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Writing can be the kind of pastime that fills time and refreshes memories in your retirement world. This helps me make it through my “free” time. Writing a short story or poem deals mainly with the emotions and actions of the primary character or characters of the composition. Take the nursery rhyme about Jack & Jill. At the end of the poetic recitation, we know that the two youngsters, with their similar names, are probably fraternal twins who live in a rural envi- ronment. We know it’s rural because their water supply is dependent on a gravity driven system. Their chore driven mother gives them assign- ments which are beyond their young capabilities, so she can avoid them herself. Because of the lack of indoor plumbing and usage of the term “pail”, we know the time frame for the rhyme is near the turn of the 20th Century. Due to their primitive living conditions, we can suppose they were poor. With the injuries described as the children fell, we also surmise the twins probably did not sur- vive their fall. However, there is no telling of whether they were transported to a doctor, which vehicle they may have traveled in, or the re- morse of their mother. If the poem had said the children had gone to check the pump at the well, we would have known the “pump” depicted them living in more of a midcentury timeframe in which the well would not have been required to be up a hill and they would not have needed a pail because water would have been pumped into the house. However, they would still be living in a rural set- ting. Now a novel could have delved deeper into the personality of the mother, told if she was a widow or married, showed if she worked outside the home, and chores may not have seemed so labor intensive for the kids if there had been time to show they enjoyed the duty. Writing a novel gives the author the opportunity to expand the story. Antiques in the description of a setting in a chapter is like product placement in one of today’s movies or TV programs. They set the mood, the timing, age, sexual orientation and even the financial situation of the characters. We can draw on these items from our own upbring- ing (note the words I use dating this author). In the case of your characters, antiques can help build their personalities. Are they bigtime spenders or acquired their antiques by holding on to family heirlooms and memories? Are they renting a furnished apartment, or have they fru- gally furnished their living spaces with thrift store finds? Further explanation of their habits can help the reader define his or her characters. After writing short stories, articles, essays, and poetry since I was ten years old, it took me until 2013 to commit to the dedication of writing a full length novel. Now I have written 10. A novel requires dialog as well to show and not just tell your story. This can also be garnered from your memories of conversations in the past as your characters move about and live in the habitats you have created for them. Writing, ac- tually, becomes more and more fun the more you try it. Remember, old “dogs” like us, are always open to new tricks. Lynne Adams Barze, Author-Writer-Poet.net 4 SOUTHERN SENIOR MAGAZINE | Summer 2023 S By Lynne Adams Barze’ Author, writer, poet Importance of Antiques in Writing