I’ve always wanted to see what’s just over the hill or around the bend. I remember it got to be more of an issue when I was about twelve years old. I dreamed of traveling gypsy-like with friends across the country. I dreamed of being a long haul trucker—always seeing what was further on down the road. The methods of seeing “what’s out there” always varied, and road trips with my folks made me think it was possible to see it all someday. Needless to say, I became a nomad of sorts and have lived sixteen different places so far. I’ve had a lot of experiences in that process…some I hope never to repeat, but most I wouldn’t trade for anything. The park service, especially, took me somewhere new every few years as I advanced through the organization, and it always opened me up to new people, ideas, challenges, and vistas.
I won’t say that being a wanderer is always an easy lifestyle, but it did give me a lot of things to draw upon when I write. Nevertheless, I don’t think that is necessary in order to write. I do think “experiences” help to provide food for thought in your writing, but you can have them every day of your life sitting on the corner if you keep your eyes and ears open. In a world with books and video of everything from what’s under the anthill in your back yard, to the people around the corner, and even to the surface of the moon and beyond, the world can come to you and all you have to do is pay attention.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Greg
|