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I always try to write about what I know and have lived. There is something of me in every story.
Remembering. I can sit quietly and remember experiences – days, people, events – and experience them as if happening now. I write about the ones that trigger emotions – sorrow, shame, guilt, joy, happiness, etc.
Watching and Listening: I am a compulsive snoop. I listen to conversations and watch people interacting. Many times, I come away with the spine of a story or a central character.
Women. After many decades of life, I have concluded that advanced mathematics or quantum physics is simple compared to a woman. Women are easily the most complex of nature’s creations – delightful, maddening, revealing, confusing, and so much more all in one package.
Two. Emerson and Nietzsche. Both brought a playfulness to their thinking, and both faced the human condition directly and without blinking.
No. For me philosophy and critical thinking are integral parts of my writing. I need to let my characters write their stories. Years ago, I read an interview with Rex Stout, the creator of Nero Wolf. He worked in the mornings and then broke for lunch. One afternoon, he said to his wife, “You won’t believe that Nero did today.” I want my characters to surprise me.
The gulf between the generations – with Gen Z and those following on one side and the rest of humanity on the other. I suspect that we are seeing the evolution of an entirely different species of humans.
Compliment: Your story reminded me of things that made me cry.
Criticism: How dare you write about that. I told you that in confidence, I thought you were my friend.
Earl Smith writes short stories, poetry, and essays focused on the human experience. Most of them are drawn from personal experience. He also write action-adventure thrillers – often with a paranormal twist.
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