by John B. Jamison As the congregation sang the last verse of the closing hymn, he made his way to the back of the sanctuary. When he first came to the church, someone had told him that this was where the preacher always stood to shake everyone’s hands, so he dutifully took up the tradition [...]
Sometimes, writing a story seems more like being a tree in an ice storm. Sometimes I have this story idea in my mind with all of it's branches of characters and actions, but when I sit down to write it, I can't [...]
As they walked up the steps of the porch they looked at the huge house. The large windows were covered in dust and mud and most of them showed large cracks. The porch roof was trimmed with overly-fancy woodwork that included carvings of angels, devils, several trees, apples, and an [...]
NOTE: This short story is a part of my challenge to write an ongoing collection of stories based on photos I come across. You can see the collection of photos HERE. These are quick and short stories, not polished or fully edited, partly for you to enjoy and partly for me to see if [...]
Question: It is interesting to see how you come up with your ideas from something you see or hear or something you read. But I’m just not that creative. Never have been. Do you think some people are just more creative than other people? Thanks for the question, and it’s another one that I hear [...]
I am often asked how I actually write my fiction stories. As a shot at a response, I thought I would give you an inside look at how it happens by sharing an early "idea" for a story I may or may not end up actually finishing. In fact, this might even work as a [...]
I was late for class, which as the instructor, is frowned upon. I was following a big, slow, truck, watching for a break in the traffic so I could get around. It gave me time to think about that big yellow thing the truck was carrying, and wonder just what the heck it was. I [...]
This is going to be a short post today, and one for the writers who may come across it. It will be short because, well, wait a minute, I have to blow my nose…Okay, I’m back. That’s why. I woke up in the middle of the night last night with a scratchy throat threatening to [...]
I had a really fun conversation with another author this week. As we talked about my past and the years I spent as a pastor and counselor, he asked how I am able to create my nasty villains since I spent all that time in such a “nice” role. He is the first person to [...]
Sometimes, the ideas just hit you right in the face. And then, they just stand there and keep punching. I walked out our front door a few days ago and there it was. It looked like someone had just dropped “the big one” somewhere East of our house, and my guess it was Decatur, Illinois. [...]
