My Two Blessings

I wandered through the ancient forest on a narrow trail covered in moss and leaves.   The wind whistled through the trees, branches rustling and singing, while scattered leaves flew all about me. I could see the bridge now and hear the roar of the waterfall. The breeze pushed and pulled me, leaves crunching and crackling under my bare feet.   Crack! I jumped out of the way as a huge tree crashed behind me with a   bone jarring thud. Once the dust cleared, it blocked the pathway and now I’d have to take the long way home.   The wind whipped up again, pulling me along and I sprinted as fast as I could.   I’d heard about the bridge but never seen it.   Awe inspiring. Two huge oaks trees stretching across the water towards one another, the roots forming a natural walkway.   Warm and bumpy underneath my feet, I walked to the middle and stared down at the water.   The river roared underneath and emptied into a crystal clear lake, surro...

All for Charity! Charity drove through the front gate of her property and parked at the foot of the front steps. She laid her head on the steering wheel and took several deep breaths. Someone had been following her all day long. An amateur at best, since he’d gotten close enough for her to see him several times. Probably one of Moore’s goons. They’d never been too bright. Finally, she had lost him on the back roads of the town after taking several deliberate wrong turns. She stepped out of the car, paused when her phone trilled. The text message from her accountant stated a simple “It’s done.” “About time." Giggling, Charity strode up the steps and was just about to slip the key in her lock, when she saw the plant next to the door knocked over and dirt strewn all over the porch. She shook her head and set it upright. “I’ll deal with the mess later. Darn coyotes after the verbena again.” Charity unlocked the door and walked into the foyer, frowned when the lights didn’...

The latest exercise in Chapter 3 of The Making of a Story is all about capturing the details called Render the Tree, Capture the Forest .  By carefully choosing a few details, attempt to capture an entire place, a town, a city, a county. Since I'm working on editing Eyes in the Ashes, figured my main character driving through town would be perfect for this. During the writing, quite a few new ideas sparked about the story so have to say very helpful exercise. In the early dawn light as the clouds pearled over the redwood trees, the sheriff drove into town. He passed the bakery where Jacky usually started baking around 4:00 a.m. His stomach grumbled as sourdough and butter, cinnamon and blueberries competed with chicory and roasted espresso beans. Danny waved, loading the truck for his early morning deliveries down at the marina. All the windows along Main sparkled, shiny and clean in time for the May Day parade and the beginning of the fair. In a couple days, the streets wo...