You know that pile of stuff in your basement, garage, or attic? Well, my mind seems to have one, too. And sometimes, it hides a great idea for a story. That’s what my contribution to The Writers Vineyard this month is all about. Here’s an excerpt:

Preparing the first 27 pages (why 27? who knows, but that’s what the rules said – first 27 pages) of my middle grade manuscript for a contest entry reminded me of the jumble pile metaphor. In this story, young Amy June Pilgrim takes off on a cross-country quest with her grandfather, and early on she finds something perched on top of the jumble pile in her basement that serves as a clue to make sure she goes in the right direction. It made me wonder about the dark and dusty corner in my mind where all these images, ideas, thoughts, phrases, and fragments stack up until I’m ready to pull something from them and apply craft to make a story. It’s something of a miracle, really, like spinning straw into gold.

Read it all here.