'First images, then words'

 

“Lifeis never easy for those who dream.” – Robert James Waller
Born on this date in 1939, Waller isbest known for The Bridges of Madison County, an enormously successfulbook, movie and Broadwaymusical (more than 60 million copies of the book alone are in print). I visitedMadison County and while the bridges are cool, I wasequally impressed by the Madison County Courthouse in Winterset, thebirthplace of John Wayne.  So, I tookphotos of the courthouase and his home instead.       Waller, who died in Texas in 2017, didn't become a writer until later in life.  He was first enamored by business – thesubject for both his Ph.D. and teaching and leadership positions at his almamater, The University of Northern Iowa.                    Also a photographer and musician, he took a break from teaching in the early 1990s to do some photography of Madison County's covered bridges.  Having earlier written a song about a woman named Francesca, he had the inspiration to put Francesca and a visiting photogapher into a story in that setting and wrote his famous book in just two weeks.  Later, he wrote more songs called “The Balladsof Madison County" and several more successful novels.   
While critics didn’t much like Bridges, the public loved it and Waller's vivid descriptions.   "First, I think, you must have the images," Waller said, "and then come the words."