discipline to be an active writer and thus had nothing worthy of submitting to places that publish writing. Joe the recent high school graduate was happy to exist in the world of "I want to be a writer someday" without realizing that someday could have come much sooner had I just been willing to put pen to paper.
4) What has influenced your writing in terms of culture, music, literature?
Oh gosh I'm influenced by so much. Music informs much of my poetry. I tend to fall into this pretentious state where I envision myself as a blues poet or a jazz poet and string words together like an avant-garde musician might string notes together. It seldom comes out that way in practice, though. Certainly other writers have influenced my writing. Rod Serling once said "style is something you develop by copying the style of someone who writes well. For a while you’re a cheap imitation." I think there is a lot of truth in that and you shouldn't be afraid of trying out your own writing in the style of a writer you admire, until your own voice begins to emerge. I love to discover voices I've never heard before and unpack their styles and see how my words might work in a different style, just in terms of sketches or experimentation. Lately I'm finding myself obsessed with how other writes work, their daily rituals. It's always influential to learn about how someone else works, what kind of desk they use, if they outline, do they stand up when they write, etc.
5) How have those influences directed you over time?
It seems the more I dive into other areas (movies, music, literature) and the more l obsess over topics the more I have
14