Dear Friend,
Why spaghetti?
Well, it got your attention, didn’t it?
Actually, a long-ago film where the hero strains spaghetti with a tennis racket inspired this blog! (See the film attribution and more details at the end.)
I take inspiration wherever I can find it. But what I’m really talking about is resilience, versatility, and adaptability. These days, just to get up in the morning, you need to improvise, wear layers to keep warm.
My good friend in Tennessee is coping with temperatures well below freezing at night and barely above freezing in the daytime. It was worse when they lost power and had no electricity for 18 hours! Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, anyone?
To survive and thrive and eat your spaghetti, you need to be resourceful. I remember living in Richmond, VA, where we lost power over Christmas two years in a row! What saved us was living in our family room which had a fireplace. We also had firewood, buried under snow, but still useful, to get some warmth in our home. The heavy snow had frozen the power lines (above ground, not buried as in some communities.)
We also had a Chinese restaurant two blocks away that was on the main street, which didn’t lose power. Eating in a warm restaurant, we ate lots of Chinese food for two days.
As an author who’s creating a series, I’m always looking for new ways to present situations, introduce new characters, and create a happily ever after for characters. I include weddings in most of my books. Each wedding needs a different approach.
I love coming up with twists and changes, including humor, and providing details that make characters “real.” To me, they are real. I know who they are, plus their hopes, dreams, challenges, and aspirations.
Again, everything channels me to build my stories using versatility, adaptability, and resilience─plus creativity.
If you want spaghetti (and meatballs), find my recipe at the back of Louisa’s Passion. If you want an example of creativity and adaptability, check out Will’s Secret. Will figures out a way to circumvent the “marriage rule” of the groom not seeing his bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony. It’s hilarious! (No false modesty here. Every time I read it, I crack up.)
PS The film I reference is The Apartment with Jack Lemmon. He strains spaghetti with a tennis racket. A truly hilarious, memorable scene.
Please contact me if you have questions, or fun examples, like straining spaghetti with a tennis racket!
Have a fun week,
