Writing It Real Member Richard Elam’s Letter About His Writing Life
We wrap up our epistolary writing for March with a joyful letter from Richard Elam about his writing life at age 93.
Richard Elam Writes to My Husband and Me About His Writing
Since He Moved from the Northwest to Be Close to His Family
Sheila, it’s been nine years since your neighbor
moved back to Texas. Son-in-law took over Kurt’s career
keeping my computer running. You can read my “Been There” blogs at
dickelam.com, and tell Kurt our “attack cat” is gone.
You met me when I retired from Chapel Hill,
a retired print and broadcast professor trying to
paint pictures. When my son in Texas read an
unpublished crime fiction manuscript I had
written, he said: “You paint better pictures with words
than with brushes. Throw the brushes away. Write.”
Independent publisher issued that first
novel. Four follow-up series novels in computer,
while daughters and Houston publicist look for
a literary agent for my historical fiction,
Main Street President, 1945.
Daughters envision a memoir from my two
years of remembrances in blogs. At age 93,
good to know you have retired daughters who
will find a way to publish your novels.
You will appreciate that I am outlining
Manuscript 5 in my “Maggie and Hersh”
adventure series…a sail to Chatterbox Falls
In British Columbia at same time
Native-Americans and “bad people” arrive.
Painted the falls when I was anchored
during one of my four cruises there.
Dick
