We were lucky to catch up with David W. Berner recently and have shared our conversation below.

David W. , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

There is no other way to learn to write a good story than to write. The doing is the thing. My very first story was entitled The Cyclops. I wrote it in 2nd grade. We made books out of cardboard in our class and we illustrated the pages. Mine was a deep sea adventure inspired by the trips to the ocean my family made when I was just a boy. I started writing professionally as a journalist when I was 21 years old. It took years to hone my craft. It didn’t necessarily come from some secret innate talent. I wrote a lot of horrible stories before I found my way. But again, it’s about the doing. Be patient. Write as often as you can. And, a very important ingredient—READ. Reading good stories, good literature, good nonfiction and memoir is essential. Writers will never be good at this craft if they do not read.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

As a teenager my dream was to be a musician, to play Rock-n-Roll at Madison Square Garden. When I realized that was out of reach, I decided I wanted to be a radio DJ. In my era, it was the music of Led Zeppelin and James Taylor and Bob Dylan. I wanted to play their songs on the radio if I couldn’t play my own music in front of a cheering crowd. But my first job was on Country radio, not Rock-n-Roll. I embraced it but in time realized what I was truly good at was telling stories. I told stories through my music and my love of music, why not tell other people’s stories through journalism. I began a career in radio news and never looked back.,

Mid-career, I took a break and taught school in an impoverished district outside Chicago. I needed a break from the daily work of chasing news stories. That experience changed me and I wrote my first book, Accidental Lessons, about my time in the classroom. That book put me on a path of writing that continues today after more than a dozen books of fiction and memoir, many award-winners. I also have been honored as the writer-in-residence at the Jack Kerouac Project and at the Ernest Hemingway Birthplace Home and Museum. I continued teaching at both the college level and now as an instructor at Gotham Writers Workshop of New York City.

Being a writer, I know now, is truly what I have always wanted to be. I’m not getting rich; it’s not a rich man’s business. But I am full of joy every day writing the stories I want to tell.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

If you are creating — writing, painting, sculpting, playing music — only for the money, you are working in the wrong discipline. Not because you CAN’T make money, but because you are motivated solely by it. As a creative, one must give up the idea of commerce. Yes, we all need to pay the rent and buy food to live a life of reasonable comfort, but being a creative and focusing too much on money is a dead end. You must do your creative work simply because if you don’t, you will perish. Truly, the work must be a necessity in your life. It must define you. Being a creative is not a job, it is a lifestyle, a purpose, the driver of your soul.

There are far too many young writers who are driven almost entirely by making money from their work, considering that ans priority one. That is foolish. Many are also searching for “tricks” or “secrets” on how to write a bestseller. They’re looking for shortcuts. There are none. No secrets, no tricks, no shortcuts. You want to be a writer? Write. Submit. Write again. Submit again. Hone your craft. Read. Write again. Submit again. Over and over. Be obsessed by the process; love the process. It is the only way.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My shift from full-time journalist to high school teacher and then to tenured college professor was a big adjustment for me. Not only was the pay less, it was hard work. Far harder than I had imagined. But I was burned out from daily journalism, and when I was accepted into a program that fast-tracked my Masters in Education to allow me to be fully prepared for teaching, I found the shift in the daily mental work and the level of commitment to the job to be daunting. I was back in school at the age of 45, beginning a new career with two children at home. It was a time of uncertainty, but also a wonderful time for discovery. Yes, it was difficult, but I knew I had to push through it to get to where I could write, live a creative life.

Don’t be afraid of change. I know that’s easy to say and tough to do, but change leads to wondrous new experiences that can enrich you beyond what you might imagine.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.davidwberner.com
• Instagram: @davidwbernerwrites
• Youtube: DavidWBerner
• Other: TikTok: @davidwbernerwritesInterview on YouTube about my latest book: DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L9L-R6vnfb4

Image Credits

All photos by David W. Berner

Personal photo of me at a New Mexico casita.

Additional photos.
1. Photo of a stack of some of my books.
2. Photo of my writing desk.
3. Me at my writing desk at work.
4. Book cover of latest book – Daylight Saving Time.
5. Photo of the writing shed.