Linda Yezak's Writing Inspiration
As did so many other authors, I began writing at an early age–pudgy fingers fumbling with red crayons, probably something like "roses are red, violets are blue, I love Mom." And, as was the same with many
others, I improved with age and graduated to better poetry, song lyrics, short stories, flash fiction, all the good stuff (which I’d left in a paper bag when Billy and I moved to Nacogdoches. The cats shredded it and everything in it. We weren’t friends for a while).
When I was at A&M, my English class followed my Algebra class. Switching from numerical logic to verbal logic, from practical to artistic, always took a few minutes beyond the stroll from one building on campus to the other. My creative writing professor at the time gave us a challenging warmup exercise. Each session, she’d hand out index cards on which we had to write entire stories–beginning, middle, end, complete with viable characterization. At the top of the card, we were to write our "inspiration" for the story.
Mine usually went something like this:
(X + Y) x Z = AB/C
The stories would involve X and Y, who were military commanders of allied nations. They joined forces with Z to infiltrate the country of AB while it was being divided by C–also an ally of X and Y.
After a semester of reading my antics for ABC and XYZ, my prof confessed to me she looked forward to my notecards and encouraged me toward a career in writing. I wish I had heeded her advice. I would’ve had roughly thirty years of writing credits under my belt–which now expands more due to stress eating than publishing accomplishments. Yes, I would’ve been plodding away on my IBM Selectric III, and my transition to a computer would’ve rivaled Jessica Fletcher’s in rebellion and refusal, but I would’ve been well along in my career by now.
But I think if my old professor could see me now, she’d be pleased with how far I’ve come. Give the Lady a Ride was a Grace award winner and a Genesis and Carol award finalist. The Cat Lady’s Secret was a Genesis finalist, and Writing in Obedience has already proven useful to many new authors in it’s short time of being on the market.
I still have a long way to go to meet my goals, but God has blessed me so much. All glory goes to Him.
Linda W. Yezak lives with her husband and three cats in a forest in east Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She holds a BA in English and a graduate certificate in Paralegal Studies. Thirty years later, she’s finally putting her degree in English to good use, combining it with her natural inclination toward story-telling to create fun, unique novels.
others, I improved with age and graduated to better poetry, song lyrics, short stories, flash fiction, all the good stuff (which I’d left in a paper bag when Billy and I moved to Nacogdoches. The cats shredded it and everything in it. We weren’t friends for a while).
When I was at A&M, my English class followed my Algebra class. Switching from numerical logic to verbal logic, from practical to artistic, always took a few minutes beyond the stroll from one building on campus to the other. My creative writing professor at the time gave us a challenging warmup exercise. Each session, she’d hand out index cards on which we had to write entire stories–beginning, middle, end, complete with viable characterization. At the top of the card, we were to write our "inspiration" for the story.
Mine usually went something like this:
(X + Y) x Z = AB/C
The stories would involve X and Y, who were military commanders of allied nations. They joined forces with Z to infiltrate the country of AB while it was being divided by C–also an ally of X and Y.
After a semester of reading my antics for ABC and XYZ, my prof confessed to me she looked forward to my notecards and encouraged me toward a career in writing. I wish I had heeded her advice. I would’ve had roughly thirty years of writing credits under my belt–which now expands more due to stress eating than publishing accomplishments. Yes, I would’ve been plodding away on my IBM Selectric III, and my transition to a computer would’ve rivaled Jessica Fletcher’s in rebellion and refusal, but I would’ve been well along in my career by now.
But I think if my old professor could see me now, she’d be pleased with how far I’ve come. Give the Lady a Ride was a Grace award winner and a Genesis and Carol award finalist. The Cat Lady’s Secret was a Genesis finalist, and Writing in Obedience has already proven useful to many new authors in it’s short time of being on the market.
I still have a long way to go to meet my goals, but God has blessed me so much. All glory goes to Him.
Linda W. Yezak lives with her husband and three cats in a forest in east Texas, where tall tales abound and exaggeration is an art form. She holds a BA in English and a graduate certificate in Paralegal Studies. Thirty years later, she’s finally putting her degree in English to good use, combining it with her natural inclination toward story-telling to create fun, unique novels.
Her publications include Give
the Lady a Ride, a 2008 ACFW Genesis finalist and a 2012 Carol Finalist, as
well as a 2011 Grace Award Winner. Her new release, The Cat Lady’s Secret,
was a Genesis finalist in 2010. She was a contributing author for 31
Devotions for Writers, and coauthor with agent Terry Burns of Writing in
Obedience.
She has served as a freelance
editor for several years. Her editing experience includes work for other small
presses and small magazines, as well as serving as an editorial assistant to a
popular literary agent. She is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers,
Women’s Fiction Writers Association, and Christian PEN (Proofreaders and
Editors Network).
Linda will speak at our June WOTS meeting on Writing in Obedience.
Social Links
Twitter: @LindaYezak
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lindawyezak
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/LindaYezak
Blogs
777 Peppermint Place: http://lindayezak.com
AuthorCulture: http://authorculture.blogspot.com
Newsletter
Coffee with Linda: http://dld.bz/drt5t
Excited about this weekend--and nervous. Yes, I have to admit being nervous. But I'm anxious to see everyone again!
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