Why did you become a writer? I believe I was born with a pen in my right hand and a notepad in the other! I’m naked without my pen. White space is my playground. The stroke of the keyboard tickles my soul; and the ability to bring life to my thoughts replenishes my ego. Becoming a writer wasn’t a choice; it was God’s way of giving me a voice. I didn’t choose to write, it chose me.
What advice would you give to struggling writers? Everyone has a following. Put your work out there and they will come. There are no limits to writing so don’t put barriers on yourself. If all else fails, erase and start over. I’ve done this plenty of times. It’s bruising to the ego, but sometimes it’s worth it.
Why do you write across multiple platforms? I don’t think in boxes, so there’s no point for my writing to be delivered in pre-packaged form. I can’t change the way the world thinks if I write in a box. So, I write what I feel and I believe my readers appreciate that about me.
What constitutes a good writer? Writing is the oldest form of communication. And we all know that communication is the deliverance of a message to a recipient. So, in terms of labeling someone as a good writer, I think that readers, recipients of the message, have the final say.
What influences your writing? Life influences my writing. Life is so versatile and complex that I can’t help but be inspired.
What is one thing people don’t know about you? Each year on Veteran’s Day (just before my week long birthday celebration), I ride downtown and surprise a random homeless person with a monetary gift. Sometimes I even sign up for a volunteer project that impacts the homeless. I just wouldn’t feel right celebrating my birthday any other way.
What obstacles have you had to overcome as a writer? This is hilarious. When I was in the 8th grade, my teacher told me that I didn’t know how to write a poem. She gave me a low grade on a writing assignment because it was not in the correct poem format. Apparently poems come pre-packaged and are suppose to rhyme in certain rhythms and have an exact number of bars in each paragraph. But as I’ve stated before, my writing will never be delivered pre-packaged. To this day I laugh because she was so wrong for that.
My most recent obstacle has been getting my dad to understand that Diaries of an Emotional Prostitute has a greater message than prostituting. I crack up because he’s quick to tell people about the book; yet he refuses to read a single page. He tells people that he didn’t raise me to write stuff like that. How can I get him to understand that the novel is not an autobiography and it’s NOT about prostituting? LOL
