Writers are important but so are readers. Readers and writers need each other. Writers provide their audiences with news, valuable information as well as entertainment.
Most of us have either lived through the Vietnam war or had relatives who served in the war. Others have seen movies based on that war. I myself grew up during the sixties and early seventies. I was lucky that none of my brothers were drafted during that era. Two of my brothers had already served and had families so they were not drafted. My other brother was the right age to be drafted but I am not sure how he didn’t get drafted. Maybe it was because he was in college at that time. I also had a brother-in-law who was stationed in Germany and managed to avoid the war in Vietnam.
Many of our young men were drafted and served in Vietnam. Thousands and thousands were killed in that war. But there was little to no mention of the women who served in Vietnam. The nurses, doctors, red cross women and many others all served their country in Vietnam. But those women were not considered to have seen combat.
That is what the book “The Women” is about. It’s about women who served as nurses in Vietnam. It’s particularly about one woman who joins the Army Nurses Corps. Her brother had been given a party in his honor before he left for the war. Frances (Frankie) had always been extremely close to her brother. She considered him her best friend. Frankie decided she would join as a nurse. After being turned down with the Navy and the Air Force, she signed up with the Army Nurses. Ironically, her brother is killed before she leaves and she is devastated by the loss of her brother. Frankie’s enlistment causes a strain with her family. She was raised to get married and have children. She was not raised to go off to war.
Women’s Memorial Honoring Women Who Served In Vietnam
Frankie experiences things she would never have dreamed as a sheltered young lady. But she soon adapts as well as she can, forms close friendships with other nurses and even falls in love. But in wartime, friendships may last a lifetime but love can be a short lived thing as she finds out.
After doing two tours in Vietnam, she returns home. The country is protesting the war. Veterans are not welcomed. She finds that people including her parents don’t want to talk about the war or her service in the war. Frankie finds that fitting in anywhere after the war is almost impossible for her.
This book details Frankie’s struggles to adjust in the world after the war. She finds it difficult to understand why women are not considered war veterans. Women, like the men she helped to save, also played significant roles. In fact, it was often said that no women ever served in the Vietnam war and many people believed this.
I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend reading this book. Of course, growing up in the Vietnam era, I knew some of what happened to veterans. I understood how hard it was for them to return to a country that had sent them to war. This country then learned to hate veterans who had fought in this war. They were mistreated and called baby killers. I liked the characters very much. It was very interesting to see Frankie change from a spoiled rich girl to a capable nurse who saved lives.
This book was in my book club and at first I wasn’t certain if I was going to read it. I am just really not very much into the Vietnam era when it comes to books and movies. But this book was different and an awesome book. I truly enjoyed reading this one.
A few years ago I joined our local book club. I love reading and I hoped to find new authors that I would enjoy reading their books. I have indeed found a few new authors that I am now trying to read all of their books. I really enjoy John Grisham, Linda Castello, and Nora Roberts. Now, I am going to read more books by Fiona Davis.
I have just finished the book “The Spectacular” written by Fiona Davis. I found it very interesting and entertaining. It first starts off in 1992 then reverts back to 1956. The story begins with Marion, the main character, being escorted back to Radio City Music Hall. For a short time, she had been one of the famous Rockettes. Then the story shifts to 1956. At that time, she faced difficult choices about her future. She needed to decide what she really wanted to do with her life. In the 1950s, many believed that women should be wives. They thought women should stay at home as mothers. But Marion had taken dance lessons all of her life and loved dancing. For Marion, this led her to difficult family issues.
The New York City Bomber
As Marion moves ahead with her life, relationships shift and change for her. One of these relationships is with her sister Judy. Marion and Judy’s relationship had been strained for several years. Just when their relationship appeared to be improving, the New York Bomber sets off a bomb at Radio City Music Hall, endangering both the audience and the Rockettes. The New York Bomber had been setting off bombs in public places for years throughout New York City and never been caught.
The Handsome Young Doctor
Marion meets a young doctor. He is working with the mentally ill. They set to work together to try to find the bomber. Peter Griggs creates a profile on the bomber. However, the police don’t put much faith in his profile. But working together, Marion and Peter Griggs just might be able to find the bomber when the police can’t.
In conclusion
I very much enjoyed this book. The characters were very real and it was a great story. I love history. This was the first time I had ever heard of the New York Bomber. He really did exist and terrified New York City for some years. The book is fiction but the bomber was real. The bomber added excitement to the book and held my attention. It also kept you interested. You wanted to find out if Marion would follow her father’s wishes and marry her high school sweetheart. Alternatively, would she follow her heart?
Some days it seems like ideas for writing just flow through your fingers and onto paper. But then along comes the dark days when nothing you write seems to be right and there seems to be no new ideas. Writer’s block is seen as a condition where creativity is blocked, frustration and irritation tends to set in. Writer’s block occurs when the writer wants to write but can’t seem to find the right ideas and words. Some writers suffer from writer’s block after having a story or book rejected or criticized. I have read that even well known authors suffer from writer’s block at times. What can a writer do to help get back on track and beat writer’s block? I know from experience that getting rejected or not being able to make money by writing that many of us including myself, tend to get discouraged and put our writing on the back burner to pursue other avenues. Certainly not the right thing to do, but it happens. So how do we get back on track and beat writer’s block?
Stories Are Out There Waiting for Us to Write
You have probably already heard the great advice, that says you should write about what you know. This may be very true, but writer’s generally write about just about anything. Whatever their passion is they will write about it. Some writers write books while others are content to write short stories, poetry or articles. What is your passion? Write about that.
Romance: My favorite and a big seller
Family
Your own personal stories
Science Fiction if you have a great imagination
Social Issues: Writing about something you feel strongly about can change our world
Sports are a big part of our lives and so much to write about
Politics are exciting to write about and can influence other people’s opinions
News is always happening around us every day. In our own communities and around the world
Science and history: I personally love history and always have so this is my niche. Science not so much for me.
News articles about current events
Stories are everywhere just waiting for the right writer to put the words down on paper. That writer could be you.
Romantic Stories Ideas
Love stories are very popular. Who doesn’t love a good love story with a happy ending or maybe a not so happy ending because not all love stories have happy endings.
Love stories are all around us. Ask some older couples who have been married a long time how they met and they will be happy to give you a great story
Or how about a man or a woman who travels back in time torn between two loves
Another great story idea is two people in love with each other but live miles apart but can’t seem to find a solution to be together
How about a story on celebrities couples who have survived a long turbulent relationship
Tell your own love story good or bad
History is Full of Great Stories
Write fiction stories based on historical events and people
Write nonfiction on real characters and events
Write your family history. Did a family member serve in one of the wars? I just recently started searching my family history and found several interesting relatives that with some imagination should make for interesting stories
Veterans are a great source of information and stories of their experiences serving our country
I often research old newspapers for some ideas about people and events that may make interesting fiction. Just be sure to change names and other identifying personal facts unless you have the written permission of the parties involved.
Ideas Right in Your Own Backyard
Gather some odd or old items like old pictures, jewelry, clothing, games or old letters and create a story combing all those items.
Look out your window to see what the neighbors are doing (be nosy)
Take a walk through a park and watch people and make up stories about how those people are related and what they are doing. What’s the story of the older couple sitting on the park bench? Go talk to them.
Has someone in your life inspired you to become a writer? Write about who that was and how they influenced your writing.
Talk with some disabled people and write about how their disability affects their lives and their family’s lives. Maybe volunteer to help someone who is disabled.
Invite the neighbors for a cookout and just sit back and listen to some of the stories which you will hear.
Imagine that you have inherited an old house that is filled with old documents and personal papers.
Imagine that you find something that affects your life. Or maybe you find old stocks and bonds that are worth a fortune. What will you do with all that money
Your Own Personal Life
While I feel that my life has been way too boring to write much about there have been some tough times and decisions, I have had to make that I am currently writing about. For example, years ago I wrote an article about going through a divorce and how it affected me and how I worried about how my children were going to affected by the divorce. I just now while writing this have come up with a brainstorm. Now years later, I am going to write about just how it did affect my three sons and their lives.
These are just a few ideas and tips to break the writer’s block we all experience at times. But what’s really important is that we get started and don’t stop writing. And the most important advice is to never give up, never quit writing.
What Works for Me
have recently found some new ways to get creative. First, I joined some writing groups on Facebook and found some new ideas.
One thing I do is look for some ordinary pictures such as a boat washed up on the beach. Then I start describing the area around the boat. Some people are standing in the background, so I make up names and personalities for them. I image these people coming out for a family holiday out on the boat and picnicking on the beach. After a while my story starts to develop. Who are these people, how are they related, what are they doing at the beach? Are they a family or just a group of friends.
Another thing I am doing is to read the obituaries of any newspaper and make a story of that person’s life. I don’t use the names of course. But I can tell a story by their age, marriage or marriages, children, grandchildren. If they were in a branch of the service, or what organizations they belonged to such as churches, or if they were a teacher. Again, a story begins to develop as you write. In other words, I model my characters after these people.
I also love watching movies and documentaries which don’t always answer my questions so I begin doing research on my own and the next thing I know a story evolves. I change the names and make it a work of fiction.
These are a few of my ways of beating writers block and they work for me. I hope they may help others to do the same.
Best Tips to Beat Writing Block
Have fun and experiment with new things and ideas
Keep learning and researching.
Go exploring in your local area or travel if you can afford to do that.
Read anything and everything.
Research through old newspapers (Library of Congress) is a great source.
Local newspaper may also provide some inspiration.
Get started writing every day and new ideas will start to form.
Schedule writing time just like a regular job. Even just sitting down and writing whatever comes to mind. Write those ideas down for future references.
Carry a small notebook with you and jot down things you observe that may make a good story or article later.
Write about anything that interests you. Don’t limit yourself. Write about times you were happy or had a terrible experience or a life changing experience.
Putting it All Together
In conclusion, most every writer experience writer’s block from time to time. I know I do. I also know that we must all hold ourselves responsible and keep writing even when it’s difficult. Writing is not always easy, but we must not give into the temptation to just throw in the towel. If writing were easy everyone would be doing it. If writing is your passion, then you will keep those fingers flowing over the keyboard and the words filling the pages.
Do it your way. Throw the rules away and write however you want to. You are who you are and must find your own way. The reason I say this is that after reading my own writing and then reading what others have written I am blown away by what others write. Then when I read my own writing, I see that I am trying to follow all the rules for grammar, punctuation, and all the other CORRECT ways I learned in school. So it comes off as stiff and informal. So today, I am going to have to just toss those rules away and just write. Sounds easy enough but I know I am going to have a tough time following my own advice. I hope it helps some of you other writers.
For instance, when looking at one legendary author such as Mark Twain, his grammar and words fit the people and time period he is writing about. Some people today call it racist but he wrote what he lived and how the people he knew spoke. Can you think of other authors that today we would say didn’t follow the rules of writing? This is something I must learn to do. Just let the words put themselves down on paper or the computer these days. Go with the flow, so to speak.
If one of your stories or projects is not going well, switch gears and start something new and fresh. You can always come back to the first story with a fresh approach. In fact, it might be a good idea to have several projects that you are working on at the same time. I know I have pages of notes of stories I have put aside. I guess it’s time I get back to some of those and see if I can approach them in a different way.
This is certainly going to be the hardest thing for me to do. And that is asking others to give me this criticism and harsh judgments on my writings. I am totally afraid of hearing that something I wrote sucks. But I am going to try to toughen up and take others advice and criticism and learn from it. I may even write some articles just for the purpose of getting feedback from some of those authors who have written some of those awesome articles that I said just blew me away. So I am inviting everyone to give me some feedback on this or any of my other articles. I promise not to weep too loudly, scream too loudly or walk in front of a bus, unless of course the bus in not moving. Just trying to add a bit of humor here. Two new things right here for me. Humor and the last sentence are not correct but I didn’t feel I had to force myself to change it.
Time is important. Find the time to write or sometimes just to sit quietly and brainstorm. Make as much time as you possibly can to write, rewrite and edit. How much time you spent writing depends on how seriously you are committed to become a writer. The more you write the better you will become. Like most jobs you learn and continue getting better the longer you do the job. As a teenager I knew nothing about being a waitress but thirty years later I was quite an experienced waitress. As the old saying goes “practice makes perfect”. Well, maybe not perfect but great.
So I am asking for your opinions and criticism. Be honest.
The last several days have been some of the saddest of my life. I have had to watch my beloved cat Lucy slowly losing her battle with cancer.
It’s been two years since she was diagnosed with cancer. It started with a small lump on her back and I blame myself for not getting her medical attention sooner. I was afraid I would hear that dreadful word CANCER. She was only three years old at the time. Way too young to be sick or die. But in August two years ago that is what I did hear. Lucy had cancer.
I got Lucy and Leo as kittens. My son had found two small kittens that could be held in the palm of your hand. Leo was so small when he first arrived at my home. He managed to slide under my stove and hide. Lucy I could feel her little bones because they had been starving. Well, they got chubby pretty quickly when I adopted them.
Baby Kittens
Lucy is the one with more white
Leo and Lucy were very different but then all cats have their own personality. Leo was more independent and more social. However, he didn’t like cuddling very much. After all, he was a male cat. Lucy on the other hand, was cuddly and we spent many afternoons cuddling up taking naps. Lucy was also afraid of people. If anyone set a foot on the porch, she would take off like a bolt of lightning. She would then hide. I called her my cat alarm. Lucy was always the curious one, getting in trouble and sticking her nose in things. One day she wanted to smell the vicks vapor rub so I held it down for her to sniff. Her face crinkled up and she shook her head so that I laughed so hard at her.
Surgery for Cancer
In August of 2019, Lucy went to the veterinarian and had the lump removed. They thought that she would be fine. However, they warned me that there was a good possibility the cancer could return. Lucy and I had a good year and made many more memories. And then almost one year later, the lump came back. The veterinarian said they could remove the lump again. Maybe I should have gone that route. But they said there were roots of the cancer. So I made the difficult decision to not put her through that again.
Lucy Healing up After Surgery 2019
Lucy Wearing A Baby Outfit
Lucy After Having Surgery
After having surgery, Lucy did very well. Within hours she was up and ready to tear around like she always had. The veterinarian had told me to keep her quiet and not let her scratch or bite her stitches open. Well that proved to be rather tough as Lucy wanted to run, play and scratch. For a few days, I mostly kept her in a large dog box. This way, she couldn’t tear around and had to rest. For scratching the stitches, the vet’s assistant suggested a baby outfit to cover the wound. So, I got her two cute little baby outfits. She looked so adorable in them but she also learned how to slip them off real quick.
So all went well till the next year when the cancer surfaced again.
Lucy’s Last Days
The end is here,. Tomorrow ends Lucy’s suffering. For days now, she has steadily declined and the medicine isn’t stopping it. She can no longer go up the stairs or jump on the couch to cuddle with me. Her hair is in tangles because she can’t clean herself. I have cleaned her several times a day with wet baby wipes. The lump has now grown in size. It is making her unable to walk properly. I think her organs are being affected.
So sadly tomorrow we make out last trip to the veterinarian and we say our final goodbyes. Lucy will suffer no more. I like to think she will go somewhere where the sun shines. There, she can chase butterflies and blowing leaves. Lucy will love that.
Goodbye Lucy
Goodbye my beautiful Lucy. I will hold you in my memories forever.
I love reading good books especially ones that are based on historical events or romantic historical books. I think that brings out my writing and creative side.
Even as a teenager I would write stories and poetry. Not a lot of poetry but a few attempts. But life happened and I became a wife and mother and never found the time to be serious about writing. Now as retirement speeds towards me I try to find some time for writing. Summer is on its way and I will soon spend more time sitting on my porch reading some good books and coming up with ideas to write about.
I am sticking to writing either about writing or history and possibly some great book reviews later in the summer.
I would like to encourage other writers to follow that dream. Maybe not being a rich and famous writer but at least a published author. Find the time every day to put something on paper. Keep a journal of your everyday experiences, ordinary experiences or extra special experiences. If only I had kept a journal when I was working in restaurants, the stories I could have written might have ended up in a book.
But life is full of stories and I work with elderly people now and they have some awesome stories to tell. I only wish my parents were still alive and I could hear their stories. As children we tend to be too busy to listen and appreciate their stories.
Anyone having any advice please share and let’s help other aspiring writers.
History Lovers Corner 