Ronda Rich

Syndicated Columnist

A famous friend of mine was with me at an event and I came home with three stories. I sat down and composed them in a breeze.

She was perplexed. “I was at the same event and I didn’t see that.

How can you see a story where I don’t?”

I thought about it for a moment then answered. “I think that if you’re born to be a storyteller, the stories will fall down in a path in front of you. It’s a matter of picking them up and piecing them together.”

She huffed then said, “It can’t be that easy or I could do it.”

“But,” I said “You have to be called to do it. It has to be your talent — like playing piano.”

Electronics have dealt a mighty blow to creativity and AI might take us writers out in the future.

The other day, Tink (who looks me up on the internet constantly to find any new picture or story about me), asked AI who I was. In seconds, it produced a beautifully composed essay and every word of it was true. I was stunned.

Here’s a few tips for finding a story to write: 1. Put the phone down at the airport and any other such place, and just watch. One time, I was in a high-end women’s shop when two hillbillies came in. I’m a hillbilly but in a different way than these hillbillies. They were barefooted, dirty, wearing Daisy Dukes, and one was toting a baby on the hip.

The other one was pulling on the last of her cigarette. I had found myself two great characters, so I knew I was about to find a story. I discretely following them through the store and sure enough, it happened. They came to a rack of blouses. The one with the cigarette took one looked at it and decided it wasn’t her style. She put it back on the rack but when she did, a shoulder of the blouse was hanging off. The one with the baby reached over and straightened it. She said to the other, “You can’t put a blouse back on the rack like that. Ain’t you got no class?” This was years ago, but I still laugh about it.

Listen to people tell stories.

I was with Jeff Foxworthy when someone came up to meet him and Jeff started asking him questions and got a funny story. Later, Jeff told me, “That’s sometimes how I get material.”

If you have the opportunity to be in a unique place, look around at details. Tink and I have friends, the Isaacs, who are members of the Grand Ole Opry. We join them back stage three or four times a year. Sometimes, Tink will sit in back stage and watch while I wander around looking at the great photographs and memories.

Here’s the best tip I can give you: buy a very old, rundown house trailer and rent it out. You’ll get stories galore. Before Tink and I got married, I bought a piece of land that adjoined the property I already owned. It fronts a highway and goes down to the creek.

I planned to tear down the trailer but my brother-in-law convinced me it was in decent shape and that I should not disrupt the sweet woman who lived there. Well, I did and for 14 years, she kept us entertained with stories. Oh, the characters we met and the situations we saw were so hilarious that Tink said, “Maybe you should let her live there free for all the material you get.”

And, that’s how you do it.

Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of the Stella Bankwell series.

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