GWP: Do you have any writing rituals? If so, what are they?
MJ: Yes. Before I begin to write I have compiled most all my materials, done my research and brainstorming exercises, then find a quiet space and the time to capture the poem: “Since in a net I seek to hold the wind.” -Thomas Wyatt
GWP: What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
MJ: A willingness to remain sane, surrounding yourself with people that love you, and travel.
GWP: Are there any occupational hazards to being a writer?
MJ: “Bad Mojo” from unintended offenses, as opposed to the satisfaction one takes from a well executed offense.
GWP: Describe your Muse. How does she/he/it influence your writing process?
MJ: My muse is like a sixth sense- it excites and pleases when I connect with it in the moment, it guides me in harmonious ways.
GWP: How do you begin a new project? Are you a plotter (outliner) or a pantser (free-writer)?
MJ: Definitely a plotter; poems depend on the right tone, images, poetic devices, and sound qualities- poems that endure don‘t happen by accident; although they can be Incidental, Occidental, or Transindental in nature- there is no accidental poem.
GWP: Do you write long-hand with pen/pencil and paper or do you write on a computer?
MJ: Both. Plotting and brainstorming by hand, writing and editing on computer.
GWP: Do you write every day? What is your writing routine? How do you discipline yourself to keep at it?
MJ: Writing poems is like breathing. How many times a day do you think about your breathing, probably only when you notice a change in your breathing. But, you notice. I write when I recognize, understand, am inspired, and can express a moment meaningfully.
GWP: Have you ever tried writing outside of your “comfort zone”? If so, what were the results?
MJ: Yes… disappointment. Better to change or modify your “comfort zone” occasionally then to write from outside of it.
GWP: What are your favorite writing and research tools?
MJ: Library books are my favorite tools, especially the introductions to books or prefaces on topics of interest- they are most telling.
GWP: How many drafts does it usually take to bring your manuscript to “The End” and ready to submit to your editor?
MJ: Two or three… manuscripts are always being edited as new poems are added or their order is changed. I imagine that it is like flower arranging- add a new flower or take out an old and the whole arrangement needs to be “tweaked”.
GWP: Are the names of the characters in your writing important? What about the titles? How do you choose them?
MJ: Yes. They are chosen based on tone and inherent character. Titles of poems can be difficult; formalist pieces tend to inform the title, whereas dislocated poems are more likely informed by the title.
GWP: To what extent is your fiction or poetry autobiographical? Have you ever seen yourself as a character in one of your stories or poems and, has that been a help or a hindrance?
MJ: Life is art, art is life. Poems of “truth” spring from knowledge gained through personal experience, whereas Beauty is always a personal (idiomatic?) expression of perspective.
GWP: Has a child, the family pet or another animal ever “eaten” your manuscript? If so, please, tell us that story!
MJ: No. I make sure everyone is well fed before I write.
GWP: Who are your favorite authors? Please list a few and their titles, so we can go look for them at our local library!
MJ: Galway Kinnell New and Selected Poems, Seamus Heaney The Spirit Level, Mary Oliver Thirst, Charles Wright Negative Blue, W.S. Merwin The Shadow of Sirius, Emerson Collected Works and Whitman‘s Leaves of Grass…
GWP: Which three authors (alive or dead) would you most like invite to a dinner party and what would you like to talk about?
MJ: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Seamus Heaney, and Galway Kinnell. The merits of wines and whiskeys; baseball and boxing; poems and poetics.
GWP: I’m a school teacher. What can you offer to help me prepare 6th graders to appreciate writing, now and for the rest of their lives?
MJ: How do I know what I think until I see what I say? -E.M. Forester. What 6th grader doesn’t yearn to be better understood? Writing is the definitive way in which we clearly understand each other and our selves- or not. May Oliver’s Rules for the Dance is also very good if teaching formal poetry.
GWP: How do you react to a negative review of one of your manuscripts?
MJ: I am sad when I get a negative review, or rejection- then I remind myself that writing isn’t about getting published, or being universally accepted and loved, it’s about much more. Writing is its own reward, no amount of validation or rejection changes that fact.
GWP: Do you ever write naked?
MJ: No. By the time I start, certain images- poetic techniques- words have already been chosen, my thoughts are already mostly clothed, and in most cases so am I.
GWP: What was your favorite scene or poem to write, and why was it so enjoyable?
MJ: About Now from my recent collection was my favorite to write. Now is brief, but it made for a long poem as it was fun to write, and I could keep adding to it. I personified now, found Now in nature, Now is everyday life, Now in moments of emotional impact, Now in science, Now everywhere. When I have it together someday, I am going to write a companion piece About Here.
GWP: What’s the hardest scene or poem you have ever written and why was it so hard to write?
MJ: Writing on the subject of my adoption was most difficult due to the complexity of locating an objective correlative for an experience that most people will never have… being adopted.
GWP: Do you ever use your writing as therapy, to either work out an issue, punish a perpetrator from your real life, or fantasize about what you could have done differently? If so, give us one example of how this manifested in your manuscript.
MJ: Nope… although a healthy imagination is critical to the creative process.
GWP: Print books versus e-books; do you have a preference, and why?
MJ: Printed books as I find reading a physical, as well as an intellectual, experience. Turning the pages measures time and space differently than an e-book does.
GWP: Name a topic that you refuse to write about, and tell us, why won’t you write about that topic?
MJ: I won’t write anything disingenuous or degrading about humanity. It doesn’t work. I find humanity to be noble, our collective wisdom to be just and right, the best of us endures and our wrongs in hindsight are glaring. That being said, even our flaws have a tragic beauty about them. And, humanity has not essentially changed since the advent of recorded histories and literature. For that reason I enjoy, and occasionally borrow from, classic literature. Much of classic literature is comprised of tragedies, they endure. However, much more of our valued literary tradition is concerned with Hope, Faith, and Love- I prefer to explore those at this point in my writing. Of course there is also pride, revenge, betrayal, and death- which explore a different spectrum of our Nature- and someday they may become themes I explore, but not today. Lastly, it is important to understand that some put the burden on religion or philosophy to improve our condition; ultimately they are proven and refined vehicles that allow us to improve our own state. Poetry and literature are our dialogue regarding the human condition, and I will not write about anything that I believe to be false about that condition or degrading to my own informed sense of humanity.
GWP: What is your best advice for beginning writers?
MJ: Just write. Recognize that most of what you write is good, but maybe not as good as you would want. Read and re-read what you find pleasing and rewarding. Study what is pleasing. Write more pleasingly. Write often. Write on scraps of paper, the backs of receipts, napkins, business cards, upside down between the lines of other writings. Just write. Then edit, edit, edit.
GWP: What’s the worst advice you ever received from another writer?
MJ: Charles Wright inscribed “Now” to me when he signed my copy of Black Zodiac- although it looked like “How” which had me asking What? and Why? What made that advice the worst was that it was barely legible, even for such a short word, so I didn’t get it until years later when I revisited the book and deciphered his inscription. Then it made perfect sense, and I followed it. It’s like the old adage, When the student is ready, the master will appear. I should have asked him at the time, but wasn‘t ready. He also gave me the best advice, Learn to model before you learn to finish things (from his poem, Lives of the Artists). Truth.
MJ: Yes. Before I begin to write I have compiled most all my materials, done my research and brainstorming exercises, then find a quiet space and the time to capture the poem: “Since in a net I seek to hold the wind.” -Thomas Wyatt
GWP: What are the most important attributes to remaining sane as a writer?
MJ: A willingness to remain sane, surrounding yourself with people that love you, and travel.
GWP: Are there any occupational hazards to being a writer?
MJ: “Bad Mojo” from unintended offenses, as opposed to the satisfaction one takes from a well executed offense.
GWP: Describe your Muse. How does she/he/it influence your writing process?
MJ: My muse is like a sixth sense- it excites and pleases when I connect with it in the moment, it guides me in harmonious ways.
GWP: How do you begin a new project? Are you a plotter (outliner) or a pantser (free-writer)?
MJ: Definitely a plotter; poems depend on the right tone, images, poetic devices, and sound qualities- poems that endure don‘t happen by accident; although they can be Incidental, Occidental, or Transindental in nature- there is no accidental poem.
GWP: Do you write long-hand with pen/pencil and paper or do you write on a computer?
MJ: Both. Plotting and brainstorming by hand, writing and editing on computer.
GWP: Do you write every day? What is your writing routine? How do you discipline yourself to keep at it?
MJ: Writing poems is like breathing. How many times a day do you think about your breathing, probably only when you notice a change in your breathing. But, you notice. I write when I recognize, understand, am inspired, and can express a moment meaningfully.
GWP: Have you ever tried writing outside of your “comfort zone”? If so, what were the results?
MJ: Yes… disappointment. Better to change or modify your “comfort zone” occasionally then to write from outside of it.
GWP: What are your favorite writing and research tools?
MJ: Library books are my favorite tools, especially the introductions to books or prefaces on topics of interest- they are most telling.
GWP: How many drafts does it usually take to bring your manuscript to “The End” and ready to submit to your editor?
MJ: Two or three… manuscripts are always being edited as new poems are added or their order is changed. I imagine that it is like flower arranging- add a new flower or take out an old and the whole arrangement needs to be “tweaked”.
GWP: Are the names of the characters in your writing important? What about the titles? How do you choose them?
MJ: Yes. They are chosen based on tone and inherent character. Titles of poems can be difficult; formalist pieces tend to inform the title, whereas dislocated poems are more likely informed by the title.
GWP: To what extent is your fiction or poetry autobiographical? Have you ever seen yourself as a character in one of your stories or poems and, has that been a help or a hindrance?
MJ: Life is art, art is life. Poems of “truth” spring from knowledge gained through personal experience, whereas Beauty is always a personal (idiomatic?) expression of perspective.
GWP: Has a child, the family pet or another animal ever “eaten” your manuscript? If so, please, tell us that story!
MJ: No. I make sure everyone is well fed before I write.
GWP: Who are your favorite authors? Please list a few and their titles, so we can go look for them at our local library!
MJ: Galway Kinnell New and Selected Poems, Seamus Heaney The Spirit Level, Mary Oliver Thirst, Charles Wright Negative Blue, W.S. Merwin The Shadow of Sirius, Emerson Collected Works and Whitman‘s Leaves of Grass…
GWP: Which three authors (alive or dead) would you most like invite to a dinner party and what would you like to talk about?
MJ: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Seamus Heaney, and Galway Kinnell. The merits of wines and whiskeys; baseball and boxing; poems and poetics.
GWP: I’m a school teacher. What can you offer to help me prepare 6th graders to appreciate writing, now and for the rest of their lives?
MJ: How do I know what I think until I see what I say? -E.M. Forester. What 6th grader doesn’t yearn to be better understood? Writing is the definitive way in which we clearly understand each other and our selves- or not. May Oliver’s Rules for the Dance is also very good if teaching formal poetry.
GWP: How do you react to a negative review of one of your manuscripts?
MJ: I am sad when I get a negative review, or rejection- then I remind myself that writing isn’t about getting published, or being universally accepted and loved, it’s about much more. Writing is its own reward, no amount of validation or rejection changes that fact.
GWP: Do you ever write naked?
MJ: No. By the time I start, certain images- poetic techniques- words have already been chosen, my thoughts are already mostly clothed, and in most cases so am I.
GWP: What was your favorite scene or poem to write, and why was it so enjoyable?
MJ: About Now from my recent collection was my favorite to write. Now is brief, but it made for a long poem as it was fun to write, and I could keep adding to it. I personified now, found Now in nature, Now is everyday life, Now in moments of emotional impact, Now in science, Now everywhere. When I have it together someday, I am going to write a companion piece About Here.
GWP: What’s the hardest scene or poem you have ever written and why was it so hard to write?
MJ: Writing on the subject of my adoption was most difficult due to the complexity of locating an objective correlative for an experience that most people will never have… being adopted.
GWP: Do you ever use your writing as therapy, to either work out an issue, punish a perpetrator from your real life, or fantasize about what you could have done differently? If so, give us one example of how this manifested in your manuscript.
MJ: Nope… although a healthy imagination is critical to the creative process.
GWP: Print books versus e-books; do you have a preference, and why?
MJ: Printed books as I find reading a physical, as well as an intellectual, experience. Turning the pages measures time and space differently than an e-book does.
GWP: Name a topic that you refuse to write about, and tell us, why won’t you write about that topic?
MJ: I won’t write anything disingenuous or degrading about humanity. It doesn’t work. I find humanity to be noble, our collective wisdom to be just and right, the best of us endures and our wrongs in hindsight are glaring. That being said, even our flaws have a tragic beauty about them. And, humanity has not essentially changed since the advent of recorded histories and literature. For that reason I enjoy, and occasionally borrow from, classic literature. Much of classic literature is comprised of tragedies, they endure. However, much more of our valued literary tradition is concerned with Hope, Faith, and Love- I prefer to explore those at this point in my writing. Of course there is also pride, revenge, betrayal, and death- which explore a different spectrum of our Nature- and someday they may become themes I explore, but not today. Lastly, it is important to understand that some put the burden on religion or philosophy to improve our condition; ultimately they are proven and refined vehicles that allow us to improve our own state. Poetry and literature are our dialogue regarding the human condition, and I will not write about anything that I believe to be false about that condition or degrading to my own informed sense of humanity.
GWP: What is your best advice for beginning writers?
MJ: Just write. Recognize that most of what you write is good, but maybe not as good as you would want. Read and re-read what you find pleasing and rewarding. Study what is pleasing. Write more pleasingly. Write often. Write on scraps of paper, the backs of receipts, napkins, business cards, upside down between the lines of other writings. Just write. Then edit, edit, edit.
GWP: What’s the worst advice you ever received from another writer?
MJ: Charles Wright inscribed “Now” to me when he signed my copy of Black Zodiac- although it looked like “How” which had me asking What? and Why? What made that advice the worst was that it was barely legible, even for such a short word, so I didn’t get it until years later when I revisited the book and deciphered his inscription. Then it made perfect sense, and I followed it. It’s like the old adage, When the student is ready, the master will appear. I should have asked him at the time, but wasn‘t ready. He also gave me the best advice, Learn to model before you learn to finish things (from his poem, Lives of the Artists). Truth.