WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE: THE THIRD SPACE
What impact did Mexico have on you emotionally, sensorally, and intellectually, and did you incorporate this into your writing? All the senses are engaged in this outdoor mecca, and my biggest frustration is my frequent inadequacy in describing it. Occasionally I can capture it, like when the wildflowers cover the hills and their delicious smell is unique and wonderful, I invented the phrase‘ the buttery green scent of wildflowers’ that describes it perfectly. Another result of the area’ s influence on my writing is a screenplay I wrote that centers on the famous Baja 1000 off-road race that goes past our house each year.
What are local attitudes to writers? Although I speak enough Spanish to conduct my daily life, it’ s not good enough to become involved in any writing group that may exist in the nearest town fifteen miles away. The town has no tourist shop but is a working man’ s town, servicing the surrounding farmers and other trades people in the area.
Swapping cultures will always present new aspects to moral conclusions and assumptions. Does this reflect on your writing? Although most of the Mexicans I know around us do not attend church, the Catholic Church is by far the greatest influence on morals and the culture here. Unlike when I lived in Iran and China, I find great commonality with the Mexican moral conclusions and assumptions.
What have you learnt from living in Mexico? How to live as a guest in a country, even though I do have permanent residency. How to be grateful for whatever material comforts I have.
Who is the audience for your writing and how much of it is local? Most of my audience are people who live or travel throughout Mexico. My work has been published in various travel magazines, flying magazines and online blogs.
Describe a typical day in Mexico including your writing. You can’ t live where we live without taking a morning walk each day. It would be something akin to a sin not to get out into the fresh air and beautiful scenery. I have household help a couple times a week so when they come in I tend to work along side of them organizing, getting laundry ready and so on. Although we use the compound for private use only, the four casitas and twenty-two beds require constant upkeep. Once a week I go into town for groceries, so the rest of the time, after my morning walk, I sit in one of various places, in the living room, in a small library we built, or outside under a palapa overlooking the water to write. By lunchtime I’ m ready for a nap, and after the nap I will often return to the writing to do non-creative things like editing and keeping up with emails.
11 | MAY 2017