Garsh, that's hard work!

I am in the middle of writing my first story. Maria has goaded me into putting pen to paper (or fingers to the keyboard) and doing something creative. So I created another blog for my imaginings. I figured that the thing to do was just to start writing without trying to brainstorm for an original idea, or create a work of creative genius at my first outing; surely, if I had taken that approach, I would still have a blank sheet of paper (screen) before me. So, I just started typing, and gave birth to a town and some characters to inhabit it. It's amazing how the process takes on a life of it's own. I also find it amazing how much work it is. It really is a laborious task. The hardest part for me so far was to put into words the experience of coming to terms with imminent death. The hero of my story and a dog (don't ask me to explain, you'll have to read it) are caught in the middle of a rocket attack on a pillbox on the Norman shore during D-Day. Of course, this is a thinly veiled allusion to my Hurricane Andrew experience. I spent hours trying to describe what I felt without relying on hackneyed phrases; "His life flashed before his eyes!", "the men were being mown down like summer wheat!", "the cliffs erupted in a sheet of flame!", etc. I don't know how I am doing, because the people critiquing my story are loved ones, and they think the world of me. So, I will just keep on keeping on with the story, and see how it all turns out.
My next project will be a story for the kids about the kids...I figure that maybe this will provide an impetus to get them more involved with reading. We'll see how that turns out...