You Don't Have to Be a Star to Shine: Discovering the Writer Within/ A Guide for Writing Creative Non-fiction and fiction

By Shanna Lee James

“You Don’t Have to be a Star to Shine” was written to inspire and awaken those who have read endless books by others yet may be overlooking the story you have yet to tell. Could it be within your heart or imagination, you have something to contribute to the literary world?

As long as we have breath to breathe, if we can imagine, we can put our thoughts on paper and see them through from print to publication.
For the writer of fiction, imagination is the wings that carry them far beyond limitations, to soar like an eagle! But to the writer of non-fiction such as memoir, autobiography, memory is the powerful tool allows those faded memories to live again, just like an old photograph to be cherished and not forgotten.

This book is rich in anecdotal examples of how to say it better—and say it best along with tips to deliver a pitch that is so compelling, readers will want to read. See how word enhancement can turn mediocre writing into powerful writing, so the reader feels they are right there!
This guide for writing fiction or non-fiction is streamlined in an orderly fashion to make writing an adventure, one to be proud of, and practical steps where to begin to make it easier than you may have thought.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Jan 18, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662903168

Shanna Lee James

Shanna worked in health care for forty-three years; graduated from a children’s writing course and currently writes uplifting blogs on a large health and fitness site.

Book preview

Author

INTRODUCTION

Many a bright flame began with a tiny spark

Ialways thought of myself as an ordinary person doing ordinary things. Until one day I wrote a play and a fellow student named Allen, and I starred in it. We rehearsed but enjoyed being spontaneous and improvising-before the nursing class.

Classmates applauded and roared with laughter including the teachers! I remember Mrs. Frohnmayer laughing so hard and saying, Shanna—I think you missed your call! The laughter was contagious and seeing their faces, I realized I no longer felt ordinary.

I have come to believe no one is ordinary, but often there are treasures inside hidden from plain view waiting to be discovered. I write this to help you ignite the embers and turn your dreams into a bright flame! And most of all, to change your ordinary into extraordinary! Because if you have not realized it yet, you are unique—as precious as each star in the sky!

In my memoir, I shared how as a young girl, I imagined being a nurse and my dolls were my patients. They were not feeling well, so I opened my nurses kit, and listened to their hearts with my pink stethoscope. I told them to say "Ah’ and used my tongue blade for a closer look.

Aha! Ok, I am going to have to give you a shot, and a pill so we can get you to feeling better, Of course the pills were small candies, which I also found tasty!

Through the eyes of a child, things become magical! I envisioned color filling their pale cheeks and a smile replacing pain. I liked how it made me feel seeing others get better—and be able to run off to play. My childhood fantasy turned to reality and I no longer played at nursing! Childhood was wonderful because children believe their dreams are possible!

In 1978 I graduated from the nursing program and worked in a real hospital with my very own big girl pink stethoscope. Patients were real people with names and faces and I cared for each of them as I would my own family member. When they were discharged to go home, we often hugged and cheered! Just as when I was a child, I never tired of seeing people get well.

But after forty-three years in health care, that chapter in my life ended. Though, I left with many heartwarming memories, yet some sad, I soon found I had an empty place within. I still had more to give and never lost my love for making people laugh, smile, and get well.

As a child, I also wanted to teach, but nursing and health care called my name. What a day it was when it dawned on me, a door to a new chapter opened wide, and I could fulfill both dreams! Through the writing of this book, I found I could teach others from the wells of my knowledge and experience as a writer. Come along and enjoy the journey. You do not have to know everything all at once to begin.

For those who say, I could write a book, but am not sure where to begin. Or maybe you never have thought about it, but as you keep reading, you may discover you have something to share with the rest of the world. To make them feel better. And you too! Let desire be the match that lights your flame.

PART ONE

ARISE AND SHINE

CHAPTER 1

YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE A STAR TO SHINE

What makes a star sparkle and shine? For a person, is it IF or when we become famous but until then we go about barely noticed? Is our star somewhere in the constellation millions of miles away, a mere-twinkling small glimmer of light?

So far off we can see the shining sparkles expanding across the universe, but unable to grasp.

If my friend swims out into the depths of the lake, and I wade in ankle deep water, are we not both wet? Is my friend a success because he arrived before me? Or might I swim out to join?

If you recently made the decision to take charge of your life, get healthy and fit, is the lifeguard with the tan and toned body more of a success than what you might become if you learn from his/her example?

Is not each puppy in a litter just as lovable as the chubby little guy who bounced up and licked your face? What about the small ball of fluff in the far corner, who goes unnoticed; the one they call the runt of the litter? What might he or she become if given a chance?

Is it the first to achieve success the one with the bright star while the rest wish upon the star, not sure ours will ever shine?

As a writer, do I look at the authors who have made a career of writing and feel inferior? Or might there be something of value to learn? Did not those famous people start at the same place as you or me?

You need not be a songbird to sing or a bright star to shine. Just believe! And get started.

CHAPTER 2

THE STAR IN THE ATTIC

I know as long as I keep searching, I know I will find!

As a young girl, the times I fondly remember is when my brothers and I visited our grandparents farm in the mountains. The air was clear and crisp, the mountains were capped with snow in the winter, and a creek flowed through their pastureland that sat alongside the old red barn. The trees were so tall and the skies so blue, they could almost touch heaven.

We loved romping outdoors, and playing in the old barn where my brothers hid in the loft and pelted me with dried cow pies when I walked in. With two fairly mischievous brothers, I never knew what to expect from moment to moment. Still—it was my memory, and it was good times!

Inside the old quaint farmhouse, there was something of mystery and intrigue that captivated the curiosity of myself and my brothers. It was a two-story home, and upstairs was an attic with a door that only our grandmother visited. She always shut the door behind her. We were forbidden to go there.

Grandma, though a small woman had a stern manner and gave us strict orders when she left to gather eggs from the hen house, and check on the rabbit’s pen,

Remember! Do not go into the attic!

We watched and waited as Grandma slipped past the barn and out of sight. Driven by curiosity, we headed straight for the attic! We trembled as we tiptoed up the creaky stairs, wondering if there was a big hairy monster waiting to grab the three of us and stuff us into an old trunk? Would we ever be found? As scary as it was neither hairy monster nor grandma’s switch could stop us!

Slowly lifting the lid of the weathered trunk, finding old toys, rag dolls worn and stained from wear and tear was as exciting as a Christmas morning! There was no big hairy monster lurking, but a small dirty window in the far corner, draped in cobwebs. Chills ran down my spine, knowing where there were cobwebs, there were sure to be spiders! But my big brother would protect me!

Until we explore the unknown, we never know what rich treasure lie within. Memories are like secrets, waiting to be discovered.

As an adult I still wonder if our Grandmother were as stern as she sounded, or did she smile inwardly, knowing we would visit the attic. I never got to ask her when I got older as she passed when I was sixteen years old on April 5, 1962.

How quickly those wonderful moments fled, and never as children did, we think the magic of childhood would flee and my brothers would move many miles apart. What remains are a treasure trove of fond memories, that became a part of my memoir. Might you have some too?

The beauty in writing is that real life stories can be woven into a memoir or an exciting adventure in fiction. (More in chapters to come).

CHAPTER 3

WHY NOT BE THE SOMEONE TO WRITE THE BOOK?

The dreamer began with a thought that magically turned into star dust!

Have you ever found yourself saying, I can’t find a certain book. I am not sure one exists! If there is a book that you want to read, but it has not been written yet, why not take the idea yourself and develop it?

This is stepping back in time, but do you know when the television remote control was invented and by whom? I wonder how many people grumbled every time they had to get up from their comfy chair to change channels and said, "Someone ought to invent something to make life easier!"

What if Thomas Edison got frustrated at his numerous attempts to invent the light bulb and finally gave up? What if he had said, "Someone else needs to figure this out!" Whose idea was it to put an eraser at the top of a pencil?

Why wait for someone else to create something when bright ideas come? Should we not trust our own instincts and allow our star to shine? Why should it be someone else?

Case in point, I saw a title of a book that caught my eye.

America’s First Female Serial killer. written by Mary Kay McBrayer in 2019. Mind you, reading about serial killers is not typically my first choice of genre, nor am I suggesting you or I should write about this subject. I mention, because the Golden Gate killer hit right in the heart of San Francisco, my oldest daughters’ city, where they were raising two teenage girls! Naturally, they were terrified, so they stayed on alert of one cold blooded killer who raped numerous women, murdered thirteen women, and burglarized homes. The irony is that the man who committed these crimes was a former cop. They followed the story until he was finally arrested in June of 2020, when he was caught in Sacramento, California. (close to my younger brothers’ home). On August 21, 2020, the country breathed a sigh of relief as the man was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole.

In reading about men who were considered by their peers to be friendly, outgoing, even athletic, what dark and sinister stranger lurked within, unnoticed yet continuing in crimes? How do things like this happen and are there behavior patterns we as citizens can watch for before it is too late?

I found the title, "America’s First Female Serial killer to be captivating, something that piqued my interest. Never had anyone written about women serial killers so this was a first! I also had a natural inquisitiveness about why someone would choose to take lives of innocent people.

Who does that? I seriously doubt someone gets up on the wrong side of the bed and says, Think I will kill someone today!

My curiosity drove me to delve in to find out why. I am not one to bury my head in the sand pretending darkness does not exist. Just as I thought! No baby is born a cruel and sadistic monster, someone society fears. I have always believed in the innocence of babies until ‘something’ happens. I needed to know what that ‘something’ was which led to this heinous behavior.

To my surprise, I found the woman who committed the crimes and I had things in common in our childhood. I loved reading real life stories; she and I both loved telling stories. She was sent to live in an asylum at a tender age, and the other girls loved her for her story telling. We both became nurses who worked in hospitals, and when reading about her, I was stunned thinking, That could have been me!

Mary Kay McBrayer is to be applauded to taking the idea that came and turning it into a story that may have never been written. She did an excellent job of writing about a topic that had not been approached before but presented the story in such a compelling way.

What about you? Have interesting or inspiring ideas come to you that you could write about? For fun, why not keep a small notebook handy should ideas come to you!

Of course, you may think, Wait a minute! I want to write my memoir but there are jillions on the market!

That may be true, but no one knows your story and if not written, then it remains a story ‘untold’ locked away in an old musty trunk or attic.

You may have the best idea for training a new puppy, but someone beat you to the punch! Or so you think. That is true of all genres. There are countless murder mysteries, romance novels, children’s books, but you may be a wordsmith and have