Little getaways

Little getaways in Maryland

Lately, I have been dragging out all my notes, half-written short stories and essays, poems, and ideas for novels. I am a photographer first, yes, and even though I throw text on this blog like a wash-women throws out dirty water, text that would make an English teacher want to bean me on the head, I can write. I have been published in both magazines and newspapers, but I can't write well without effort, time, and quiet. What someone can write in a few hours, takes me a week to compose. A good magazine story takes me two weeks. I have to put away my drafts, bring them out again in a few days, edit, put them away again, and so it goes until I am satisfied. I am never satisfied with anything I put on this blog, text wise, because I consider this an outlet for my photos, not the written word. Seldom do I go back and read anything I have posted. Corrections are made only when someone points them out.  So, without editing this text, let me move on to a self-portrait I took on one of my getaways, lugging with me all my camera gear and writing materials - the cameras go with me because I never know what I will run into, and the best characters in novels and short stories are comprised from bits and pieces of people you meet along the roads of life; a snapshot is a great way to remember those people. 

I write better away from home and alone,  no phones, no emails, no getting up to make dinner, no sightseeing, no touristy shopping. Just me, myself, I, my cameras and notes, and the ideas in my head.



I know I said no phones, and yet you see a phone in my hand. Let me explain. I know where the off button is.

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And sometimes I open the curtains and enjoy my surroundings. A little cloudy and cold outside on this day, but great beach view.

English teachers, please feel free to edit and send me corrections for my approval. Oh, wait, that is what editors do. English teachers give you grades. Never mind.