What or who have been the greatest influences on your writing?
There are two people who have had a major influence on my writing. The very first person is my mother who used to be a high school English Language and English Literature teacher. She (who was usually a kind and gentle soul) used to correct my school essays with merciless precision and, though it used to sting at first, I learnt to improve my diction and phrasing.
The second person is my pastor, Dr. Noel Woodroffe. When I first began attending Elijah Centre (my home church), it took me some time to really follow what he was saying. However, I soon realized that the difficulty I was having was simply that I was not accustomed to anyone speaking with the kind of precision which he did. One day, I just pulled myself together, summed up all my effort, and really tuned in to what he was saying and realized that he was speaking as he did so that spiritual truth was not conveyed in a sloppy manner. I began studying his genius choice of wording and word coinages and used this as a springboard to develop and enhance my own style (without outright copy-catting him). His oratory schooled my pen.
Outside of actual human influences, there are two other factors which influenced my writing. First was my love of languages. In my sixth and seventh years of high school I majored specifically in Spanish, French and English Literature. Reading foreign language magazines, newspapers, novels and various other material amplified my vocabulary in quantum measure as I was able to learn many, many new English words through their ‘twins’ in French and Spanish. I believe that, at that time, I learnt more vocabulary in English through Spanish and French than I did through my English Literature classes (as excellent a teacher as I had).
With respect to poetry, more specifically, I have largely taught myself through an instinctive sense of what can or cannot work. I am usually guided by my personal sense of taste, which is often at odds with what is generally considered poetry. I simply write the kind of poetry that would ordinarily appeal to me, and which I think would appeal to the average person. Much of what I find inviting would include writing which is lyrical, witty, simply yet substantially profound, humorously silly, a little flowery, visionary, rootsy, didactic, accessibly spiritual and really anything wholesome, edifying or simply entertaining.
Posted in: Creative Writing
Updated on August 31, 2011