From Spark to Story: Vol. 1

Every story begins with a spark -- a whisper of an idea that refuses to sit quietly in the corner. From Spark to Story is a collection born from those sparks; moments, dreams, and writing prompts and exercises that flared into something unexpected.

Many of these tales took shape in my critique group, where one stray word could start a wildfire of imagination. Some stories behave, others dug in their heels, but all share one thing -- they reminded me why I write. To explore. To imagine. To connect.

each story stands alone, yet together they trace the crooked path of a writer learning to trust her own voice. These are the sparks that refused to go out.

The first section of this volume is a sample of writing exercises I've used to limber up the writing muscle.

I am a member of Lake Havasu City Writers Group in Arizona. We meet each first and third Saturday of the months. We are tasked with writing a 250-word story to specific prompts the group selected.

The second task is a 1,000-word Writer's Choice. This can be anything, and most writers submit this word count from larger pieces they're writing. This gives feedback on weak areas, plot holes, and any serious grammar issues.

The following section, Writing Exercises, contains some of the exercises I've used to activate my imagination. I enhanced some of the exercises into larger stories. A majority of the stories I've included started from a simple spark-whether from a joke I heard-or a nugget of historical fact. Hence the title I've chosen for my anthology, From Spark to Story.

I suggest anyone interested in writing but are hesitant to put it out there-whether to friends and family-online or self-publishing-don't give into the fear. Join, or create, a local writers critique group. It'll help you develop a thicker skin, and exposes you to people with various reading comprehension skills.