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Dianna Doles Petry:
A brief bio please: Dianna Doles Petry is the author of Echoes of a Woman’s Soul and Memories. Her work has been published in several magazines, E-Zines, and literally hundreds of web sites. A West Virginia native, she feels a deep responsibility to the community and the needs of women worldwide. How long have you been writing? I have taking my writing seriously since 1997. I have, however, been writing privately since the late 1970’s.
WHY do you write? I recently answered this very question in the form of a poem:
Questions for a Writer
She asked me, “Why do you write poetry?
“I searched for a worthy reply.
I am driven by a need to be heard,But answered, “I’m not sure why.”
I began a quest to comprehend rhyme.
I had many thoughts to convey.
The melody of a flowing river,
The sunshine I find along the way.
She asked me, “Why do you write stories?”
I write to touch hearts through open ears.
I create moments of pure delight.
I answered, “To chase away my fears.”
I used to be like this young girl,
With long hair spun from golden sunlight,
With no time for naps or worry,
I was eager to share a kiss by moonlight.
She asked me, “Why do you like happy endings?”
She is wise well beyond her years.
“I can keep people from turning to dust,”
I replied,Then I turned to brush away my tears.
© Dianna Doles-Petry
Books you have written with brief synopsis of each:
Memories is a collection of essays and short stories about living in the mountains of West Virginia. (Soon to be republished)
Echoes of a Woman’s Soul is a collection of 185 poems covering virtually all aspects of life for the average woman.
What do you find to be the most challenging part of writing? Keeping my thoughts precise without being too wordy is always a challenge for me. What do you find to be the most rewarding part of writing? When a reader writes to me and tells me that I have touched his or her life with a smile, a few tears, or sent them on a journey through their own memories I feel as if I have found success as a writer.
Do you edit as you write? Occasionally I see a misspelled word or a run on sentence and correct it right away but normally I write my thoughts down and leave them sit for a while before doing any revisions.
How do you develop your characters? Most of my characters are developed by observing living subjects and embellishing their traits.
What do you do for fun? I hug my keyboard and monitor! What else would a writer do? Seriously, I enjoy spending time with my children and my Goddaughter. I love to take long walks along the river and I enjoy helping the elderly in my community.
Who are your favorite authors? Why? Erma Bombeck was one of the first authors that I followed purely because I loved her work. She wasn’t on any of my mandatory reading lists but I loved her wit and her sense of humor. I also enjoy Stuart Woods, Clive Cussler, Stephen J. Cannell, James Patterson, and Janet Evanovich. What’s the one thing you’ve learned about yourself since you’ve been writing? I would have to say that my writing has helped me to discover the strength I possess, the mask I sometimes wear to hide my fragility, and a wicked sense of humor.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be a writer? Write every day! Write about a strange sound that woke you up in the middle of the night or the strange things that seem to happen at the neighbor’s house or even your grocery list with a few notes in the margins. The more you write the more thoughts you free and the better you become at getting your point across. Also, read a lot of work by other authors.
Do you have any new books coming out soon? Memories will soon be republished with revisions and Solitude for the Soul is in the final stages of revision for publication. Solitude for the Soul will consist of personal essays and poetry that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Anything you’d like to add? My main desire in anything I write is to help the reader see that we are all living through many of the same life challenges and rewards. I truly believe that we are not living our life to the fullest until we share it with others.
