CHICKENS AND CREATIVITY

What do  chickens and writers have in common? They both hunt and peck — one for worms, the other for words.
A friend recently sent me an amusing book by author Ann Byles, Chicken Scratch: Lessons on Living Creatively from a Flock of Hens. It turns out that several writers keep chickens. So do I.

Thirty hens live in my backyard in a rather luxurious coop that my son designed and built beside the walking trail that passes our house. Chicken duties make a pleasant break from writing. It takes less than an hour a day to feed and water the hens, collect the eggs, and wash and pack them for sale. I enjoy watching my chickens search for worms and other delectable tidbits, and I enjoy eating their tasty eggs. 

Walkers stroll past and stop to admire the chickens (some even cluck at them as if hoping for a conversation). It’s been great fun providing a chicken-watching and egg-eating experience for friends and neighbors who walk the trail, admire the chickens, and buy eggs  from our refrigerated “egg vendor.”  I’ll never be rich selling eggs, but raising chickens and sharing the experience with trail walkers is reward enough. 

Of course, writing is rewarding too. As a writer I’m always hunting for words before using my fingers to “peck” them into a story. What word best describes a character, a setting, or the situation facing the character (the plot)? The answer lies not in a thesaurus, but in coming to terms with a story that is gradually developing. Hunting and pecking for the words that will create a story is one of the many joys in my life. So are the readers who will eventually bring that story of life. 

Quotation of the Day:

“A pen is to me as a beak is to a hen.” ~ J.R.R. Tolkien

On a Different, but IMPORTANT TOPIC
This YouTube interview with Johantha Haidt, Professor at the NYU Stern School of Business is both troubling and fascinating. It’s called The Anxious Generation. I strongly recommend it to parents, teachers, and  anyone who cares for and about today’s children. You’ll find it here.

Upcoming Events: 

June 6: Book Launch and signing for Lights & Sirens at Christian Book and  Gift Shop, Greeneville, Tennessee, from 11:00 – 12:30.
June 25-27: Chattanooga Home School Expo, Chattanooga, TN.July 23-26:   Southeast Homeschool Expo, Atlanta, Georgia.

Thanks for reading this newsletter and for caring about children, education, and the books kids read. If you found this helpful, please don’t hesitate to send me a comment and/or to pass this newsletter along to friends. It’s easy to sign up on my website: www.elizabethraumbooks.com.