Join us as we hear from our BookSparks authors on where they write to find inspiration.
Introducing – Where I Write!

Where I Write – Lynn Dow

From my writing desk I can see out a window that overlooks my backyard, a garden sown with love and a mishmash of plants. It is by this window that I spend a lot of time woolgathering, hoping for inspiration for my writing, but often just gazing out into the garden without much thought of anything. This past spring, however, in place of thinking about what to write I found myself concentrating on the visitors to the garden –tiny birds, big birds, blue birds. Why hadn’t I ever noticed them before? I get so wrapped up in my thoughts that often I am oblivious to what is going on right in front of me. But these little creatures were hard to ignore. To attract them, I hung a makeshift bird feeder in the avocado tree right outside the window. For a while, my writing took second place to my googling the birds in an attempt to identify them.

From my vantage point, I discovered house finches, song sparrows, cedar waxwings, and my favorite, the blue western scrub jay. That bird is the boldest of all, coming right up to the bannister on my back porch and eating from the cat’s dish, never even flinching if I approach. My husband named him Noisy. Once he discovered the good living at our house he brought his mate and a few weeks later Junior showed up. Now, as fall approaches, Mom and Junior have flown the coop. Only Noisy remains – he shows up every morning and evening at the bird feeder, scaring the little birds away as he swoops in to have his fill. When Noisy is around, the bird feeder empties quickly – as does the cat dish. He likes to top off his meals with a little cat kibble for dessert. If the cat dish is empty he stands on the edge of the bowl, as if to say, please refill. If his dietary needs are not met, I fully expect to find him in the kitchen one day, stealing a snack off the table.

My writing has generated a wonderful pastime. Instead of chastising myself for the times I spend daydreaming when I could be writing, I now have a wonderful excuse – I am just watching out for the birds. I live in the heart of San Francisco and am always amazed that these little creatures can navigate their way, through skyscrapers and utility poles, to my backyard. I am looking forward to wintertime as I understand the season brings even more birds to the backyard feeders as food in the wild becomes less available. I am thinking of writing about my encounters with the birds – maybe a story for my grandkids.

Lynn Dow

Lynn Dow, is a registered nurse who spent fifty years in the profession in a variety of positions – staff nurse, head nurse, teacher, and mentor – at large medical centers on both the East and West Coasts.  Now retired, she has finally found the time to write about her experiences.  She lives with her husband in San Francisco.