Frank Watson

Stuff happens.

Have you ever wondered why stuff happens to you?

As a writer, I always had a ready answer: It would someday be material for a story, essay, article, or novel. No matter how good or how bad it seemed at the time, I knew that all that happens to us becomes part (more…)

One of the very few things I can as a positive about getting older is that you start to recognize patterns, cause and effect, reasons for actions and decisions made in earlier years. In other words, some things start to make sense, such as why I tried to write the way I did when (more…)

Our past is always with us, a strange and ever shifting presence that shapes our individual and cultural perceptions. Sometimes our world-view is influenced by reality (yes, the history of the American west was filled with greed and genocide) and sometimes by the mythos (yes, the history of the American west was filled with colorful characters and strong individualists, symbolized by such cultural icons as John Wayne and Roy Rogers). One of many reasons I find the American west and its history so compelling is its mixture of mythos and reality.

A perfect example of this is Billy the Kid. (more…)

I have added a photo album to my Facebook page to go with my 08/05/10 Blog entry, Never Far From What I Am. Log on to Facebook.com and check out the Photo Album "Recent Visit to the Old Home Place" in my Photos section. And if you haven't "friended" me yet, please do so! Don't forget to send me a note!

You've probably heard, "You can't go home again." I tend to think, however, that all of us eventually do go home again, if we ever truly leave. We are all products of a specific time and place. It is our roots, that part of our individual, family, and cultural history that shaped us.Because that is part of who we are, we cannot ever really leave it, even though some might choose to deny it or just not think about it much.

I believe, however, that roots are one of the most important elements of a writer. The more we can embrace them, the more powerful will be our writing. (more…)

Writing has brought me many benefits over the years, though most of them have been intangible. One of the best benefits has been conversation with others who have stepped forward after reading my work to volunteer stories of their lives.

My first book, A COLD, DARK TRAIL, had as a main character a Cherokee Indian woman. I worked very hard (more…)

My name is Frank Watson and I am, among other things, a writer. If you are interested, you can check out the section "Meet Frank Watson..." elsewhere on this site to learn more about my story.

What I want to do here is introduce FRANK-ly Speaking,the most recent incarnation of a column that I have been writing off and on for many years, and which in itself was a continuation of a column I wrote while working as a newspaper reporter and editor. That newspaper column was titled A Writer's Journal and appeared in the Stoddard County News (Dexter, MO) from about 1980 to 1983 and discussed my observations and thoughts about the world around me. It was from the perspective of a writer - not just a reporter - though I did not specifically discuss writing.

The current title came about later, when I was working for the St. Charles Journal and one of my editors punned my name with a possible column. It appealed to my sometimes off-beat sense of humor, so when I was asked to do a column for the The Writer's Journal,, the official publication of the Heartland Writer's Guild, I jumped at the chance to finally use FRANK-ly Speaking. That was a column that discussed different elements of writing for an audience that primarily consisted of developing, though mainly unpublished, authors.

That column has lain dormant for awhile. Now, thanks to the miracles of modern technology, I have the opportunity to reach a whole new audience.

Which may consist only of myself.

Because of this initially limited audience, I will not limit myself in choice of subjects. I will no doubt address writing, of course, but also about westerns, history, philosophy, interesting web sites I may run across, and anything else that interests me - and hopefully to others.

So if you have stumbled upon this site and blog entry, by intention or by accident, welcome to FRANK-ly Speaking - reflections on my world of writing and otherwise!