For myself and most other people, "Blue Highways" was their introduction to William Least Heat-Moon. My initial intro was in 1983 after a friend (who worked in a bookstore) recommended it. In 2014, as the 40th anniversary of my 1974 western road trip approached, I reread it and then started researching other Heat-Moon books.
I have found that approaching decadal anniversaries can trigger bouts of nostalgia, especially this 40th anniversary as it happened during the year in which I reached age 60.
That 2014 confluence of events triggered a desire to leave behind a written narrative before I forgot even more of the details and to explain the 1974 journey (with my college roommate) which helped give me the confidence and motivation to move 1,500 miles away from home to go to grad school in El Paso, two and a half years later.
Before being sidelined by the worsening health status of my first wife and her passing on May 1, 2015, I managed to rough out a Table of Contents, an Introduction, and several chapters. After her passing, the approach of the 40th anniversary of my 1977 move to El Paso rekindled the desire to "tell my story" for that year and revive the "1974 Project".
I continued to work on these two projects through 2017 as I "courted" my second wife and then married her in December of that year. After moving 25 miles to settle in her home and then pick up a job substitute teaching, writing continued "as the spirit moved me" (sometimes having to fight through discouragement) until she was injured in a car accident in September 2019, that was not her fault.
As we were already tethered by being the caretakers to her elderly mom, the additional stresses and responsibilities brought about by the late-2019 accident-related injuries sidelined my "writing 'mojo'", i.e., my motivation-to-write. Add to that, as she was recuperating, then arrives the COVID 19 Pandemic.
I am keeping the writing-motivation alive by blogging and revisiting William Least Heat-Moon videos, which is what the sharing of this post is actually about. [So please pardon the diversions.]
Though I would like to try the life of a paid writer, firstly I would simply like to get the 1974 and 1977 narratives completed and spiral-bound, in case my kids, grandkids, nieces, etc. are ever interested in "my trundle through life". I have been told by a few people that "I am a good writer, for a Geologist" and I have a little experience as an editor in one of my former jobs.
Within that particular job, I had a "boss from hell" who forced me to become a better writer (and for that I am grateful). [Also, blogging secured me a good Geology-job for a few years, about 2 and a half years part-time and two years full-time. I wish it had lasted longer, but I am grateful for the experience.]
The particular book referenced here, "Writing Blue Highways: The Story of How a Book Happened" (2014) was about the time and effort it took for a first-time author, in an overlooked genre, to "break through" and reach the public eye. William Least Heat-Moon noted that his 1978 journey lasted about 100 days versus the 1500 days of writing, revisions, and the seeking-out of a publisher. (I and many others are glad he had the persistence to "keep at it".)
So, please give a listen for at least a little while to step away from the TV/video political cacophony.
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