Within the past decade, I had the opportunity to attend a seminar offered by VONA (Voices of Our Nations Arts Foundation) that featured Walter Mosley as a guest. Two things, in particular, stand out from that gathering. I remember Mr. Mosley saying that there are two types of writers: intuitive and those who are more research oriented. (This is a rough paraphrase.) At the time, I recall Mr. Mosley placing himself firmly in the former group. The other thing that I recall is his advice to focus on one's own writing rather than reading work published by others. (Yes, there is a certain irony in taking this position.)
As I delve into writing my sixth book (fourth novel), Mr. Mosley's counsel is a great motivator. The more I write, the more selective I become about what I read and how I read it. I've been jumping around a lot in my reading and take this as a sign that it's time to concentrate on making this next contribution to my own body of work. Perhaps this perspective will also be useful to you.
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