Ernest Hemingway was a fascinating writer and adventurist. I particularly like his writing style. He was economical in the number of words. He used simple, plain syntax. He used to write a first draft and then go back and delete anything that was unnecessary. I modeled my own writing style on his, which became very useful in the Army. I visited his house in Key West and soaked up the atmosphere that surrounded him when he was alive. As you can tell, I admired him as a man. I enjoyed doing this scratchboard piece very much. A scalpel and tattoo needle were my main tools but I also used a corner of fine grit sandpaper in a few places to get a dark smudge for texture.