I really enjoy telling stories whether they be fictional or true. Telling stories has been such a part of my life that translating these stories into novels seemed like the next natural step in the evolution of my writing.
The passion for writing started early on. I didn't live an ideal childhood, existing in an environment where drugs and alcohol were a daily theme, physical and verbal abuse were also a staple of daily life, as was being sequestered to my room. I would often utilize creative writing as a made-up homework assignment so that I could sit at the kitchen table to watch the nightly news in the living room while the adults conducted their less-than-desirable activities. The first creative writing exercise that I wrote was a play for Paddington Bear. I was in second grade at Jennie Barker Elementary in Garden City, Kansas and Mrs. Hammer gave us a writing assignment. This really sparked the idea of writing. This was my earliest influence in writing. In fourth grade, Mrs. Stallings at Alta Brown Elementary also in Garden City, Kansas would work with us on creative writing by giving us story starters. I remember writing a story about a haunted house and a common theme of my early writings were centered around creating a mystery and surprising the potential reader. South Kitsap High School in Port Orchard, Washington was really the next time that I got into creative writing as I took an elective class by Mr. Olson. I've always had the itch to write, and I have to give credit to several influences. My favorite author is Michael Crichton, the way he twists science fiction into something that seems real and tangible inspires me as a writer to find my niche. I also credit John Grisham and his ability to create wonderful characters while maintaining the integrity of the mystery. On a more local level, I have to give credit to two different writing groups that I've been part of. About ten years ago, I wrote a play By Invitation Only and while this has not been produced, it is a project I intend to get back to, perhaps in a workshop atmosphere. Justin Morse, Joshua LeMay, John Smith, Tim Knowlton and I would write sketch comedy and even produced an entire show Employee of the Month for a variety show in Belfast, Maine in 2006. In 2008, I became part of another creative team called Yikes!Monsters with Jaimie Schwartz, Mike Best, Steve Dodge, Deirdre Fulton, and Chris Newcomb as the primary core of writers and performers. We added writer, Hillary Price, as well as other performers to complete our efforts. For the radio drama revival series by Fred Greenlaugh we performed a couple of Chris' writings and for a show in Freeport, Maine we performed Hillary's Red State/Blue State. The talents of these writers and collaboration of our group covered nearly three years and certainly influenced my writings. In 2013, I watched a TED video of Slam Poet Shane Koykzan called To This Day. It was about being bullied and it motivated me to write slam poetry. I ended up writing some personally driven poetry Children Are Resilient and We Are The Broken People. In addition, I wrote a poem for my soon to be born son, Bentley called As Your Father. For the 2015 Port Fringe Festival, I adapted We Are The Broken People into a one act play that has 14 slam style poems put together to tell a complete story. My influences are broad as I'm sure many writers are and they are both external and internal to the process. Creating characters that people will find interesting, or a reflection of parts of themselves is one of the keys to my writing. I'm my own worst critic is the cliche, but I take the critiques and always remember them and adjust if appropriate. The accolades feel good for a moment, but the critiques linger for years, even decades as you write. The key though, is to never stop writing.
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Joe SwensonWrites in several genres. Follow his blog to see his processes. Archives
March 2020
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