Category: Writing

A look at my writing process, my poetry, and the process of self-publishing my books, as well as discussing my fictional rural town Ridgewood and the characters who live there.

When Dawn Came, Poem 2022-1022

I wrote a lot of poetry during my teen years in a free-verse style that became coined “Naked Poetry”—a type of poetry where words and cadence are more important than rhyme. I believe the term came from the anthology books Naked Poetry: Recent American Poetry in Open Forms (1969) and The New Naked Poetry (1976). … Continue reading When Dawn Came, Poem 2022-1022

The Joy of Writing Books

I love writing stories and turning them into books. Metaphorically, writing stories is a trip to the playground where I can run as fast as I can, fall and skin my knees, get into arguments with any big bully who tries to shove me down, and climb to the top of the monkey bars to … Continue reading The Joy of Writing Books

Dream Voyeur, Poem 2022-0924

During the years of painting wildlife and landscapes, drawing comic strips, and writing books, I’ve been a poet. “Dream Voyeur” is a poem based on a vivid dream I had that left its mark on me upon waking. When I sleep you hide paralyzed in the shadows of my bed where your courage to live … Continue reading Dream Voyeur, Poem 2022-0924

Ridgewood and Vree, 3

Before there was Ridgewood, there was Ravenwood, a fictional town I created in my high school creative writing classes. In the center of the town that I named after Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem was Myers Lake, named after Alice Myers, an incredibly old woman who lived alone in an ancient Victorian mansion at the … Continue reading Ridgewood and Vree, 3

Ridgewood and Vree, 2

I presented a draft from 2016 in the last post, of a story I wrote in 1971 that introduced the characters Nick Corwin and Vree Erickson. It began as a high school creative writing assignment that developed into a short story about a boy with a magic typewriter that took him places when he typed … Continue reading Ridgewood and Vree, 2

Ridgewood and Vree, 1

In the beginning, Vree lived on Myers Ridge in Ravenwood, Pennsylvania. I created Ravenwood when I was 13. The year was 1970 and I was an eighth-grade student at a small high school in northwest Pennsylvania. I modeled Ravenwood after my hometown and surrounding communities. The town’s countryside was center stage for many of the … Continue reading Ridgewood and Vree, 1

Introducing Vree

First, Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms. I hope you have a wonderful day with your loved ones. Now, I’m going to discuss the joy of writing—and one of my favorite fictional characters. I began writing short stories about fourteen-year-old Vree Erickson in the early 1970s when I was her age. In those days, … Continue reading Introducing Vree