Easter season writing

image by Kim Smith
As I sat down to write this blog post this morning, it occurred to me that it is Easter this Sunday. Many people will be leaving town right after work today for the long holiday weekend, (if you get Good Friday off, which I do NOT).

So in lieu of something profound to say about writing today, I am just going to talk about it.

As writers, we have to put down in some form the miracles that make us alive. Be they fabricated or real. We put down people that we love, and those we hate, and even a few that we think make good victims.

We write about places we have seen and places we only hear about, wish we could be a part of and sometimes these places are a bit of both.

The stories that come out of us are something that holds our interest, and we hope will hold other's as well.

So in the spirit of this holy season, may I encourage you to read a good book? For me, reading is the beginning of all writing. I cannot pen anything that didn't come from a reading experience. If I read good suspense, I want to write better suspense. If I read good romance, I want to write better romance.

And when I read the Bible, the best of all good books, I want to write something worthwhile. I hope it is the same for you, if you are a writer. I also hope it is true of you if you are a reader. The Bible can be many things to many people, and the least of these is as a history book. If you want to know how to write a good story, rich in historical accuracy, read the Bible. Even in the Easter story we get a good glimpse of the times.

We learn that Jews buried their loved ones within 24 hours of death. And that they used aromatic oils and spices and wrapped them in linen, and placed them in caves or tombs hewn from rock with a massive stone placed over the mouth to keep out thieves or wild animals.

In my most humble opinion, that is a great (and terrible) place to dig into for a sit-down of reading, rich with setting, plot, and people. That story alone would want me to read more. I hope it is the same for you.


Happy Easter, bloggers!