I am a writer. First it was magazine articles about boating. Then it was a very successful blog about boating called Trawler Drift Away. When my then wife and I gave up boating and became dirt dwellers, I started Bleecker Mountain Life. An accident between my head and a tree (the tree won) cut that blog short.
Along the way, I started writing books. First was a book about our encounters with our local Sasquatch (Bigfoot) that compiled entries from the Bleecker blog. It is titled Living Among Sasquatch: A Primer. That led to more books about Sasquatch and about cruising down the east coast on my trawler for a few years.
I am lucky enough to have stayed in contact with several Waterford NY schoolmates. Bob V. and Bob M. and I met for lunch. The topic of writing came up, and Bob M. suggested that I give up on writing about my Sasquatch (only 15% of Americans are open to the idea that they might even exist) and suggested writing short stories. My response was that I don't know as if I could write short stories since I tend to be very wordy. My two 80,000 word novels only took me three weeks apiece to write. I laughed at the idea.
But this morning I got thinking about my two blogs. The entries are actually very short stories, which combined made several of my books. Could I meet somewhere in the middle here? Write short books, or long blogs? Hmmm...
And what would I write about anyway? I am best about writing about what I know. What do I know besides living in the forest with the Forest People, or boating and living on a boat? Well, over lunch, the two Bobs and I relived our youth. We talked about what a great place Swayze Acres was to grow up. That's it! I could write about our childhood, and how the experiences we had were truly unique, for a number of reasons.
The only problem is that my memories have been clouded. By time, old age, and a couple of brain injuries caused by concussions. Hey, but that's OK! I can just make stuff up! Who's to know? The only ones who might call my stories into question are my old buddies, and they're as old as I am!
Let me emphasize that this is not a historical tome. It is better thought of as a historical novel. It is an accurate portrayal of what it was like to be a kid in post-WWII America, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent and the facts twisted because I have rose colored glasses.
So, for better or for worse, here it goes.
Oh? You wonder why I'm writing it in a blog instead of just writing it? Several reasons. First, my entries are automatically backed up for me "in the cloud". Second, this blog will exist long after I'm gone, and when no one is interested in my books. Third, blogs allow people to comment, like other folks who also grew up in this 1950s and 60s kid paradise.
So let's see what happens.
Dave Gibson
Along the way, I started writing books. First was a book about our encounters with our local Sasquatch (Bigfoot) that compiled entries from the Bleecker blog. It is titled Living Among Sasquatch: A Primer. That led to more books about Sasquatch and about cruising down the east coast on my trawler for a few years.
I am lucky enough to have stayed in contact with several Waterford NY schoolmates. Bob V. and Bob M. and I met for lunch. The topic of writing came up, and Bob M. suggested that I give up on writing about my Sasquatch (only 15% of Americans are open to the idea that they might even exist) and suggested writing short stories. My response was that I don't know as if I could write short stories since I tend to be very wordy. My two 80,000 word novels only took me three weeks apiece to write. I laughed at the idea.
But this morning I got thinking about my two blogs. The entries are actually very short stories, which combined made several of my books. Could I meet somewhere in the middle here? Write short books, or long blogs? Hmmm...
And what would I write about anyway? I am best about writing about what I know. What do I know besides living in the forest with the Forest People, or boating and living on a boat? Well, over lunch, the two Bobs and I relived our youth. We talked about what a great place Swayze Acres was to grow up. That's it! I could write about our childhood, and how the experiences we had were truly unique, for a number of reasons.
The only problem is that my memories have been clouded. By time, old age, and a couple of brain injuries caused by concussions. Hey, but that's OK! I can just make stuff up! Who's to know? The only ones who might call my stories into question are my old buddies, and they're as old as I am!
Let me emphasize that this is not a historical tome. It is better thought of as a historical novel. It is an accurate portrayal of what it was like to be a kid in post-WWII America, but the names have been changed to protect the innocent and the facts twisted because I have rose colored glasses.
So, for better or for worse, here it goes.
Oh? You wonder why I'm writing it in a blog instead of just writing it? Several reasons. First, my entries are automatically backed up for me "in the cloud". Second, this blog will exist long after I'm gone, and when no one is interested in my books. Third, blogs allow people to comment, like other folks who also grew up in this 1950s and 60s kid paradise.
So let's see what happens.
Dave Gibson
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