From Chester Harper: What should have been a joyous time for Columbine, Willow and their family turns into a nightmare. Enjoy this latest episode of Chester’s wonderful Willow series and visit him on Facebook.
Welcome toWrite the Story!Each monthWriters Unite!will offer a writing prompt for writers to create a story from and share with everyone.WU!wants to help our members and followers to generate more traffic to their platforms.Pleasecheck out the authors’ blogs, websites, Facebook pages and show them support. We would love to hear your thoughts about the stories and appreciate your support!
Images are free-use images and do not require attribution.Image by Steve Bidmead of Pixabay.
Transformation and Trouble
Chester Harper
Jay padded into the kitchen to make the morning coffee as he pondered the strange dream still vivid in his mind. He, Columbine, Foxx, and Willow, his mother-in-law, were all at the beach sitting in fabric beach chairs. There was an uneasy tension in the air that Jay couldn’t quite figure out. Suddenly, Foxx transformed into a gull. Shock, surprise, and delight erupted…
Photo from Pinterest. Image source unknown, credit to the orginal creator.
Location is vital in all facets of our lives. Comfort, convenience, commute, and community are essential considerations when selecting where we wish to reside. When writing, it makes sense to consider the impact of where we have our characters live.
Location can be more than the physical terrain in which we set a story, although some places can take a back seat to the plot. However, the setting is another tool in the author’s arsenal to add depth to the story. The choice of locale sets the period of the story, when and where it takes place. It affects how the characters behave, speak, and reflect on the society where they live. More importantly, when needed, the setting can become another character creating a mood and emotional tone.
A few inquiring minds have asked me what is so appealing to me about New Orleans and why I set so many of my stories either there or in Louisiana, where my upcoming novel, Crescent City Lies, is set. After all, I’m from South Carolina, a beautiful state with its own vibrant culture and uniqueness. It also has faults, as do all places, and those faults in a community can also add depth to your story.
When deciding on a setting for a story, the flavor of Louisiana draws me into its spell. Nothing like the sultry summer heat in the south, when life slows down, and the humidity rises. The spicy aromas and comforting palate of Cajun food and the smooth sounds of New Orleans jazz are alluring and set a mood that seems to touch my writer’s passion. Wicked antagonists, flawed heroes, and enticing strong women seem to belong in the bayou or the French Quarter.
In reality, I love the beach. Ribbons of sand lapped by waves, air tangy with salt, majestic pelicans soaring against a cornflower blue sky. My heart lies on the shore, rejuvenated by the sun’s heat. My soul rests in the bayou.
I am fortunate to live in an area that some people call paradise—if you consider heat, humidity, sun, and ocean paradise. I do! As the photo shows, expansive sky, lush vegetation, a body of water, and a bench to enjoy the quiet beauty sets a mood just outside my door. Not to mention, there are ducks, sea birds, and two resident alligators to add to the ambiance.
I suppose we choose where we want our stories to unfold for a myriad of reasons. Genre certainly plays a role and can dictate the amount of world-building necessary to create the foundation you need. A cozy mystery often occurs in a small town, a detective murder mystery in a city setting, but let your creativity decide what works for your story. How descriptive you should be depends on how important the location is to your storyline. For instance, a city with the ambiance of a New Orleans, New York City, San Francisco, or San Antonio becomes a character within the story, adding depth and mood by using the uniqueness of the environment to enhance the plot. The same for small towns that can provide coziness and character to the story.
My thoughts always seem to be on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the Battery in Charleston, or an Atlantic beach in Florida, all locations which spur my muse. Let those places you love inspire your muse and your stories.
Welcome toWrite the Story!Each monthWriters Unite!will offer a writing prompt for writers to create a story from and share with everyone.WU!wants to help our members and followers to generate more traffic to their platforms.Pleasecheck out the authors’ blogs, websites, Facebook pages and show them support. We would love to hear your thoughts about the stories and appreciate your support!
Images are free-use images and do not require attribution.Image by Steve Bidmead of Pixabay.
The Catch Of A Lifetime
Lisa Criss Griffin
Sunlight sparkled across the clear, cobalt blue water, casting beams of light through the partially buried shipwreck just offshore of the barrier island. The barnacle encrusted ribs of the old wooden boat thrust upward in protest, and were visible above the ocean surface at low tide. Sea creatures of all sizes, varieties and colors congregated in mass, within and around…
Episode #6 of “Success Philosophies With Dr. Chuback” is now available. Click on the post for a link to the podcast! And check out previous episodes on the link provided! Enjoy!
Writers are human and humans require motivation. When we set a goal, the motivation to accomplish our desires is the force driving our actions. For many of us, finding the correct path to follow and maintaining that driving force can be difficult.
In our quest to assist writers in becoming the best you can be and remain motivated, we would like to introduce you toJohn Chuback, M.D.A cardiovascular surgeon,Dr. Chubackfound his goals waylaid by his lack of motivation. In a series of interviews withPaul W. Reeves, host onImpact Radio USA,Dr. Chubackdiscusses “The 50 most powerful secrets for success in and out of the classroom.”
Please click on the link below to hear Episode #6 in this series, and start enhancing your journey toward success today!
DR. JOHN CHUBACK, a cardiovascular surgeon from New Jersey, joins us in this series to…
Welcome toWrite the Story!Each monthWriters Unite!will offer a writing prompt for writers to create a story from and share with everyone.WU!wants to help our members and followers to generate more traffic to their platforms.Pleasecheck out the authors’ blogs, websites, Facebook pages and show them support. We would love to hear your thoughts about the stories and appreciate your support!
Images are free-use images and do not require attribution.Image by Steve Bidmead of Pixabay.
It’s Been a Hard Night’s Day and I’ve Been Workin’ in a Fog
Cheryl Ann Guido
“Keep digging, Lana!”
Lana Love took a step back and leaned on her shovel. Exhausted, she drew the back of her hand across her sweaty forehead. A pristine beauty only hours earlier, her long blonde tresses now clung to the sides of her face and the short, glittery red dress she wore…
Welcome toWrite the Story!Each monthWriters Unite!will offer a writing prompt for writers to create a story from and share with everyone.WU!wants to help our members and followers to generate more traffic to their platforms.Pleasecheck out the authors’ blogs, websites, Facebook pages and show them support. We would love to hear your thoughts about the stories and appreciate your support!
Images are free-use images and do not require attribution.Image by Steve Bidmead of Pixabay.
Rock of Hope
Riham El-Ashry
On an ancient beach of that old city, a woman in black sat on that very old rock. The tide has used its magical tools to carve a spectacular shape out of it. People visited the beach especially to see that rock. It gave the beholder a feeling of a lamenting person. The place was not opened for swimmers, but for taking photos…
Welcome toWrite the Story!Each monthWriters Unite!will offer a writing prompt for writers to create a story from and share with everyone.WU!wants to help our members and followers to generate more traffic to their platforms.Pleasecheck out the authors’ blogs, websites, Facebook pages and show them support. We would love to hear your thoughts about the stories and appreciate your support!
Images are free-use images and do not require attribution.Image by Steve Bidmead of Pixabay.
Invasive Species
Enzo Stephens
Siskiwit Lake, Wisconsin May 19, 4:45 am
The folding chairs were arranged… just so.
All in parallel, facing out over the dark, fathomless waters of the small lake; standing as sentinels in the pre-dawn silence punctuated by the occasional hyperactive striped bass doing a bellyflop.
The legs of the chairs rested unevenly on the rocky shore, as if sudden movement by an occupant would…
Welcome toWrite the Story!Each monthWriters Unite!will offer a writing prompt for writers to create a story from and share with everyone.WU!wants to help our members and followers to generate more traffic to their platforms.Pleasecheck out the authors’ blogs, websites, Facebook pages and show them support. We would love to hear your thoughts about the stories and appreciate your support!
Images are free-use images and do not require attribution.Image by Steve Bidmead of Pixabay.
Abduction
Lynn Miclea
Dawn sat in the blue beach chair and stretched out her legs, her toes wiggling in the soft, warm sand, as the sun soothed and warmed her on that bright, sunny, relaxing Saturday. She glanced at her husband Michael sitting next to her, the sun on his face, his eyes closed. Their four-year-old daughter, Melissa, giggled happily as she played in the sand next to…
Writers are human and humans require motivation. When we set a goal, the motivation to accomplish our desires is the force driving our actions. For many of us, finding the correct path to follow and maintaining that driving force can be difficult.
In our quest to assist writers in becoming the best you can be and remain motivated, we would like to introduce you to John Chuback, M.D. A cardiovascular surgeon, Dr. Chuback found his goals waylaid by his lack of motivation. In a series of interviews with Paul W. Reeves, host on Impact Radio USA,Dr. Chuback discusses “The 50 most powerful secrets for success in and out of the classroom.”
Please click on the link below to hear Episode #5 in this series, and start enhancing your journey toward success today!
DR. JOHN CHUBACK, a cardiovascular surgeon from New Jersey, joins us in this series…
Welcome toWrite the Story!Each monthWriters Unite!will offer a writing prompt for writers to create a story from and share with everyone.WU!wants to help our members and followers to generate more traffic to their platforms.Pleasecheck out the authors’ blogs, websites, Facebook pages and show them support. We would love to hear your thoughts about the stories and appreciate your support!
Images are free-use images and do not require attribution. Image by Steve Bidmead of Pixabay.
The Summer She Died
D. A. Ratliff
Mindy Thomas died the summer we were eighteen. We planned a fun week at the shore after high school before we went our separate ways. That week was not supposed to end with one of us dying.
We had been best friends since grade school. Mindy, Eva, Carlie, and me, the Four Musketeers, as we called ourselves as kids but later…
d. a. ratliff 