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Janet Wood |
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Writers Studio: When and why did you start writing? Janet Wood: I started writing poetry in 1991-92, at a time when I had been abandoned by my ex-husband was unemployed and my father was in the hospital due to a heart attack. A sentence would come to me and within five to ten minutes, I had a completed poem. Of course, some rewriting would take place to capture the exact meaning that I wanted to convey. WS: What motivates you to keep on writing? JW: I continue to write because it is cathartic as well as therapeutic, since I suffer with Fibromyalgia Syndrome. The symptoms of FM affect your concentration; therefore, being able to remember the lines of a poem long enough to get them down on paper is an accomplishment in itself. WS: Where do you get the inspiration for your settings and characters? JW: I watch a great deal of television; including the News, Sports and Movies and I also like the outdoors. Some of my poems are about Hurricane Katrina, The Mountains and some of my favorite Basketball players. WS: What is the first book you can remember reading? JW: I remember a two-volume collection of nursery rhymes that my mother had given to my brother and they were passed down to me. The books were red and yellow and included Old Mother Hubbard; The Cow Jumped Over the Moon, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill and many other childhood favorites. WS: What music do you listen to? JW: I like all genres of music. My absolute favorite is Gospel. I occasionally listen to "good" Rap. I enjoy the messages of Country. I love the smoothness of Jazz. I emote over R & B. And I wish to be talented enough to play cultured Classical. I have XM Radio on Satellite TV; therefore, I get an opportunity to listen to them all. WS: Do you follow a strict outline when you write, or does the story just flow? JW: I have been blessed not to have to follow an outline. Typically, a "light bulb" goes on after seeing or hearing of an event or tragedy on the television; if I want to convey my feelings of love for someone; or if I am writing about GOD or his awesome creation, nature. WS: What types of obstacles have you had to overcome to get where you are today? JW: My major obstacles in life came to me from 1991 to the present. But I feel that each one has molded me into the strong, faithful, GOD-loving individual that I am today. Check out some of the things that I have overcome: 1. Abandonment by and Divorced from my ex-husband. 2. Witnessed five-month illness and Passing Away of my Father . 3. Became unemployed (3 different times for at least one year). 4. Suffered two car collisions where I was hit from behind, while sitting still (1993 and 1995). 5. Suffered severe whiplash. 6. Acquired symptoms of Fibromyalgia Syndrome: i.e., Migraines, Chronic Muscle Pain and Fatigue, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Depression, etc. 7. Developed Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and had Surgery . 8. Waited for two years for Social Security Disability Benefits. 9. Nursed my Mother through double knee surgery and a femur repair surgery . 10. Nursed my Brother through Kidney surgery. 11. Worked at 3 different jobs where I encountered objection to my being there to a hostile environment. 12. Watched as "so-called" friends betrayed or abandoned me. 13. Defeated public ridicule and slander by walking in humility and grace. 14. Suffered numerous other losses of family and friends. 15. Made GOD my "best friend", when no one thought that I was smart, pretty, young or thin enough! ☺ WS: What was your first job? JW: At my first job I was a Cashier at the local Roses' Store in Chase City, VA. Along with operating the cash register and making change, I would sometimes have to relocate inventory on the sales floor and help with the annual inventory . I thought it was great to be working at 16! WS: Which of your works did you most enjoy writing? JW: The poem that I found most enjoyable to write was Champion. It is a poem about my favorite basketball player, Robert Horry who won the championship with the San Antonio Spurs against Detroit. The poem is very light and happy. WS: Who is your hero? JW: Unequivocally, my hero is Jesus Christ! The more I get to know him, the more I am in awe of His inundating, unselfish love for mankind. To have gone to Calvary without sin; hands and feet nailed to a cross; pierced in his side; died for our sins; was buried in a tomb and on the third day, rose with all power in His hands to be at the right hand of the Father to be an intercessor for us. And to know that the shedding of HIS blood saved us, there are not enough languages to describe it! |
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Champion
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DAT DEVIL
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A swooping,
synchronous symphony of snow |
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