Letting Life Experiences Flow Through Our Writing
by Vonda Skelton @VondaSkelton
A few years ago my husband and I took our two youngest grandchildren to Cherokee NC to learn more about our Cherokee heritage. But on our way home that day, I realized I did more than simply learn dates and historical events. I began to write about it, at least in my mind. [image error]
Isn't that the way we are as writers? We go on a simple vacation or go shopping or read a current event and before we know it, we're contemplating characters, mapping out plots, scouting locations, capturing events, and creating a world inside our heads.In As You Like It, William Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players...." I realize now how true that statement is.My first mystery for kids was set on Tybee Island (GA) because we went there when I was a kid.The second in the Bitsy Burroughs Mystery Series was set on Amelia Island (FL) because my grandchildren lived there at the time.And the last in the series, Bitsy and the Mystery at Hilton Head Island (SC), was set on Hilton Head because it had become a family vacation favorite for our us, our adult children, and our grandchildren.
Little did I know those practical events in life would prepare a stage for my characters—real or imagined—to enter and exit. After all, I didn't set out to find locations for children's books. I simply found myself there...and the characters and their stories began.
Now I'm already looking forward to doing something with these nuggets of Cherokee ideas, even if it's not right now. After all, I went to Tybee Island in 1961, but it was well over 30 years later that I began to write about it.
I have a feeling I'm not alone in this phenomenon. What about you? Have you experienced anything similar? If so, would you share it with us? It could be fun to see where our stories--whether published or not, whether written or not--originated. We’d love for you to join the conversation!
TWEETABLES
Letting Life Experiences Flow Through Our #Writing - @VondaSkelton on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Ideas for #writing are often closer than we think - @VondaSkelton on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Vonda Skelton is a speaker and the author of four books: Seeing Through the Lies: Unmasking the Myths Women Believe and the 3-book Bitsy Burroughs mysteries for children 8-12 yo. She’s the founder and co-director of Christian Communicators Conference, offering speakers’ training and community for Christian women called to ministry. Vonda is a frequent instructor at writer’s conferences and keynotes at business, women’s, and associational events. You can find out more about Vonda, as well as writing opportunities and instruction at her writer’s blog, The Christian Writer’s Den at VondaSkelton.com.
A few years ago my husband and I took our two youngest grandchildren to Cherokee NC to learn more about our Cherokee heritage. But on our way home that day, I realized I did more than simply learn dates and historical events. I began to write about it, at least in my mind. [image error]Isn't that the way we are as writers? We go on a simple vacation or go shopping or read a current event and before we know it, we're contemplating characters, mapping out plots, scouting locations, capturing events, and creating a world inside our heads.In As You Like It, William Shakespeare wrote, "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players...." I realize now how true that statement is.My first mystery for kids was set on Tybee Island (GA) because we went there when I was a kid.The second in the Bitsy Burroughs Mystery Series was set on Amelia Island (FL) because my grandchildren lived there at the time.And the last in the series, Bitsy and the Mystery at Hilton Head Island (SC), was set on Hilton Head because it had become a family vacation favorite for our us, our adult children, and our grandchildren.
Little did I know those practical events in life would prepare a stage for my characters—real or imagined—to enter and exit. After all, I didn't set out to find locations for children's books. I simply found myself there...and the characters and their stories began.Now I'm already looking forward to doing something with these nuggets of Cherokee ideas, even if it's not right now. After all, I went to Tybee Island in 1961, but it was well over 30 years later that I began to write about it.
I have a feeling I'm not alone in this phenomenon. What about you? Have you experienced anything similar? If so, would you share it with us? It could be fun to see where our stories--whether published or not, whether written or not--originated. We’d love for you to join the conversation!
TWEETABLES
Letting Life Experiences Flow Through Our #Writing - @VondaSkelton on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Ideas for #writing are often closer than we think - @VondaSkelton on @EdieMelson (Click to Tweet)
Vonda Skelton is a speaker and the author of four books: Seeing Through the Lies: Unmasking the Myths Women Believe and the 3-book Bitsy Burroughs mysteries for children 8-12 yo. She’s the founder and co-director of Christian Communicators Conference, offering speakers’ training and community for Christian women called to ministry. Vonda is a frequent instructor at writer’s conferences and keynotes at business, women’s, and associational events. You can find out more about Vonda, as well as writing opportunities and instruction at her writer’s blog, The Christian Writer’s Den at VondaSkelton.com.
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