High on a Mountain Grandpa Told Me Stories

First Thoughts — The Galloping Wild Ponies

Imagine you’re standing in a valley. On either side of you are mountains. It’s quiet, not a leaf stirs. Then suddenly, the earth begins to tremble, and you hear a sound in the distance. The sound grows louder, and louder, until it’s thunder!
          Over the mountain they come, hundreds of them, wild ponies with their manes flying, their nostrils flaring. They’re coming right at you and you can’t move. You’re rooted to the spot. Down, down, closer and closer they gallop until you see nothing but horses. You’re enveloped with their sound, their larger than life power!
          Strangely, there’s no fear, just curiosity. Where did the ponies come from and where are they going? And then, they gallop right on past.You can smell the sweat, the tails slap at you. Oh! no camera, no lasso. What did that lead pony look like? You can’t even remember. The trembling ground is still and cold. They’re gone over the other mountain, gone forever. You know it. Gone, gone, gone.
          These wild horses are your thoughts. They come, tails and manes flying, like wild ponies full of power and color. What can you do! You don’t want them to escape, for as they fly past, you know they will disappear over that next mountain of “stuff” you have to do. Thoughts are like minutes ticking away. Once they’re in your mind, they’re there for only seconds, never to come again in the same fashion, in the same way.
          Your pen is your lasso, or your pencil, typewriter, keyboard. Reach out and grab the words. They are yours and only yours, coming at a time only you can provide. You are unique. No one in this world is exactly like you. Only you have lived your life! From the beginning of time, the ponies have raced from one generation to the next, growing in grandeur with each mind that feeds them. The thoughts from within your bloodline, from within the wisdom stored in a file marked “heritage,” will only materialize if you hear them coming and catch them with your “lasso.”
          But it doesn’t stop there. To keep the thoughts coming, the hand must write fast! Let the mind rest. Do not think! Lordy, do not think! Guide the thought through the fence. Then allow it to buck and jump and twist and dance on the paper. The words will write themselves, bucking on page after page until the thought clams, fully relaxed, not even breathing hard.
          To capture the wild galloping ponies of creative first thought, choose a quiet, comfortable place. I like to do this in the early morning when the phone doesn’t ring. Better still, take the phone off the hook, and put a sign “Do Not Disturb” on your closed door. When you’re interrupted by anything, the thought will escape, galloping on over the mountain. Bring to your quiet spot a pencil and pad of paper. Depending on what you want to write about, be it your life, your family, your business. Concentrate on that for a little while. Choose a prompt that will get you started. In other words, concentrate on looping your lasso. Since I write a lot about the heritage of my family, I begin to form in my mind a day in the life of Grandpa. His face materializes, and I begin: “I remember Grandpa and, (pause) his blackberry wine barrel....” Suddenly the story begins to run, and my hand flies over the paper. I don’t worry about the spelling, the punctuation, even the lines on the paper. I write as fast as I can before the wild pony is gone. How I surprise myself! The stories that come are usually almost complete with a beginning, a middle and an end, with action and drama carrying the saddle of Grandpa’s past.
          Of course the story needs editing! But that’s another hat, another time. Right now, I’m the author, the writer, the storyteller, creating a newborn that will have to be nursed and cared for by the editor. Before any story can be edited, it must be born! The most important part of writing is to simply write.
          So now, come with me to the valley. Stand there between two mountains and listen. Here they come! Get your lasso ready!