I have been a writer, an aspiring wordsmith, since I was a kid in grade school. I wrote in a journal, here and there. I wrote short stories about animals. I began writing poetry and songs somewhere in my twenties, after I learned how to play guitar at 16 years old.
I used to amuse myself in grade school by reading word origins in the dictionary and following the bread crumb trail. I’ve always had a love of language and words; what does a word mean, where did it come from, anonyms and synonyms, etc.
Words and music are very close together for me. I hear melodies in word phrases. I even hear poem or song titles in things other folks say. That sure comes in handy for songwriting. Of course, it can also get in the way of hearing what else others might want to convey to me via their own language.
