions for how to manage them all?
Adding To The List
As I’ve made new writer friends in the different groups I’m a part of, I seem to have added a whole slew of authors to the list of books I want to read. It’s fun and exciting, but it can be overwhelming sometimes too.
I’m just curious to know if anyone shares in this same quandary?
My desire to add to my pile seems to ebb and flow, sometimes based on how overwhelmed I am with where to put everything. But mostly, I do tend to just accept and enjoy this desire to continuously add to my pile.
Of course, many books become favorites and I find it difficult to add them to the donate pile. Anyone have that habit as well?
Some days it feels like book overload. But other days, I just smile and look forward to the new set of friends I’m going to meet in the next book I read.
I’m hoping I’m not the only one who suffers from this malady!
Do you, too?
Denise M. Colby is writing her first novel. Check out her website to find out more about her story. You can also take a peek at her real-life hero she wrote about in a previous blog post.
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