Photo by Tirza van Dijk on Unsplash Early in my reading journey, I discovered westerns. I loved and love westerns! Not the new ones filled with saloon romances and lonely ranchers, but the down and dirty shoot-out, action adventure, that took me into the lives of cowboys, horses, and the rawness of the Old West. The books I read over and over were written by one of my favorite authors, Louis L'Amour, America's Storyteller. Books such as Hondo, Guns of the Timberland, Crossfire Trail, Silver Canyon, Sackett, and How the West Was Won, provided an escape from reality and a longing to write.
I admire this author for statements such as this, "I think of myself... as a troubadour, a village storyteller, the guy in the shadows of the campfire."
That statement alone should give pause to a writer. A shadow occurs when someone stands between the campfire and the forest of trees. Is that not what most writers do when we share our version, or story, of what happens in either the dark and in the light? Is it not what happens when our imagination or our curiosity drives us until we describe it in great detail on paper? Is it not the stuff that dreams are made of? Yes, indeed that is exactly what happens. As a final thought, here is another quote from Mr. L'Amour that makes a writer pause and think. "Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." So start writing! Maybe your faucet will cause the bathtub of ideas to overflow or at least light a spark under your campfire. I know it does for me.
Happy writing!
I admire this author for statements such as this, "I think of myself... as a troubadour, a village storyteller, the guy in the shadows of the campfire."
That statement alone should give pause to a writer. A shadow occurs when someone stands between the campfire and the forest of trees. Is that not what most writers do when we share our version, or story, of what happens in either the dark and in the light? Is it not what happens when our imagination or our curiosity drives us until we describe it in great detail on paper? Is it not the stuff that dreams are made of? Yes, indeed that is exactly what happens. As a final thought, here is another quote from Mr. L'Amour that makes a writer pause and think. "Start writing, no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." So start writing! Maybe your faucet will cause the bathtub of ideas to overflow or at least light a spark under your campfire. I know it does for me.
Happy writing!
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