Lou and David Sears

Where do we get inspiration for our stories? I’ve found that my inspiration has come from my own experiences as a young girl and from my family. I grew up as the oldest in a family consisting of four girls and one boy. My dad was a minister and my mom was a stay at home mom until I was 12. There are many “precious memories” that I drift to when I am writing. My “Chasing Tornadoes” story came from my experiences with my dad and his interest in finding where the storms were. He often would say, “If I know where the tornado is, I will know which way we need to go to be safe.” I wrote the story because I thought it was so different from most kids’ experiences that they would find it an interesting and quirky read.
My story “Cross My Heart” came from my personal experience of giving away a beloved cloth doll my Grandma Daisy gave to me. My story is what I wished I would have done had I had the courage.
My story “Mr. and Mrs. Cranky Pants came from my childhood as well. We lived a couple of doors down from an old couple when I was in the 5th grade. They were a little odd and never came out of their house. When my sisters, brother, and I went to their house for Halloween, the man and woman would make us sing a song or say a poem before we could have any treats. For some reason we were slightly afraid of them because they were different from most people we knew back then.
My first story “Clara Finds Her Roots” came from the fact that my oldest granddaughter Clara has my maiden name as her middle name. Knowing kids like I do from teaching for over 30 years, I imagined Clara would wonder about her middle name as she gets older. My story tells the story about a little girl finding out about her ancestry.
Whatever our inspiration for our stories might be, when it feels right you know it. You’ve got to write from your heart…