Sunday, April 19, 2015

Looking for Topics in All the Wrong Places



Note that there's a roadrunner sitting on the back of the chair

 I was sitting in the back yard trying to think of a topic for this week’s blog and listening to the wind whistle through the trees. Actually, they’re palm trees and the palm fronds were banging and flopping against each other. The only whistling I heard came from a black bird in the neighbor’s tree.



A roadrunner came looking for handouts. Did you know they’re carnivorous? They love raw hamburger. I tried wet dog food once, but the roadrunners didn’t want anything to do with it. I even tried pieces of wiener, but that didn’t work either. It’s hamburger or nothing, if a human is feeding them. Otherwise it’s lizards, snakes, or… What am I talking about roadrunners for?



I watched the dogs soaking up the sun. Such relaxed creatures, although it’s not always like that. Sugar thinks she’s the alpha dog, and Murphy is a good ol’ boy who ignores her.



I turned away from the dogs because I was still trying to come up with a topic. What could I write about? Nothing was coming to mind.



Maybe if I went inside the house and ate some chocolate. Chocolate always helps me think. Or does it? Yum. Whether it helps me come up with an idea or not, it would still fill a need.



I’d thought about writing a post on overused words, but it’s been done – more than once. What could I possibly add to what others have said? Not a thing.



I walked back outside. The wind had picked up a little. The desert is known for desert winds – the dust flies, pollen finds its way into my life, leaves fill the air (and the swimming pool, practically a necessity in the desert heat), and flies and bees buzz around.



Walking over to the tomato plants, I saw four tomatoes growing. Yippee! Good eating.



Returning to my chair, I thought about dark and stormy nights. A wind like this would be great on a stormy night. Hmm. I’ve already written about how this would add to the intensity and suspense of a story.



 I played with the dogs for a few minutes. We worked on one of their skills, Take It and Leave It. You set a dog treat on the ground and tell them to Leave It. I laughed because while one dog puts her head in the air and won’t look at the cookie, the other one lowers his head until his nose almost touches it. When they’ve done their duty, I say Take It. Who knew food could disappear so quickly. Love those dogs.



Still, what was I going to write about? Nothing seemed to inspire me. Not the wind, nor the dogs or roadrunner, nor the chocolate or… If you hear a huge sigh, that would be me.



Where are the guest authors when I need them? I have two guest authors – make that three – and a guest reader coming up in the weeks to come. In the meantime, what, oh what, should I write about?



Off to my office. Something in the room I spend so much time in should be inspirational, right? I have all of my book covers lining one wall, but that doesn’t help. I have notes to myself on most surfaces. Those don’t help, either. My bookcases are full and my To Be Read Stack just keeps growing. I could whine, but I won’t.



I’ve heard from several authors that sales are down. I could write about that. Buy a book and enjoy yourself. Okay, that won’t fill up my blogspot.



I have so little reading time. If I wasn’t busy trying to think up a topic, I could be reading a good book. That’s no help because I still need a subject.



This week’s topic came to me when I least expected it. Where do you look for inspiration to write a blog? Everywhere, and you hope for the best. While I didn’t come up with something to write about, I did come up with a few ideas for scenes in books. I hope that in some way I entertained you as much as my day entertained me.



Do you ever have a time like this when nothing lifts its head in the air and says, “Hey! Write about me?”



Until next time, I hope your week is more productive than my day has been. Maybe it’s Spring Fever gripping my thought processes – and I hope it passes quickly.



CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website

CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com



Purple cows? Elderly spies? Give How Now Purple Cow – A Bogey Man Mystery a try.

28 comments:

  1. Hi Marja, I loved the way you pinned down your stray thoughts and organized them in a simple yet appealing writing flow...! I hope you don't mind my saying so but I think that I am kind of glad that you didn't manage to come up with a specific topic ...otherwise we would have missed out on this extremely interesting post...! :-) Thanks for sharing...!

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    1. Thank you, Ramla. Sometimes the topics are just out of the mind's reach. I'm glad you enjoyed this.

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  2. Very entertaining, Marja! I often have a difficult time coming up with topics to write about. But, I've already written my post for next week's blog. Wait till you read it. I know it'll make you crack a smile because, evidently, we're both "on the same page." LOL

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    1. You've hooked me, Pat. Can't wait to read your next post. : ) And I can always use a smile.

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  3. Your title is Looking for Topics in all the Wrong Places but it seems that you found all the right places!

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    1. Good point, Pat. You picked right up on that. Not about books, but definitely about observations.

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  4. Perhaps this is a good example of how writers work--we observe and think about what we see and, voila, we find something. Fun ruminations.

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    1. Thank you, Susan. Observations often lead to a scene or a book, or just some plain old-fashioned fun.

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  5. I enjoyed your post, Marja. It's strange how taking a few minutes to watch the grass grow, or in my case, the veggies and flowers sprout, ideas for blog posts and novel plots seem to germinate like magic.

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    1. It's true, Jean. You just never know what will set us off. I'll bet you could turn veggies sprouting into a story. : )

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  6. Hi Marja,

    Just finished your purple cow book. What a delightful story. I thoroughly enjoyed it. So, you do come up with good ideas - just not this morning.

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    1. Thank you so much, Jim! Imagine sitting in your office and your gaze keeps wandering to some ceramic purple cows. They just HAD to make an appearance in a book. Who knew?

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  7. No roadrunners around here, but I do enjoy watching the different types of birds and the squirrels in the yard. I'm trying to wean them away from the corn chips I fed them during the snowy winter. I feel so guilty when I go outside and the squirrel runs across the wire and down the pole and over to the tree, expecting a handout. I cave in sometimes, but have been limiting the feeds now so the critters can fend for themselves. I'm hoping the snow is gone until next winter!

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    1. I know just what you mean, Morgan. When I run out of burger I try to avoid the roadrunners. Surprisingly, we've got two that are recognizable. She's been coming around for about three years, and he's been here for about two.

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  8. I think you just need to eat more chocolate because even if you don't get an idea for a blog eating it, at least you got to eat a lot of chocolate, and that's not half bad.

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    1. LOL You're a woman who understands me, Lesley. Is this experience speaking?

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  9. What an enjoyable day you had. Thanks for sharing it with us. Funny and relaxing.

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    1. Thank you for stopping in, Joyce. Once in a while we need a day like this one.

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  10. Marja, I always enjoy your posts, and this one in particular resonated (sp) with me often--following your thoughts so easily. And of course, love dogs!!! And the roadrunner--amazing!

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    1. I'm glad you enjoyed it, Madeline. There's so much I didn't mention, like the little gecko that lives behind the wall thermometer on the patio wall, and the chipmunks who are ready to fight me for the tomatoes. LOL

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  11. You always manage to create a story even on a down day. Looks like a scene for one of your books. Those dogs are a hoot. Well trained if as you mention waited patiently for a treat. Keep eating your favorite sweet it does inspire your brain. Fun blog so thanks for writing.

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    1. LOL Thank you, Jake. I really should get a pic of the dogs when we're doing the "treat" thing. Just had a chocolate-covered macaroon. Yum!

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  13. LOve how you take everyday event and make them interesting. Good job.

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    1. Thank you, Elaine. If I could only keep it up. : )

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  14. You succeeded! You entertained me. :-)

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    1. Thank you, Sharon! Sometimes it really isn't all about writing. : )

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