My Biography

Hello,
Johnathan is my name. Nathan is my preferred handle. Two years ago I wrote out the name "Sarah" using Calculus expressions. When I gave Sarah the gift she said, "I've never been good at math, and, that's always disappointed me. Thank you! This is really amazing!" Her response puzzled me! Why would an art teacher be disappointed about being average in math? I wanted to offer Sarah a piece of my mind. So, I wrote an essay titled "Artists, Intellects, and Adventures," and I’ve been writing ever since. My second piece of writing was about my experiences as a young man in the Army. After that, I wrote poems and short pieces. I called those short pieces - stream of consciousness. One of my streams was titled "Vegetarian Kiss." That stream was about the very first vegetarian who gave up meat after his first kiss with a young girl. "Bring me living flesh, sunburned, salty and hot," the first vegetarian lamented. As I share with you my history, I see within my work all the patterns of newbie writers. I began to attend a monthly writer’s exchange at the local community theater. I unsuccessfully sought out collaborative partners. Jed commented that Hemmingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" is considered one of the most influential works in history. I read it. I broke down each sentence into numbered bullets. *imagery *builds sympathy *builds character, etc... I was looking for patterns, logic really, that might tip me off - reveal to me Hemmingway's method. At night my wife read clips of Steven King to me. For 20 years I avoided Stephen King; reading non-fiction; mostly American history. Each night, Wendy would offer me King’s Big Mac and Fries, until, alas, the pages were turned by my hands! As I read King each night, Wendy lay next to me, face painting me with a condescending grin!  King's works whisper in my ears precious secrets. I see his magic and he inspires me! I arrived home one afternoon to find a gift waiting. It was King's book "On Writing.”  Days later I purchased James Woods' "How Fiction Works.” Thus, my education within the craft did begin.

I read. I write. I ponder the question, "Is there a writer within?" I must know.

Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your community,

Johnathan Phaedrus DuFour