Sherry Alexander Writes
  • Welcome
  • About
  • Blog
  • Guest Student Essays
  • Guest Student Stories and Narratives
  • Inspiration
  • MY Books for Children and Tweens

My Journey as
a Writer

See where it takes me.

MY BOOKS ON AMAZON

Texting may be a part of life, but can it inspire a story?

7/10/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Texting has become a big part of life for almost all American kids. They send texts to their friends, to their enemies, to their teachers, and to to their parents. It's fast. It's easy. It's a basic form of communication. And, the act of texting itself has even become a main component of young adult books, but is it story material? In a word, YES! 

Now I'm not talking about the art of texting, although there is probably a book on that topic already. I'm talking about the substance of texts and how they are perceived. For instance, one person can send a text that simply states, "Love u." However, depending on what has transpired between the sender and the receiver, that simple message can become extremely complicated. How? Well think about it. Was it sent as an apology, an after-thought, a word of encouragement, a declaration of love, or was it a sarcastic remark? Any one of these reasons can be built into a story. The apology could be the beginning of a flashback, or even the basis of a plot conflict. Maybe it was sent to the wrong person--Oh,oh! See how the plot can develop from a simple apology? What about the declaration of love? Perhaps, it came from a stalker or an ex-boyfriend or girlfriend. You could develop it into a mystery, a love triangle, a romantic comedy, or a reality story. Before you know it, you have a whole book built around a single text. Inspiring, isn't it?

So, if you write for kids like I do, and the inspiration well is a little dry, you might try asking to read a few text messages sent by your kids. Just make sure you let them know it is for creative reasons alone, not to judge or comment. You might be surprised what you find that will get those creative juices flowing. If you don't have access to texts from young people, then try scrolling through twitter. Stories are brewing there every minute of the every day. Texting is definitely another avenue to spark the imagination of a writer.




0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Photo bySamuel Ferrara on Unsplash

    Sherry Alexander

    Dreamer, believer, reader, writer

    Archives

    April 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    February 2019
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

    Categories

    All
    Death
    Grief
    Inspiration
    Writing

    RSS Feed


    Visit Book Blogs
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Proudly powered by Weebly
Photos used under Creative Commons from One Way Stock, frankieleon