Okay, and we want to talk about inspiration and where we as riders can get the best inspiration for our stories. So
I'm curious, what is a good rider for you? Do you would you put even a rider who doesn't spend lot of time in the
5s. That's sort of a phrase that I've come to take on, I guess, for myself. So you have these low, low, low
moments and then you have these high, high, high moments. And you don't have to spend a lot of time in-
between. So a strong writer is someone who's able to catch you at the beginning of this chapter or a book or a
piece with an anecdote or something that's definitely going to show you something rather than telling you
something. Now I'm engaged, now I'm interested in MOOC. And so let's say that there's a key moment that's
happening at a fire station. And then the next key moment that I want to write about is happening at a house fire.
Well, I don't need to say then they got into their truck and then they back the truck out of the driveway and then
they dropped down Smith's Street and turn right on. I mean, that's not interesting. So you gotta, you gotta find
ways to quickly transition from one very beautiful or emotional or powerful scene to another. And that's strong
writing. Yeah, I remember Mark Twain once wrote about James Fenimore Cooper. He could hear every twig crack
underneath his character's feet as they walk through the forest, you don't need that sorted? They did. Yeah. So
thinking about the what where does a good ride or draw the best material that Well, for me, it's life and, and I
think, you know, it's funny about that. The twigs into the feet, sometimes there's a place for that. So if it's the
moment when you discover a body in the woods, I want to hear every twig. I want to hear the rustling of leaves
because it's going to put me on the edge of my seat while I'm reading or writing. But I think for me I'm a
detective of the emotions. So I see people. I sometimes write stories about them in my head as I want paths,
wondering why they look like that or why they, What's so funny or why the crime. And I try to pay attention in a
conversation about what led up to that point. What is it in that person's life that put them there? I like to see
people as in process. Ideally, the process will take them to faith in Jesus Christ and a saving relationship with him.
But until we know for sure it's not going to, we need to give them grace and mercy. We need to be kind.
And so if you're interested in people and you'll spend time with them and be asking God like, what is it that this
person brought them here? Why are they so guarded? Why are they suggested that will help you when you're a
writer to develop characters that are real and have a depth to them. I know over the course of my career as I've as
I've written material and I've been primarily nonfiction and rotting than average on there have been a lot of times
when I have wondered, is this really for me? Is, is there any way a person can tell if they're especially gifted to
be a writer. You know, I've talked to a lot of writers who are, who take it's painstaking process and they're still.
It's not always fun. I feel like for me sometimes I'll say, you know, writing a book or sometimes writing a piece
as like swimming across the ocean. I've done it before, but it's so hard. I could still going to be I still okay. Big
breath. Here we go. I'm going to swim across the ocean again. So I feel like the way to know, I think is when you're
passionate about it and when you have stories that just keep coming to your heart, I have more stories and I could
write, I'm doing two novels a year. So I think, you know, if that, if that continues to be there and then there's some
practical steps as well where you may need to take your piece, the short story or a chapter and let someone else
take a look for Writers Group, a critique group. Maybe it's a professor and, and have them give
you an honest and that's a tough thing. It's a tough thing if the person doesn't really have that gift. And if they don't
have the gift, that might just be a matter of, you know, learning their craft more and be reading in the genre that
they want to write. Getting more used to how the prose is supposed to sound and how the rhythm is
supposed to be. And then maybe they will have a better chance of putting that into their work in the hand, the
stories or the ideas coming to you. Does that have to be a constant stream of stories and ideas? Or it could it, could
there be periods of which they're just not happening? Well, for me, I mean, I've got so many in my mind that are
built up, but I think that it can be periods where you have it. You might go to the beach. And for me,
that's a really creative place. And you're sitting down and you have a journal and ideas are just coming in, you're
getting them down so that later you'll flush them out, Not right now, but you at least in this moment, for me,
that's often a plane. I'll take the window seat, like look out the upside down of the clouds and, and kind of look out
over and just God pours out ideas to me during that time. So, I mean, it should never feel like you have to force it. I
mean, it really if you've got ideas, if you're feeling like what in the world should I write about? You need to get out
more because the world is just so full of moments and little bits of conversation should be able to spark series of
books. That is graded boss. I really appreciate you sharing that with us today. Thanks.
