Once Upon A Time…

    Each writer has his or her own bugaboos about the work we do. For some, it’s overcoming the passive voice for a more aggressive, desirable expression.  Others may struggle with the appropriate metaphor, dramatic placement of quotes, whatever.

   My issue is the lead, or in some journalistic circles, the lede.  That’s the beginning of the story, the first couple of sentences that sets the stage for all to come, that draws the reader in and helps them commit emotionally to the next several minutes, hours or however long it takes to read your prose.

  When I get the lead right, the rest of the story just flows.  Most of the time, I write the leads in my head, over and over, trying on a dozen different approaches to the story, so when I finally sit in front of keyboard, it just happens. Of course, I may still struggle over a number of points in the developing text, the pacing or rhythm of the story, and certainly a dramatic conclusion.

   But getting the beginning right is important.

   Today, talking about leads is my metaphor for something bigger, yet equally challenging and significant in my life, in anyone’s life, whether or not they write for a living.  Twenty-five years ago this week, I committed to something big, something that has shaped the rest of my story.

    On a really hot day in Cape Girardeau Missouri with only one air conditioning unit working at the Centenary United Methodist Church and with about 150 of our family and friends with us, Bruce and I were married.

    That was the beginning of this story, the beginning of a dream to write and photograph as a team, to travel the world and explore.  There have been plenty of struggles in getting this story right, and it’s certainly not near it’s conclusion, but we keep working on that one every day we’re together.

…And they all lived happily ever after.