Kerplunk and Jennifer Allen

by Carole Brown

I thought you might enjoy Jennifer’s article today. She’s a pre-author, but moving fast toward publication. A writer friend from Ohio, Jennifer has an active life and enjoys mingling with other authors when she can.

Here’s her bio:

 JPC Allen started her writing career in second grade with an homage to Scooby Doo. With a B.A. in both English and history and a Masters of Library Science, she worked for ten years as a children’s librarian in public libraries. She is a member of ACFW and a 2016 Genesis semi-finalist in the YA category with the novel The Truth & Other Strangers. She hopes that novel will be the first book in a series, set in West Virginia. She is life-long Buckeye with deep roots in the Mountain State. Please visit her blog with writing tips for beginning writers at JPCAllenWrites.com and Facebook. 

Now, on to her post:

Patrick F. McManus wrote humorous stories and essays for Outdoor Life and Field & Stream. One of my favorites is “People Who Hunt” from Kerplunk!, a collection of his stories.
Hunters and people who hunt are two different species. People who hunt love the sport, but they have other interests with no connection to hunting. A hunter’s whole life revolves around hunting. As Mr. McManus writes:

A friend of mine is a bank president, for example, but if you ask him to identify himself, he’ll say he’s a hunter. He thinks of himself primarily as a hunter. His job as a bank president is merely a means of supporting his hunting. His business associates are merely part of the support group for his hunting. He refuses to hire another hunter for the bank, because, he says, the two of them would spend all their time talking hunting, and never get any work done.

When I read this, I marveled at how anyone could be so single-minded. I myself had so many different interests. I like old movies, especially film noir. I love being outdoors, hiking and exploring. I love kids, so I am active in the children’s ministries at my church and lead reading groups at my kids’ school. I enjoy baking and collecting shells and fossils, and I used to ride horses. If I wasn’t well-rounded, I thought I was at least oval-shaped.

Then, driving down a lonely, country road one day, I had a startling revelation. (That can happen when you drive down lonely, country roads.) I wasn’t a person who writes. I was a writer. Everything I did, I looked on as potential sources of writing inspiration.
When I watch old movies, I judge the plot and performances, seeing what I can learn from them. When I am outdoors, I look at the scenery as possible settings for stories. The kids I work with teach me about behavior and guide me when building characters. Even my hobbies can be used in my writing. On that road, I realized I wasn’t even oval-shaped, just a straight line that led to writing.

Except for my faith and family relationships, I now identify myself as a writer. Even if I never publish a book, I will still be a writer. It seems to be the way God shaped me.

If you want good writing and a good laugh, visit the Patrick F. McManus page on GoodReads.
Goodreads.

Patrick_F_McManusne could be so single-minded.

 

Thanks for joining us today, Jennifer!