Welcome to my newsletter, Ink and Inspiration by Lake Michigan’s Shore! I picked this title because I love the lake, which is a source of inspiration and calm for me. Every few months, I will send a short newsletter with musings from my daily walks along the shore of Lake Michigan, suggestions on the art and craft of writing, book recommendations, and a list of upcoming writing events. If you’d like to subscribe, please enter your email in the subscribe tab on the right size of the home page. You can unsubscribe anytime.
This month’s musing
I live within walking distance of Lake Michigan, and almost every morning I take a short walk along a street overlooking the lake to start my day. On these daily strolls, I mentally prepare for the day ahead and mull ideas for stories and essays.
On rare occasions, I can spot a freighter ship on the horizon as it makes its way to points north or south. A few weeks ago, I noticed one, a mere smudge of gray against the horizon. I wished I had a pair of binoculars with me, so I see it better– but I didn’t. All I had was that faint image and my imagination to fill in the details. Where did it come from? Where was it going? What was it carrying? Who was on the ship?
Writing is sometimes like noticing that distant freighter. Often, all a writer has to start with is a faint idea of a story, essay, or article. It’s frustrating to have an idea that seems just that—a wisp of a scene, character, or event with no defined shape or focus. What I’ve found, however, is that getting something, anything, written down on paper or typed in a blank document is essential. As long as you have something to start with, your creative binoculars will then help you focus your idea, find its shape, and color the details. But if you don’t write anything down at all, that idea will slip away like that ship on the horizon.
Books I’ve recently read
A Measured Thread by Mary Behan
Mark Twain by Ron Chernow
Still Here by Maggie Ginsberg
Upcoming events
Aug. 22: Reading and book signing at The Nerdy Word, Union Grove
Sept. 8: Reading at Racine Public Library
Julie A. Jacob, Writer 