When did you first feel like a writer?
3 years ago I was working on 13 poetry assignments called “wild ways to writing” created by a well known poet. After the concluding appraisal she said I am now a poet from the work I produced.
What’s the most interesting thing that has inspired your writing and what was the result? My English teacher said to me when I was 15 years old my writing one day will be published. The result? it’s that encouragement that drives me on to become a published poet.
Paint us a picture: what does your writing process look like? Do you write in coffee shops at night or only on an old type-writer?
My writing process is very much like” grabbing a piece of toast on the run to work” All of the spontaneous writing ideas are all collated and drafted out most evenings and weekends.
Describe your ideal reader: who would your work speak to?
Yet to be defined i suppose, I have written about my life experiences and the world around me.
Who’s an author you’ve changed your mind about and why?
Charles Bukowski Most of my life i have thought that poetry is for the purist, however since discovering Bukowski, a gritty dirty realism that he wrote is about life experiences which now really influences my poetry.
If you could interview any other writer/artist, who would it be and why?
Charles Bukowski. Definitely would want to interview him because it seemed he led a wild life bit like a rock star out of control. Very interesting!
What motivates you to keep writing?
In a world of bricks and mortar (sometimes mundane) my motivation is to have my work published now that would be for me personally so exciting.
How do you deal with writer’s block or being overwhelmed by the writing process?
I just walk away from it for a week or two that always works.
Where would you like to see yourself in a decade? A creative writing teacher? As a best-seller?
Honest answer? I don’t know really, I just write and write hoping one day I will be published and ultimately see where that wind takes me.
What has your work taught you about yourself?
To be very patient and take rejection on the chin. To have the persistence and determination to keep knocking on doors for the acceptance of my work.
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The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
