If you have a friend who's a writer....

Please do them this favor.

When those of us who've harkened to the call of the muse take up the pen [computer these days], we usually have an idea we've spent a great deal of time fostering.

In plain English--don't tell your writer friend, "Boy have I got a great idea for a story for you to write!" If the story is that fantastic, write it yourself. I don't know about anyone else, but at any one time, I have at least twenty-five storylines waiting to be worked.

It amazes me that people think I sit around trying to find stories to work on. Just the opposite is true; I spend time trying NOT to create new storylines. I can watch something on television and it will trigger the idea for a story. Conversations with friends, reading an article in the newspaper or on the newsfeed of the computer, listening to bits and pieces of dialogue in the restaurant or pub all feed the story monster.

Some folks are fortunate enough to find their love of writing at a very early age. I, on the other hand, was in middle age when I was hit with the epiphany I wanted to be a writer. That means I'd have to be 250 years old to complete the ideas bubbling in my 'to be written file'.

Good writers spend time researching background; a task that grows if the storyline is complicated with specifics. Unfortunately, there are those who spend time trying to spot inaccuracies in other's work, so keeping on top of the subject is mandatory. Then there's the tooth pulling of editing and re-editing and re-re-editing before sending the manuscript to reliable readers. Once they've perused the story and return it with suggestions, it's time to edit once again then send the final to your publisher.

And that's just the beginning of the journey. So I say one more time-don't assume your writer friends need ideas for stories unless they ask you.

Sable Angel