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December 30, 2016

Jump in With Both Feet


By Sandra Atkins


May I ask you a personal question? How do you get in the ‘muse’ to write?

Some writers attempt to get their creative juices flowing by producing the perfect ambience: a window overlooking breathtaking scenery, a quiet office space with fire blazing, a nook surrounded by a line-up of pertinent photographs. Writing is a very personal thing. After all, we do tend to put our whole heart into it, and sometimes, even our feet.

Wearing a pair of oversized loafers, Ernest Hemingway was known to write while standing, as did Lewis Carroll, Thomas Wolf, Vladimir Nabokov, and Philip Roth. Although, I’m not sure what shoes the latter writers preferred. To each his own.

I’d like to share with you a couple of tricks which I have found to be useful. The Bible, a book of infinite wisdom, warns us to beware of getting too familiar with holy things. I know from experience that I can become too familiar with a story in progress. I have learned to lay it aside for a couple of weeks, at least.

When I return to the story with fresh eyes, I find that my perspective has changed. Also, I prefer, at times to read my work aloud. That, also, shines a whole new light on the project. So, get in the ‘muse’. Immerse your entire self into it: hands, feet, eyes, and mouth. Jump in with both feet, as they say, and get personal.

Most importantly, write, write, and write!
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Sandra Atkins often declares, “I’m Southern. I wear my oddities like a hat.” She resides in the small, rural town of Campobello, South Carolina. Growing up there, she witnessed a variety of colorful characters, many submerged in local superstition. Sandra Atkins enjoys incorporating her rich, Southern heritage into her writing, which usually contains an underlying theme of one or more of those old wives’ tales. Sandra is a diverse author. Her children’s book titled The Curse of the Owl, will be released in August of this year. She is currently working on a young adult novel, as well as more short stories. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and a local critique group. Her aim is for readers to feel as passionate about reading her work as she feels writing it!



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