Adam Booth is a writer in Florida. He has been writing for many years and teaches English. He is currently working on getting his writing published. He is the father to two little girls and happily married. He is also my uncle.
When did you decide to become a writer?
>>I decided to become a writer when I realized I wasn’t attractive enough to be an actor. Seriously though, I love the world of make-believe, and I have always experienced a feeling of wholeness in creating or participating in imaginary worlds.
How do you think you’ve evolved creatively?
>>As I reflect on how I started out, I can see where I did a lot of regurgitation. If I was reading The Lord of the Rings, for example, I might feel inspired to write my own story with elves in it, and dwarves, and terrible, world-rending powers. All artists are inspired by the work of others, this is true, but there was a point when I felt like I needed to be more original and honest. I needed to step out of the shadow of others and start building my own original stories, and as a writer I feel that I have evolved into that phase.
What is the hardest thing about writing?
>>Confidence. When I first started out, I was brimming with confidence. I was positive that I would be next big name, but reality set me straight, and I felt horrible as a result. For a while, I kind of lost sight of writing, and, well, quit. With time–and a little maturity maybe–I picked it back up. It was horrible at first. I would read my own writing and cringe at how bad I thought it was. I still do, actually. With time though (and with the encouragement of loved ones) I built a hardened confidence in my ability to connect with a reader.
What is the easiest thing about writing?
>>Once I get into “the zone” writing becomes as simple as thinking. As long as the conditions around me are set the way I need them, I can go into that world and immerse myself. The words flow freely and I often lose hours. So, the easiest part is probably the actual writing itself–but only if I have prepared before hand.
Any tips on how to get through the dreaded writer’s block?
>>Do it. Don’t have anything to say? Put your hands on the keys, or your pen, or whatever you’ve got and do it. The words will cut through the cloud eventually. To put this problem into perspective, think of it like this: the words are there, waiting. It is something about you that is getting in the way, blocking them. The only way the words will ever get out is to write. Sure, it might take a few terrible paragraphs, maybe even whole pages, but that hard push through the sludge is the best way to revive your creativity.
When did you first start loving to write?
>>I was maybe nine or ten when I found a big cardboard panel in my dad’s workshop. I had this vision of a story play out on its surface, pictures and all. So, I wrote the story out. I remember the plot was something about some winged monster that travelled to our world from a dark realm. I’m pretty sure a hero killed it, or banished it into a soul-sucking vortex. Whatever. I was nine. Anyway, I remembering working on it for hours, drawing pictures, writing dialogue, developing characters that somehow became so real to me. When it was finished, I stood over my work like it was the wall of a Pharaoh’s tomb. I had never before felt so successful at anything. I knew then that writing was what I was born to do.
Who is this creature? Where is this picture taken? What is the creature thinking? Why is it there? How do the creature get there? Where is the creature going? What is the creatures motivation?