R J Hembree - Writers' Village University

disciplines. Do you feel it's a natural or acquired compulsion to seek and absorb
knowledge across the board, and how does this play in your creative and writing
processes?
TRONCOSO: I would probably say it's a natural compulsion to know things, to
understand questions, to delve deeply into topics, however unrelated they are.
When I am learning something new, I feel alive. It's as simple as that. I have
tried to set up my life so that I am always able to read, to ask questions, to
learn, to explore.
I don't do this because I am writing, but this obsession to learn, to know, helps
the writing. When I am writing a character that works on Wall Street, I can
certainly talk about certain financial topics knowledgeably. I like to learn
languages, because I want to read certain writers in the original. So this type of
exploration helps me to broaden the kind of literature I am exposed to. I believe
learning by doing, and so I do. I crack the books, I ask questions, I listen, I am
in motion, and I want to be productive. Being a writer, for me, is about
channeling this great and unending curiosity about the world and the questions
of the world. For me, writing is how I have put my act of breathing into words.
To learn more about Sergio Troncoso, and read his work, visit his website at
http://sergiotroncoso.com and his weekly blog at
http://chicolingo.blogspot.com.
RJ 'Bob' Hembree lives in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina and is the founder of
Writers' Village University. He was educated at Columbia College, NOVA and Old
Dominion University. Bob is also a musician-songwriter, and has recorded two
albums with Concrete Sky.
19