Weathering A Storm of Ideas: On Shaping a Nonfiction Story

By Ann Matzke

I grew up in Chicago and my summers were spent on Lake Michigan. I wanted my children to have that lake experience, but living landlocked in Nebraska made it difficult, until we discovered a lake a few hours away. My husband’s idea was to rent a cabin, but I dreamed of a sailboat. Put to a family vote, sailing won, and we bought the 32-foot Catalina sailboat.

Oh, did I mention, I was the only one with sailing experience?

During the summer and early fall we lived on the ...