We recently connected with B.w. Jackson and have shared our conversation below.
B.W., looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
I would make a distinction between the creative work and the technical work. I have just about always had an urge to write, and an urge to improve my writing — a natural inclination to become absorbed in tinkering with phrases and sentences. But I wish I had been more intentional in my efforts earlier. I didn’t begin to approach creative writing with a serious mindset until after college, when I no longer had regular writing assignments, and I realized I needed to be writing all the time to stay sane. The stable jobs I had in my twenties (as opposed to the various unstable jobs) were all heavy on writing and editing. That was enough, up to a point. Eventually, I needed to be devoting my writing energy to my own creative vision. I pivoted into jobs that required less writing so that, as much as possible, I could selfishly guard my writing for myself.
The creative work, what I refer to above as the creative vision, started on its own and had its own timeline. It became more insistent throughout my twenties, and I have done my best to listen. I wish I had been capable of producing tolerable creative work earlier. I don’t think I had much to say. I needed time to marinate. I still need time to marinate. In my opinion, you can’t really force creative work. You can only create favorable conditions.
B.W., love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I started writing fiction and creative nonfiction in my early twenties. My first of many unpublished books was a memoir about my travels around Italy and France trying to make it on the barely-semi-pro soccer circuit. That’s a manuscript I hope to return to (as probably most writers say).
In my later twenties, my first short stories came out, when I began submitting to small publications around the country. I knew of no other way to get my foot in the door. I’ve spent many years pressing my whole body against that door, even when the door doesn’t seem to budge, or seems to be closing. That’s what I’m most proud of. After a lot of trudging, I have my first novel coming out on February 4. The Rise of Lazarus is a thriller/mystery that I hope most people will find to be a page-turner with warmth and depth. It’s the first of a series. The next two books will be out in the next couple years.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I recently visited the Georgia O’Keeffe/Henry Moore exhibition in Boston. In one interview, she expresses the delight she experienced from forcing the viewer to see what she was seeing by magnifying flowers on a canvas. In a sense, that is what I aim to do in my fiction. I want a reader to see what I see, to see the things I find silly or nonsensical or fascinating or simply worth considering from a different vantage point. I want to give them the enjoyment or satisfaction or fulfillment that those things have given me.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of being an artist/creative is the opportunity to be in regular contact with the real stuff of life. We all have to make a conscious effort to step away from all the noise. Creative work forces you to do that on a daily basis.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwjackson/
- Other: https://bwjackson.substack.com