Since we have been allowed (somewhat) to re-enter society, I have taken it upon myself to enjoy quiet walks in areas where cement sidewalks are lined by tall trees. Usually the only sound is the chirping of birds, and sometimes, especially in my favorite place–an outdoor mall in Southern California–the almost quiet sound of a passing car.
After one of these short walks, I decided to stop at another favorite place–a coffee shop where I could have the choice of either an indoor table or an outdoor. I chose the latter.
With a coffee cup in one hand and a couple of magazines in the other, I chose a table that was about four feet from a table where two women were sitting.
I had been sitting there for a short while, enjoying both the coffee and my book, when I overheard one of the women tell the other, “I would never go to Nebraska,” and this was followed by a similar comment about Kansas.
I wanted to ask her why she would never choose Nebraska as a place to visit, but my daughter’s words ran through my brain:”Mom, don’t make a scene.”
I was born in Nebraska, and raised there, but left when I joined the Army, and, as often happens, life got in the way of me going back. I now live in California, but if the opportunity should arise (as happened twice before my dad passed), I will travel back to my old stomping grounds. As a matter of fact, there are things I need to rediscover back there. I want to see how the home front has changed, and I need to allow the memories to seep into my brain–no matter how painful or happy they may be. All in all, isn’t this what writing is all about? We need to take what we know, who we were then and who we are now, and what we experienced and base our stories into pieces our readers can enjoy and grow from. I highly recommend that we all live life to the fullest, and in doing so, we experience life in all it has to offer. Then, as writers, we need to transpose those experiences into lessons for our readers.
So go to Nebraska; go to Kansas; go to whatever place you think about and have those places become stories that you yourself as a writer can grow from.
wonders in writing 