What keeps you motivated to create? Do you have any big dreams or goals for your work?
Not any more. I thought writing would make me big and famous. I discovered that’s the wrong reason for writing. The right reason is that you have something in you you want to share with the world. When I started writing, I had nothing in me I wanted to share, just ambition to be noteworthy, and that is not worth sharing. Much later I found out a good story is lots of fun, and having been exposed to lots of good storytellers through my work (construction), I wanted to be like them because I was envious of their ability to move me. I write now to try to get people to feel what I do/did when I hear/heard a really good poem/tale/yarn.
What tips would you give someone taking their first steps in creative work? What did you need to hear when you were getting started?
Assuming we’re talking about a young person, I would encourage them to tell a story about themselves with a beginning, a middle and an end. Don’t do speculative fiction about unicorns, Guardians of the Galaxy or any mysterious force or other galaxy. Young people write this stuff because they don’t feel anything they have done is worthwhile. That’s wrong. Unfortunately, when you are young you may think you are irrelevant. You are not, and your feelings are maybe stronger than they will ever be. Have faith. You are unique and so is your story. Just be willing to accept rejection and keep on keeping on.
Give us some background on the piece you contributed to this issue.
This story is about a girl I knew in Kingman, Arizona. Her name was Rosalyn. She was a medical technologist. She was not spectacular looking, but we liked each other. I saw her as a Plain Jane. I left Kingman to pursue other things. After a long time, and several other girls, one of whom I married, I found out that some girls you can talk to and others you can’t. I sort of miss her, but as I say in my poem, she’s gone.
Paul Smith writes poetry & fiction. He lives in Skokie, Illinois with his wife Flavia. Sometimes he performs poetry at an open mic in Chicago. He believes that brevity is the soul of something he read about once, and whatever that something is or was, it should be cut in half immediately.