Describe your creative space. Do you work at home, in public spaces, etc.?

These days I work strictly in my tiny, beyond-cramped study.

What kind of materials do you use? Do you write by hand or type? What is your favorite writing utensil?

All of my writing is done by typing in the computer. I’m one of those who still remembers composing on a typewriter, and I have no wish to go back to those days.

What is your routine for writing?

Mondy to Friday, I write (and perform all the secretarial work involved) from 7.00 in the morning until 7.00 at night with a couple of breaks in between. On weekends, I’m more flexible. In other words, I do my best to maintain a happy, healthy marriage.

How long have you been writing? When did you start writing?

I started writing as soon as I got hold of a pencil and began scribbling stories in the margins of my big sister’s books. I’ve been doing it, off and on, for more than forty years.

Who is your intended, or ideal, audience? Who do you write for?

I like to think I write for an intelligent audience that’s appreciative of good poetry.

What inspires you to write? If you are blocked, what do you do?

I guess I’m one of the fortunate few who doesn’t suffer from writer’s block. I’ve just developed so many of what I call triggers over the years, and my study is full of them.

What other things do you do besides writing? Do you dance or play golf, etc.?

I enjoy travel and eating at restaurants from the fine kind to the local diner. My wife and I are also walkers.

What is your favorite part of the creative process?

Sometimes it’s completing a work I’m proud of. Other times, it’s receiving an acceptance from a site or magazine that I admire.

What is your advice to aspiring writers?

Find your voice, keep at it, develop a thick skin, take advice, and ignore advice.

Check out John’s work in Volume 1, Issue 1, and Volume 3, Issue 2.