The books, stories, and cemeteries - What an inspiration

 Post by Doris McCraw

aka Angela Raines

Photo property of the author

Old books! Biographies, diaries! What gifts and insights they afford us. Add to that the current non-fiction and fiction books and you can have an author's paradise.

Why would I want to read more books when I am writing my own? I'll let you in on a little secret I use. When reading I usually have note cards nearby. As I'm reading and something catches my eye I will take and write it on a notecard. Additionally, when I'm reading a story there will sometimes be a secondary character that I want to know more about. I usually will check and make sure that the author has not told their story, then I will change their name until the story that I want to read about what happened to them.

Photo property of the author.

When it comes to nonfiction books and newspapers, I many times find situations that sparked my imagination. Oh, the stories that could come out of my mind if I had the time to write them all. Usually what happens is I have made note of that information but if it doesn't stay in my mind then I'm not ready to tell that story. The same goes for walks in the cemetery.

Since I enjoy adding true events to my work these notes can be incredibly valuable. Here are a couple of quotes that sparked my interest:

from the book, "a beautiful composition of broken" by rh sin

"where is the benefit

of going to war for someone

would rather fight against you

instead of beside you"

Photo property of the Author.

from the same book

"…

But the things

we force ourselves to forget

creep up beside us

in the middle of the night"

So the next time something resonates with you, make a note. You never know where it will take you.

Until next time, happy reading and make sure to check out Julie's catalog of books and stories. You will not be disappointed.