Being a freelance writer is like being a Jehovah's Witness. You work on your pitch and take it from house to house, rarely finding a sympathetic ear. In the old days, people would have the decency to hear you out; today many won't give you the time of day. Sure, they're all overworked, anxious, struggling to survive, but if they'd just open their doors they'd find the answer to their problems.
Recently a reader - OK, a friend; the masses have yet to find their way here - suggested I make more use of photos. (As a way perhaps to attract the masses.)
I used a photo a month ago. (Bibi and her brother skating in Holland.) In a month I may use another - who knows. I have nothing against photos, really, though they do tend to be awfully visual.
When I was growing up you insulted someone by saying he read picture books. Now everything is a picture book, the pictures often moving.
I like the idea of a realm where the word is king - or simply left alone to do its thing. (Photos never rhyme.) I love taking pictures, but I enjoy even more writing phrases like "dust jacket fact checker."