Inspiration for Stories

I'm still in house renovation chaos. So, I thought I'd share this like with you. Enjoy these real life story starters.

15 Real Life Inspirations for Great Stories

What has inspired your stories?

Read Any Good Books Lately?

When we had to push all our furniture into less than half of our floorspace, I find I don't get much writing done. Guess what I'm doing? Yep, READ! ; ) So, here are some mini-reviews for you.

A Sound Among the Trees Susan Meissner
Must Read for honest, detailed characterization, pitch prefect dialog, and setting that lives and breaths.

Rowing in Eden Barbara Rogan
Must Read for how a professional weaves plot, 3-D characters, internals, and dialog into a wonderful story.

Paladin of Souls Lois McMaster Bujold
Must Read for the 3-D characters who portray what heroic really means and a universe that is as multidimensional as the people in it. This is a fantasy and the sequel to The Curse of Chalion. Read Curse first.

Matters of Faith Kristy Kiernan
An good read that provides an intricate story that investigates faith from many angles during a life and death health crisis.

The Scarlet Thread Francine Rivers
Good story in an older style. A CBA classic.

Now I'm reading Anne Tyler's Searching for Caleb.

What are you reading?
Do you have any suggestions for my massive TBR list?

What Can You Do About That?

What do you do if your computer is off limits most of the time and your workspace is disrupted? Can you shift to longhand for awhile? or will all your forward progress die?

I've had to answer these questions for the next couple of weeks.

The Situation:
We live in an "Old Lady House" that needs regular TLC. Check out this old blogpost for some more on the housework.  As you can see, it is always a work in progress.

And the time has come that we must refloor. We don't have a choice. We have to put down new sub flooring, carpet, and tile. The study is one of the rooms on the to do list.

The Solution:
I'm happy to say, I've figured out how to keep working. ; )
The writing desk I use to draft longhand has been moved to the solarium. I have a backlog of writing magazines I need to read and a book on parenting that I need to read for research for FRIENDLY FIRE. Add several other projects I've been putting off, and I'm being very productive while John paints, hammers, and works in the study, living room, dining room, etc.

So, what about you?
Do you have contingency plans for a "rainy day" of writing?

Writer's Block: Scientific Proof

We've all had a bout of Writer's Block--that dangerous time when no words come to mind and the page remains blank. Some prolific writers like Diana Gabaldon claim that there is no such thing. Her method for avoiding the problem is to have multiple projects open at all times. When one slows down, she just switches to the other and keeps on writing.

While I'll admit to having multiple projects--a devotional and 5 novels at last count--I do find that some days none of them seem to be open for business in my front brain. I do write down any idea that comes out of my back brain into the light of day no matter which project it belongs to, but still some days, the door between to two parts of my brain is closed, locked up tight. No amount of effort allows me to find the key.

Now there's scientific proof that Writer's Block exists in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis. Check out the following article:
"The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case of  'Writer's Block' "
If you've every struggled with writer's block, you owe it to yourself to read this article.

Enjoy! ; )

ETA: For more fun with Writer's Block, try this A Word A Day entry. ; )

Head Lights for Dark Roads

A couple of years ago I met an amazing woman at a meeting of the Carrollton Creative Writers Club. Diane Quimby is a survivor of a traumatic brain injury and she had an astounding story to tell. Her perseverance served her well during therapy and during the writing of her memoir. It's been my honor to help her by editing Head Lights for Dark Roads. Now her story is available HERE. You won't be sorry if you read Diane's book. You'll be inspired! All proceeds from the sale of the book will be donated to TBI organizations.

Diane Quimby’s inspiring personal narrative details life with a traumatic brain injury, and invites the reader along on her challenging journey. Along the way, the reader meets fellow patients and shares in Diane’s unexpected life changing spiritual lessons learned on the road to recovery. This is one road trip the reader won’t soon forget.

Head Lights for Dark Roads is a deeply personal account of recovery with a traumatic brain injury. Be prepared to be deeply moved to laugh, cry, or wince…I know I did! This book is perfect for brain injured person, family members of the injured, or for health providers working in the field of brain injury. It provides a necessary context and poignant understanding of the pathway to recovery. Absolutely phenomenal!

Damond Logsdon, PhD

Join Diane on her person journey of survival of a horrific car wreck, injuring both her body and brain, as told in her amazing book, Head Lights for Dark Roads. You will enter the mind of a brain injured survivor through her vivid words of humor and sadness. Her journey will guide you to a brighter future of recovery and an understanding of God’s plan for your new life post traumatic brain injury.

Ann Boriskie, Director & Founder, Brain Injury Peer Visitor Association®

Check out Diane Quimby's blog at Head Lights for Dark Roads.

Three Little Words

source- Amazon.com

Research is a necessity of writing no matter what genre you WIP is. Historicals demand research into the era they are set in. Mysteries and suspense usually need police or detective procedure. SF is based on science in some way and fantasy has myth as its underpinning. It's the little truths that make stories and characters breath.

My WIP is no different. For example, my main character is a retired history teacher and I didn't have to go far to research her background and life since I'm a retired history teacher. ; ) But the character who changes my MC's life is an abused foster child. I've researched the foster care system and interviewed foster and adoptive parents and the case workers who work with them. That left the main research I needed to be from a foster child's POV and that interview would require an entirely different level of sensitivity.

Thankfully, the foster child came to me. The Department of Family and Children Services case worker I've interviewed suggested I read Ashley Rhodes Courter's Three Little Words. Courter is an amazing young woman who spent ten years in the foster care system of Florida. Her memoir is harrowing and revealing. With a foster child's first person testimony to refer to, my plot has deepened. Samantha's reactions have become based in reality. My story's layers have grown in complexity. I'm grateful for the help to make Samantha a more three dimensional character.

Research can take so many different forms.

Where do you get your little truths to layer into your story?
What is your dream research source that you need to make your story real?

I can only wish that you find as good a source as I have. Happy digging!

Dream a Little Dream with Me

Zan Marie Steadham copyright 2010

To write is to dream....

That is how my morning pages started off this morning and what followed was an outpouring of understanding of how my stories are all connected. Cherry Hill is a lovely town, but hiding in it's streets and houses are all flavors of nightmare, abuse, and wounds unhealed. And all of this comes from a simple dream of a retired teacher meeting an abused child during a church-hosted party for foster children. There's so much fertile ground for my books. All the Cherry Hill stories come from that dream. When Laura Grace met Samantha in that dream, I found a town full of hidden stories. Stories that had been hidden for various reasons.

Laura Grace tries to hide how much pain she has lived due to grief for her husband and childlessness. Samantha hides from a life of abuse. To feel would be beyond painful, but to hide means the wound isn't open and subject to further damage. But it isn't open to healing either.

Rosemary hides abuse because if she admits it's happening, she will have to say that the appearance of domestic bliss is all a lie. If she can hide the pain behind the perfect family facade, she thinks she will be able to control it. Her son Dean hides his abuse because to show fear invites a heavier load of it from his father and older brothers.

Mack hides long ago abuse among the memories of combat and his grief for Sandra. It's another pain that can't heal until opened to sunshine and new love.

I could go on with several more of my characters' hidden hurts.

What about you? Have dreams influenced your stories?
Do your characters have a few dreams or nightmares that need exploring?

Beware! Image Copyrights

There's been a flurry of interest in blogging circles about copyright of images used from the internet. Check out Roni Loren's post about her law suit over use of images on her blog. Another great summation of the problem and some creative methods of using images can be found at Denise Covey's L'Aussie Writer.  I know I don't have the expertise to add to their wonderful info. Both suggests using Creative Commons or other photo sharing sources.

You may have noticed some changes on In the Shade of the Cherry Tree. Gone is the main image of sunlit cherries on a tree. I've replaced it with my photo of leaves from my own tree with some store-bought cherries. This version is on my mahogany dining table. I've took several different versions and some that are just a plate full of cherries to use in various ways. I've also taken down the pics I've used throughout my blog. I think the one I hated losing the most was the Marines in their dress blue uniforms. There is some question about badges for awards and blog contests, too. I don't know the answer to that yet. If I hear a definitive word, I'll let you know.

That said, I wholeheartedly believe in copyrights. I depend on them for my words and I can't fault photographers and other artists for wanting the same for their creative output. So from now on, unless I can take the picture myself, I'll forgo using an image.

What have you heard about this issue?
Do you have any ideas about sources of images that are okay for use?