Wednesday, June 19, 2002
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Wednesday, June 19, 2002 |
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Franklin P. Smith tells 'Tales From The Smokehouse,' talks to aspiring authors By MICHAEL
BOYLAN Writing is fun for Franklin P. Smith. Born in Thomasville, Smith would visit a place called "The Smokehouse" where he would hear just about every story under the sun and everybody had a story. He began to write stories based on what he had heard or what people had told him and his impressions and ideas melded with their tales. Now, his first collection of short stories, "Tales From the Smokehouse: The Beginning Vol. 1" is complete and, according to Smith there are plenty more on the way. Smith is the first to admit that his tales are not what one would consider great literature, but they do get a reaction from the reader. Some of the stories deal with power, politics and money, while others deal with familial relationships, salvation and love. "I think writing is a form of magic," said Smith, who has plans for a Christmas book and over 160 short stories that will hopeflly make up another few volumes of "Tales From the Smokehouse" as well as a more traditional novel called "The Walk." Smith will be one of the speakers at "Why and How I Write," a free workshop at the Fayette County Public Library this Saturday. His advice to writers and aspiring authors is to "just write and bear your soul." The rewriting process can be very difficult. His first short story, a three-pager, went through 40 drafts and took over two months to complete. Getting the story down is just as important, though. The first draft of his story, "The Angel," took only three hours to complete. When not writing, Smith, a Stockbridge resident, works at Lowe's in Fayetteville. He is also trying to get his short stories produced at the University of Georgia for XM Radio. Most of the time, though, Smith is either working on a story or telling one to someone, which is also where the magic can be found. "Tales From the Smokehouse: The Beginning Vol.1" can be found at Barnes and Noble and on Amazon.com. The "Why and How I Write" workshop will last from 10 a.m.-noon. |
