Tag Archives: creative-writing

Once upon a time when I was a little girl and began to read, I was totally wowed by stories that took me out of my “day life” and into a “book life.” I wanted to read everything, but I learned quickly that everything was not always taking me into a “book life” I craved. When I did find an author that took me away, I would read every book written by that author. Yes, I read dozens of Mickey Spilane books when I was in high school. His fast action moved me through the story, and I was not educated yet to the stereotypes he used as his characters. 

Some books I would buy and save to read. These were showcased on a shelf…

Reading books as a child started me on a lifetime love affair with stories. My father and I would go to estate sales and look for books. We crawled under tables and pulled books out of drawers to put in a carton sold to us for a dollar or five at the most. My father was interested in history. I read anything I could hold in my hands. I had not yet decided what I liked to read. As I began choosing books and authors, I found I was branching way out of my rural Southern roots to learn from my reading. I realized I was looking for stories that could leave me thinking about the characters long after I finished the book. I wanted to know who they were and why they did what they did. Now that I am writing historical novels, my goal is to create my characters the way I like to read.

To have a place to write is part of the writing process and takes consideration. My
writing place was not chosen haphazardly. I thought long and hard when I was
beginning to write as to where I could write. I tried many different scenarios. Ultimately, I
discovered that I could write just about anywhere I have a surface, a window, and time.