THE POWER OF OBSERVATION – A WRITER’S TOOL                                      
                                                                         or                          
                                                 (Remember to watch for turkeys!)

Once again it took a comment from my husband to start me thinking about a topic for
this guest blog. He called me to the kitchen window this morning. “What do you
see out there?”

I looked out at the same scene I see every day – the north  rough-plowed field, the line fence and the neighboring farm. 

“Same old stuff.” 

Since I knew there’d been lots of tracks behind our barn lately, I expected  maybe a deer or two. Nope. No deer. I looked up, scanning the tree tops for the  hawk that occasionally visits. No hawk. There were cardinals and doves at the  feeder.  “I don’t see anything out there but the birds.”  “Look close to the  fence, down low.” He pointed. I looked. Sure enough, moving along the fence,  heads down and barely noticeable, three, good-sized turkeys quietly pecked their  way across the field. We’ve never had wild turkeys in the fields, so their appearance was unusual and unexpected. If I’d glanced out the window prior to my  hubby’s suggestion, I would’ve missed the surprise of watching those turkeys. 

Shame on me for forgetting what I’d learned during the ten-week Citizen Police Academy course I took a few years prior. The excellent course offered by our  local Police Department was a great learning experience for anyone, especially a  writer. I was the oldest person in the class, but hey, I was there to learn, not  to compare ages. Not only did we go through some of the same training as the  actual recruits, we learned how to “see” more accurately what was happening  around us, in the blink of an eye. The safety of all police officers depends on  their power of observation, quick responses and the ability to make wise  decisions in the event of a crisis.  If you saw a robbery taking place, would  you be an accurate witness?

Do you remember anything unusual about the scene?  The robber? Did you check your watch to record the time? Notice if there were  any accomplices? Any strange cars in the parking lot? Could you identify the  accused in a line-up and feel positive you were correct? In the blink of an eye,  so many things can take place around you. It takes a skilled observer to pick  out those small, but significant things. It takes practice in your everyday life  to become proficient.

Look around each time you go out. What do you see in the  small perimeter around you? In the larger area beyond that? Was it there before  today or is it new? Observe people, too. Train your mind to remember facial  features, clothing, unusual characteristics. Are you close enough to hear the  person speak? Voice is important, too. High pitched, gruff, a lisp - all these
are good identifying factors. Everything we learned could be used to polish our  writing skills. In doing detailed research, writers who have learned to use  their power of observation wisely will have a much richer story to keep their  readers turning the pages. Adding bits of information about the story’s locale,  the weather and its effect on the characters and their moods, sights and sounds  and smells in the scene will heighten the reader’s interest and you’ll leave  them eager to read your next book. 

I’ll be working on increasing my power of  observation from now on. You never can tell what you might miss in the blink of  an eye. Wild turkeys might show up in my next book. At least, I’ll know what  they look like.

Loralee Lillibridge-Author

     Published romance author, Loralee Lillibridge, is a long-time fan of romance novels and a strong believer in the power of love.
     Loralee grew up in Texas loving cowboys and rodeos, but relocated in Michigan after her marriage to  a handsome Yankee who stole her heart.
     She still favors country love songs, and seeing a field of Texas bluebonnets can make her cry, but she admits
the West Michigan lakeshore has a beauty all its own.
     Even as a child,  Loralee’s love of books, combined with a vivid imagination, fueled a desire to  create her own stories with characters readers could care about. Her first  attempt was a neighborhood play about a pirate who rescued a princess.  (Original, yes?) Needless to say, the audience only consisted of her parents and  the boy next door who reluctantly played the role of the pirate.
     Now she  enjoys writing emotionally fulfilling stories centered on the relationship of a
man and a woman and their often rocky road to love. Heart-warming stories of
ordinary people and extra-ordinary love.
      She is also a founding member  and past-president of the Mid-Michigan Chapter of RWA,  a member of Published  Authors Special Interest Chapter of RWA (PASIC) and Sisters in Crime.   A native  Texan, she and her husband make their home in West Michigan near their children  and grandchildren.
     This Texas flower credits her chapter and her wonderful critique partners for their unlimited support and encouragement on her roller-coaster ride to becoming a published romance author.
     When not  writing, Loralee enjoys reading, spending time with family and friends, and
traveling. Visit Loralee at her Website or her Blog

I didn’t start writing seriously until I retired and  found myself with the time to spend a whole day in front of the computer.  The ideas had been in my head for many  years, but were undeveloped and unexplored.  One day, several months after my teaching/counseling career ended, I sat down and started.
             
Some days, the ideas, dialog, and characters flow from my brain and I can
barely type fast enough.  Other days, I have to walk away, occupy my mind with something else, and hash through what might happen, what might be said.   But both days are valuable.
             
While waiting for a publisher to accept my first book, I discovered that
the rejections were okay.  While I  sincerely want young people to read and enjoy my books, I realized that the  writing was more for me.  It’s a
joy to develop the characters and situations, and I can’t foresee a time when
I’ll be ready for it to end.

AUTHOR BIO

Ellen Fritz is a rered teacher and high school counselor.  Over the years of  teaching reading and English to students in grades  seven through twelve before  becoming a counselor, she had the great opportunity  to discuss numerous  favorite books with students and also took their rommendations for her own
reading.
She finally found herself with the time to give  life to the stories that  have always been patiently waiting in her head for an  audince.  Ellen wrote Mira to appeal to those middle grade/teen readers  that  she found so inspiring through her career as an  educator.

MIRA
Two warring alien races have lived among us for thousands  of years.  One plots to conquer the  earth, one strives to live among us in peace. An ordinary college student, Lexi has no
idea that her genetic legacy is about to plunge her into a world she never knew
existed.  Coping with her altered  life, protecting innocent victims, and falling in love while trying to finish  college and keep the ordinary humans around her unaware of what is really going  on, Lexi finds herself balancing situations she could never have imagined.  Lexi enters a life that is wondrous,  delightful, dangerous and terrifying, as she becomes the catalyst for events  that could change the balance of power between the alien races.
             
Appropriate and enjoyable for all ages, Mira plunges the reader  into Lexi’s complicated, extraordinary world and introduces likeable characters  facing complex situations.  It is a
world that is at times fun, at times perilous, but never dull when the fate of  two alien races and the humans around them is hanging in the  balance. Look for it this summer from Tell-Tale Publishing Group.
 
Author Notes        
Ellen Fritz is a retired teacher and high school counselor.  Over the years of teaching reading and English to students in grades  seven through twelve before becoming a counselor, she had the great opportunity  to discuss numerous favorite books with students and also took their
  recommendations for her own reading.

She finally found herself with the time to give life to the stories that  have always been patiently waiting in her head for an audience.  Ellen wrote Mira to appeal to those middle grade/teen readers that  she found so inspiring through her career as an
educator.
           
I didn’t start writing seriously until I retired and found myself with  the time to spend a whole day in front of the computer.  The ideas had been in my head for many years, but were undeveloped and  unexplored.  One day, several  months after my teaching/counseling career ended, I sat down and  started.
             
Some days, the ideas, dialog, and characters flow from my brain and I can
barely type fast enough.  Other  days, I have to walk away, occupy my mind with something else, and hash through  what might happen, what might be said.   But both days are valuable.

 While waiting for a publisher to accept my first book, I discovered that  the rejections were okay.  While I  sincerely want young people to read and enjoy my books, I realized that the
writing was more for me.  It’s a  joy to develop the characters and situations, and I can’t foresee a time when  I’ll be ready for it to end.

I’ve always been a storyteller. As a young child I’d hasten  sleep by creating little stories to tell myself based on whatever was my current  favorite TV show.  Long before the  age of I-phones and video games, my friends and I would run screaming through  the neighborhood yards dawn to dusk acting out adventures starring our favorite  TV and movie heroes and heroines.

 Later, as a young adult with kids of my own, I began building,  painting and competing with military or fanciful miniatures in many of the  Atlantic Coast model shows. I noticed the figures that won gold medals or sold  were always the ones that somehow told a story. Instead of just standing at  attention or marching, my soldier might be depicted reading a letter from home  or protecting a lady friend.

 I worked for years as a designer illustrator. Many of the class  rings you see on the fingers of high school, college and military academy  graduates began as my design. It was toward the end of this career that I began  to write.

 Since then, I’ve had a dozen short stories and e-novels  published, many with an  exotic or New England background, a dash of adventure, a nasty villain, and a  hero or heroine who does eventually win the  girl.

My  current novel is no exception.   Set in late nineteenth century New England, Like  Clockwork is a Steampunk Romance centering around the stormy  relationship of Irish heiress, Kathleen McBride, and disgraced Boston cop turned  reluctant seaman, turned airship crafter, Scott Wildethorne. Enhanced with  Yankee history, steampunk gadgetry and oddities, Like Clockwork reveals a tightly wound tale taunt with human frailty and  soul-harrowing peril. Its a tale too of paranormal vengence and raw passion that  brings two unlikely lost souls-who would have felt right at home in Wuthering  Heights-together for all eternity. Look for it this summer from Tell-Tale  Publishing Group.