Monday's Musings

I had a minute today and picked up Annie LaMott's book, Bird by Bird, to reread a few pages. I just opened to a page and began reading, knowing that her words are inspiring, no matter what the subject. And of course, in just three pages I was reminded of the value of metaphors and how I've loved using them in my historicals. In Lily Gets Her Man, I used the garden. And Lily's growth as a woman was defined by the blooms in her garden. The original title, Lily Blossoms, actually was perfect in my estimation because it depicted the theme of the story. Gangly, awkward Lily, blooms into full womanhood when she is allowed to grow and open her heart. And in another historical, I used the powerful metaphor of a river and how it ebbs and tides, rushes and flows, to show the changing emotions in my characters. Funny, how Annie LaMott had spoken of the two metaphors I enjoy using. And I'm hoping that my Desire, Like Lightning will show the power of the metaphor again, this time using both the treacherous weather and a feisty stallion named Storm, to parallel my character's growth. I get it and if I've done my job correctly as a writer, so will the reader. Happy Monday!