© 2016 Michael Swickard, Ph.D. “Storytelling
was the first human occupation beyond finding food, shelter and a mate.”
Michael Swickard
I am a writer because I love
storytelling. Luckily for me over the years I’ve been around many good
storytellers. Some were just normal folks with an entertaining way around a
story while others are professional storytellers.
Americans are big on stories as is
evident by Hollywood. The best part of being a writer is that whatever is
happening to you, it might end up in a story. Example: lightning hit a couple
of houses away and went through the cable lines burning out my computer and
television.
I took the dead cable boxes to the
local Comcast office. The representative
told me they were not going to replace my computer and television. I never even
considered it. They said it was an “Act of God.” I said, “So I can quote you.”
They nodded. Then I added, “Major corporation Comcast affirms there is a God.”
Until now it hadn’t made it into a
column. As a writer I have lots of scraps of paper with those kinds of oddball
thoughts waiting for the right moment. The novel came about because over the
last decade I daily took care of my uncle to keep him out of a nursing home.
One year ago at age 89 he passed away.
So from 24/7 care of a relative, especially
every night, I suddenly had lots of time. Therefore, I started Hideaway Hills from story ideas I had while
living in Lincoln County in the early 1980s. Every day I would write. Then came
the happy day a couple of months ago when I typed THE END and set about to
publish it which in today’s world is relatively easy.
Hideaway
Hills is the first book in a trilogy about New Mexico. It is set in 1985 in
the Sierra Blanca area. People have told me stories all of my adult life. I
have used some of them in columns and kept the rest in a box. This book let me use
some of those stories.
For instance: one day in a Lincoln
County coffee shop one of the old men who told great stories was asked about
the nearby Native Americans. He said, “They’re fine folks though when I was
just a button on the Bonita me and three friends were attacked while we were camping.
They were shooting at us and we were shooting at them. Then we realized we were
running out of bullets.”
The old man paused and sipped his
coffee. One of the youngsters at the table impatiently asked, “What happened?”
This old man smiled and said, “Son, the Indians killed us all.” He got up and
left to our applause.
Writing is interesting since once it
is published it may last for generations or not. I like that I have captured a
time in a small community. None of the characters are real but after a year of writing
they seem real to me. I laugh with them and cry with them and in the silence of
my head I listen to what they have to say.
I have been asked how to become a
novelist. The answer is easy and the work is difficult. You sit and write every
day. Many people have told me of their desire to be a writer. They say they
have a story but often they have a vision but sadly do not write it down.
Augusten Burroughs wrote, “The
secret of being a writer is that you have to write. It’s not enough to think
about writing or to study literature or plan a future life as an author. You
really have to lock yourself away, alone, and get to work.” Amen.
If you are in Las Cruces Saturday,
I’ll be at Coas Bookstore in the Las Cruces Downtown Mall ten to noon. Hope to
see you there.
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