Johndca Spencer was born and raised in Fayetteville, NC until the start of her 8th grade year in middle school when she moved to Harlem, NYC. Reading was a way to escape the boredom of being indoors and something she fell in love with at an early age. Nursery rhymes started her indoctrination into the world of language. Johndca was always pushed to take her writing beyond the limits of the classroom with every English teacher she had prompting the entry into writing contests and writing projects for school publications. Living in Harlem exposed her to hip hop which prompted her to began writing poetry. She has won several poetry contests and performed spoken word at various venues throughout Manhattan. She's also a member and Director of Events at the Harlem Neighborhood Writers Group.
In an interview to TALKTOBLOGGER.COM, Johndca Spencer gets talking about her books, readers, roaring success, and of course her thoughts on life! Catch the interesting conversation here!
What motivates you to write?
My thoughts and/or my emotions begging for expression motivate me to write so much so they rob me of my sleep at night sometimes. It could be a memory or something I watched or maybe even a song I listened to. Most of the time, it's just an overactive brain.
I felt nervous because I'm sharing myself with the world through my poetry collection to be judged but, I also felt overjoyed because I promised the Most High God that I would put a book out there. So when I finally did it, there was just this weight that was removed off my spirit. I feel like I owe Him for blessing me with the gift of poetry. I prayed over that moment and was blessed to have the support of my loved ones and others in my social circle when I announced the publishing of my book.
Writing is something that is just apart of who I am. Mainly for me it's therapeutic. My goal has always been to make it a career. Now that I've published my first book, it's official.
For your books you must be doing a lot of research topics and themes. How did you go about it?
My poetry reflects my life. No research needed. I live this every day. I will say that I do research in terms of the business side of things, learning technology to keep up with the times, and how to market myself as a writer. I also do a lot of reading in general to sharpen my writing.
What is the best aspect about your writing that you love most?
I would say the best aspect about my writing that I love the most is saying what I want to say how I want to say it in my poetry. Sometimes it doesn't start out the way I intended but it always finishes that way and there's this ah-ha kinda thing in my spirit when I know I made my point. It's an awesome feeling.
Is getting published traditionally tough? Share your views.
Publishing is really tough if you're looking for someone else to “discover” you. I feel like in this time there's more creative control for people to take charge of their careers and do their own thing. I stopped waiting for recognition, money, and a hand up. I took matters in my own hands and put my work out there myself.
Tell us about your recently published book or the upcoming book?
My book is called “In and Out of Eden” that has poems about my life experience. I like to call it a collection of urban inspirational poetry because of the flow in the lines but the inspiration behind the message. Some of my poems are morbid but I've seen some dark times in my life. If it weren't for the Most High I don't know where I'd be. He's seen me through homelessness, sexual abuse, grief and suicidal thoughts and has blessed to communicate that through the art form of poetry. There's many happy poems too, like poems dedicated to the Most High, my husband, and the love of poetry. I also like to call my book where poetry meets testimony. It's the epitome of that statement. I'm speaking for the individual going through certain struggles and they're the audience I'm targeting.
There are many new writers out there who are aspiring to get their work published. What would you say to them?
You don't have to simply aspire to be published. Finish writing your material, polish it, and put it out there. It all depends on how you want to be published whether it's through the traditional route with an agent and a publisher or on your own. Sometimes waiting on someone else to give you the green light isn't always the best thing. Educate yourself. Just remember, there are 7 billion people in this world. There's a lot of opportunity there and with that many people in the world, somebody is gonna dig your work. I firmly believe that, just don't give up. Keep writing. Don't be afraid of what you don't know. Life in general is a learning process and so everything else. Learn about the journey of famous writers and what they went through. It wasn't all peaches and plums. Stephen King's backstory really inspired me.
Check out more about Johndca Spencer:- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johndca.spencer.3
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohndcaSpencer
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sisterjspencer/
Thank you so much Johndca Spencer, for sharing your experience with us. This will definitely help others to learn from it. If you liked this interview, share it with your friends on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Absolutely posting! Lots of useful information and inspiration, both of which we all need!Relay appreciate your work.
ReplyDeleteAssignment Writing Service