Interview
with Linda M. Crate
L
What advice would you give to emerging writers? Another way to think about it: what advice would you give to your younger self?
Do not give up. A dream may be hard to achieve, but if you don’t follow your heart you will never be content.
Also, don’t listen to people who tell you to abandon your dreams because they often do not have the courage to follow their own dreams. You’ve got to believe in yourself and go after your dream with all your heart because the only one that can do it for you is you. People may help you along the way, but you’ve really got to be the one to jump right in and decide to take control.
(Optional): Provide links to your website, social media, or other places where readers can connect with you. (3 links max)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thysilverdoe
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Linda-M-Crate-129813357119547/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorlindamcrate/
GS&NS: Hi, Linda! Please introduce yourself to our
readers.
Linda: Hello, I’m Linda M. Crate. I’m a girl from a small town that you probably never heard of in Pennsylvania called Conneautville, but I was born in Pittsburgh. I attended Linesville High School and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English-Literature from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.
In addition to writing poetry I also write novels, short stories, the occasional review, and essays. I also love photography and have stores on both Zazzle and Redbubble which have been mostly unsuccessful, but you can’t say that I didn’t try.
GS&NS: What inspired you to write your poem, “I’ll Be There”?
Linda: It’s about a past relationship that went awry. I fell in love with someone I deeply respected and thought was a person of integrity only to find out he wasn’t the person that he said he was. He betrayed me in ways that no one else ever has before, and that really crushed my spirit for a time.
GS&NS: “I’ll Be There” reflects on a past relationship and letting go. Will you talk about the way the poems ends and what the reader learns from the speaker?
Linda: I think the important message to grasp from this poem is that no one defines you. No matter how long they’ve been in your life, you don’t let anyone from your past control you or dictate your future. You just move on with your life, and crush them with your success, and show them that they didn’t have the power to destroy you.
GS&NS: Tell us about your writing process.
Linda: I usually use my computer, but when that’s not available I will use notebooks or scraps of paper or whatever else I can get my hands on to make sure I don’t forget the idea. One day when visiting a friend I used the “notes” option on my ipod and left notes for a poem there.
I do often listen to music when I write because it loosens me up a bit. However, there are days where I need absolute silence. My writing process varies day from day because one day requires music, one day requires silence, one day I have to go to work, and another day I may be able to spend the entirety of the day writing.
I love writing, but I have to admit the part of the writing process that makes me happiest is when people tell me that my writing helped them or they love my writing or both. That as an author, writer, and poet definitely makes my day.
GirlSense and NonSense