I have always been hugely influenced by stories of adversity and more particularly by the power of the human spirit to overcome whatever comes along, however and whenever it does. If I were to say that I have a theme to my writing then it would be the balance between these opposing forces. I think that is as much a part of life as happiness and success or birth and death. I draw from real life experience and for me a good story teller observes how that coupling works. How the characters thrive or perish against a mixture of fortunes, good or bad is what fires my imagination and I hope to reflect that in my own work. That’s really all I am interested in, good story telling.
Over the years I have gathered and collected many examples of these moments both from my own life experience and those of others I have encountered along the journey. In many ways I suppose I have been banking these seeds in my memory or on scrapes of paper desperately secreted away, waiting for a time when they would ripen and I could weave a theme between some or all of them in order to produce a story. The challenge is, knowing when to start weaving. The courage to reveal that story, to even one other person, is another matter entirely.
I used to play the piano as a kid. Sadly I don’t anymore nor do I remember how to read sheet music accurately, but I think word craft has a sound to it which somehow fascinates me. Sometimes when I am writing I can feel an echo of those rhythms in the pitch and flow of words as they come to me.
I enjoy writing as both a release and a creative trip. I don’t make excuses or apologise for anything I write and somehow the process of filtering everything I observe through my own imagination is the greatest permission I ever gave myself.
Try it!