An Interview with Robert E. Wilson...
When and where did your interest in writing start?
The first school I attended was a small, two-teacher primary school where it was normal for younger and slightly older children to be in the same classroom together but doing different lessons. I clearly remember sitting there, as one of the younger kids, listening to the teacher explain how poetry worked (in fact, I even remember part of the poem). I sat there absolutely fascinated, then for some reason glanced around to see that everyone in my age group was doing a totally different exercise from our textbooks! The lesson about the poem had so captured my attention that I’d no idea of what I was actually supposed to be doing!
How did that interest continue and develop?
I always enjoyed writing stories and English Language was one of my favourite school subjects. I especially admired authors, poets and songwriters who could write humorous lyrics and sometimes tried to do this in my essay writing. It was always encouraging when a teacher read one of my pieces to the class, although I’m sure I wrote a lot of rubbish too!
And didn’t you become an unofficial ‘poet laureate’ in a couple of places?
You could call it that! I became active in youthwork and often devised treasure hunts for different organisations. I found one of the best ways of doing this was to present the clues and riddles in rhyme – it seemed to add a sense of mystery and mischief to the task! Later, when I worked for a training organisation, I was regularly called upon to write a friendly, funny ballad for a colleague who was about to get married or retire! As a matter of fact, the only time in almost twenty years that I was summoned to the Chief Executive’s office was so he could pass on to me some ‘amusing’ information to include in a poem for one of our senior staff’s retirement!
In your books you mention Lynda Tavakoli and her writing group. Why has this been so important to you?
Lynda is a highly respected Northern Irish poet and author and that I’d probably never have produced the books you'll see on this website had it not been for her. It’s been a tremendous privilege and pleasure to have been a member of Lynda's writing group for over ten years, and I know that many other members would equally thank her for encouraging us to develop our writing, publish it and enter it in competitions. We have quite a range of writing styles and occasionally take part in literary festivals or public reading events.
Now, about your books. Why choose humour?
As I said, I grew up admiring anyone who could write funny, entertaining stories, poems and songs and really wanted to be able to do this myself. I remember when Pam Ayres won a TV talent show called ‘Opportunity Knocks’ and really loved her poetry. I have to confess to possessing what many might call a rather ‘off-beat’ sense of humour (which has both won me friends and occasionally got me into trouble)! Really, I just enjoy writing pieces to entertain people but occasionally cause them to think!
Where do you get your sources of inspiration?
Inspiration is everywhere! If you look at the pieces in my books, you’ll see that I’ve drawn ideas from all sorts of things. Some of my ballads are simply based on my own imagination, others on true stories (if often wildly embellished) and still others on old anecdotes I’ve heard over the years. Almost all situations (except for tragic ones) lend themselves to a bit of humour, though I draw a line at certain topics which could cause offence or hurt – I want the things I write to be family friendly.
Some of your work, like your book ‘Nativity…’ is written in a different genre. Are you moving away from humour?
I don’t think I’ll ever move away entirely from humour; in fact, I’m currently working on a sixth book of Barmy Ballads, aimed mostly (but not exclusively) at younger readers. I’d like to think that some of my work has an educational element to it; for example, a couple of the pieces in ‘Risible Rhyme’ intentionally leave us with something to think about. And of course I’d be delighted if some of my work encourages others to take up writing, just as some folk encouraged me.
‘Nativity…’ is indeed a different type of book even though my style of writing comes through. You can read details of it in the ‘Books’ section of my website. I used the sales of this book to raise money for charity over Christmas and also as a means of encouraging readers to think about the true meaning of the event.
Finally, what advice would you give to anyone thinking of taking up creative writing?
The first thing I’d say is ‘start writing’ or, if you’ve already written something (a poem, short story, etc.) to give it an airing and think about how you can develop your skill. I always recommend joining a writing class / group. If it’s a good group, you’ll learn how to develop your skill and even discover styles of writing you didn’t know you had. Above all, don’t be afraid to show or read your work to others. In our group, we regularly critique each other’s work (with a rule that all criticism must be constructive) and this provides valuable feedback to help us. Longer term, don’t dismiss the idea of submitting a piece to a competition or even publishing your work. I definitely believe there are many people out there with a lot to contribute to our rich literary culture!
Photo above: At Whitehead Victorian Christmas Fair, County Antrim.