OldBlue Publishing

About Writing:

  I never considered becoming a writer. To write one should read and I loathed the idea of curling up to a good book and spending precious time when I could be doing something more entertaining.  National Geographic and Reader’s Digest magazines were my source of reading. The photographs of faraway places and the Reader’s Digest jokes is all I needed to pike my curiosity.

  My mother was an avid reader and collected various genres for her library, but mostly history.  She would not read books on World War II as it reminded her of the death of her brother who was lost at sea. And besides, she said she knew how the war ended.  She did not instill any desire for me to excel in reading. If she read to me as a child, I don’t remember.

  My father was not a reader but loved collecting photo books on Mississippi.  And World War II. My sister did not appear to be interested in reading except for teen magazines.  Later she was a writer for commercial radio and television.

  In the early 1960’s I taught myself how to play the guitar (Wester-Auto, red, black and white) and it occurred to me that singing a verse to a song would suffice my reading deficit.  As I continued to play the guitar and sing folk songs, it became easier for me to search for more songs and to memorize the lyrics. I became a member of the Travelers folk group in Tupelo in 1963 and continued singing and playing music at Mississippi State University. I thought at the time I wanted to become a professional folk singer. That did not last long.

  I tried writing my own lyrics and continued this exercise until the late 1970’s.  My material came easily to me.  One breakup.  One song.  Remorse garnered a dozen or more songs.

  I progressed from writing song lyrics to my idea of writing free verse.  Or in my case, anything that came into consciousness. I wrote about any and all things affecting relationships with friends, family and old lovers. My catalog of poems, stories, song lyrics and whimsical verses is awaiting an editor and a large amount of cash.

  My professional career included conducting social work interviews and writing social histories.  Later I conducted surveys at health care facilities, developed specialized programs for vulnerable populations, dealt with government contracts, utilization reviews and assorted health care projects. All of these activities required a professional level of experience in writing. I would like to think this experience prepared me to become a “writer.”