Linda began writing after she moved to Portland in 2009. She meets with the Tuesday Authors and says that writing with a group provides an atmosphere of sharing ideas and the delight of hearing others read their memoirs, fiction, essays, or poetry.
Members of the group take turns providing prompts. Sometimes a prompt will spark a memory for Linda, which develops into a memoir or a fiction piece. Sometimes it is a challenge to begin a story. The hint Linda received from other writers is to put pen to paper and just start with a sentence and let it flow. You may need to let it sit overnight and then edit, edit, edit.
New Home is one of Linda’s short stories. It starts out like this…
“I was enjoying my morning run in my backyard. Caramel and Benjie were my pals and we loved chasing each other through the grass and around the picnic table. We’ve been pals since I came to live with a white haired lady that humans call Mabel. Our neighbors were happy to bring their dogs over to play since they didn’t have a yard near their apartment.
Click here to read the entire story...