Debra VanDeventer, Author at Seams Like a Story

August 12, 2023August 12, 2023

Marry Me

A Six Sentence Story

My writing group recently sponsored a contest. We were to come up with a complete story in six sentences. Submissions were submitted anonymously and voted on by the group. The stakes were high. David, the facilitator of the group offered to buy a cup of coffee (or tea) for each of the top three entries.

I love a good writing challenge and this one was fun and interesting. Each sentence had to carry weight, you needed to get the reader’s attention, and carry through with a story arc ending in a conclusion. All in six sentences. And what to write about? For me, the answer was written in the sky on a recent vacation to Orange Beach Alabama.

So here it is: Marry Me , a six sentence story by Debra VanDeventer.

Marry Me

From the shade of my beach tent, I see the plane that normally flies a “Bubba’s All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp” banner is now towing one that says “Will You Marry Me Lexi?”

Unlike the bronzed-buffed-beach guys on display in front of me, my husband wears knee-length swim trunks, a floppy hat and a long-sleeved shirt as he plays in the waves with our granddaughter. He’s not a beach guy, but he drug a wagon loaded with too much stuff across the hot sand and wrestled to set up the tent so I could relax in the shade. In the cooler, he’s packed my favorite lunch–a diet Coke and a ham-and-cheese sandwich–a recipe he’s perfected over our decades of marriage.

The plane makes another loop and I think how wondrous it is to find love written in the sky or in a perfectly made ham sandwich.

I hope Lexi says yes.

The Results?

Whoo hoo! Second Place out of 13 entries. Thanks David. Make mine a grande, two pump chai with almond milk.

Dedication:

This story is dedicated to my husband on the occasion of our 49th wedding anniversary we will celebrate this week. I’m so glad I said yes.

Threads of Thought

I love to take small moments and turn them into stories. With this mindset, a writer need only look around. Stories are everywhere! Try your hand at a six sentence story. Who knows? It may earn you a chai latte!

Find more of my small moments in Out of the Crayon Box: Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement and Life http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

August 5, 2023August 5, 2023

Traveling and Home Again

Why I Love Both

a blue teapot and cup and an open journal at home

“Traveling, it leaves you breathless, then turns you into a storyteller.” -Ibn Battuta

This is the quote that launched my travel-themed month of July on my Facebook page. Now that the month is over, and I have traveled over 4,500 miles (according to Ed) from Arizona, to Indiana, to Atlanta, to Orange Beach AL, back to Altanta and back to Arizona, I would like to amend the above quote to read:

“Traveling, it leaves you tired, and sunburned, and sandy, and five pounds heavier..and then it turns you into a storyteller. -Debra VanDeventer

I’ll admit, it felt good to unpack my bags in my own cozy corner of the world, back into my own bed, my own shower, my familiar foods and routines. To plant my feet on ground that wasn’t moving at 75 mph down an endless highway, hoping a bathroom was coming along in the near future. Why did I ever leave home in the first place? Well, may it’s because….

Travel Makes Memories

When I’m back in Arizona on a blazing hot summer day, I recall the quiet, shade of my family’s lakeside condo in the midwest, or the taste of an Aperol Spritz in Taormina, Italy.

When my granddaughters call to tell me about the first day of middle school or high school and I know summer is over and I miss them terribly, I remember sunset walks along the beach and gathering with family for fireworks and fourth-of-July bratwursts in my daughter’s backyard.

Or maybe I travel because…

Traveling turns me into a storyteller after all.

Battuta was right. One can’t travel without collecting stories. And for those of us who are writers, it’s our job to go out and gather stories and bring them to life, to bring attention to things that others may pass by, to cause our readers to stop and think or smile or make a connection. This is my passion. So then…

Why do I come home?

Frances Mayes in her book A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Travelller calls it “The Riddle of Home.” She has made a life of travel, yet still desires home, the place where everything connects. I can relate. Home is where I ground myself, gather my thoughts, process my wanderings, snuggle in my favorite chair with a cup of tea and a good book, work on a sewing project, watch a perfect sunset over the mountains, rest, re-group. Write.

So for me right now, I need both and as long as I’m able I will travel and come back home and repeat the cycle often. (in fact, I’m heading out on a California road trip next month-stay tuned) Thanks for following along. You inspire me to do what I do. Happy Trails!

“Travel far enough and you meet yourself.” – David Mitchell

Threads of Thought

Why do you travel? Where have you been? What stories do you have?

Author’s note: As I was typing the title of the Francis Mayes book, I noticed she spelled Traveller with double (L) I have been spelling it with one. Who’s right? According to my research, both. Double L is the UK standard, one L is the US English standard. Interesting. Would any of my UK followers care to weigh in?

A teacher turned into a storyteller, writer, blogger, and traveler. The story begins here! http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer

July 9, 2023July 7, 2023

Travel Tips From a Ten-Year Old

What I learned from Lillian

(Updated from the original post)

Last summer, my husband and I took a cross-country road trip with our granddaughter. A “Decade Trip” to celebrate her first decade of life. For a ten-year-old she proved to be quite a savvy traveler. Here are some things I learned from Lillian. You might want to keep these tips in mind the next time you are on a road trip:

Packing For Your Trip

When packing for your trip, create “outfits” including a tee shirt, shorts, and underwear, and roll them up together into a bundle. That way you can just pick up a bundle and , voila, you are ready to go for the day.
Glitter and chetah prints are always in style and go with anything.

At the Hotel

Ask for an extra room key. They make good souvenirs and you can put them in those little slots in your wallet (in case you are not old enough to have credit cards) Since you move faster than your grandparents, you will be in charge of unlocking the door when you get to your room.
Line up your toiletries on the bathroom sink so you won’t have to dig around to find them in your (cute) Vera Bradley cosmetic bag.
Take all the travel size soaps, lotions, and shampoos from the hotel and put them in your cosmetic bag for the next trip.
Be sure to check out the coffee maker in the room. Its annoying if they only have coffee packets, but you can always go down to the breakfast area and grab a few tea bags and some cream and sugar packets. It’s not necessary to drink the tea once you’ve made it (it usually tastes like coffee anyway), but you want to experience all the hotel has to offer.

Food To Go

Continue reading “Travel Tips From a Ten-Year Old” …

July 2, 2023July 1, 2023

Three for the Road

Finding stories on Life’s Highway

“Traveling-it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” -Ibn Battuta

I was gathering stories on a recent cross-country road trip. Here are three short ones for the road.

Story #1 Boubon Water

We pass this iconic water tower each time we go back and forth to the Midwest. NO, it’s not full of Bourbon, though it seems to be a bit tipsy. The water tower is no longer in use, but still stands as an often-photographed novelty. So what’s up with this? I googled as we drove along:

Bourbon, Missouri, population 1,946 is on I-44 (old rt. 66.) It claims the distinction of being the only town in the United States named for bourbon whiskey.

When the railroad came through the area in the 1850s a settlement sprang up. A man named Richard Turner established a general store on his property to serve the needs of settlers and railroad workers. He imported barrels of a new brand of whiskey called Bourbon, and placed one large barrel labeled “Bourbon” on the porch of his store to advertise. Soon, the railroad workers were calling the new settlement Bourbon. The name stuck.

I wonder… If Mr. Turner had placed a crate of potatoes on his porch, would the town be known as Spudville? Tater Town? It just wouldn’t be the same….

Story #2 Sandra

Continue reading “Three for the Road” …

June 25, 2023June 25, 2023

Critique Groups: Why Writers Need One

You’ll get by with a little help from your friends.

A bag containing all the things I need for my critique group meeting

My bag is packed. I’m ready to go. Sorry, John, I’m not leaving on a jet plane. I’m meeting my critique group at the coffee shop soon.

In my writer’s bag I carry folders of notes for my critique group members, my lastest work to submit, and extra copy of my book (you never know who might want one…) a notebook, and my favorite black sharpie pen. I also pack a sharp #2 pencil with a good eraser. Sometimes, I change my mind about a critique.

Oh Babe, I need to go. But first, let me tell you why this meeting is important to me.

My Critique Group Makes Me a Better Writer

So, this is the obvious reason I need my critique group. There comes a point in my writing when I needed to give my work to another set of eyes. That line that I thought was so, so beautiful, turns out to be a cliche. It goes without saying, at the end of the day, I need to think outside the box and grab the bull by the horns… Did you realize I switched verb tenses in this paragraph? And where was I going with this part? See, I need my critique group even now. Group members provide fresh perspectives and offer ideas when I’m stuck.

Besides this, the give and take during critique sessions sharpens my writing skills. Looking closely at someone else’s work helps me to turn the same critical eye to my own writing.

My Critique Group Keeps Me Accountable

Our group has committed to meeting on a regular schedule and we make these gatherings a priority. We’ve established a deadline and agree to submit anything we want critiqued a week prior to each meeting. This motivates me to keep writing. My group also encourages me to “write it real” and they hold me accountable when I my writing strays from my true voice. http://seamslikeastory.com/write-it-real/

My Critique Group Provides Emotional Support

Sort of like a therapy dog, my group leads me in the right direction, calms me when I’m terrified, and picks me up when I’m feeling down. How does this work for a writer? Oh, let’s say you get your first one-star review on Amazon and think the world is ending or you thought you were on the right track, then discover you want to go in a whole different direction with your story and you have to throw out a month’s worth of work or you’ve submitted to many, many places only to learn it’s not the “right fit” and you are certain you are the worst writer in the world and…yeah. Our writer’s egos are fragile.

Where Can You Find These Amazing People?

So now you’re convienced that you do indeed need these people in your writing life. Where do you find them? For me, it started with a writer’s group that meets at our local library. I saw their meeting schedule posted on a flyer and joined in. From there, friendships and common interests developed and five of us formed a critique group. We’ve been meeting regularly for almost four years now. In addition, I partnered with a friend I’d known from my teaching days who is an accomplished free-lance writer. We meet now and then for lunch and exchange thoughts about our latest works-in-progress. Her insights are invaluable to me.

Here’s where I should mention that it takes time for a group or a partner team to establish the kind of trusting relationship that will survive intense, honest feedback. I’ve been lucky enough to have this, but it may take time to find the right group.

Also, keep in mind that groups evolve. Sadly, one of my group members is moving, but not too far. We will need to adapt, but we are committed to finding a way to keep writing and supporting eachother. When you open your writer’s soul to another, deep friendships develop.

If you are looking for a resource for establishing a critique group, check out Telling Tales and Sharing Secrets : Twenty-four Years of a Successful Critique Group co-authored by my friend Diana Kinared.

But now, gotta go. My group is waiting!

Threads of Thought

Do you meet with a critique group?

If so, what advice would you give to others?

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If you are looking for a fun, quick, summer read, pick up Out of the Crayon Box:Thoughts on Teaching, Retirement and Life now available at http://amazon.com/author/debravandeventer