Poet, mythical storyteller, essayist, and combat veteran: I was born in Washington, D.C. of "Nanticoke," Native American ancestry, mixed with other drums and songs: “Colored,” in the standard, simplified, dominant-culture classification printed on my birth certificate. Never mind shortchanging the specific chromosome donations of my Native American, Filipino, African American, and Norman ancestors. (You heard it right; the Normans spoke a variation of Frankish – French, but they were Vikings in service to the Frankish King.)
Tell us a bit about your writing
A poet first, there seems to be a lyrical quality to all my writing, whether poetry, prose, or essay. Storytelling is the essence of what I do. It is in bringing out the real story of an experience or event – subjective or objective, imagined or literal – that we surpass the reductionism of describing a thing to the expansionism of revealing it.
Do you write in a specific genre? Multi-genre: myth, fanfiction, history, memoir, action-adventure
Share the blurb from the book that you've written that you like best...
The glowing campfire was irresistible to his wandering spirit. He had taken many roads, many paths since he had left the war in Vietnam. Each path, each road had taught him something, but still he was nagged by the enormity of what he had experience. The words that flowed on occasion, the silence that filled the moments in between never seemed to reveal the essence of the truth he sought. But this night in restless sleep, the sleeper went beyond dream into a subtle dimension of reality.
He came upon a Native American man sitting by the fire, smoking his pipe. The man called out to him to come and sit by the fire. He said his name was Warrior, and that the sleeper was not there by accident. This was the beginning of the author's journey out of the shadow of Vietnam.
Do you agree that all authors need an editor? Why?
No matter how adept a writer may be at editing, it is easy to miss typos and misspellings. Someone else proofing your creation might find errors you've overlooked. In addition, it makes sense to have a copy editor peruse your work for content, formatting and style.
In a book-length work, the organization of chapters and paragraphs can make a huge difference in the flow and readability of the book. If you are extremely good at self-editing and rooting out grammar usage and word choice mistakes, perhaps an objective second party can be recruited to read for overall flow and clarity.
Share a link to a great blog http://jellyfishday.blogspot.com/
Share a link to a great book http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Crazy-Horse-Lakota-History/dp/0670033553
Share a link to a 'must use' site for writers http://bartleby.com/
How do you manage your writing day? Do you write full time?
I write full time. I'm obsessive, when possessed by inspiration, I write till I drop, basically.
Seriously… I am being serious. I don't stop to eat, sleep, up all day, up all night at time. I do manage to get in a shower, so that my wife won't make me sleep on the couch.
I don't parcel out my writing time in set periods for the different aspects of writing. I edit and rewrite as I go along, and edit and rewrite through the different drafts, until I am satisfied. (Never satisfied.)
How do you use networking to improve your writing and/or reach readers?
I belong to a writers group where I live. I am linked up from my website to my author's Face Book page, as well as Linkedin. Although, I am notorious for dropping in and out of networking regularity (and life), I hope that the collaborative bridge of creativity provided by Indie Exchange is mutually beneficial.
Recently, I'v made the decision to get out of my reclusive hiding out and seek out open mic poetry events.
What has been the biggest challenge in your writing/publishing life so far?
Finding time (there never seems to be enough) to finish projects and then bring them to the attention of the world stage, which seems to dwarf my meager contributions.
The other challenge, in looking to the future, is what direction to go in getting published: Indie or not, print on demand or strictly electronic (Kindle, for instance). The freedom of Indie publication is great, but then you have to mine all over the place to get a review.
The big name book reviewers that have finally opened the door to Indie authors are pimping reviews for extortionate fees. (Kurkus for one: $425 to $575 / Publishers Weekly $149 for a listing with only a consideration of a review.
What are you working on at the moment?
I'm crafting the final touches on a book-length collection of spiritual-reflective poems. In addition, I always have a regular stream of articles and essays I'm working on in response to daily events and news. And then I have my own blog that keeps me busy.
Is there anything else you'd like us to know?
Not at this time.
Links
http://www.drumtalk-hitch.com/Sitting_with_Warrior/Sitting_with_Warrior.htmlhttp://www.drumtalk-hitch.com/Sitting_with_Warrior/Carl_Hitchens_Blog/Carl_Hitchens_Blog.html
http://www.facebook.com/pages/DRUM-TALK-Carl-Hitchens-Author-Page/288179261200404
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Carl gives quite a bit of interesting and practical information here. Glad I stopped by and read it!
I wish I had that kind of intensity of focus when writing. I get the job done, despite my distractions ;)