A Novel Creation www.WatersWords.com

Today, I have asked a wonderful new writer to share how she came to write her debut novel, Friends and Enemies . I love this post.  Creating a Family to Be Proud Of By Terri Wangard A batch of forgotten letters was found in my grandmother’s house. Written in 1947 and 1948, they came from distant cousins in Germany. My grandparents and other relatives had been sending them care packages. My great-great-grandfather immigrated to Wisconsin in the 1870s, as did two brothers. A fourth brother remained in Germany, and these letters came from his grandchildren. When I revived a dream to write in 2008, I decided the family in the letters would be the perfect subject around which to craft a story. Research revealed life in Nazi Germany as increasingly grim before the war even started. The letters provide a fascinating glimpse of life in war torn Germany, but nothing about the war years. How had the family coped? I turned to the internet and searched the family’s factory na...

The holidays are over. The days are growing longer at a snail’s pace and February Blues loom large. How do you get back in the groove? How do you tap your creative spirit? Where can you find the secret to renew your energy and interest in those projects you started last fall? Here are a few suggestions. Seek Out an Interesting Conversation…or at Least an Interesting Conversationalist             Do you know someone with an interesting hobby or profession? Someone who holds a different perspective on life? Strike up a conversation with someone older than you…or younger. Spend some time with someone from a different cultural perspective. You can share your views, but your real job here is to listen. I recently had a conversation with a seven-year-old. He told me that when he grows up he wants to have a farm where he and his wife will live. His brother and his wife will live in a house on the same farm and so will his si...

Ten Things You Should Never Say to a Writer: 1. I hate to read.  2. So you don't work…you just write? 3. Aren’t you finished with that novel? I mean, seriously, haven’t you been working on that for like a month? 4. Do you ever want people to read what you write?  5. Writing is a nice hobby. My grandma used to write little poems for us kids. You could try that. 6. You are so lucky you don’t have to work like real people. 7. Yeah, my uncle wrote a book once. He has a garage full of the ones he couldn’t sell. 8. Are you famous? Do you know Nicholas Sparks or Danielle Steel? No? Are you a real writer? 9. What a great idea! I always thought I should write a book about my dysfunctional family. I have a week of vacation time coming. If I could write it then, I could publish it by summer. 10. So how much do you make? I was thinking about writing a best seller.  Some days are just like that...