Teresa Ann Winton, Author & Lyricist

Archived Interview

Monday, August 20, 2012

A talented writer of fiction, nonfiction, narrative, poetry, fantasy, and more, Teresa Ann Winton is a published author as well as a song lyricist.  Welcome Teresa! Where in the world are you? I live in the Midwest, but my heart resides in the forest and hills of the South, USA. Where do you like to write? In my home and out in nature. What inspires you the most? Music, movies, paintings, and sculptured art. I also find nature and animals to be tremendously inspiring. How do you maintain thoughts and ideas? When I want to write a book, poem or song I barricade myself at home and refuse to put it away until it’s complete. For instance, with the novel I just completed, I forced myself to pen at least something every day until it was done. If, however, the thoughts did not flow easily I spent my time researching, browsing art, listening to music or visiting nature to inspire creativity. Writers are no exception to discouragement and life’s challenges, we all have highs and lows and still we have to carry on. I believe I was in training many years ago to become a writer because of having to do positive things when I felt lonely and missed my parents while living in foster homes. I was encouraged by my teachers and older wiser women to journal and write my feelings down on paper. Now it’s only second nature to reach for my many colored pens and express some kind of art when I need an outlet for life and its sundry challenges. I think being in love with what you do is key and I do love to write and create art. I organize my thoughts according to subject, emotions etc. and then go back and select the most powerful of the ideas and regroup those into paragraphs. Sometimes a new story will just come to my mind, almost instantly, and other times it’s a long process that comes much later. My friends are important in my life so I call on them when I need big time help. One of them, Laurie, gave me a box of gifts and told me to open one each time I felt discouraged and needed inspiration. She left further instructions that she would refill the box when it was empty…and she surely did! I believe it’s important to have a connected group of friends within your inner circle. Friends who believe in you, support and encourage you and can also be candid about your writing. Above all, I believe in prayer, and lots of it. Before I write anything I ask God to give me something original to present to the world. I recall when I was penning my latest piece, a love story. I did not know what I was going to write from one day to the next. I simply prayed and then I sat down and let my imagination take me away. Do you have advice for beginning writers? Do not limit how you create and what you create. I place all my ideas in a storage box or saved Word documents and refer back to those when I want to finish a project or begin a new one. Pieces of the Pearl was an example of that, though the actual story took three weeks to write once all the tiny pieces had come together in the final product. I found it helpful to interview readers and find out what they looked for in a book that draw them in and inspired them. I recall asking several friends about songs and what they felt made a song popular and unforgettable. I then took those ideas and formulated my own lyrics to a few songs I’ve written. Most importantly, find your strength in artful expression and let that be the focal point and the beginning of a new piece of writing. For me, I am moved and driven by emotional storylines perhaps because my youth was riveted with them. So I use those in my writing. Most artists, when asked what inspired their work will invariably say, I dug deep within myself and pulled out all my experiences, losses, joys; whatever I could to help me create a rich and moving work of art. Who is your favorite writer and/or poet? William Shakespeare. Follow Teresa: http://teresaannwinton.tateauthor.com/