Capturing the moment

J.C. Martin tagged me. Grab one of the books closest to you, not your favorite book or a book you've enjoyed or read, but one an arm's distance away from. Then go to page 56, type the fifth line and the next two to five lines that follow.

"Rain, like here but without the palm trees." It was a little disconcerting to have three translators, especially with Serge breaking in now and then like a nervous teenager on a first date. I think everyone was happy when I finally brought out the tape recorder.

From: Over the Lip of the World: Among the Storytellers of Madagascar by Colleen J. McElroy. This book has been on my desk during the writing of Children of the Waters, my next novel. There are a couple of folktales in it I thought might apply to my novel, but I never did incorporate them. Sigh.

And now it's time to remake my office for the writing of my third novel. The working title is Calling Every Good Wish Home. It's very loosely about some of the colorful characters in my family and Omaha, NE, where I grew up.

I have a small ancestral altar in my office that I created while writing Children, which I think I'll keep up while I work on this next book too. I'll also be putting up photos and reminders on my corkboard to get me in the mood.

What do you other writers do to capture the emotions you want in your book?

I'm not tagging anyone, but if you want to participate, let me know in the comments and I'll check it out!