Wayne L. Wilson: Author Letter

Like most boys my age I talked about growing up to be a fireman, policeman, race car driver, professional athlete, actor, musician, whatever seemed cool. When I grew older and seemingly more practical, it was great to espouse that I planned to become a lawyer or doctor. It sounded good… nonetheless, it wasn’t truly where my heart was. It was writing, being a writer, that’s the one that always intrigued me and remained locked in the recesses of my mind. But I came from an environment of hardworking people who emphasized the necessity of stability in life, finding a great job, and making money. Working as a writer was like a foreign concept. Creativity was viewed as more of a hobby. And although I rebelled against it because I was determined to pursue writing as a career, whenever the rent came up, and the noble concept of being a writer failed to pay the bills, working 9-5 was suddenly not quite so unappealing.

I am an only child so I learned to master the art of self-entertainment. After seeing a movie I loved, I’d frequently sit in my bedroom, rewrite the movie, and then try to act out all the actor’s parts.

However, I managed to carve out a career for sixteen years that was truly satisfying and kept me ensconced in the creative field. I co-owned and operated a publishing company specializing in greeting cards and related gift items. One of my responsibilities was as an Editorial Director, thus allowing me to utilize some of my writing skills – creating greeting card verses, captions, catalogs, business proposals, and so forth. Naturally, I wasn’t able to capitalize on the full extent of my writing skills, but at least it was something. Oh yes, there were times I tried to write short stories and work on a novel on the side, but after 10-16 hours days as an owner, I usually fell asleep at my desk, sometimes with my fingers in place on the keyboard.

When the time arose to close the business and move on I discovered I was truly at a crossroads in my life. With the knowledge and wisdom I gained as an entrepreneur, it was an opportune time to enter the corporate world and make some serious dollars. Although it was a monumental experience owning my own business, one that I will never regret, I was suffering from burnout toward the end. Even though it was considered an impractical thing to do, I felt at this stage in my existence it was time to pursue the career of being a professional writer because I might never have that chance again. So that’s what I did. During the transition, I had to take quite a few steps backward to move forward, but it was my passion, and I am happy to be here.

I’ve found that I can write in almost any milieu if necessary. I’ve written in offices and warehouses with loud voices, music blasting, people shipping products, and madly dashing about. I’ve written in tiny one-person-only standing rooms, and funky, cold garages with a little space heater that warmed up my feet but left the rest of me feeling like a Popsicle. But that’s okay, it was part of the process. On another note, when I worked on my first novel, I wrote the majority of it near the beach, and at times by candlelight, which seemed to fuel my spiritual inspiration.

There are a plethora of writers who have greatly influenced me. The ones that immediately come to mind are James Baldwin, Ray Bradbury, Thomas Paine, Nadine Gordimer, August Wilson, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and Harper Lee. Though I’ve written in a variety of genres, the types of stories and books I enjoy writing most are what I call a mixture of sociocultural realism and fantasy