2026: The Three Ps of Writing

Posted on August 23, 2026 by peggylchambers

A few years ago, I was invited to the public library in Enid and asked to teach children to write. I prepared a presentation for young children using simple tools and I took my presentation to the kids. When I got there, I found out they were not kids. They were in late middle school, taller than me, and much smarter. I had to come up with a quick plan. But my presentation could still be tailored to them on the fly, and it had too. It was a small group around a board table, and we began with the Three Ps like I had planned for younger kids. It could still work.

If you look that up, you will find the Three Ps of Diabetes, Business, and lots of other things. But in children’s writing they are Person, Place, and Problem.

The kids named their group The Awesome Authors, and they were. I went over the Three Ps, and it got us started then we wrote a story together. Everyone had an idea and the Three Ps kept them going the right way. A few months later at the Author Fest at the library they came to my table and presented a printed copy of their story to me. They were selling it for a dime and so excited. They were published authors! And I pulled what could have been a disaster out of the fire and they learned something. And they appreciated it.

In writing a story, the Person is the main character, or protagonist. I didn’t try that word on them, or they would have glazed over and not listened. Don’t ever dumb it down with kids or they will show you just who the dummy is, but the word Person worked out better here than the Protagonist.

The Place can be anywhere you want it to be; your hometown, the universe, the ocean, etc. You must have a setting to work with.

The third P is Problem. There is no story without conflict. Early in my writing I realized my characters were too nice—not like normal human beings. They had to have problems, be the problem, and go up against problems or the story would be boring. The problem is the goal of your main character. They must win (or fail) but they must have a goal to have an exciting story. In the case of the Three Ps, we added the antagonist, or bad guy, to the problem and it became one thing. Afterall without the antagonist, the goal would be achieved to quickly and the story would be over before it was begun.

So, Person + Place + Problem = Story.

 If you are writing a story and it just isn’t working out for you, look at the Three Ps. It is a good tool for children’s writing and adults. It gives a place to start and if you are confused along the line, it can give you a framework.

 Remember the Three Ps, stay cool out there, and what are you doing, writing, reading, fixing, or creating this week?

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2026: Do-it-Yourselfers

Posted on August 16, 2026 by peggylchambers

           

We’re do-it-yourselfers. Old ones. And this morning we were up to standards with our abilities.

            With all the news about Taylor Farms and lettuce lately, I had a conversation with friends about produce. My refrigerator looked like the Sahara Dessert lately, with nothing green for miles. We’ve been eating canned and frozen veggies, and I longed for a salad. This morning, I went to my local, and reputable, grocer and stocked up on produce. I bought Romain, not Iceberg lettuce just in case. Then I came home and washed, scrubbed, and soaked in cool water with baking soda, all my precious vegetables. (My precious!) Then I lovingly drained them and put them in the crisper for later. There will be taco salad for supper tonight!

            Then my husband got up to his standards of home improvement. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s hotter than . . . well, you know. And my living room ceiling fan quit. My do-it-yourselfer husband decided to call an electrician. But first, he took the plate off the switch on the wall that makes the fan speed variable. It looked okay to him but he’s not a professional. He put a multimeter on the switch to see if it was getting electricity, and it seemed to be okay. After that he was baffled. Then for some reason, he looked up at the fan and pulled the tiny chain that barely dangled from the bottom of the fan. We turn the fan off and on from the wall switch, not the chain. I don’t know how that chain had been pulled, but the fan had been turned off somehow on the chain instead of the wall. And we are the only two people who live here. Maybe we have a ghost?

            I don’t know, but I only spent $35 on produce that will become sustenance for us, and we are cool under the ceiling fan without the price of an electrician. Life is good.

            Stay cool out there and what are you doing, writing, reading, fixing, or creating this week?

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2026: Spark Your Imagination

Posted on August 9, 2026 by peggylchambers

I turned in a book yesterday and I wait to see what the publisher thinks. I poured my heart and soul into it, and now I wait to see if it is good enough. But it was full of my imagination and creativity. Today, I’m taking a break from writing except for the weekly blog. My imagination has been on high alert while I wrote. And in the process, I did some research on cranking up our creativity and learned a few things that I want to share today. I fell back on a presentation I did a few years ago on cranking up your imagination in case the summer heat has you down. Here are some things to ramp it back up again.

1. First accept that all people are creative. Some think they aren’t, but they need to  nurture that creativity more than others. Not nurturing your creativity freezes a part of you, and you lose the therapeutic value of creativity. Look at a potential problem from another perspective – like the perspective of your character – or imagine how another person would see it in another land. What things would still matter and what would not? You can also let your imagination run wild and exaggerate the situation in your mind – and then minimize the situation. Look at it from all angles. Think what the hero would do or imagine how someone beside yourself would accomplish it. Lewis Carroll once said, “Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

2. Play with abandon – all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Play some music in the background while you work. I have a friend who writes mysteries and she listens to heavy metal   turned up so loud her teenagers complain. That would not work for me, but it does for her. I like classical music playing softly in the background while I write. No lyrics, just instrumentals. I provide the words.

3. Find time to have no plans for an afternoon or morning when you can just wander out into your world and soak it up. That is easier said than done sometimes. But creativity comes from these moments. Cyberspace is not a good place to think because it is busy and exhausting. Stay off Facebook when you are creating.

4. Soak up solitude when you can get it and be comfortable just being with yourself. Find a place in the now and recharge. Revel in the connection of being with like minds. My writer’s club and critique group do wonderful things for my creativity in pointing out things I would never have thought about. Socializing with other creatives brings out the muse in all of us. Look for things that inspire you, like going to a museum or concert.

5. Always keep a notebook available for writing down those little flashes of genius – we all have them – so you don’t forget by the time you get home to your computer. I sometimes send myself emails if something comes to me during the workday. But now that I am retired, I still keep a small notebook in my purse. If you are going down the highway and lightning strikes, write it down.

            Be creative and practice that creativity in ways that work for you. Build your worlds and your characters looking at them from all angles, but always make sure your imagination is in high gear. As a writer, imagination is your job.

            Stay cool out there and what are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: Manuscripts and Flower Beds

Posted on August 2, 2026 by peggylchambers

Last week we talked about how hot it was. We’ve had a small reprieve, but the temperatures will go up again this week. Surely this can’t go on forever. I keep thinking fall is on the horizon.

            This week, under the air conditioning, I finished the first draft of a middle grade reader I love. I can’t wait to publish it so you can read it. I think it is cute and kids will love the adventure. I do.

            However, every night, as I water my flower beds, I make plans for the ragged, sunburned plants that once graced my property. Irises need to be thinned out and are overgrown with Bermuda grass. Why is it that the best Bermuda grass grows in between the irises or cracks in the sidewalk when you need it in the lawn? That’s some healthy stuff! I’ve pulled it out and transplanted the hardy roots in blank spaces before and it works. But this time we sprayed it with a grass killer that won’t hurt the flowers. As I stand there nightly watering the flowers I’ve come up with a plan for a month or so down the road when it begins to cool. I’m going to cut them down, dig them all up (making sure the soil is moist), removed any and all grass and weeds, and only return a certain number back to the bed. It’s really the only way to clean up the mess and they will be healthy in the spring.

            Next comes the mint. It all goes. I am going to cut it down and then dig it up. My daughter has a lot of Lantana, and I hope to get some to replace the invasive mint. It will be attractive, bloom in hot weather, and hopefully make my flower beds look better. If she doesn’t have enough to share, there are these things called greenhouses that sell it.

            At my age all this has to be done slowly, but it will be accomplished, in small increments with moist soil, a shovel, and loads of hydration.

            So, tell me what you have been doing in this blistering heat? Are your flowerbeds sunburned no matter what you do? How’s that manuscript coming?

            Stay cool out there and what are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: The Summer Heat

Posted on July 26, 2026 by peggylchambers

               

It’s hot! That is putting it mildly. The center of the country is hosting the heat dome this week, and we are getting triple digit temperatures. When you add in the humidity the Great Plains brings, that increases it even more. I saw a forecast for 114℉ heat indices, and that is not uncommon.

 I’m staying inside. Thankfully, I have that option—and I have a lot of writing waiting on my attention.

My husband and I take a walk early in the morning before it gets too hot and that way I do something besides sit and write. He also mows the grass early finishing before noon. If all else fails, we could run out and play in the sprinkler.

Many years ago, I managed the city pool and took my kids to swimming lessons in the morning. Their dad picked them up early afternoon and had them under the air conditioning before it got terribly hot. But we were young and the heat didn’t affect us a much as it does now. If I tried to work outside in the middle of the day now, I’d die. My hat is off to all the roofers, lawn services, and mail carriers—or anyone who works outdoors. My husband used to work on the flightline in the middle of the day during the summer (and the middle of the night in the winter).

Now we are retired and can stay inside most of the time. I have been thinking about making a Sonic run for a Cherry Limeade in my air-conditioned car. That shouldn’t be too painful.

Stay cool out there and  what are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: Summer Gardening

Posted on July 19, 2026 by peggylchambers

I’ve been doing a little gardening this week. Yes, it is hot, but I’m still recovering from back surgery and I’m just beginning to get to the point of being able to weed my flower gardens. They have really taken a hit this year. I hope to do better next year.

The other night while I watered before dark when it was a cool as it was going to get, I ran into this guy in my shrubs. He is a hummingbird moth. They mimic the flight of a hummingbird and hover over flowers sucking nectar like a hummingbird. I gave up on my hummingbird feeders a few years ago when they were invaded by ants, wasps and the occasional meadowlark hanging upside down and sucking it dry. The hummingbirds never had a chance, and I was constantly cleaning them. Sorry hummingbirds.

So, now I have the moths. I find them interesting. Nature is normally interesting.

I have been weeding mornings and evenings and writing during the heat of the day. (Ah retirement!) And I have been making some great progress on writing my latest middle grade book that I find so much fun. I can’t wait to show it to you. Evidently, I’m a kid at heart.

It’s 100 plus degrees in the shade here in the heartland (at least we’re not on fire or flooding) and I am lucky enough to have an air-conditioned house and food to eat, so I write. I am blessed. How about you?

What are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: Summer Vegetables and How to Use Them

Posted on July 12, 2026 by peggylchambers

I’ve been cooking for a long time. Some of my creations are better than others. But I’ve seen a lot of recipes on the internet lately with a come-on of “say hi or yum or something” and I’ll give you a recipe. No thank you. I don’t need a come on. So, I created my own recipe from what I remembered reading.

It is gardening season and if you have a vegetable garden you are up to your eyes in zucchini and tomatoes. I don’t have a vegetable garden, but I love to eat fresh vegetables and there are farmers’ markets everywhere.

 I found a recipe this week with layered squash, tomatoes, and cheese, and I decided to try to make it.

 I sauteed some chicken thighs in olive oil with garlic and Italian seasonings. Then I sliced and layered zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes (I forgot the onion) then put the chicken on top of it.

I made a cheese sauce and poured it over the top of the casserole and then added parmesan cheese (did I mention I used a lot of garlic and Italian seasonings?) Then I baked it at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and it was really good! It would be good without the chicken if you’re vegetarian or just need a side dish and a way to use up all those zucchinis!

Or you could make more zucchini bread.

But it turned out pretty good even without the onion and it made two meals for us. I served it with Naan and hot honey hummus. Yummy. We’ll have it again tomorrow night.

What are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: It was a Great Party, I got a Tattoo

Posted on July 5, 2026 by peggylchambers

This is the blog for last week when I couldn’t get the picture to work. so, enjoy this week!

It’s been a long time since I had a bridal shower, and they have changed. We used to sit in a dress and sip from a punch cup as the bride opened her presents and everyone oooohed and awwwwed. It was boring for everyone but the bride. Yesterday was not that way.

My grandson is getting married in November. This has been a yearlong affair. It took forever for the bride to “say yes to the dress,” which is an event in itself. The ring in his pocket stayed there until he could make the perfect trip for the perfect time to get down on one knee.

 I made my wedding dress when I got married. My mother made my sister’s and my other bridesmaid also made hers. There were only two bridesmaids, and the ceremony took place in the chapel of the church since there weren’t a lot of people in attendance. It was a quick ceremony at the church followed by a week-long honeymoon at a cabin on an Oklahoma lake. I don’t know about this honeymoon yet, but I’m sure it will be lavish. This wedding spans three days and there are eight bridesmaids. I have to find a formal dress as grandma of the groom. My mother wore something from her closet.

Earlier this year, we had a lot of fun when my daughter pulled out my wedding dress and hers and the current bride tried them on. There were a lot of laughs. Times have changed. Our dresses didn’t fit her idea of what she wanted, after all they were from 1972 and 1996. Times have changed.

But back to the party. I came home with a stick-on tattoo of the groom’s face on my arm. I don’t know how long it will last. There were trays of food (not just cake and punch) and frozen Moscato wine not to mention other things to drink. There was cake, though it wasn’t the main event. There were tons of pictures taken, and there was a designated place in the house to take them. The pool was open if you wanted to swim. It was a party. And I had fun.

I drove to Oklahoma City and picked up my daughter and then we drove to Moore to the home where the shower took place. All the family members were there. My husband said he thought that was just a girl thing. He was wrong. I hope to get him to the next one. Yes, there will be a next one and it too will have a theme. Then the big event in November. The bride and groom have been together for six years and they are looking forward to the rest of their lives. We all are.

I wish them love and luck and let the parties begin!

What are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: Blog Number Two

Posted on June 28, 2026 by peggylchambers

This is the second blog I’ve written this morning. I try to get an idea during the week and let you know what is going on in my life (if you’re interested) or some great event that I want to write about. And I did. You’ll get to read it next week.

 I have a question: when did .heic become a thing and what happened to saving a picture as a .jpg? My computer is not old, but evidently is part of the ongoing war between Apple and PC.  Anyway, the blog originally written for this morning will be next week while the picture is being converted to something different. I’m winging it here.

 This week was our 54th wedding anniversary. Since I wrote my first blog about the upcoming nuptials of my grandson, I’ll bore you with my own wedding. You may have heard this before.

 We were way too young to get married and way to broke to live. I made my wedding dress and we were married in a chapel instead of the large sanctuary because there were few attendants. My mother got married at her brother-in-law’s home with only the preacher and three other people in attendance. I don’t know about my grandmother’s wedding, but it was probably at a small country church and flowers from her yard. She was a gardener.

But 54 years later (some harder than others) we are still married. We don’t quite look the same—we aren’t the same. But we’re together and have children with lives of their own and grandchildren to go with them.

My grandson is getting married in November. It will be a 3-day event and very formal. Not like any in my family’s history. But it will be fun. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll hopefully have pictures next week of the first bridal shower. But today, you are stuck with blog number two. Thanks for staying with me.

What are you doing, writing, reading, or creating this week?

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2026: Happy Father’s Day!

Posted on June 21, 2026 by peggylchambers

My dad came from a poor background and worked hard all his life. He grew up in northwest Arkansas during the depression, like my mother, and loved his family. This picture of him was obviously taken in front of someone else’s car, but I’m glad to have a picture of him as a very handsome young man. He was thrilled to get to see part of the world during WWII, not because of the war, but because of the opportunities. He trained to be an aircraft mechanic and used that training all his life.  He asked me to type this up for him not long before he died and it is attached to a globe in the bedroom with grease pencil markings of the places he visited. It seemed fitting to show you this for Father’s Day.

JAMES L. OSBURN

MILITARY HISTORY

(Autobiography)

I was born at Walnut Ridge, AR on January 16, 1923. I entered the military services May 19, 1943. I took Basic Training at Amarillo, TX then Aircraft and Engine Maintenance a Keesler Field, MS on B24 bombers then to B-24 factory at Detroit, MI (or Ypsilanti, MI, close to Detroit), then to B-24 Gunnery School at Harlingen, TX. This was to prepare me for Engineer-Gunner on B-24s.

A change of status then due to the war, had all the B-24s they needed. My gunnery training came to a halt and many others at Harlingen. We were dispersed to other areas to become aircraft and engine mechanics. I was sent to Guadalcanal to be a part of the Air Transport Command. I became an aircraft general mechanic shuttling out and back from Guadalcanal to many islands to maintain many aircraft of many types. I was flown from Guadalcanal to many islands where many types of U.S. military aircraft was stranded (engine, electrical, hydraulic, tires, propellers, etc.) awaiting a mechanic to be flown with parts and tools and repair the aircraft. I was that purpose and that mechanic for many, many months, many aircraft, many type of aircraft. I would be flown back to Guadalcanal, spend a night and be flown down to problems at various islands, then repair and back. I finally transferred to the Philippines and soon to Guam. At this time there were ma battle body damage at Guam needing aircraft transportation to the United States and hospitals.

We were involved in repair of C-54 aircraft out of the China, Burma, India (CBI) that had been in rough use. We had eleven (11) stalls built to match the design of the C-54s. It allowed 20+ mechanics at each stall and around the clock (24 hours per day) and producing a serviceable aircraft sometimes in one or two days and sometimes weeks from each stall. I ran one of those docks or stalls along with another controller. It was production maintenance; however, each aircraft was the same type as the last one. You would almost know what parts would require replacement. As the aircraft was removed from the dock, they would be loading sick GIs (military); crank up and head for the United States and another entered that dock. When I left there, 9 months after I arrived, I rode a ship to the U.S., into San Francisco, then a bus here and there until I was discharged and home.

All this was rough and hard work, but I used that schooling after I left the military to obtain nine certificates for my purposes and for me and my family’s living. One of those certificates was for a pilot license and the other eight authorized specific maintenance, inspector’s training, certifications for many mechanics to become certified as a qualified mechanic and inspect and certify aircraft after crash, etc.

 Like my father-in-law, husband, and son, they worked hard for themselves and their families and did their best to provide for their families. Happy Father’s Day to all of them.

What are you reading, creating, or writing this week?

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