Interview with writer / poet Mariah E. Wilson

Today’s special guest is writer and poet, Mariah E. Wilson. I’m chatting with her about her new collection of poems published in the book, We Walk Alone.

Bio:

Mariah E. Wilson is a writer from beautiful British Columbia. She has been published in Thin Air Magazine, Every Day Poets, The Kitchen Poet, Literary Orphans and The Corner Club Press, for which she is also now the Poetry Editor. Her first poetry collection, We Walk Alone, was published by Writers AMuse Me Publishing.

Welcome, Mariah. What do you enjoy most about writing poems?

I love finding new ways to say things. I love playing with words and manipulating their meanings. Sound is fun, I like to play with that too. If I can find a new way to say something that I feel will connect with people, it’s a good day.

Can you give us a little insight into a few of your poems – perhaps a couple of your favorites?

There’s a little known fact about the poem “Candy” I wrote it based off a picture of myself. I’m the pot-bellied child in the blue swim suit (I’m not picking my nose in the picture though) My mom still has the picture somewhere, I remember seeing it a long time ago.

Dandelion Daydreams is one of my favorite poems of all time. It’s light and fun and a little surreal. I enjoyed writing it.

Of all the poems that I included I’m the most proud of The Myth of You. Writing that one really surprised me. It turned out far better than I expected it to. There’s an undertone of sadness in it that I never intended to inject, but it works, I think.

What form are you inspired to write in the most? Why?

I generally only write in free form. Sometimes I’ll whip up a quick haiku, but for the most part I stick to free form. I have written in other forms and I just find that I can best express myself if I have no restrictions.

What type of project are you working on next?

I’m actually working on several projects. I have completed two additional poetry collections. The first is called Lost in Translation and the poems in it are based on words from different languages that have no English translation. The second is yet untitled, but I drew my inspiration from user names I saw on Tumblr. I’m also working on four different novels at the moment. All are in the YA/NA genres.

When did you first consider yourself a writer / poet?

I first knew I wanted to be a writer when I was ten, but I didn’t consider myself one until much later, which is silly, to be frank. If you write, you are a writer. I wish I would have realized that sooner. I guess I first started to consider myself a writer in my early to mid twenties when I started connecting with other writers and started seeking publication.

How do you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for not-yet-published poets?

There are some great call for submission groups on Facebook. I used to use Duotrope, which is a fantastic site, but I haven’t since they started charging.

What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?

I’m not sure I have any writing quirks. Either I really don’t, or I have so many that I can’t recognize them anymore. If I had to answer, I’d say that my most interesting writing quirk relates to my novel writing. I am a pantser by nature. I write books by pantsing my way through about thirty thousand words and tossing my project in the garbage. I move onto something else and eventually I go back to my canned project with new perspective and new ideas. It seems when I do things that way, I’m able to produce a viable storyline, sometimes I even get through to the end of the story.

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I really only ever wanted to be an author. There wasn’t ever any other career that held my interest. I toyed with the thought of doing other things, but nothing ever stuck.

Anything additional you want to share with the readers?

I’ll share the most crucial bit of knowledge about writing that I have.

You can’t go it alone. If you are a writer you need writer friends. You need people who understand how hard it is to get something from you brain down onto paper. You need friends who understand the agony and the ecstasy of the craft. One of the most essential things in a writers tool box, is other writers. If it were not for my writer friends (they know who they are) I probably would not still be writing.

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Thanks, Mariah!