Write What You Know vs. Use What You Know to Write

"Write what you know," has long been a principle given aspiring writers.  Today’s bookshelves are crowded with popular medical thrillers written by former medical professionals; psychological thrillers written by former psychologists and crime novels written by former policemen, judges and attorneys. Relying on knowledge accumulated during a former profession gives these novels an authenticity that readers recognize and appreciate because they use the proper terms and know the proper procedures they write about. "Write what you know," works for them.

But what about those of us who don’t have the medical and scientific background of Michael Crichton and lack the legal expertise of John Grisham? What do we write about? How do we gain the expertise or even develop the thought that we have the right stuff to compose a short story, write a novel, or pitch an idea for an article? 

Perhaps it will help you find inspiration if you replace that old adage "write what you know," with "don't write what you know," "write what you want to know," or my favorite, "use what you know to write." 

Bad books on writing and thoughtless English professors solemnly tell beginners to "Write What You Know", which explains why so many mediocre novels are about English professors contemplating adultery. 

- Joe Haldeman, an American science fiction writer

"Writing what you know" is restricting, in essence forcing writers to write only autobiographical material. How does a science fiction writer create a new world or invent a unique creature if he is limited to what he already knows? How does any writer create fiction with that onerous restriction in place?

The following statement appeared in an article titled, "Don't Write What You Know," written by Bret Anthony Johnston for the Atlantic Magazine in August, 2011. Johnston is the author of Corpus Christi: Stories and the editor of Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer. He is the director of creative writing at Harvard University. The full article can be seen at: theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/08/dont-write-what-you-know/308576/

To be perfectly clear: I don’t tell students not to ferret through their lives for potential stories. I don’t want, say, a soldier who served in Iraq to shy away from writing war stories. Quite the opposite. I want him to freight his fiction with rich details of combat. I want the story to evoke the texture of the sand and the noise of a Baghdad bazaar, the terrible and beautiful shade of blue smoke ribboning from the barrel of his M-4. His experience should liberate his imagination, not restrict it. Of course I want him to take inspiration where he can find it. What I don’t want—and what’s prone to happen when writers set out to write what they know—is for him to think an imagined story is less urgent, less harrowing or authentic, than a true story.

"Using what you know to write," is what I believe Johnston is talking about when he says experiences should "liberate your imagination, not restrict it."  If you are breathing, you have thoughts, ideas, opinions, hopes, desires, wants, needs, passions, ideals, dreams and nightmares. You have known joy and pain. You've learned about relationships, the weather, the society in which you live, religion and your world. You have likes and dislikes. You have prejudices. You have been a child, a son or daughter, a student; and possibly a spouse, parent and grandparent.

Rather than restrict you to "writing what you know," these realities should expand your options, give you direction and infuse your work with richness.

From all things that you know and all those you cannot know, you make something through your invention that is not a representation but a whole new thing truer than anything true and alive. - Ernest Hemingway

So, whether you love dogs, grow sunflowers, suffered a stroke, or know how to whistle through your nose – include it in your writing. Whether you love vampires, hate hot air balloons or have an opinion about botox – choose writing projects that interest you, then liberally sprinkle tidbits of yourself  throughout your work.

What excites you?  What drives you crazy? What idea is festering in the back of your mind? Pick one, do the research, then get to work, "using what you know to write."

Jack London - A Dedicated Writer

In this manner had fought forgotten ancestors. They quickened the old life within him, the old tricks which they had stamped into the heredity of the breed were his tricks... And when, on the still cold nights, he pointed his nose at a star and howled long and wolflike, it was his ancestors, dead and dust, pointing nose at star and howling down through the centuries and through him. ~Jack London (The Call of the Wild)

A couple of months ago, while visiting my son’s family in Santa Rosa, California, my daughter-in-law asked if I would like to go hiking in a park just down the road near Glen Ellen. I said sure and the next Saturday we drove the few miles to a 1400-acre park. The only thing on my mind -- I hoped I could keep up with my 6- and 4-year old grandsons.  To my amazement, I was treated to a day of delight and wonder as we hiked around the Jack London State Historic Park; seeing firsthand the treasured home and land of one of America’s greatest novelists and short story writers.

  Barns and vineyard at the Jack London Park in Sonoma, California.

Reading about his adventures and seeing artifacts gathered on his world travels, viewing the ruins of the dream home he built to “last a thousand years,” learning about his unorthodox farming and animal husbandry innovations and walking through the woods that he loved was, quite simply, a thrill. No grand tombstone for this daring man who chose to live life to the fullest; merely a simple plaque on a huge rock resting on a hilltop amid the fallen leaves and peaceful Sonoma landscape.

As a writer, this unexpected look into Jack London's world evolved into an inspiring and uplifting journey; a rare glimpse into the soul of a literary giant that I stumbled upon on a lovely November afternoon.  Could immersing myself in the world of one of the first writers who ever touched me with his words give me some insight?  Aid me in my writing in some way?  The thought was fleeting.  But, it was not to be.  Alas, my grandsons were weary of my lingering ere long and I was forced to leave the House of Happy Walls Museum having only breathed in a fraction of the truth and knowledge that tempted me from photos and artifacts lining the walls and the books and papers that beckoned from glass cases.  But not all was lost.

What I learned from Jack London #1: The importance of dedication.

I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them.  I shall use my time. ~Jack London

Jack London dedicated himself to writing 1,000 words each day, no matter whether he was at home, traveling or ill.  Following this formula, he wrote 50 fiction and non-fiction books and thousands of short stories and articles from 1900 - 1916 ... that's more than three books each year.  On top of that, during this time he was proofing his stories, maintaining a huge correspondence (he received 10,000 pieces of mail each year), dealing with his agents and publishers, honoring speaking engagements, planning his next adventure, overseeing a 1,000-acre farm, and designing and building both a boat and a magnificent house.

With a hard-knock start in life, London had little education, few opportunities and no mentors.  With nothing more than the determination to make something of himself and a positive attitude, he educated himself and then went to work, writing stories based on the tumultuous and adventurous life he  lived and the views he held.  As he churned out stories that appealed to millions worldwide, his fame grew and he became "... a living symbol of rugged individualism, a man whose fabulous success was not due to special favor of any kind, but to a combination of immense mental ability and vitality."  (Jack London Park website)

Jack London was blessed with the natural talent to tell a good story, but without doubt, it was his nose-to-the-grindstone attitude that led to his worldwide literary success.  The number of books, stories and articles he wrote during his short lifetime (he died at age 40), and the fame he achieved, stand as proof.

What I learned #2: A story well written stands the test of time.

I read my favorite Jack London short story, To Build a Fire, as a teen.  It is a haunting tale of a life and death struggle in Alaska by a man who ignored the advice of an old-timer. To this day I think of that story whenever I head out into the snowy woods … and you better believe I listen attentively to any advice given. How amazing that a simple story written one hundred years ago still carries such a powerful message.  

Today, many of London's stories remain in publication and are considered classics.  His books have been translated into as many as 70 languages. Among the best known are Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea Wolf, Martin Eden and John Barleycorn. The Sea Wolf inspired the first feature-length film to be produced in the United States and other stories have been made into movies.  A series of five White Fang movies were made in the 1990s. 

About Jack London
John "Jack" Griffith Chaney was born in 1876 in San Francisco, California to Flora Wellman and astrologer William Henry Chaney. His mother later married John London and Jack’s name was changed. Poverty forced Jack to help with the family finances, forcing him to quit school at age 14.

“I had no outlook, but an uplook rather. My place in society was at the bottom. Here life offered nothing but sordidness and wretchedness, both of the flesh and the spirit; for here flesh and spirit were alike starved and tormented. ~Jack London

For the next few years he worked menial and demeaning jobs; but rather than destroy him, the drudgery led him to envision a better life for himself. After time spent as an “oyster pirate,” a seaman and a railroad tramp, he determined to become a “brain merchant.” To that end he began spending his spare time devouring literature at a public library and returned to school to earn his high school diploma.

Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes,

of playing a poor hand well.  ~Jack London

A short stint in college didn’t take, but being a writer did. He wrote his first story in 1893 and sold his first book in 1900.  He expressed his love of life, lust for adventure, unconventional outlook and determination to fight for the underdog through the hundreds of stories that he brought to life through his writing.  His stories were based on his exploits as a seaman, his experiences in Alaska, his work as a laborer in the fields and factories of California; and his trips to ports of call that most turn-of-the-century Americans could only dream about: Hawaii, Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Australia and Cape Horn.
Many of his stories are considered classics and have been translated into as many as 70 languages. Among the best known are Call of the Wild, White Fang, The Sea Wolf, Martin Eden and John Barleycorn. Some remain in publication.  The Sea Wolf inspired the first feature-length film to be produced in the United States.

About Beauty Ranch

I write for no other purpose than to add to the beauty that now belongs to me. I write a book for no other reason than to add three or four hundred acres to my magnificent estate.  ~Jack London

Seeking solitude from his hectic life, London found the peace he was looking for on land he purchased in 1905 in Sonoma County, California.  He continued to add property until the ranch that he called "Beauty Ranch," covered 1400-acres.  Between sailing adventures and trips, he would return to his ranch where he spent his time  learning and practicing sustainable agriculture, dabbling in animal husbandry, horseback riding and enjoying the beauty of his land.

The cottage where London and his wife lived. 

Suffering from gastrointestinal complications, Jack London died at the age of forty at his ranch cottage on November 22, 1916. His wife, Charmian continued to live at the ranch, and devoted herself to its preservation.  Both are buried on on the property near the hilltop gravesite of two pioneer children, a place London often visited for solace.

Today visitors to the ranch can join docent-guided walks to view the Jack London Museum and bookshop located in the House of Happy Walls, the ruins of the winery and the Wolf House, the cottage London called home, the Pig Palace and other agricultural sights. The 1400-acre park also offers back-country trails for hikers and those on horseback.

Wolf House

London and wife Charmian began building their dream home in 1911.  Designed by famed San Francisco architect Albert Farr, the residence was designed to provide a meeting place for their adventurous friends.  By August 22, 1913 the magnificent home was ready for the Londons to begin moving in.  With huge fireplaces, spacious rooms and a central reflecting pool, the massive stone and redwood residence was impressive and would stand, said London, "for a thousand years."  That night the home was entirely engulfed in flames, thought to have been sparked by a pile of linseed oil rags.  Although London hoped to rebuild, he never completed the task before his death in 1916.

The above photos are copied and the information is collated from the Jack London Park website.  Learn more about Jack London and the Jack London State Historic Park by visiting their website: jacklondonpark.com/index.html.    

Writing in the Dark: Learning from Others

On Wednesday I had a speaking engagement with the Idaho Writers League (IWL) in Coeur d’Alene. I had set my alarm for 5:00 am and as soon as my alarm went off and I flipped back the covers to get out of bed, our power went out. Luckily I had printed out the audience handouts and my notes the previous day, but for the next couple of hours I stumbled around our dark house getting ready to head out for my presentation with only the flashlight app on my iphone to guide me.

That’s how it is sometimes. We fumble around and make do until the light shows us the way. This is true in many facets of life, including in our writing life. As beginners we often stumble around in a dark new world full of unknowns, looking for guidance not from an iphone app, but from those who have come before us and left a trail of experience for us to follow. We read books written by authors we admire and try to emulate their writing style, we read books written in genres in which we want to write, we read how-to book after how-to book to learn as much as we can about the craft of writing, all serving to broaden our knowledge base and begin shining a light on our own path towards becoming the writer we hope to become.

I was reminded when talking at the IWL meeting this week what a wonderful way the writers in these groups support each other in their work, experiences, and growth as writers. They are, in broad terms, on the same path. Their energy, excitement and eagerness to learn inspire me. Writers groups are a great way to connect with other writers in your area. If you’ve never attended a writers group, try one out by attending a meeting. You will find friendly faces, new writing contacts, acceptance, encouragement and guidance.

The Coeur d’Alene chapter of the IWL meets the second Wednesday and the third Thursday of each month. For details of meeting places, scheduled events, and membership, visit their website: Idaho Writers League - Coeur d'Alene Chapter. You may also contact the current President of the Coeur d’Alene chapter, Faye Higbee at mdnf.higbee@gmail.com.

Another high-energy, active group in the north Idaho area is the Spokane Authors and Self-Publishers group, which meets the first Thursday of each month in Spokane. For details of meeting places, scheduled events, and membership, visit their website: Spokane Authors and Self Publishers. For additional information, contact Dave McChesney at daveeva@comcast.net.

You can find information on more local writing groups listed in the right-hand sidebar of this blog.

Connect with your fellow writers and let them and their experiences help light your path, and you theirs.

Cater to Your Reader: Create a Linked Table of Contents in Your E-book

To add to the enjoyment of your reader, consider including a linked table of contents in your e-book. Not only does it enhance the professional look of your work, it gives the reader ease of navigation around your book.

Although a linked table of contents is more necessary for nonfiction, it is also useful in fiction, especially if you have descriptive chapter headings. If a reader “leaves” your book for a few days, even though an e-reader device normally opens to the last page read, the reader may want to review areas of the book she has previously read. A linked table of contents allows a reader to click on any chapter heading in the contents list and go directly to that chapter. It also allows them to click on any chapter heading within the narrative and return to the Table of Contents. With a linked table of contents the reader can easily maneuver through your book without having to go page by page. 

For manuscripts created in Microsoft Word, Word has a tool to automatically create a linked table of contents within your document. However, it has not worked smoothly for me. As a matter of fact, some e-book publishers recommend against using Word’s automatic feature because it can cause issues when converting the file into e-book format. I have tried the automatic feature and it looked fine until the file was processed into an e-book, then some of the links no longer worked. I had to revise and re-upload my e-book file three times before I figured out that the manual links work best.

So, hoping to save other e-bookers the same frustrations, I have put together the following step-by-step method for creating a manual linked table of contents in your e-book. Several of these tips originated from the Smashwords publishing guide, and others came from bits and pieces of information I have learned from other e-book publishers, which I have written in the way that makes the most sense to me. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Create Your Contents List

If you haven’t already done so, type your Table of Contents list into your book’s manuscript file near the front of the book, listing the sections and chapter headings that you want to be bookmarked and linked in your book. For demonstration purposes, I’m going to use the following sample list:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Epilogue

Step 2: Create Bookmarks for Items to be Linked

Once your contents list is in place, begin going through your manuscript and bookmarking each item that is in your contents list. Using the example above, you would first go to the Prologue. When you reach the beginning of the prologue section, highlight the heading, Prologue. Then, on the Microsoft Word tabs at the top of the page, select Insert, then Bookmark.

When you click on the Bookmark button, you will be prompted for the bookmark name.

Hint: You will make it easier on yourself later in the process if you name the bookmark exactly as the chapter heading, as one word with no spaces. For example, if you are bookmarking a chapter titled Chapter One, name the bookmark ChapterOne. Or if your chapter is titled On the Road Again, name the bookmark OntheRoadAgain.

Once you name your bookmark, click Add, then go to the next chapter heading (Chapter One, Chapter Two, Epilogue, etc.) in your manuscript and bookmark it. Continue until all of the items that are listed in your table of contents are bookmarked within your manuscript.

Step 3: Create a Bookmark for your Contents Page

Return to your contents list at the front of the book. Highlight the heading for your contents, such as Table of Contents, or Contents, or whatever you call your contents list. As you did in Step 2, click Insert, Bookmark, and label this bookmark accordingly.

Step 4: Create Hyperlinks to Bookmarked Items

You now need to create hyperlinks to the items you just bookmarked so that a reader can click on a chapter heading in your contents list and be taken directly to that chapter in the book. In the contents list highlight the first item below the contents heading; in this case, Prologue, from our example above. Then, on the Microsoft Word tabs at the top of the page, select Insert, then Hyperlink.

When the Hyperlink menu comes up, click on the Place in This Document button on the left-hand side of the menu. (See below.) You should now see the bookmarks you made earlier listed in the main menu window. Now select Prologue and click OK. Repeat this process for each item in the Contents list.

 Step 5: Link back to the Table of Contents

To allow your readers to return to your Table of Contents from within your book, move through your manuscript and return to each bookmarked chapter heading. Highlight the heading, select Insert, Hyperlink, and Place in This Document on the menu. From the list of bookmarks showing in the main window of the menu, select your Table of Contents bookmark. Do this for every bookmarked heading through your manuscript, selecting the Table of Contents bookmark each time.

Step 6: Test Your Links

After completing Step 5, all of the headings in your contents list, as well as the chapter and section headings that you bookmarked in the manuscript, should appear blue and underlined.

Test your links by clicking (ctrl-click in Word 2007) on the chapter headings in your contents list to make sure they take you to the corresponding chapter heading within in the book. In turn, clicking on a chapter heading within in the book should take you back to the contents list at the front of the book.

If any are not working, check and revise.

DONE!

(Well, almost.)

Step 7: E-reader Internal Links

Now that you have created a hyperlinked table of contents for your e-book, there are two more small items you should consider doing.

Many e-readers have menus that allow a reader to go directly to an e-book’s table of contents, and to go directly to the beginning of the book where the reader can skip the front matter and begin reading. This is an internal function of some e-readers and you can make sure this option works correctly in your e-book by bookmarking those two places with the two codes the e-reading devices recognize:  toc (for the “go to the table of contents” function) and start (for the “go to the beginning of the book” function).

To do this, go into your manuscript and place your cursor just before your Table of Contents heading. (Don’t highlight the heading because you are only going to bookmark a single point.) Then go to Insert, Bookmark, name the bookmark toc, and click Add. For the "go to the beginning of the book" bookmark, go to where you would want a reader to begin reading if they skipped the front matter. This might be a prologue, the first chapter, etc. Go to that spot and, as before, place the cursor where you want the reader to begin, go to Insert, Bookmark, name the bookmark start, and click Add.

That’s it. The file conversion process should pick up on those two bookmarks and give your reader additional maneuverability within your e-book.

DONE!

I’ve found that, although it takes extra time, linking the table of contents with your chapter headings in your manuscript manually results in error-free links once your book is converted to e-book format and published.

Plus, having a functional, linked table of contents will make your readers happy.

Trailers: Not Just for Movies Anymore

Lots of authors and publishers now create video trailers for their books. As movie trailers do for movies, these book trailers also serve as promotional tools. They are meant to inform potential readers and encourage them to buy and read the authors’ books. As a short video file, it can be placed on an author’s website, a blog, bookseller sites, and other venues in which the author/publisher wishes.

There are plenty of businesses that will create book trailers for authors, but costs can vary greatly depending on the complexity and length of the video. You can, however, do the work yourself with a couple of computer programs and a few hours of your time.

Basically, all I did for my book trailer was create a slideshow using text and still images, added music to the slideshow, then ran the slideshow through a program that converted it into a mp4 video file. It took me several hours and several drafts before I was satisfied with the finished product, but that is partly because I enjoy tinkering with such things, and because I was learning as I was going.

The Trailer Slideshow:
For the slideshow I used Microsoft PowerPoint because the program was already available on my computer. If you have a Windows based machine with Microsoft Office programs, PowerPoint may also be on your computer. If not, other slideshow programs are available that will work for your trailer.

Images:
Many of the images in my book trailer are personal images, but I also found photos through the NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) site, which are free to use as long as you give NOAA credit. I also purchased a few photos from the Bigstock Photos website, which cost $1 to $3 each. Several websites offer free clip art and photo stock, but make sure your anti-virus software is up to date before going to sites you are not familiar with.

Text:
The text in my trailer consists of text boxes placed on a slide in the slideshow program.

Music:
In my trailer I used royalty-free music. You can search the web to find royalty-free music that is made for this type of use. One example of a royalty-free music site can be found at: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/

Video Converter:
Once my slideshow was complete, I ran the file through a program called the Moyea PPT to Video Converter that turned the PowerPoint file into a mp4 movie file. The program can be found at: http://moyea-ppt-to-video-converter.en.softonic.com/

You Tube:
When your video file is done, post it on You Tube. From there, it is easy to embed the video file on a website, blog, your Author Page on Amazon, and other places, plus your trailer gets views from You Tube visitors.

As examples of book trailers, I have included four below. The first is the trailer I made for my book, South to Alaska, which is nonfiction. I have also included trailers for a historical fiction book, a fiction book, and a children’s book by other authors. Although I’m not sure of what process was used to create the other three trailers, they also appear to have been made using still images and blocks of text, so nothing too fancy here that can’t be done with a slideshow and video converter.

If you are interested in creating a book trailer, go to You Tube and key in "book trailer" to see more examples.

Enjoy!

Nonfiction

Historical Fiction

  

Fiction

  

Children

 

I hope this is helpful to some of you who may be considering creating a book trailer as a promotional tool. Having a trailer for your book is useful and fun...and you can do it yourself with a couple of simple programs, plus some time and effort.

Have you thought about making a trailer for your book?

Common Link

After reading an interesting article, shared by Margaret Atwood on Twitter, I started to ponder the concept of a common link. Svante Paabo, a Swedish geneticist, the inspiration for Michael Chrichton's Jurassic Park, writes that three to five per cent of us carry Neanderthal genes. Who among us would not like to know if we have that link?

A few years back, I sent off a swab taken from the inside of my cheek, to learn of my ancient past. While this test did not identify any Neanderthal traces, it did note the journey of my ancient bloodlines through the maternal genetic material. I learned that I came from a subgroup connecting my ancestors to Brittany. This led me to want to know more about my mother's people, her father, and my French ancestry. 

On the paternal side, and through my maternal grandmother, the bloodline is Irish. This December, I had the distinct pleasure of watching The Fitzgerald Family Christmas. One does not need to have a drop of Irish ancestry to love this movie, written and directed by Edward Burns.  For those of us with more than a substantial dollop, the tale is a love affair and a tip of the cap to our roots. This theme of culture runs very deep with me, and those who have read my work, know that it is central to everything I do. I believe I read to know and understand other peoples, and I love writers who can open the curtain for me and let me see into their world. My work in progress, my fictive memoir entitled, Four Stanley Cups and a Funeral, carries the leitmotif of two side by side cultures: French and English, Irish Catholic and Irish Protestant, Ontario and Quebec, the United States and Canada always in twain, and forever, a blending of the two. It seems to be my happy fate, one that fills me with wonder and indeed, calls for a referee at times. Yet it is made more rich, more exquisite and more beautiful by the constant addition of diversity. If I find that I carry traces of Neanderthal genes in the mix, it may help to explain a few things.

Due to the marvels of a changing world, I learned that I could watch The Fitzgerald Family Christmas  through downloading it from Amazon.com. I had been scouring the local listings to no avail. Then voila, within a split second, I viewed it on my computer. I liked the film so much, I watched it twice! Some complain about the changing world, put down web sites like Twitter when they have not the slightest clue what it is all about. In the past, we were limited to what we could read and what we could get into print. Not anymore, and I for one welcome the change. 

In Your Wheelhouse

Upon returning from a trip to Nelson, British Columbia, I happened upon an old expression. Technically, the term in your wheelhouse, refers to your particular skill set. Literally, a wheelhouse is the enclosed compartment from which a vessel can be navigated. So it would make sense then that a writer casting about for subjects topics and ideas, would do well to consider this idiom.

In Nelson, I enjoyed basking in the culture of my native land. With my family off ripping up the powder at Whitewater, a ski resort blessed with both magnificent terrain and fine cuisine, I decided to take a personal day and wander around the town. My love affair with the city of Nelson began in my early twenties with it being the destination of a never to be forgotten drive across Canada. What we discovered along the shores of surely one of the most magnificent lakes on the planet, had much to do with the course of my adult life.

Vessels powered by steam, were the life blood of small towns on northern lakes. The mail, the groceries, the summer guests and the news of the day arrived with the welcoming sound of a steam ship whistle. This sent islanders and lake dwellers scurrying down to the docks; missing the boat meant waiting another week and doing without vital supplies. My mother told me tales of hearing shouts from upstairs windows in summer cottages: bread, milk, eggs, and get all the vegetables you can! Yes, the concept of a wheelhouse is ingrained in my mind, but taken to the idea of stories waiting to be told, I find it to be a useful concept.  After all, when writing, I alone am the captain.

As I wandered happily about Nelson, I was thrilled to find the local museum open. In I went, knowing that because I was alone, I could stay there for hours and hours. Inside, I found much fodder for inspiration. A beautiful white linen summer costume, complete with  a lace collar and straw hat filled me with awe.  Photographs of old yachts, races and regatta days from the golden era before World War 1,  found me marveling, as I do here in North Idaho, at the courage of the settlers of long ago days. In every photograph of that era, here and to the north of us, and across the wide expanse of the nation, you see pictures of men standing beside a string of huge fish. The first skis, those huge curved planks, the photos of brave souls out in their warm sweaters, the parades, the soldiers returning from war, the wagons, and the horses, it is all there for anyone to see. Nothing inspires me more, or gets my creative juices flowing, like an afternoon spent at a local museum. It is not just the artifacts, it is the stories, the curiosity I feel in the presence of the past, brought lovingly back to life by the curators. Then, of course, there is the gift shop, the small volumes which would otherwise go unnoticed, depicting the lives of early settlers. If you are at a loss for words, find yourself out of ideas, fearing that your tank is running on empty, then I would suggest a wee trip and a small museum where something may just spring to mind. Keep your own culture, your own history, your community in the forefront, and write from your heart, from the seat of all passion, from your own particular wheelhouse. Do not be surprised if you are suddenly so inspired that your fingers can barely type quickly enough to match the rush of ideas.

As for Nelson, it is a welcoming destination for people from all over the world. If you take a trip there, don't be surprised if you find yourself falling in love with the place.