"Writing on the
edge...
walking in the
Light!"

#WO-305


Included in each issue, you may expect to find:

THOUGHTS WORTH SHARING

TIPS FOR WRITERS
..... "Putting Pen to Paper"

INFORMATION ABOUT CURRENT BOOKS AND AUTHORS
..... "Profiles and Perspectives"

VOCABULARY
..... "the Wordsmith"


"AND IN CLOSING"
..... Quips and quotes to brighten your day
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THOUGHTS WORTH SHARING

When an elderly lady was asked the secret of the joy and serenity evident in her life, she smiled and said, "I just try to make the most of whatever life brings, and not let the bad times get me down."

Makes good sense. I wonder why we so seldom follow that example.

Psychologists tell us most people have a tendency to dwell on the negatives in life, rather than on the positives. Sadness, liabilities, handicaps too often dominate our thoughts and spill over into our plans and actions.

Even when we gather with friends, conversation often turns to the setbacks, crises, and adversities, rather than to the opportunities, blessings, and joy we experience.

We all need to learn to make the most of everything that comes into our lives. When good comes, be grateful, but when ill fortune strikes, accept the challenge and do what you can to make to most of it, too. Ask yourself, "What can I learn from this experience? How can it profit me in the long run?

According to lyrics of an old favorite song, we should, "accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative" and "don't mess with Mister-In-between."
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PUTTING PEN to PAPER

............"A Word to Beginning Writers"............


"Write what you know," people often tell young writers (and some not-so-young writers). But what if your hum-drum, colorless, ordinary existence belies your burning desire to become a published author? What if you yearn to write ghastly horror-thrillers, but the local garden club is the most exciting event of your year?

Fear not. Some of the world's most successful novelists were semi-recluses who relied on their vivid imaginations to concoct plots worthly of publication. Of course, they augmented (see "the WORDSMITH", below) these with clever adaptations of their personal feelings and observations. And so can you.

While visiting with Mary Higgins Clark at a writers' conference, several years ago, I asked how she succeeded in coming up with plot after intriguing plot. She smiled and said she often looked at ordinary situations and asked herself, "But what if..."

One of the joys of being a novelist is turning reality into whatever you want it to be. For example, suppose you're sitting in a crowded hotel lobby, and you notice a woman chastising a youngster for tugging on her coat sleeve. Let your imagination run wild. But what if...the child isn't hers? What if... he's run away from an abusive home and is trying to get this woman to help him? OR what if... he awakened at the hotel that morning to find himself deserted, the room empty, his parents gone? Aha! The makings of an intriguing story.

Now, all you need do is implant "what you know" into the fantasy you're creating.

As a child, were you ever temporarily separated from your parents in a crowd, or "lost" at a grocery store or shopping mall? Dredge up those feelings of terror as you looked about and couldn't find a single familiar face in the crowd. Then consider, have you ever found a person bothersome to the point of frustration? Write that into the woman's attitude, and you're on your way.

Practice taking a simple occurrence or an unusual situation and exploding it into a story, in your mind. Then enlarge that story into the basic plot of a novella or full-length novel. If it develops into something useful, jot down your ideas for future reference. If not, that's all right, too. The exercise itself will hone your skills and, with repeated use, open your mind and imagination to realms you never dreamed you could conquer.

So, next time you're stuck at an airport or standing in a long line, relax, shake out your imagination, and look about. The makings of a best-seller may be in plain sight, just waiting for you to ask, "But what if..."
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the WORDSMITH

Today's word is “AUGMENT”

- “AUG-ment” - transitive verb ( augmented; augmenting) - to make greater, as in size, quantity, strength, etc.; to enlarge

Example: They augmented their plots with clever adaptations of their memories and observations.
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PROFILES AND PERSPECTIVES:
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If you like suspense, Brandilyn Collins' THE EYES OF ELISHA will keep you turning pages!!


THE EYES OF ELISHA

by Brandilyn Collins

A gruesome murder is committed, and Chelsea Adams experiences the victim's death as if it were her own --only she wasn't there.

Chelsea is not just an ordinary housewife with two young sons. She has been blessed with a gift from God -- the ability to see what others don't know.

But are these visions more a curse than a blessing?

Unable to prove what she knows to be true, she finds herself in serious danger at the hands of a vicious murderer

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brandilyn Collins comes from a background of theatre, bringing with her a unique sense of drama that sets the pages sizzling in this tight suspense novel. To learn more about Brandilyn Collins and her writing, check our her website at:

www.brandilyncollins.com

Oh, and by the way, as you read THE EYES of ELISHA,

"Don't Forget to Breathe..."


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AND IN CLOSING...

Remember -- If your writing speaks for itself, don't interrupt.
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‘Til next time, KEEP SMILING (It makes people wonder what you’re up to.) :o)

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GOD BLESS! Thanks for dropping by. And whatever else you do ...WRITE ON!


[To contact Sara Probasco with your comments or questions, simply click on “E-mail the Author” under "Quick Links" in the sidebar (to the right). Please enter in the “Subject” box this edition’s number. It starts with "#WO" and can be found at the upper left of this Newsletter page, just below the heading.]

Come back to see me soon, you hear?
---Sara