Hi there, guys and dolls! As writers, my girls Andrea and Heather make things up. They pull ideas out of what seems like thin air, making up tales of trails that twist along and lead somewhere. There is plenty of supposing and considering, then developing and following the inspirations to make things happen for my Santa Lucians. Authors of all kinds do it all the time.

When the ideas don’t come, it’s usually thought of as writer’s block. Sometimes that happens in real life, too. We call that a rut. General malaise and his friend ennui come to visit and sometimes stay a while, till one gives them the boot, or they get bored of themselves and move on.

For the position of scribes, my girls observe people and themselves. Not for creepy purposes, but how to relate to the world they are creating in a natural fashion, adding a hint of the ‘what if’ factor to keep stories rolling, when in reality a person may hit the doldrums and stay wallowing for a while.

Take shopping for example. Many times I’ve heard people say when they see a beautiful dress or fancy shoes that brings a smile to their faces and a light in their eyes, “Oh, I can’t buy that, where would I wear that?” Then they walk away, feeling a little sorry for themselves. I say poppycock to that. Buy the dress, wear the shoes and make the occasion. Set up the dinner reservations or have a fancy night in, but for goodness sake, perk yourself up and live a little.

We sometimes sit around and wait for magic to happen, to be inspired. The real truth of it is that you have to be open to it and take the leads that spark, not dampen them by being your own wet blanket. As authors, my girls have to pick up tangents and work with them, play and weave thoughts to go somewhere. The truth goes for living life, too. A life worth living needs to be lived, not tsk-tsked and put down because we can’t be bothered to make an effort to see things through. Do something different, or something that you feel that you can’t do or initially put down as a ‘dumb idea.’ Follow it through, it might start you off on a whole new adventure, or at least give you something to talk about. Magic doesn’t just make itself, you have to be there to pull the rabbit out of the hat!

Toodles,

Barbara Jean