Beech Tree News Network

When a writer puts his/her thoughts in print for all to see (those who want to look), he doesn't know
beforehand what he's going to produce-his works may take a different course for which they were intended.

    The English poet, Shelley, said, "Poets are sometimes the echoes of words of which they know not the
power," (nor the lack thereof). Novelist, Arnold Bennet, said when his mind hits a brick wall-the "stalemate of
inspiration"; instead of wrangling his mind all day, he goes to a museum; walks by a river, or browses shops;
forgetting his problem-leading his mind away from groping; the thought he needed suddenly comes to him.

    My thoughts go back to my wise ole Air Force flight instructor and the things he taught me (many things).
One of the things he would say was "flying is a lot like life-you can't be up-tight about it and do well. If you
grip the controls too tight, you can't feel what the airplane is doing... relax and let the plane tell you what
it is about. Think about holding a pretty's hand: easy does it." My old former fighter-pilot, teacher was right-
on. After several flying hoours-I could tell by the seat of my pants, when on take-off my airplane was ready to
fly. I had no need to glance at the airplane indicator. The same for landing; I knew when to start flare-out for
touchdown, I could feel when the so-called "ground effect", beacan, it told me when to "put nack pressure on the
stick, if I didn't want to bounce ten feet in the air." This was particularly vital in a night landing. "When you
have need to keep looking at your feet", one writer said, "you are not yet dancing."

    Writing is a whole-lot like this. If you put you conscious mind in the closet and let your sun-conscious
work, you may start in one direction; your sub-conscious may choose another...one taht is just as good, or maybe
better. I've learned that with "Bifocals" over the past 28 years. And I've had mixed reviews. Some good; some
passable, and only two uglies I can recall. Not a record, but a good average I spect.

    Back to my opening at the beginning: One ole guy said, "I read your piece sometimes-it's pretty good."
One lady said, "I like your column, but I don't always know what you are talking about." Winding down, I'm
something like my old friend Richard Bach (I knnow him only in his books), author of: A Gift of Wings, and There
is Something Wrong With Sea Gulls; two of his best-known works I suppose... along with his lesser, A Rabitt In
The Air.

    Richard Bach said that when he bought his first typewriter, he decalred that he would only write about
things he knew and liked. As Lawerence Welk was quoted in his biography, "If it's not my cuppa-dish, I don't
like it." Me too Lawerence.

                    Kindest regards...