Freelance Writer Mike Collins

ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF

I grew up in a small fishing town in Maine. From the time I could walk I was on a boat in some capacity. Whether it was scraping barnacles from lobster pots or just staying out of the way of the men working. By the time I was five years old I had learned to read and never found myself in short supply of books on the boat. By the time I had finished my second Hemingway novel I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I ran from the galley and climbed up the fly bridge to ask my all knowing Grandfather, "How can I be a guy that gets to write this stuff Grampy?” I questioned, knowing that all I had to do was ask in order to find out every secret there could be to accomplish such a task. He raised his long billed New England Fishing hat and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand as if contemplating his answer. No matter how trivial my questions must have seemed to him, he always gave considerable thought to the answers as if he knew that my queries would somehow shape my life. He replaced his hat and took “The Old Man And The Sea.” from my clutched fist. He held it up and replied, “You don’t have to fight a bull or pull a marlin in by hand to write like Hemingway, but it helps.” I was never to speak after he answered my questions until I had time to think about his replies. After all, he put thought into his answers so I was expected to as well. I took back the book and returned to the galley to contemplate. It took me awhile to realize that my mentor was telling me to live a full and interesting life, a life worth writing about.

I know I have lived up to those words. I have explored Africa, hiked through rain forests in Central America, sailed the oceans of the world, trekked Europe and countless other adventures. My experiences have afforded me the opportunity to write with passion and conviction. For more than thirty years I have enjoyed freelance writing on every subject under the sun. I hope to do so for another thirty.

Sunday, April 11, 2010