Writing has always been quite easy for me; something that seemed to just come naturally. I remember sitting on a flight home some time ago and looking over at the female passenger sitting across from me. As I watched her she would smile to herself sometimes, and then just as quickly she would be very serious and her brows would crease as if some bad memory had crossed her mind. I continued to watch her and as I did I started to write a poem about her. When I was finished I walked over and gave it to her and explained what I had done. With tears streaming down her face she said she would always cherish it and that it was the nicest thing anyone had ever done. She said she couldn’t believe I got all that from watching her.
I write about life, beauty, family, love and just about everything that makes up our beautiful world. I also regretfully write about those things that hurt and destroy it; like my poems about 9/11. When I write my children’s stories I could be inspired by something cute my daughter said or did. I am also inspired by blessings and miracles and unexpected gifts in my life. Such an inspiration came when I had my daughter in 2002, a special blessing the doctors said would never happen.
A typical writing day for me is one where an idea comes to me for a new book, when or where I least expect. I may be driving down the street and I become totally excited because great ideas are coming to me all at once. I pull the car over as soon as possible, find paper and a pen, and I start writing down my thoughts because I dare not forget.
I get back home and I start to expand, think of characters, decide on the setting; I am totally in Michelle heaven as I start to bring all these and more to life. There is a lot of rolled up paper on the floor because at this point I am brainstorming and not yet at computer stage. Once I have my outline, my characters, my setting and know the kind of story I want to bring to the children with this book, I am ready for working on the computer. I am dancing and singing. I am starting to tighten up here, add here, delete here, and add some funny and adventurous here. I read over everything too many times to count. It’s very important that I let the little girl in me write the story.
Follow Day 3 of Ms. Hall's tour tomorrow at http://www.melangeofcultures.wordpress.com/. Leave a comment and your name will automatically be entered to win a Three Angels Gourmet Co mug and a package of Divine Dill Dip Mix - at the end of the month, provided by the National Writing for Children Center.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Best wishes,
Donna M. McDine
Award-winning Children's Author
The Golden Pathway ~ August 2010 ~ Guardian Angel Publishing, Inc.
http://guardianangelpublishing.com/pathway.htm
