Hatching New Ideas

By Connie S. Hall

As a young girl, I sometimes went to my grandparents to help with the chickens. I didn’t mind the work, but I hated the chickens pecking at me, then spreading and flapping their wings in my face. I enjoyed watching them from a distance, and liked cleaning the eggs as I prepared them for market. The stories I write are similar to the hatching of an egg.

First, you have to prepare the nest. I preferred doing this when the chickens were not nearby. When you get ready to write, you set your computer up in a comfortable spot, or you get comfy before you begin writing in your notebook. Make sure you have plenty of pencils, and have your reference books nearby.

Select eggs that are well developed. Make your story good by developing the ability to improve your work. When you write, learn to communicate your thoughts and ideas to your readers.

Avoid excessively large or small eggs. Sometimes we make our long stories too long and our short ones too long as well. Many writers end up putting information in the story that the reader doesn’t need, or using unnecessary words.

Stay away from eggs with cracked or thin shells. Every story needs a good beginning with something sneaky and persuasive. Once you get a persons attention, that is the time to throw the hook. Do it while he is willing to read, or you may lose him as a reader.

Next, you place your eggs under the hen. Sometimes I hide my story in a drawer or ignore it on the computer. That’s okay to do, but eventually you must pull it out.

Remember; don’t wash your hatching eggs. No editor is going to take a second look at a manuscript that is full of grammatical errors. You do need to fix them, and tie up all loose ends. Sometimes you can edit a story more than necessary. Know when it’s time to stop editing.

You can recognize a Broody hen by their behavior – they spend most of their time on a nest, and when you get close to them, they ruffle their feathers and cluck. Does this sound like anyone you know? Do you spend most of your time in front of your computer? I do, and yes if anyone bothers me when I’m writing my feathers are ruffled.