ABOUT WRITING
I have always been an avid reader and I consumed the novels and short stories of great authors; Hemingway, Steinbeck, Vonnegut, Chekhov, Dickens, Munro, et al. Writing, or authorship, began when I became active as a photojournalist and I needed to write cutlines for photos. Gradually I was drawn into writing copy to accompany my photo essays and multiple picture layouts. When I produced my first books of photography, ‘MANITOU MINISS, ISLAND OF THE MANITOU, (1982), and ‘NICARAGUA PORTFOLIO’ (1991), I also wrote the copy in addition to designing the layouts. The process became a holistic exercise; I loved the control I had over the content.
The seeds of being a creative writer blossomed gradually, starting in my head with ideas for plots driven by the eternal question, ‘What If?’ I started following through with possible outcomes, usually over multiple cups of java in a café somewhere. My sleep was often interrupted by dreams that formulated the ideas from my waking hours into plausible outcomes. Some of the dreams could be recalled in the mornings. With the evolution of the digital age, I started recording the ideas on my MacBook, once again over cups of coffee. I firmly believe that coffee supplies the fertilizer and nutrients necessary for the seeds of my creative mind to flourish.
Retirement from a 28-year faculty position at Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario (1987 - 2015), has allowed me the time and freedom to pursue my writing career. Now, in my early 80s, I am finally harvesting the stories from my hard-drives (both digital and mental) and organizing them onto the printed page and into eBooks. Hopefully some of you will find them interesting.
Under this WRITING component of my webpage I plan to publish news as it unfolds about my writing activities and updates. Welcome aboard.
To contact me on subjects relating to my writing: dougwickenauthor@gmail.com