Short Story Mentality

I'm trying to make some time to create a short story. I've gotten a bit rusty when it comes to writing short fiction. Short stories are a lot of fun to write, but sometimes they're just hard work. I've been writing novel-length fiction for so long that I'm having a hard time getting back to working in the short story format. It takes a completely different mental attitude to create a short story--in some ways it's far more difficult in that I am unable to accept a leisurely pace in the creation process.

As I daydream and try to get back into that groove, I'll also pine away for the mountain vistas that I've neglected for so many months. I'm hoping to get myself back to the southern peaks as soon as I can.


Mill Creek Falls--in West Virginia. Remains one of the prettiest waterfalls I've ever seen.

Potato Knob in West Virginia. I don't get into technical climbing, so this is about as close to that as I'll go. This wall of rock is what's known as "Class III" climbing. It looks like it's straight up, but there are plenty of handholds. You can get hurt if you slip, of course, but you'd have to be careless or a terrible klutz. I went up this section in quick order.

This was taken along a cliffside trail in Hanging Rock State Park in North Carolina.