Writing in the Check Out Line

Posted on February 6, 2012 by fairysockmother

Details enrich writing. Fortunately, they aren’t hard to find. Material is constantly available, ready to be mixed into whatever literary concoction you are working on. Gather characters and images while you stand in line at the grocery store: That sobbing baby who pats his mother’s shoulder with every plantive wail, the shuffling old man who holds the door for his wife even though she is much more mobile than he is,  gritty rock salt in pools of melting snow, or the lone red M&M tumbling down the conveyor belt to the check out register. Enjoy the wait and jot down the details  in the car before you forget them. All those little gems will make your readers feel as though they are standing right there with you!

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About fairysockmother

I am a Harper Voyager, UK author. Among Wolves, the first in an adult fantasy trilogy was released 2015. Grim Tidings followed in 2016 and Before Winter concluded the series in 2018! I have 31 traditionally published children's books including: the Abby and the Book Bunch series and a 2 Readers' Theater series both published through Magic Wagon, a division of the ABDO Group, at www.abdopublishing.com. My first picture book, "The Christmas Cats" was released by Pelican Publishing in 2011. I reviewed YA material for VOYA magazine for almost 28 years. Follow my blog at www.FairySockmother.com or visit my website: www.nancykwallace.com I can be found at nancyk.wallace on Instagram.
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4 Responses to Writing in the Check Out Line

  1. Ann Morgan's avatar londonchoirgirl says:
    February 6, 2012 at 4:03 pm

    I agree with you – I often find myself overwhelmed with details that would be great to record in every day life. I have yet to sort out a good system for saving them though – I have hundreds of notebooks with random observations scrawled over odd pages that I hardly ever revisit…

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    • fairysockmother's avatar fairysockmother says:
      February 6, 2012 at 10:39 pm

      I add my observations to computer files. I lose pieces of paper and I definitely lose ideas if I trust my memory to hold onto them for me. It’s surprising how often one of those little snippets inspires a story later on. Take time to revisit them. It sound like you have collected a treasure chest of great stuff!

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  2. Cassie's avatar Cassie says:
    February 6, 2012 at 8:20 pm

    I love this – get it wherever you can. Thanks for being inspiring today.

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