Month: May 2024

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Inspiration Happens in the Most Unusual Ways

I was sitting in my office in Lemon Grove, California, looking out the window. I was waiting for the next person I was going to interview, and watching for the next trolley to rush past. I had about 10 minutes and was also wondering what my next article would be about.

About that time, the trolley came barreling past. If they don’t stop for passengers, they are going 45-50 miles per hour here. During the weekend, only 2 cars run in tandem, but during the week, 3 cars run together. I walked outside to take this photo.

I began wondering about which one is either pulling or pushing, but then I observed the power system. Each car was receiving its own power from the electric cables above the cars. I suddenly realized that each car – the 3 of them connected together – was pulling its own load. And I had to write about it!

I tell you, inspiration happens in the most unusual ways and at the most interesting times. Always try to be alert as you go about your day, and capture those fleeting thoughts, those inspirations that rush by like the trolley cars.

Even though connected together, each car was pulling its own load. That reminded me about writers. We read each other’s work; we learn from each other; we often help each other. But each of us must carry our own load. We must do our own work.

So, as you write, be open to suggestions and receive criticism without complaining. Critics can be our best friends. But keep writing. Keep working. Carry your own load. Enjoy the thrill that comes when you finish that article, that manuscript, that book! And always be sure to …

Write Creatively.

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I Want to Write a Book, but ……

“You want to write a book, okay. But what’s your concern?” I inquired.

“I want to write a book, but the thought scares me. I’ve never written anything longer than college and university papers, and I think trying to write anything more than 20 pages is beyond my ability.”

We discussed his interests, background, and vocation. When he told me he was a newspaper reporter, I asked him how long he’d been a journalist.

“Oh, about seven years.”

“How many reports have you written?”

“Oh, 2 or 3 a week; I don’t know, maybe over 800.”

“Okay, here’s an idea. As a journalist, you have to keep your word count down, but you know there’s more to each story. Why don’t you select 75-100 of those reports, rewrite each one, and fill out the story with some of the details you had to cut. That way, you don’t have to think about the daunting challenge of writing an entire book – just a series of very short stories. Putting them together will get you your book. What do you think about that?”

He was elated! He’s been working on it now for about seven months, and we’ll edit it, format it, and get it published several months from now.

How about you? Are you ready to start on your book? Or perhaps you’re ready to get it edited, formatted, and published. Call or email us at P&L Publishing and Literary Services. Use the contact button above, or use this one https://plpubandlit.org/.

And don’t forget to…

Write Creatively.

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Where do I start?

Sometimes when we sit down to write, we get lost and wonder, “Where do I start?”

One answer: Choose a natural starting point.

When we read a good novel, it all seems to unfold so naturally from the first sentence, so why do we have a difficult time getting started? We need to remind ourselves that famous authors are faced with the same problem. Don’t laugh now, but they have editors to help them, too.

Think about real life. No significant episode in your own life sprung up from nothing; things happened that shaped the current event, and things happened afterward as a result of it. Think about your story in the same way. The characters have pasts and futures (unless you plan to kill them). Places, too, have pasts and futures. Therefore, every good storyteller jumps into his story midstream. Knowing this can help you relax about picking a starting point.

For example, I’m writing about Abraham, and I start with him as an adult in the desert with his camel when God speaks to him. Abe begins mulling over world events and planning his escape from Ur of the Chaldees without being caught. With that setting as my anchor, I build the story.

If you’re unsure where to begin, pick a scene you know you’re going to put in—you just don’t know where yet—and start writing it. You might discover your Chapter One right there. And even if you don’t, you’ll have story material for that scene when the time comes.

Or……

Write several character sketches. You need them anyway, and they’re great warm-ups for Chapter One. Ask yourself: What will this character be doing when we first meet him? Write it. Again, you might find yourself writing Chapter One…or Chapter three. But start.

Your could even do a Chapter-One-Only brainstorm and see what comes out.

You can write a great story starting from any of several places. But wherever it is, start with action! That will help you to …

Write Creatively.