Whew! I'm back from a long trip

5/1/07 -- Whew! I'm back from a long trip speaking in schools in the Orlando area of Florida and in Greensboro-High Point, North Carolina. Great time in both states. Wonderful kids, and teachers, and librarians.

On a personal level, of particular interest to me was the visit to Joyner Elementary, the school I attended as a kid growing up in Greensboro. Talk about a time warp! I started first grade there in 1957 (yes, that's fifty years ago, and yes, I'm nearly 56 years old). But still, despite all those years that have elapsed, it seemed like every time I turned around a flash of memory would pop up and suddenly I felt like a kid again, walking in single file to the cafeteria, playing kick ball on the playground, or passing notes in class.  I halfway expected to get in trouble for joking around in the library and sent to the principal's office! The whole day was rich with memory, and as you might guess, full of possibilities for future stories. I left with my notebook brimming with ideas. I'm sure some of them will show up in a book soon.

All of which is to say: exploring your past for story ideas is almost always very fertile ground. Give it a try. You'll see . . .