Rodney Barker

MaryAnn asked on November 7, 2014

What did you miss most about writing, during the time you were involved in The Trail of Painted Ponies?

Rodney Barker's Response: I’m still involved with The Trail of Painted Ponies, it’s just that I’ve made time to write too. As for what I missed, there is a literary dimension to The Trail. Each Painted Pony figurine comes with a story that tells its inspiration and meaning, and we published a series of photographic and gift books that, in all, sold over 100,000 copies. But the process wasn’t the same, or the reward. What I missed was coming up with an idea, then growing it, word by word, page by page, into a complete book, be it a work of non-fiction or fiction. Doing what it takes to sustain the creative process, day after day. Searching for the right word, the perfect turn of phrase, and finding it. In the end, bringing something new that has life into the world, and sharing it with others, hoping they experience some of the same joy reading it that I did writing it.