Write Now with Tim Flood

Who are you?

I’m Tim Flood, a retired tech professional turned creative writer (which, of course, means I’m not retired at all). I live with my wife, Sandy, on the San Francisco Peninsula where I’m active in the SF-Peninsula branch of the California Writers Club.

What do you write?

A family challenge inspired my initial foray into professional writing. In 1999, I wrote Islands Apart, a non-fiction book to help families cope with their drug-using and drug-addicted teens. I learned that I could write a book and it meant a lot to me to discover that my book supported people who were dealing with a difficult situation. My secret dream, however, was to write fiction. I began at age 73, finally surrendering to the path I said I wanted back when I was 20 years old and in my English Lit professor's office. He said, "You'll never be a writer, Tim," and listed all of the reasons why. Those reasons seem absurd today, but I had low self-esteem at that age and swallowed his opinion whole. After college, I went on to enjoy a good life, good marriage and family life. I’m 82 now and my first novel, The Flower of Canaan, has just been published. I love writing and would advise anyone else who wants to be a writer to keep going. Never give up!

Where do you write?

I get Eric Wøllo vibes playing in my home office, settle into my chair, and start writing in Scrivener on my MacBook Air. Plots and characters feel like friends dropping by for a visit so I keep my iPad Mini close to jot down notes. Later, I paste everything into Scrivener. I like Scrivener’s ability to keep notes as you go along and versions of the story.

I also have a Substack and make short videos about stuff I’m thinking about, some of it is directly related to my novel, but not all of it. It took me a while to figure out how to go pro with my videos. I use my iPhone as a movie camera, a Teleprompt app on my iPad to assist me in recording, a Blue Yeti mic, UBeesize lighting, and CapCut for video editing. Then I post on Substack, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

When do you write?

Early mornings before breakfast are my best writing time. I write for awhile, stop for breakfast with my wife, then get back to my home office where I work steadily until 1 or 2 PM. By then, my creative tank is empty. I enjoy the rhythm of my writing days and loathe word counts and time limits. I’ve never had to write to a deadline and don’t intend to start at 82. Unstructured is much more fun. I might even jump out of bed at 2 AM, write for an hour, then go back to sleep.

Why do you write?

I write to expand my perspective on the world. Writing about characters facing age-old human challenges allows me to ask big questions, like how can we stand up to abuse, violence, and ignorance? How can men relate differently to women? Writing forces me to hold a mirror to myself and demands that I be truthful, not only with the reader but with myself. It’s one of the most demanding things I can do with my life.

How do you overcome writer's block?

What’s this “writer’s block” thing? I’ve never had it! I’m driven by the pleasure of telling a powerful story and doing it to the best of my ability.

Bonus: What do you enjoy doing when not writing?

My wife, Sandy, and I have wonderful friends we love to spend time with, and two amazing adult sons who bring us joy. When I’m not writing, Sandy and I watch movies and TV series together, enjoy the game Mexican Train, and go on walks. We also play team Bocce ball. I believe that reading is fuel for writing well so I read novels as much as I can.

My thanks to Tim Flood for today's interview.