75th Post and Guest Blogger!!

Yay! Today is our 75th post! Wow, so much time has gone by. I remember when this first started, when dear Ollie just showed some of her pictures on the forums on NaNo, and I suggested that we make a blog (well, she make a blog and I guest post) and look where we are now! I seriously hope we don't get into any fights. Can't afford that... So, today we have our 75th post, and our dear friend Mikey gets the honor of guest posting! So, put your hands together in a warm, NaNo welcome for Mikey!
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Ever wonder what could happen if your work, whether you take pictures or write stories, became widely available and was seen or read by millions of people? I do.


OK, let’s face it… There are thousands of us out here snapping away at the real world or inventing new ones on paper every day, all over the world. Chances are that our works will be noticed and enjoyed by only a precious few. But that doesn’t mean your work isn’t exceptional. In fact, some of histories most beloved photographers and writers never dreamed that their works would eventually become National Treasures.

John Muir is one such example. He was a Scottish-born American Naturalist, best known for his amazing photographic images of the Sierra Nevadan and other spectacular scenes of the Western Wilderness. In perfect harmony, he used his creative writing skills to describe what he saw and bring his photography to life!

Eventually, with years of experience under his belt, John Muir was able to inspire our Nations leaders to take action for the preservation of Americas forests and wild lands.

And then there is Samuel Clemons. Most of us know him as “Mark Twain”. As a young man fresh out on his own, he got a job at his brother’s newspaper and worked as a typesetter. Occasionally, his brother would have him write articles for publication in the paper. After a time, Samuel became really good at writing and started reporting full time.

Samuel Clemons had found his niche’. Something he did very well. So, he headed west to write about America and the people who lived here. “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” was the first of his stories to reach a nation-wide audience. Then of course, there came “Tom Sawyer” and “Huckleberry Finn”.

Remember: There was no Internet or the World Wide Web back then. Imagine how difficult it must have been to get your work published for all to behold. We have a huge advantage at our fingertips. With websites like “Blogger”, “Flicker”, “Photobucket” and “NaNoWriMo” (National Novel Writing Month), it’s easier than it’s ever been to put your favorite pieces of work out there just to see what happens!

As Writers we describe with words what we see, think and imagine.

As Photographers we capture those images that best describe the moment or the beauty of what we see or feel. Writing and photography can be very similar in some ways. They can also enhance each other as no dance of creativity can.

Take an amazing picture sometime, anytime of anything! Then, write the story of what you captured in that image. I’ll bet you a “dime to a dozen donuts”, that picture you took really is “worth a thousand words”.
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Wow, that was really inspirational. I hope that got you thinking! Have a good one, everybody, and get writing!
-Cos