Who Am I?
Hello Folks,
Once upon a time, I mentioned my love of antique malls. In the beginning, I was searching for old radios to restore. I find satisfaction in bringing the dead back to life.
No, not necromancy, although that is a fun way of looking at it. From a literary perspective, what if we all practiced a little magic in our writing? What if we pretend we are witches or sorcerers, and we bring the dead back to life?
Wandering the aisles of dusty antique malls, searching every nook and cranny, you never know what will sit there, passed over by the thousands who came before you.
Pins and other personal effects like jewelry, clothes, and hats transport me back to the roaring twenties or WWII. What was the story of this thing? The echoes of Glenn Miller or Jimmy Dorsey reverberate through my mind as I hold some relic that once belonged to a politician or perhaps a flapper.
I can get lost in those places.
While HG Wells might have inspired the idea for time travel, but, we all can do it. We don’t need a machine; we need silence and visual stimulation like the photo of an old necklace, or perhaps… a picture of a set of eyes looking out at you. Maybe some clothes to set the stage, and a hairstyle indicative of the time the photo was taken.
Family photos from the early days of Tintypes fascinate me.
Finding photos took me by surprise.
How could family photos end up in a basket for $1 each? Who would buy them? Were these people in the images buried, gone, and forgotten? Did nobody want to honor them? Who would wish to collect pictures with no names?
Who indeed, ever need a character for your murder mystery, or perhaps a historical fiction? Did you ever desire to pay homage to those who came before us? The eyes are haunting. Those faces speak to me as a writer.
At our last writer’s retreat, many of us wrote a flash fiction piece about an old necklace inspired by our guest speaker. I don't remember her name, so perhaps someone knows it and can refresh my memory.
I would love for her to understand how she stirred my imagination.
The couple in this photo has a story to tell.
If you look at his expression, you will notice emotion on his face. We all read emotions through visual cues. Perhaps it is a silly grin or an eye roll, but what they are thinking shines through on most people.
They call it a ‘tell’ when playing poker. For me, as a writer, it is pure magic.
This photo has some interesting characteristics which you will need to decipher.
Tell us who they are, what they did for a living, and what they did during their lifetime.
I chose this photo for many reasons.
The couple has a story to tell.
We know where it originated.
We can tell from the clothing and hairstyles, the time frame they took the picture.
Look carefully at the embossed logo by the name of the studio.
In my days of probing dusty pictures and items at garage sales and antique malls, never have I seen this.
Take a few moments when time permits, and in the comments below, tell us about them.
I hope you all are staying healthy. I look forward to your thoughts.
Have a wonderful day! -Scott
