My special
guest today is writer Dane Cobain and
we’re chatting about his book of poetry, Eyes
Like Lighthouses When the Boats Come Home.
Bio:
Dane Cobain (High Wycombe,
UK) is a published author, freelance writer, poet and (occasional) musician
with a passion for language and learning. When he’s not working on his next
release, he can be found reading and reviewing books for his award-winning book
blog, SocialBookshelves.com, while trying not to be distracted by Wikipedia. His
releases include No Rest for the Wicked(supernatural
thriller), Eyes Like Lighthouses When the Boats
Come Home (poetry) Former.ly (literary fiction), Social Paranoia (non-fiction), Come On Up to the House(horror) and Subject Verb Object (anthology).
Welcome, Dane. What do you enjoy most
about writing poems?
I think it’s
the fact that you can examine different subjects and concepts much easier than
you can with prose, and they also don’t take long to write so you can create
multiple per day.
Can you give us a little insight into a
few of your poems – perhaps a couple of your favorites?
I memorise
and perform my poems, so I suppose my point of view is different to most.
Univocalisms is the most fun to perform because it’s almost like a long
tongue-twister – each stanza uses only one vowel, cycling through A, E, I, O
and U. Dying is close to my heart because it’s about anxiety, and Anonymous’
White Mask of Freedom is a bit of an epic one that takes several minutes to
perform and is about internet censorship and digital freedom.
What form are you inspired to write in
the most? Why?
I almost
exclusively write in free verse because I don’t like rhyming poetry. I find
that writing in a specific form tends to stunt the work and make it feel flat
and lifeless.
What type of project are you working on
next?
I write in multiple
formats and so my main current focus is actually the editing phases of my first
detective novel, Driven. But when it comes to poetry, I’m also halfway through
writing and memorising my next book (Kiss Kiss Death Death) and I have another
book that’s a sort of poetic spin on the Titanic story that I may or may not
release at some point.
When did you first consider yourself a
writer / poet?
It’s hard to
say as I’ve been writing for as long as I remember. I don’t think there’s any
specific moment, although when my first book was published and when I quit my
job to focus on writing full-time were both pivotal moments.
How do you research markets for your work,
perhaps as some advice for not-yet-published poets?
I don’t. I
write for myself, not for other people. Once I have a book on the market, I
then start to reach out to bloggers etc. who are interested in the topics I
cover. I use all sorts of different techniques to get the word out – anything
that I can!
What would you say is your interesting
writing quirk?
I think my
quirk is that I’m quirky. I write the kind of books that not many other people
would (or could) write, which makes it hard to classify my writing. I think
there’s something there for everyone.
As a child, what did you want to be when
you grew up?
I always
wanted to be a writer. For a little while I also wanted to be a rock star (and
I still kind of do), but being a writer was first and foremost.
Anything additional you want to share
with the readers?
Just keep on
reading – and be sure to review the books you read on Amazon and Goodreads,
whether you’re reading indie authors of bestsellers. There’s no greater gift
for an author you like than to read them a review. Plus, it doesn’t take long.
I should know – I’ve reviewed over 1,000 books on my book blog. It’s fun!
Links:
Thanks for being here today, Dane. All
the best with your writing projects!
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