Hello everyone!!  I’m sorry for not posting for awhile or for even saying good-bye.  I had to go off and play Boy Scout for a week at camp.  As a Scout Master, I get to enjoy getting out in the great outdoors.  As a mom, I get to go play with the bugs and the poison ivy.  Whoo Hoo!!

Anyway, the trip did me a load of good.  I find a lot of great things to write about while I’m at camp.  Everything from creating adventure stories, to coming up with great ideas for campfire meals.  Getting out there in the real world makes it easy to come up with creative writing ideas.  You’d be surprised at the amount of topics you can come up with while on a vacation.

My challenge to all of you is to do the same.  This summer, while you’re on vacation, or just spending a weekend at the beach, really take a look around you.  Not just the usual visual stuff, but everything.  The way the air smells, the way the light reflects off the water, or even the sounds around you.  Everything about your vacation or trip is fodder for a great story. 

You’ve heard the old addage about stopping to smell the roses, right?  Well, I think you should stop to smell them, feel them, and really pay attention to them.  Are they just red roses, or are they maroon roses with dark edges?  Use all your senses while out and about.  You won’t believe how much you’ve been missing.