| Have you ever considered filling you time by | | | | creativity to some good purpose? Without some |
| writing? Are you a Stay-At-Home-Mom, retiree, | | | | sort of creative outlet, we become stale, bored, |
| or just someone looking to develop a part time | | | | boring, uninterested and uninteresting. Do you |
| income? I don't need to tell you about the | | | | paint with water colors or oils; do you knit or |
| phenomenal success of J.K. Rowling (Joanne | | | | crochet; do you create beautiful flower |
| Murray) and her Harry Potter books. She ranks as | | | | arrangements from the garden you tend. Do you |
| the 12th richest person in Britain with her 400 | | | | just vegetate? |
| million copies in print. | | | | Writing has long been my passion. But for most |
| What an imagination! And there seemed to be no | | | | of my adult life I shoved this desire aside: Too |
| end to it. But is Ms. Rowling more imaginative than | | | | busy with work, with family, with home projects, |
| the rest of us? As children we possess an innate, | | | | civic clubs, volunteer work--you name it. I had one |
| vivid imagination. We had imaginary friends, we | | | | excuse following another for not to unfetter my |
| day-dreamed of imaginary places, we created our | | | | passion. |
| own secret worlds. But then we grew up and | | | | A novel is born out of inspiration |
| reality set in--the reality of school and careers; | | | | Back in 1986 I had a flash of imagination--a |
| husbands or wives; children and eventually | | | | storyline crept into my consciousness. The idea |
| grandchildren. | | | | for a spy thriller took shape and I began to |
| So where did our dreams disappear to? | | | | scribble words onto the pages of a spiral |
| Did they simply fade into oblivion? No... dear | | | | notebook. The following year I bought my first |
| friend--I don't believe they are gone at all. Our | | | | computer and pecked out several chapters. But I |
| dreams live on in the electrical impulses of our | | | | lost interest and only returned every so often to |
| inner brain--like electrons stored in a capacitor, | | | | those fading pages. It took a divorce and a |
| waiting for a connection to allow their current to | | | | second marriage to revitalize my writing. With the |
| flow once again. | | | | help of a very patient wife I added more and |
| We don't mean for it to happen--it just does over | | | | more content to my novel. |
| time. Our thoughts are redirected to everyday | | | | For nearly two years we tried to find a publisher. |
| life: The mortgage is due, the automobile needs | | | | That failing we tried to interest literary agents. |
| new tires, the furnace is worn out, the roof leaks | | | | And finally we just gave up. More than 20 years |
| and little Sandy needs braces. At the end of our | | | | later, In 2007, I stumbled across a book |
| day our minds are like a thick, overcooked | | | | publisher--not a very well known one--but a real |
| vegetable soup--everything in it tastes the same! | | | | publisher none the less. |
| What is your passion in life? I mean if you could | | | | My novel, "Surrogate Warrior" is now available |
| change your situation, your lifestyle, the way you | | | | from most major booksellers. My point here is |
| fill your days--what would you do? Are there | | | | that creativity needs to be exposed to the fresh |
| moments during your day when you just want to | | | | air. Do you have a story, maybe even a novel, |
| plop down in a chair, take a long, deep breath and | | | | drifting around your gray matter? Or is the |
| let out a sigh? | | | | thought of writing a book too intimidating? |
| Well take comfort then, because you are not | | | | I wanted desperately to find a publisher. That |
| alone. In addition to my belief that imagination just | | | | quest clouded my judgement. My advice to you is |
| doesn't shrivel up and die, I also believe that | | | | to write for your own satisfaction. Write a story |
| every human being--with at least average | | | | for your kids. Write a story for your family. To |
| intelligence--has a creative streak mixed in with | | | | hell with the publishers--just get it written. |
| those neurons drifting around inside our head. | | | | Introducing an honest-to-goodness best selling |
| Think about it! Creativity is given to each of us at | | | | author |
| birth, | | | | Ever heard of Robyn Opie. Robn is a bestselling |
| It's the fuel that helps us to learn how to eat with | | | | author of 76 children's books with six more due |
| a spoon and then a fork. Creativity helps us to tie | | | | to be published this year. She has written two |
| our own shoes and to find our way to the | | | | screenplays and is negotiating with two Australian |
| playground. Creativity strengthens our adulthood in | | | | producers for movie rights. What you may not |
| more ways than I can list. So why don't we use | | | | know is that Robyn has written a comprehensive |
| it? | | | | How-To-Guide for new authors. |
| Some of us do. How are you putting your | | | | |