Writers Tricks of the Trade VOLUME 8, ISSUE 4 | Page 33

in front of me through no fault of my own.
Accidents like that often result in shout-
ing matches. Instead of that happening,
the couple in the other car understood it
wasn’t my fault when I explained the pe-
dal went to the floor and nothing hap-
pened. As we talked we discovered we
liked each other and became friends as a
result of the accident. The friendship last-
ed for nearly five years. They were people
I wouldn’t have normally met, but I loved
hearing about their life and they were
anxious to know about mine.
It turned out her father was a famous
musician, named George Van Epps who
was called the “father of the seven-string
guitar.”
She would make a great character.
Perhaps one day a scene will appear in
one of my books or stories where parties
to a fender bender become friends and
the person who got hit is a person like
her.
Keep your ideas fresh without leaving
your own back yard.
Actually make a list of things you do
by rote or routes you take without think-
ing. Then make a list of things you can do
that will broaden your horizons by just
trying something new.
EXERCISE
Actually make a list of things you do by rote or routes you take without thinking. Then make a
list of things you can do that will broaden your horizons by just trying something new.
Excerpted from the book Writers Tricks of the Trade
BOOKS BY MORGAN ST. JAMES
W INTER 2019
P AGE 28
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE