Welcome readers, writers, authors, and bloggers!
We're glad you're here! It's the First Wednesday
of the month; when we celebrate IWSG Day in the form of a
blog hop featuring members and guests of the Insecure
Writer's Support Group. Founded by author Alex Cavanaugh (Thank you, Captain!) and fostered by like-minded
associates, IWSG is a comfortable place to share views and literary news as we
record our journeys. Check out the December
newsletter here.
The awesome co-hosts for this month’s posting
of the IWSG are: Victoria Marie Lees, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and C. Lee McKenzie!
Today’s
entirely optional question: Do most of your story ideas come from one
place (the news, dreams, etc.) or do they hit from all over the place?
You’d think I’d
have a patented answer for this question by now, since it is one of the most
commonly asked questions a writer ever gets. Back in the early days of swing-singing
– before I could even spell my own name – the answer was easy: I reported the
news as I’d heard or discerned it from all over the cul-de-sac (the neighbor’s
chagrin notwithstanding) at the top of my lungs each morning at sunrise from
the vantage point of my backyard swing. I use the word “News” lightly here, as in
those days the word referred to something you could believe in. Whether you
wanted to hear it or not was mostly up to you (neighbor’s remorse, notwithstanding)
What I truly admire is how authors manage to weave stories around news events that might otherwise have faded away if not for the riveting narratives that became sensational movies, such as Murder on the Orient Express (Agatha Christie) and Hidden Figures (Margot Lee Shetterly).
Did I mention
that the story I spoke of last month (Tortilla Bandits) was based on a
true story? We just decided not to file a Police report ;-)
I’ve just
finished reading my fifth book of the year (so far). How’s your reading list
doing?
Fun Fact: In Brazilian prisons, reading a book
can reduce a prisoner’s sentence by four days!
That’s it for
me, for now. See Ya all out there!
Happy Writing
I bet your news about what was going on around your cul-de-sac was fun.
ReplyDeleteIndeed ;-) I thought I was providing a community service.
DeleteWishing you a wonderful summer, Natalie!
Thank you for co-hosting.
Our prisons need to adopt that. Plus learning a skill.
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree, Captain! Especially about learning a skill. Happy IWSG Day!
DeleteWell, if you have to choose between a police report and story that builds your career, I'd take the story.
ReplyDeleteI wonder how harsh the punishment would be for stealing a package of tortillas? :-)
DeleteHappy IWSG Day!
Your post reads like a novel in progress, Diedre. I loved the part about the police report that was never filed, and if I ever land in a Brazilian prison, I'm taking some books with me. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteHa! I'll take that as a compliment ;-) Thank you. And thanks for co-hosting IWSG Day!
DeleteI'd be reading a lot in prison in Brazil! 😂 I loved your childhood swing story, Diedre! Happy creating in June!
ReplyDeleteI think I'd read a lot too ;-) Good to see you Fundy Blue!
DeleteI have heard that before about the prison reading program, though a report has to also be written (mostly to prove the reading), and the available choices are very limited.
ReplyDeleteNot as fun as reporting from a swing. 🤣 Great post.
Ha! A limited selection of reading material might not work well at all. I so loved swing-singing ;-)
Delete