Just don't call me late for dinner.

One man's reason is another man's excuse so I won't bore you with the details on why I missed Ginger's Blog Fest. Thankfully she's allowing me to post today anyway. (Smooch and a quick hug!) But then, I simply have to explain. That's what we authors do...explain things. Grin.

Typically when life throws curves at you, it's the result of bad things. This time I got knocked over with good things! In the last four weeks, I've become engaged; found out I'm going to Germany for a month--we leave in two weeks; a friend announced her long-awaited pregnancy; a book on writing science fiction, containing two chapters I wrote, won an Eppie Award. There's a lot more but you get the picture, I'm sure.

So what's this got to do with writing? We often hear how much writing is therapy for us. It certainly helps me keep severe depression at bay. We're taught, and rightly so, to take those painful moments and awkward memories and use them to enrich our stories. We reach into our very souls and grab the fibers, like silken and sharp Angel Hair, then pull them out. Our characters become real people when they are constructed with these fibers.

But...hey, what about the good times? Those emotions and experiences are just as powerful. They also shape our lives. Let's not overlook them in our characters our stories.

One of my favorite quotes is by Natalie Goldberg who says, "Write what disturbs you, what you fear, what you have not been willing to speak about. Be willing to be split open."

I also say, "Write what pleases you, what you long for, what your heart rejoices over, no matter how silly it sounds. Be willing to let the sun shine through."

Kim Richards www.kim-richards.com