Monday, July 25, 2011

A Story in a Box

Many of the pieces of my novels come from personal experience and stories told by the world around me.  I spend a lot of time simply watching birds, animals, people, clouds; each has a story to tell.

This morning, as I walked my wife, Bri, to her bus stop, we spied a box sitting on the corner of a street.  On the way home, I stopped, carefully opened it, and took a handful of photographs.  Something as simple as this box weaves a much larger tale when I look at it through a writer's eyes.  I thought I'd share part of my writing process with those of you who enjoy putting words on a page.

What story does this box offer you?  What secrets does each item in the box - crayons, a vase, the books - whisper to you?  How do those secrets form a single tale?  How did the box come to rest on this particular corner?







7 comments:

  1. Your are right, that certainly does stimulate the imagination!!

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  2. Karen: I'm glad you think so too! When I lived in Baltimore, I used to walk down to the train station (it wasn't far from my apartment) and sit and people watch. While many were "just people," others would jump out of the crowd and seem to carry a whole story with them. I like living in a world where there are tales waiting to be told everywhere you look. :)

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  3. Oh wow... I love it. :) Especially the books--every once in a while there's a box that comes into the shop that really tells a story.

    Thanks so much for sharing!

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  4. I miss people watching. Had the opportunity to do so regularly while in college. Thank you for these shots.

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  5. Holy cow, this is exactly the stuff I love to find. The Power of Positive Thinking and the Metro Housing Sheet. So great...so many possibilities...You've inspired me.

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  6. A wonderful find that would make great story, why was it there, who dropped it...

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  7. So many questions. How did it get there? Why were those particular items added to the box & by whom?

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