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The Writer's Guide to Rural Life is your ultimate companion for crafting authentic rural stories. Dive into a treasure trove of topics including survival techniques, food preservation, fire starting, shelter building, and more. This guide uniquely blends historical facts, apocalyptic predictions, modern examples, how-tos, personal stories, and a dash of humor. Whether you're building settings, enriching your characters' survival skills, or adding depth to your scenes, this guide has you covered.
Each chapter features a probability index, presenting unique scenarios and challenges for your characters to overcome. You'll discover which problems are likely to occur, which are outrageous, and everything in between. From character growth to plot points and even comedic relief, the probability index will have the writer in you asking, "What could possibly go wrong?"
About the author
Meet Alley, the witty, resourceful, and slightly mischievous guide to all things rural life. With a lifetime of hands-on experience and a knack for storytelling, Alley brings a unique blend of humor, wisdom, and practicality to the world of writing.
Growing up in an urban homesteading family, Alley learned early on that life is anything but boring when you're raising chickens, gardening, and cooking everything from scratch. She even managed to bend the rules with a clever streak, naming every farm animal "Buttercup" because rules about naming livestock were clearly negotiable.
As a teen, Alley's adventures switched between country and city life, exposing her to a wild variety of experiences-heating homes with fireplaces, blacksmithing (seriously, who let her near molten metal?), and living off the land. Her rural know-how expanded as she embraced life without electricity, and kept a diverse array of animals, from pigs to geese (the latter proving that even feathers come with sharp teeth-like surprises).
Fast forward to adulthood, Alley's rural expertise became the real deal. She's grown gardens ranging from humble tire patches to sprawling acre plots, hunted and fished to put food on the table, and even lived alongside Amish and Mennonite communities for nearly a decade. She's faced enough disasters to fill a survival guide-including escaped livestock, tornadoes, the occasional house fire, and one-too-many close encounters with gravity (falling off roofs, out of trees, and off tailgates of moving pickup trucks, but, curiously, never ladders).
Oh, and did we mention that Alley is dyslexic? She's living proof that determination and creativity can turn challenges into assets. Her unique perspective shapes her teaching style, making her not just an instructor, but also an encourager for writers from all walks of life.
If the zombie apocalypse ever happens, you'll definitely want Alley on your team-but until then, she's here to help writers navigate the twists and turns of rural living, both on and off the page.
