Kate Warren

Actually, probably not that nasty.  Tonight I'm going to attend a family get-together the likes of which only happen once a year.  In addition to the colorful adults in the family there will be more than half a dozen kids running around.  I've noted before that children are wonderful for writing.   This could be fertile ground for the creative mind to harvest ideas. 

My biggest problem will be remembering any of the stuff that happens, because I won't be able to take notes.  That would be way too obvious, and I don't need to alert my siblings that there's a slight chance their actions will turn into fodder for my career.  Did I mention I have a devious streak?

But really, every writer needs to be an observer of human nature and interaction.  That's how we get three-dimensional characters and realistic dialogue.  I'm not advising copying from life verbatim, but anything can inspire you to create similar situations in your work. 

This happens to be Memorial Day weekend and a lot of people will be gathering with friends and family.  Keep any high (or low) points in mind next time you sit down to write.  Also, for any of my readers who are travelling, I wish you a safe and uneventful commute to your destinations and home again.

Kate

I mean to post more often.  Life is just getting in the way.  Honestly, I probably will not post very regularly during the summer.  The boys will be out of school.  Our oldest goes to middle school next year and has said he doesn't want to participate in the summer enrichment classes the district offers.  The younger two will have Extended School Year classes, half days twice a week.  Then there's our little girl.  She's three, she's strong-minded, and she's trying to take over the world.  The four of them keep us busy, but they are also great for my writing.

I wish I still kept track of the adorable mispronunciations my kids have used over the years.  If you are writing small children into your story, you want to have them mispronounce things.  Older kids can use the look/turn away of annoyed yet smug intellectual superiority I got from my 11 year old this morning when I was acting silly.

It is starting to get hot here.  This is May.  This is Wisconsin.  It is not supposed to be hot.  Unseasonable weather is something I should definitely include in my next book (though seasonable weather is just as interesting in this state).

I've been working on editing my latest manuscript and it is coming along beautifully.  I should be able to add an excerpt to the site soon. 

I'm also looking into formatting and conversion for Kindle (which is daunting).  If anyone has any tips they'd like to share, please do so.