Writer’s Secrets Make Great Scenes #IWSG #AMWRITING

[I wrote this post as a member of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group where we share our worries and also offer support and encouragement to each other on the first Wednesday of every month. If you’re a writer like me and you’re looking for a bit of support, you can click the link and sign up here

Thank you to our awesome co-hosts this month: Pat Garcia, J.Q. Rose, and Natalie Aguirre!

Check out our IWSG homepage for recent news and events.  And as always, thank you to founder Alex J. Cavaugh 🙂 

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Don't only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets; art deserves that, for it and knowledge can raise man to the Divine. Ludwig van Beethoven

  When I think of writing secrets, I always wonder about current authors and how their first book was discovered. I think of J.K. Rowling’s interesting story, how she faced countless rejections until a publisher handed her first draft over to his eight year-old daughter who immediately demanded the rest of the book. I think of secrets in general, and how we all have them, because our scars and our inadequacies about ourselves make character development in writing feel so real.  

June 3 question asks – “Writers have secrets! What are one or two of yours, something readers would never know from your work?”

I couldn’t decide what would be interesting to reveal about myself, tripped up over countless dark closets I’d like not to think about, so I turned to my daughter and I asked her, “what secrets do I have?”

She gave me two great ones from this past  year:

  1. Last fall, while riding on my son’s blue Razor Scooter with my daughter riding hers, she pulls into the driveway and breaks it way ahead of me. From behind her down the street, I decide to pick up the pace and coast freely down the hill—after a rain with countless puddles in the street (of course I wasn’t wearing a helmet) and guess what I did? I hit a hidden pothole filled with rain water and flew into a face plant. I jumped up, panicked someone saw me. Not a soul was outside. Not a single window curtain was drawn. I think I bowed, bloody hands and ripped jeans and all.
  2. During this whole cloudy COVID time, I decided to take my artist endeavors to a new level and buy my own nail dip kit. I have a Fine Arts degree and enjoy painting and designing things. I thought I could surely figure it out. The first time I attempted to remove the polish on my nails, I did the unthinkable. I reached for the remover and missed the bottle, sending it flying across my dining room table. It works! It removed the finish off my table in a very creative splat across the center. Thank goodness for table runners 🙂

I know my secrets aren’t writing related, though they may make some really fun scenes if they relate to the theme. I also know several of my writing secrets have been talked about in other posts. So here are my human mishaps. My children will always remember them fondly, and I love that. Happy IWSG every one. Keep your faith and courage alive. Spread kindness. We all could use it.

About Erika Beebe

Author, dreamer, and a momma to a couple of wonderful kids, I try to live life everyday in hope and inspire others along my way.

Posted on June 3, 2020, in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink. 26 Comments.

  1. Sorry about the face plant – I think we all have moments like that in our lives that hurt our pride more than anything. But hey, no one saw you!

  2. Natalie Aguirre

    That’s awesome that your daughter reminded you of some secrets to share. My daughter remembers more about things when she was a kid than me too.

  3. Oh no, your poor table!

    I flipped my bike over and landed in a bush. And that was the first thing I did – get up and look around, praying no one saw me.

  4. So honest and brave. Both are something you can be proud of and your children will remember that forevah! 😉

    Anna from elements of emaginette

  5. Owch! Glad your little accident wasn’t more serious!

  6. What a clever idea–to ask your daughter. I’m going to try that.

  7. Jennifer Lee Hawes

    I love your accidents. (Glad you’re ok!) I’m always using real life incidents for my books. They are the best and the most realistic.

  8. The scooter incident sounds painful I hope you were okay!

  9. Kids can be very helpful given a chance. Glad you asked your daughter for help.

  10. Loni Townsend

    Those are some fun secrets. Your scooter sounds like when I was riding with my son on his and totally crashed because I didn’t know how to stop, but it was in front of a bunch of college kids. I’m just lucky my son was wearing a helmet because we landed pretty hard. That there was no secret!

  11. lol, Agreed, brave girl. Don’t ya hate it when stuff like that happens? I am glad you survive the scooter with minor injuries. Thank God you didn’t need help. Happy IWSG!

  12. I hate falling and going splat. Last time it happened, it was two to three winters ago. The asphalt was more slippery than it looked or thought. So when I was going down the slope at the side of the house to get the garbage can, my legs slid underneath me and I landed hard on my tush. Lucky for me no one saw.

  13. omg. I feel for you on the nail polish remover bit. I’ve done that but to a much smaller degree. UGHHHHH. So frustrating. If you have a wood table, you might be able to sand it and refinish it?

    Hope your injuries have healed by now. 😦

    • Hi Amanda. That was my first thought then lucky for me my fiancé said he’d bring his nice dining room table over. It hasn’t happened yet but his table will be a welcome upgrade 🙂

  14. I cringed at the faceplant. That must have hurt. Glad you didn’t have worse injuries from it. Things like that do make for interesting stories to tell, though, once the sting wears off. Happy IWSG!

  15. Tonja Drecker

    Ouch! Glad you weren’t injured except for a bruised ego. And the nail thing sounds like something I’d do and wish I could cover up. I guess it’s things like this which keep life interesting?

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