“Out of Thin Air”

The sense of unease is palpitating as I sit before the computer, about to tap the keys, and trying to imagine what to write. Words jumble in my head, needing to be sorted out. Somewhere in that is the story. I’m not sure what it will be, but it’s there. 

What challenges me is the topic or a prompt such as this one, “Out of Thin Air”. Then I remember that is where imagination takes flight, from nothing to something. Oh, there might be an experience that I or someone I  know of had, or a curiousity about a thing which leads to the 5 W’s – the who, the what, the when, the where, and the why, and I must consider the how of it. 

I’ve written about ghosts, people with supernatural powers, drawn upon friends telling me of psychic experiences, and my belief in reincarnation. 

My recent story is about teenagers being bullied, and that is partly from having been bullied and knowing of bullying. So, it’s not totally out of thin air, but I am conjuring up from what lies dormant within me.

In terms of process, I am a pantser, one who writes from the seat of his or her pants, rather than a plotter. A lot happens as I write.

Out of thin air has come my stories, poems, and my books. Maybe that air isn’t so thin?

My Irish grandfather, Edward Smith, helped to raise me when I grew up in New York City. A hard working carpenter from County Meath, Ireland, he enjoyed telling stories and had a wry sense of humor. I believe that influenced me in wanting to be a writer. As a child in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, I did some art and began to write picture books. It never went anywhere at the time, but it was the beginning for me of a lifelong interest.

One thing that the Irish are well known for is their love of story telling, and I appreciated good stories. I especially loved hearing ghost stories.

There’s a ghost story that Poppa Ned told long ago that stuck with me, and my mother retold it later. Recently, I decided to write down that story and had it published by my writing group. It will be published again in Ghost Stories II, Tales and Poems, an anthology from SEZ Publishing.

Briefly, the story called “Colliding with the Past” is about two men coming from the local pub in the Irish countryside. Blind drunk and lost in a fog, they meander through woods and near a bog, growing frustrated with not finding the way home. They come to the fork in the road and don’t know which way to go.

Out of nowhere comes a light held by a young boy. Will they find their way?

Read the story to find out, and read the other ghost tales and poetry as well in

Ghost Stories II, An anthology of Tales and Poems from SEZ Publishing available in print on Amazon starting Feb. 25, 2026.

I dedicate “Colliding with the Past” to the memory of my beloved grandfather Poppa Ned.