A Writer
By John W. Vander Velden
When I look in the
mirror, too seldom do I see beyond the graying hair and the changes that years
have done to my personal landscape. Too
seldom do I consider the countless pieces that make up this man. For I, like all others, am a complex
collection of titles, husband, father, farmer, a man of faith, the guy that
takes photographs, and a writer. That is
but part of the list of the oddly shaped pieces of the collage that when fitted
together make…me.
A writer…What does a man
that has farmed for more than forty years have to say? More than I can have ever imagined. Does what I say have a real value? I can only hope. Each task takes tools, but it is in the hands
of the craftsman that tool yield those tasks completion. Writing is about more than pen and paper,
more than keyboard and screen, the real tools are the words themselves. I do not consider myself a craftsman of
language. Rather I clumsily assemble
bits and pieces in the hope that once in a while something comes out of the
blender worth sharing.
It was a grand step to
come to the point where I called myself a writer. To acknowledge, to myself, at last that the
hours spent deserved that title. A
journey of years and thousands of pages that led me at last to that place. Writing is in so many ways a solitary
endeavor. One person against the blank
page. In so much of my life it has been
me against “whatever”, and being the sole warrior does not frighten. But there remains the need for a “companions
in arms” that understand the “war” waged with the empty white space. I have filled that need with friends…comrades
in the battle…my writing group as well as other writers that live far and wide
I have met in the attempt to grow my craft.
Each of these companions come with their own voice, each telling their
stories as only they can. Perhaps this
is the greatest gift they can share…the knowledge that I don’t have to sound
like anyone else. They remind me that,
when it comes to my stories, not everyone will “get it”, and that’s alright. Each have taught me valuable lessons…lessons
of craft…but also lessons in self…to believe in myself, as a person and a
writer!
(405 Words) 6-19-2015
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