Few outside Texas would ever think to seek creative inspiration in West Texas. I certainly wouldn't. Today, after the blessing of spring rains, this basically barren landscape is as green as it ever gets, but it still looks eerily god-forsaken.I don't know if it was the landscape that unleashed that flow of creativity. Perhaps the low-grade fever I was running slipped my brainwaves into another gear. Whatever it was, I was grateful for this phenomenon I call Writer's Rush, the opposite of Writer's Block.
Obviously this is not so. As I look with my heart, I see there is something ethereal and mystical about this place. Blog ideas are gushing forth at fire hose velocity. Perhaps Sarabelle, my lifestory writing muse, headquarters here. I know better than to spurn Sarabelle's offering, and I know better than to leave home without paper and pencil. Right now, if I were a poet, I'd write An Ode to Sarabelle, but alas, a poet I am not.
I'll simply honor her gifts by writing them down and urge you to do likewise when she leaves memory morsels in unexpected places. She doesn't require that you write a whole, finished story on the spot. She's happy if you simply jot a few words or a couple of sentences — enough to lock the idea in your mind.
Thank you, Sarabelle
You needn't travel to west Texas or run a low-grade fever to experience Writer's Rush yourself. Spending time with other lifestory writers in a writing group, reading lists of prompts, or simply talking with friends and family about "the good old days" is generally enough to get most people spinning out story ideas. Just don't forget to jot down a few notes about each one to keep Sarabelle feeling appreciated.
Write on,
Sharon Lippincott, aka Ritergal
Countdown: 60 days until the release of The Heart and Craft of Lifestory Writing on July 1. Stay tuned for ordering details.
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