The Secret of Storytelling

Alfred E. Neuman of MAD Magazine

I guess I might as well be honest. I've been working on some non-blog writing recently, which may or may not become a novel...and this has led me, I guess, to abandon the blogosphere. I mean, to neglect my blog a bit. Not that any of my undying fans have noticed or anything. But still. I've been having a bit of writer's block, if that wasn't obvious from the post about how hot it is. Total cop-out, obviously. I shouldn't even be explaining it, it's so lame. And yet...this is what we stoop to when we have nothing of interest to say.

Well, I don't know. I guess I'm having a hard time focusing, or finding interesting things about my life to share. Or being able to put them in perspective, at least. One thing I've found semi-inspirational is walking through Vienna. I like taking walks in the evening, around 6:00, so it's a bit cooler, and the sun sets while I'm out. Since the Northern Hemisphere is creeping toward fall, it's been getting dark out earlier, between 7:45 and 8:00. I've also been taking photos of weird things I find in Vienna, mostly shop window displays, or graffiti, but sometimes monuments or people.

I went on a walk a few days ago and regret not bringing my camera (which is why it't on me at all times now). I was walking through the Hofburg when I saw this strange-looking couple. She was in a 1940's dress that grazed her ankles and lace-up heels, with a matching hairdo, and he was in a checked shirt, suspenders and a straw hat, more like from the 1920's. I was coming out of the area where the Lipizzaner horses are kept, and as I walked out, I saw them waiting to cross the road. I couldn't help it: I stared at them, trying to figure out what they were. Extreme hipsters? Reform Amish on vacation? To me they stood out as much as those guys dressed in cutaways and powdered wigs to sell Mozart tickets near all the touristy monuments. I'm pretty sure they were just tourists, and I'll never see them again, but next time I go out, I'll be sure to snap a photo of the Mozart wannabes. Anyone who's been to Vienna before has probably been accosted by these guys and knows just what I'm talking about.

You know the old adage: a picture says a thousand words. Maybe that will help me master the art of storytelling. At least it will give you something better to look at.