The Wordsmith, by Paul Clayton
The Wordsmith, by Paul Clayton
A Poem & Interview with the Author
The Wordsmith
Inside the book-filled sanctuary, away from all trouble, trials, and worry, the Wordsmith sat on his spreading bottom, jotting down ideas as fast as he got ‘em. Here's a good limerick, this one a poem, if only he’d sell one the whole world would know ‘im. Perhaps the story of a guitar-playing Llama; it'd make a good movie or musical drama. Then, with a lick at his pencil, a twist of his hand, he took a deep breath and created a land, where rivers flowed slowly with bright, golden honey, past pastures of pink full of grazing orange bunnies. In the distance he put hills of yellow and purple, and a maiden of beauty he gave the name, Myrtle; on the plains, in a cabin, at the edge of a gorge, a hard-fisted hero, protagonist, George. He gave them no problems, just calmness and glee, ‘cause that was the way he wished his own life would be. Then he brought them together, ‘neath a full moon of blue; the wedding he planned would become chapter two. The Wordsmith grew hungry, then lay down his pen; he’d dine for an hour and come back again. But while he was gone from the land he invented, things moved on their own, in a direction demented. In saucers of bronze and cups of steel, Martians invaded his story in search of a meal; a crass ugly lot, with no manners at all, some like humans fried and some like them raw. Poor Myrtle and George watched them advance, like an angry army of oversized ants. "To the hills, to the hills, we must flee!" she did shout. Said George of the Wordsmith, "He'll get us out." But the Wordsmith was eating and couldn't possibly hear. As they chewed on poor Myrtle, he ordered a beer. He lingered long over his peaches and cream, as the Martians cooked George in their red laser beams. When the Wordsmith returned to finish his tale, he looked at the page and started to wail. George and Myrtle were gone, their clothes strewn about, for Martians liked people, but cloth gave them gout. Wordsmith pulled at his hair, at the walls he did stare; he yelled and he screamed that it just wasn't fair. Then he finally calmed, and picked up his pen, sat down in his chair and started over again.
Paul Clayton is the author of a three-book historical fiction series on the Spanish Conquest of the Floridas--Calling Crow, Flight of the Crow, and Calling Crow Nation (Putnam/Berkley)-and a novel, Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam (Thomas Dunne), based on his own experiences in that war. Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam was a finalist at the 2001 Frankfurt eBook Awards.
Ask the Poet
Jen Knox (JK): Hi, Paul! Thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions here at Unleash Lit. We’re thrilled to feature your poem. Tell us … How and where do you find inspiration?
Paul Clayton (PC): I find it in my past and daily life, in my interactions with others, and especially in the lives of families, married couples, and lovers. I find it in thought-provoking articles. And because I have historical memory, I find it between the headlines, the bits left out perhaps because they are uncomfortable for some to contemplate. Sometimes I find it in my dreams or my nightmares.
JK: Speaking of inspiration, who are your favorite authors?
PC: Herman Melville, Stephen Crane, Robert Louis Stevenson, Joseph Conrad, Upton Sinclair, Thomas Mann, Sinclair Lewis, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, William Golding, Hermann Hesse, Anthony Burgess, Raymond Chandler, James Jones, Norman Mailer, James A. Michener, James Clavell, Saul Bellow, Ralph Ellison, Walker Percy, John Updike, Truman Capote, Paul Theroux, William Kennedy, Joan Didion, Tom Wolfe, Philip K. Dick, Charles Bukowski, Cormac McCarthy, Kaylie Jones, Tobias Wolff, Ethan Canin…
JK: What is your revision process like, and how do you know when a piece of writing is complete?
PC: As to process, I write most days, and begin by lightly editing what I’ve written the day before. Then I write on from there. A novel’s first draft will take anywhere from nine to 18 months. Then I put it away for a month. Then edit some more. Then I hand it off to my writer/reader friends for comments. When they have nothing more to say, I’m done. But, as you know, we never consider any of our writing complete. It can always be improved.
JK: What is the best advice you’ve received as a writer?
PC: John Gardner urged his students to craft vivid seamless ‘fictive dreams.’ William Faulkner urged young writers to ‘know your character(s)’. Then follow them around. My poem, “The Wordsmith,” although light-hearted and goofy, emphasizes what I think is the most necessary advice for writers—hard work and persistence. When rejections/setbacks occur, binge-watch TV for a week. Go slam-dancing. Go walking after midnight on the nearest highway. Join a drumming group. Go bungee jumping. Soon the pain will subside and the sap begin to flow again. As I advised my mentees back in the paper publishing era, “Eat your rejection letters slowly as you stare at your reflection in the mirror, and scream out, ‘I will publish, damn you!’”
JK: Best advice ever, Paul. Before I go scream at my current essay, just a few more questions … What’s next for you as a writer?
PC: Well, there’s the novel that Unleash Press declined (no hard feelings) and a sequel as well, and a short story collection. I’m hoping to find a home for all three before I end up somewhere over the rainbow.
JK: What didn’t I ask that you’d like to answer?
PC (as JK): “You’ve written a dozen or so books. Why are you still at it? What do you hope to achieve?”
PC: I’m still at it because, even though I had a slight brush with writing fame (Carl Melcher Goes to Vietnam named 2001 Frankfurt eBook Award finalist), I’ve never had a best seller or a legacy book. I’m still aiming for that.
Jen, Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share my thoughts on writing.
Our pleasure, Paul. We appreciate your wisdom and words.