You page backwards and re-read what you just scribbled…this wasn’t the character you wrote down…and, wait, where is this taking place again…that is not the same either…So, whose story is this anyway?

Yes, even within the first seven pages, your story can take on a life of its own. While you should be prepared to correct the path your story takes if it goes too far away from your thoughts, be open to allowing it to grow itself. Stories are part of us. Just like us, they can be complicated and change their direction when needed. They need guidance. However, they do not like to be told what to do, where to stop, and how to grow. You and your story will learn together…if you allow it.

What does your story tell you? Are you sticking to your storyline? Or, are you letting it grow as you listen to the story your inner writer is sharing with you?

If you are struggling, take some pictures of the one down the street. Hurry, because it is only there for the week. Are there differences between the carnival and the circus? Are there different attractions? Different people? Different reflections on your childhood? Create the images as you see them. Decide on feeling you wish to evolve and post it here, or share elsewhere, but write and enjoy…

1) Revisit places you have lived, vacationed, or passed through. Those familiar or unique places are just waiting to have a story set around them. Each of the houses you laid your head in contain tales around you, your family, or the builders who constructed it. If you ventured through a large city and rode up in the elevators of a glass-coated skyscraper, you have a unique setting for an action adventure. If you have driven to your vacation destination and stayed at a simple hotel where the water pressure was so low, you ended up taking a shower in the sink, you have a perfect spot for a mystery, a family comedy, or a traveling movie. Think of the things that fit your story. Think of the furniture that aligns to your subject.

2) Research the timeline or location. If you are setting your story in an environment that has happened already or is yet to occur, make sure you research your time frame. When choosing a setting in the past, make sure you don’t introduce a machine gun in the middle of the old west. While this one is obvious, you put the hands of intrigue and believability into minds of people who are not as connected to your ideas as you are. This is good if you are dealing with science fiction or creating your own fantasy realm, but a challenge if you wish to pull in history buffs. If the time is yet to come, connect your objects and places to familiar items to help your readers remember the locations without actually being there.

3) Close your eyes and be a part of your world after you have written the first draft. You read it correctly, close your eyes…Try it. Start reading your chapter. As you get to objects or locations, stop and close your eyes. Imagine that you are your characters. What else do you see? Is there something around you that stands out? Is a corner darker than the rest of the room? Is the alley lit with different colored bulbs starting in the middle? Is snow falling from a tree instead of the more familiar cloud? Once you have a few more details, go back and add in some of these specifics. They will help you bring in your readers and enhance the storyline itself. Who knows, these abnormalities or specifics may become a part of that twist you have planned in chapter 8…

Of course, if none of these points help with choosing your setting, venture over to the library, find some travel guide and picture books, and jump in…Write and enjoy…

1) Look for things with which you are comfortable. Seek the familiar items and start with the small details and work your way through the larger ones. If you happen across those old mittens, that crumpled up hat, or the too small to even think of trying on jeans, reflect on the impact they have or had on your life. Each has its own story. Each has its own sense of inspiration. Where did it lead you? If those are not the source, keep looking.

2) Look through past writings. If you have stories or poems you have written before, search for common themes among them. If you explored only one concept in depth, pull out the others. If you wrote about your favorite pair of sneakers and focused on the soles of the shoes, write this time on the laces and how they made their way to the next pair.

3) Talk with others. Whenever you are stuck on your own, seek out others. The conversations alone will provide enough topics for a well crafted poem let alone a random short story. If you have numerous conversations with an individual, a novel is underway. Their stories become your inspiration. Their tales become your foundation within a world restricting creativity. So, seek out others.

Of course, if none of these methods are not successful, you can seek out the classics and other stories…or, perhaps, join us here. Write and enjoy…

1) When the muse arrives, make sure you have something to capture at least the falling remnants of your inner voice…a notepad, a napkin, or your text, web, or email-enabled phone. Don’t lose the muse moment because you didn’t expect it. If you are in a situation where you can’t crank out thousands of words, capture the thoughts, the ideas, a handful of words and phrases so that you can return to them when you have the time.

2) When you have the time, ask yourself questions about what you are trying to write. However, don’t just say them out loud, write them down…yes, let us say that again…write them down…If you are wondering who your characters are, write on your blank page or screen…”Who is Thomas L Commons, III?” If the descriptive flowing prose don’t make their way to the forefront of your mind and onto the page, then capture simple thoughts and ideas…”Father, son, believer, bored, family”…If you are writing you are not wasting the time you have, you are writing. Each word you write can be used at a later time.

3) If you are one of those fortunate individuals, who have realized that your muse arrives each morning at 8 AM sharp and you have reorganized your schedule to accommodate the visits, take that first moment to appreciate the inspiration and write where it takes you. Don’t stop, don’t hesitate. Don’t question. Just write. If you pause and ask questions, that coordinated time will be less productive, but you may also stop the time all together. It is as if you had a guest to your home and you interrupted him/her every time he/she decided to say something. That would be rude and make for shorter, less frequent visits and relationships.

Over the next month, we will offer basic tips on working with time and inspiration. Sit back, relax, write, and enjoy…

Fran Lebowitz

Ray Bradbury

Sherwood Anderson

Walt Disney

Walt Disney

Check out some of these sites for creative ideas:
Flowers – Quotes and Poems for Gardners
Flower Poems and Poetry
Poems about Flowers
Flower Poems

So many of us have attended some type of camp…summer camp, art camp, scout camp, rodeo camp…OK, the last one I just threw in there, but it exists (check out Rodeo Camp…speaking of camp, that is today’s short story topic.

When you write, think about the smores, think about the campfires, think about the swimming, think about the poison ivy, or the long, hot treks in the forrest…Or, just think about the excitement you had around every tree. Remember to evoke, engage, and empower your readers…Write it, share it, post it here…

Check out some of these sites for creative ideas:
The Summer Camp Bus Pulls Away
Summers at LREI (Not a story, but may spark some ideas)
More Summer Camp Stories
Summer Camps and Summer Camp Stories
It’s My Life

Check out some of these sites for creative ideas:
Flowers for Algernon
Unfolding of the Ugly FLower
The Sunflower
The Blue Flower

Mark Twain

Eleanor Roosevelt

Walt Disney