Origins of Wish You Well W riters are mostly a nostalgic lot. We pine for the past and seem to remember everything we ve ever seen, heard, loved, hated or suffered through. We drink up history, both official and those juicer pieces represented by rumor and innuendo and even bald lies. And then we knead, polish, embellish and cajole these observations, musings and hyperbole into readable prose that others are willing to plunk down cash to experience.
Writers also tend to be an emotional group.
We grow teary or unduly cheerful especially over events from times past as these memories take on heightened, perhaps some would say exaggerated significance, as seen through the storyteller s skewed prism. I must confess I have these afflictions in severe abundance. I treasure memories, both real and imagined, from my youth. I have always been fascinated by the tortured, often schizophrenic history of my native Virginia and the south in general. I spend much time exploring the lives of my parent s families.