Just one prompt

     I have written many journals, newsletters and articles over forty years prompted by whatever has piqued my interest. One prompt can inspire an adventure in creative writing.  In 1999, when pulling into a campsite in a new (to me) car my good friend Glen, met me there, and with a warm laugh said “Another new car?  How many have you had anyway?”  I had no idea. I never counted them because I knew the number was embarrassing.  Later that day I was not able to put that idea aside.  Digging out my spiral notebook, I began writing a list of all the cars, and the years I owned them to date. Time capsules of my life.  How many? Almost one for every year of my life!    

     The next morning, we met for coffee on the sunny shores of Lake Roosevelt, where I showed him my list.   Half expecting to be teased with sarcasm, for doing stupid things, I was pleasantly surprised by my friend’s curiosity and empathy. He simply said, “I imagine there is a story and a purpose behind every one of those cars.”   I silently nodded.  There was indeed a story behind every car, and due to the complexity of my life, every car did have a specific purpose.

   That prompt took root has been rambling through my mind for twenty-five years, unrelenting until it became a manuscript.  My writing comes in fits and starts. Some days are a bust. Other days I can write for hours.  The evolution of our stories follow the development of the author; Each one, a work in progress.