Try your hand at writing a 1000 word or less story based on one of these prompts.
california
Resource: Realistic Travel Times
People who don’t live in California seem to think that everyone is within an hour from Disneyland. More than once I’ve had people contact me, telling me that they were going to be in LA, so maybe we can meet up for dinner. Now, depending on where this person is in the LA Basin, drive times from San Jose (40 minutes south of San Francisco) can range from 5 1/2 hours to 6 1/2 hours. People always seem to be shocked to learn how large California actually is. In fact, if you were to drive from the most southern large city, San Diego, north to the Oregon border, it would take you over 11 hours on a good day with no stops.
Google Can Be Your Friend
The point I am making, is that you need to research your travel times. It is so easy to simply Google the directions from place to place. Google will even given you travel times for car, bus, bicycle, and walking.
But Google Won’t Tell Me
But sometimes Google won’t work. Maybe your characters are traveling on a private jet, or maybe your novel takes place in 1850. Here are some fantastic resources to help you:
(more…)My Guest Post on Village House of Books Blog
Am I Doing This Right?
by Robin Woods
When I was younger, I loved writing. I would scribble missives on random scraps of paper and create imaginary worlds that I dreamt of nightly. In fact, I still have an art pad full of outfits I dreamed up for my well-dressed villainess. I was eleven, so my sci-fi novel was awful, and truthfully, I probably spent more time drawing pictures than I did writing, but it did instill a love for the written word.
I didn’t start writing with determination for many years. Okay, maybe a couple of decades. But when I did sit down to write, I felt shackled…
Read full article on the Village House of Books Blog.
I will be making an appearance at Village House of Books in Los Gatos, CA on May 2nd at 2:00.
Village House of Books
21 W Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Photo: “Siblings” taken at Natural Bridges State Park Beach
We decided to take advantage of the early spring weather and head for the beach this weekend. The kids spent hours playing in the surf, as I huddled under my 50 layers of sun protection. Hey, I’m not half Italian, I’m all things pasty. My Italian father-in-law did poke fun at my hat, sunglasses, long sleeves, sunblock, and umbrella. Don’t worry, I rocked the look. Anyway, 1:00 PM on a bright day is not the ideal time to take pics, so I decided to capture some silhouettes using the glare from the water. This is my favorite:
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Photo: Sunset Beach, California
A few years ago I had the opportunity to stay at a magnificent beach house on Sunset Beach. I woke each morning to watch the dolphins play in the surf from the picture window and each evening I took a stroll by the trees that would frame the ocean. I hope someday I can go back. (more…)
Photo: View After Work
I work all day in a classroom without windows. When I walk out the back door after work, I am greeted by this view–and sometimes it almost takes my breath away.
“Breaths before Twilight” by Robin Woods
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