Once again, I searched on Flickr for photos for this week’s blog post. Today’s photo comes from Michael on Flickr. He took the photo November 2, 2013, at Heron Pond, Southern Illinois. I have not modified this photo. I’m not familiar with the swamps of Illinois, but this one photo makes me curious. How many states advertise their treasures of hidden nature? Just think of some of the beautiful things that are out there to see.
My first book, which comes out in May 2018, takes place at a bordello in the swamps of Louisiana. I blogged earlier about researching your local nature areas that are similar to where your story takes place. This photo is a prime example of that. The bald Cyprus trees rising out of the water, the yellow leaves in the background, the brown leaves at the top. All this makes for a wonderful description of a swamp. Yes, it is not Louisiana, but it’s a swamp. If you live in Springfield, Illinois and cannot journey all the way to the swamps of Lousiana, visit Heron Pond and describe its beauty.
As a writing exercise, write a flash fiction story that takes place in the swamp at Heron Pond. Then write it again, but change the location to the desert southwest. It’ll be a different story. It’s one of the beauties of writing: moving an existing story into a different environment and exploring all the changes. When the location changes, so does your story. History doesn’t write itself.
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What I’m Reading – Many readers I know like to inquire what their favorite author is reading. At the end of each blog post, I’ll let you know what I’m reading. I may not be a published author yet, but I hope my choice of reading material inspires you to read. It took me just over two months to read Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body by St. Pope John Paul II. I read through the Paladins of Shannara short story trilogy to round out my week. I reviewed all four books on Good Reads. Today I’m starting a trilogy by Scott Meyer. The first book is Off to Be the Wizard. I encourage you to read a variety of topics.