I thought I'd let my friends and readers know what is happening in my Writing Nook. I have enrolled in a children's literature writing course and am attempting to complete my first assignment. The autobiographical letter is written and now I have to write a children's story. I have been mulling over ideas and am considering a story about a young girl, her brother and their grandparents who experience a tornado. I'm not sure where this is headed yet, but the story has to be completed in 500 to 750 words.The one thing I have a slight problem with is that though I have seen a tornado, it was a very small one and we were never really in any danger. It was following the creek and it did turn toward the house once, but then continued to follow the creek. For a small tornado, it brought down a lot of brush and tree limbs.
I have a question for my readers, as I know some of you have been in the middle of such a storm. If you were in a storm cellar, of course you would hear the roaring of the wind and the debris being tossed around, but once it was silent in the world above, how long would you wait to come out of the storm cellar. I have one opinion that I value very much but would like to hear from others.
Enjoy your Friday. Jordan is sleeping over tonight while Brandon is still in Quebec and he had a lot of fun with Dakota. I will update you on what's going on with Dakota in a day or two. ~Blessings, Mary~
Sounds like a great story and I'll be anxious to hear what advice you get. I remember being in a storm cellar in Arkansas several times - they had suffered through a bad tornado several years earlier, so everyone headed for the cellar whenever a cloud formed overhead. What I remember is the crowded feeling of claustrophobia - and my sister really panicking. We didn't have our own cellar, so went to a neighbor's. Wish I remembered more!
ReplyDeleteOoh, love your new header and background! Anni did a great job on this one too. :o)
ReplyDeleteHmm...usually there's no mistaking when the tornado has gone over. It's so loud that when it moves on you definitely know it. Even over the roar of the rain, hail, thunder and straight line winds you can still tell when the funnel cloud/tornado moves past your area.
It's usually just a few minutes after the roar moves on that you know it's safe to peek out. Depends on how much lightning and hail is still going on how long you have to wait to leave the storm cellar.
Hope this helps. If you need to ask me more specific questions just shoot me an email.
Happy Friday and weekend! ;o)
Love and hugs,
Diane
yes it sounds exciting. Well we don't have storm cellars here in NZ as we don't get tornadoes etc but we do get hurricanes or cyclones once every 5 years or so leftover from the fiji islands or australia. Usually we stay inside the house, make sure we have lots of supplies and don't go out until the weather forecast says its' gone by.
ReplyDeleteI kinda had a feeling that you'd be busy writing.
ReplyDeleteWe used to have tornado threats when I was a child in Nebraska, but too young to even remember much detail. So, sorry...I can't be of no help for you.
mary...your gift for writing will no doubt result in an excellent story. Living in Maryland, I have never witnessed such a storm!
ReplyDeleteMake it a good weekend!
~AM
Like you, I've had tornadoes nearby, but I haven't had any direct experience. TG.
ReplyDeleteI've never experienced a tornado but will be looking forward to your story!
ReplyDeleteI know that with the coverage we have by our weather services, the way we do things has changed. Now, I tune to my favorite station's web site and watch their storm tracker on the computer.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to the storm shelter at my aunt's when I was small. It seemed we were there forever.
I would think one would wait about 30 minutes to make sure the tornado didn't change directions and come back but when everything got very quiet after so much noise, I think one would be tempted to peep out.
Mama Bear
Once the roar is over that thing has moved past you but need to stay a bit longer in order to avoid any flying debris....... It is the stuff in the air that kills people.... So once the noise is less we just peek out..... Of course we have to watch for lightning and any straight wind. There is no mistaking those things.. Just like a freight train.. We lived just 200 yards from the railroad track in the back yard and we could tell the difference in a train headed our way or a tornado....... We had no cellar...... we huddled in the wash room......... WHEW! don't want to relive those days!
ReplyDeleteKind of like OZ, but with a modern Dorothy. Last year we had tornadoes all around us. I had a brush with some of the high winds. It was very wierd, we have a basement door that opens inwards.
ReplyDeleteI was trying to go out and could not open the door, the pressure from outside was keeping it closed. I pulled on that door as hard as I could and it would not budge. We had things of all sorts blown around. That is as close as I have come, and hopefully will never be closer. This same storm blew down farm buildings and about 30 trees a couple of miles south of me.
I have never been where a tornado hit. It hit in a different part of the city- Omaha. I worked at a hospital that was it, and it was like going through a war zone to get to work the next day. I have always wanted to write childrens books. I have never pursued it.
ReplyDeleteWe had one tornado that touched down just a mile from our home...it was horrible. The noise, the hail, the winds, and I was trying to catch the cats (only had 5 at that time) to put them in carriers and carry them to the basement, but they all opened the doors and got back under the jacuzzi tub! By the time I could get them, the tornado had quieted down. We never did make it to the basement. I thought the windows were going to blow in on us. It was the scariest thing I have ever experienced! If one passed over my home, I don't think I would want to come out of hiding for a good while! But the cats all took cover....we laughed about it afterwards! But it wasn't funny at the time. I do not like tornado season, and ours is during the month of March here. When I hear that siren wailing, I take cover.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Mary!
((( HUGS )))