This is an interview with me, done a few years ago, by a woman who was going to publish some of my writings in her literary magazine.
1. Writers are encouraged to write daily and find their voice. Do you feel you have more than one voice in your writing?
DP: I like to think that my voice is just a medley of many voices. People I've met who have expressed a desire to attain to a deeper understanding of life, love, the world and the people with whom they interact daily...and the need to express that understanding in words. I like to think that when I write, I am also speaking for them in some way.
2. When did your passion for writing begin?
DP: It began when I was about 18. During my childhood years, I had read many books....mostly ones about Greek and Norse mythology, other books I read were simply well-known classics, Tom Saywer, Huck Finn, Johnny Appleseed, King Authur and the Knights of the Round table, Tall tales and Legends, and various books about folklore, plus some tales from the pen of Charles Dickens...and other odd books that came into my possession. So you see I had all these images stored up in my mind just waiting for some way to be released. Then roughly about the age of 18, I started listening to the music of the Doors, and I also began to read the writings of Shakespeare. As I grew more and more entranced by the music I heard and the words I read, a desire awakened within me to move people with my words in the same way. Then I fell in love with a very special girl.....and that became the outlet through which my hidden abilities and visions were released. Thus, my writing career began with a simple romantic poem dedicated to the girl of my dreams.
3. What inspired you to keep writing while collecting rejection letters or struggling with writers block?
DP: My inspiration to keep writing despite all, comes from the awareness of the fact that I have something to say that needs to be heard. In my writings I try to make the reader understand that there are different ways of looking at life and death, love and tragedy, good and evil, and basically every part of the human experience.
We cannot confine ourselves to just one narrow outlook when it comes to understanding the world around us....for if we do, then we deprive ourselves of living a more rich and varied existence. No matter how many snubs I've gotten from various publications I've submitted to or how many cases of writer's block I've had to overcome, the simple yearning to share my all-inclusive message with others has kept me going.
4. How do you come up with ideas for your writings and why do you feel you choose some over others?
DP: The way I get ideas for writing, is by recalling visions of past lives I have lived, including my present one...and by paying close attention to the events, people and ideas that help to shape history. Plus the beauty of nature, the love of women, and the magic of childhood all help to supply me with an endless array of subject matter for my writings. I choose these ideas over others because they are what influence me most.
5. Are you a daily disciplined writer? Do you find it difficult to stick to your schedule? Do you have certain tricks you use so that you don't stray from your writing?
DP: Writing is very important to me and although I do find it difficult to stick to some routine and I am not the disciplined writer I'd like to be, I do manage to set aside a little time a few days out of the week to hone my craft. The best way I have found to do this is by sitting alone in my room, turning off the phone and either ( a.) Reading the work of others from which I can take a single line they say...or the overall message and either expand on that, or from it, write something totally different. ( b.) By taking a mental journey to somewhere either real or imagined, and jotting down notes about what I see and experience there. ( c.) By making my mind a blank space and listening to classical music....then drawing on the feelings that the music invokes, I am able to tune out everything else and express the music I hear into word patterns.
6. How much time do you devote to marketing your book/s and what kind of marketing do you recommend?
DP: I generally try to take at least two hours each day and promote my book, by either submitting my written work to online poetry forums, by submitting my bookpage to various search engines, by copying down the addresses of different magazines and sending my poems to them either via email or through standard mail delivery, and lastly by going to certain chat rooms and talking about my book...and reading sample poems, or by posting the url of my book to various message boards, and also leaving samples of my writing there.
These are the methods of marketing that I most recommend because they are cheap and they can help spread the word fast.
7. How do you prepare for a writing idea for fiction? Do you outline the characters, setting, plot, etc. before you begin to write?
DP: I mostly write poetry...although I do write some fiction in the way of short stories, it is very limited. The way I go about it is to first pick a time period when I want my story to take place. I then create characters each one with a specific personality type that will help to move my story along. I then create a dilemma that will have to be resolved to make it interesting. Then I figure out a way for the characters involved to solve the dilemma and make it seem believable to hold the readers attention right to the very end. I can tell you now that I don't have a desire to write non-fiction, at least not yet. Maybe in time that'll change.
8. How many rewrites do you usually write before submitting to a publisher?
DP: I usually do many rewrites before I turn it over to the publisher, for the simple reason that it is much less expensive then finding mistakes afterwards and having to do a reprint.
9. Have you had any bad experiences in working with a publisher/agent or failed publication/payment of writings done? If so, how did you handle it?
DP: I haven't really had any bad experiences yet in working with a publisher or agent. Then again, I only have one book in publication right now, so there's not been much of a chance for me to have a bad experience so far. However...there have been some misunderstandings, which of course were taken care of right away, because I took the initiative to make sure that the publishing of my book went as smoothly as possible.
10. Who are your favorite authors, and why do they inspire you?
DP: My two favorite authors are Jim Morrison and Shakespeare. The writings of Jim Morrison inspire me because of the way he wrote in a stream of consciouness type of style. His writings seem to invoke memories from the long distant past of mankind. From reading his poetry, and listening to the music that he and the other members of the Doors helped to create, I was made aware of the fact that I had lived other lives before this present one. This of course, had a great impact on the way I write now. In Shakespeare's case, I was influenced by the way he made words dance across the page. His writings are transcendently beautiful, heroic and tragic all at once...seeming to distill in the depths my soul as spoken music.
About The Author:
DWAYNE'S BIO:
I was born in Salem NJ, on Jan 28th 1964. Moved to Penns Grove NJ, and lived there till I turned 17 in 1981. Then my family(mother and brother) and I, moved to Kennet Sq. PA, lived there till 1985...then moved to Jacksonville Fl where I have been ever since. I completed most of my schooling in Penns Grove NJ, then I finished it in Kenntt Square PA, where I graduated, with honors. It was in Kennet Sq. that I first entered the work force, wrote my first poem, and began to develop into a serious writer. Since moving to Florida, I have had several poems published in various media forms, both online and in printed publications. I have also entered my work into several contests during my stay here, none of which I have ever won. I have also attended and recited at many public poetry readings while living in Jacksonville. My future plans include writing a play, children's books, a novel and starting a home based business for the creation of letterheads, brochures, business cards, greeting cards and graphic designs. I have 1 book published now entitled "Sipping Nectar With The Gods". It's a book which contains 216 pages of poetry, prose, stories, and artwork. It was published in May of 2002 by 1stbooks Library which is now known as Author House.