Among the most impressive stories are those which arise when people’s lives take an unexpected turn. For Gary E. Smith, the path that has led from running a successful national electrical contracting business to becoming an award-winning author and photographer has been influenced by curiosity, observation and a long-standing interest in people.
In the latest episode of “Uncut with Lucia”, Smith talks about his amazing journey, his enthusiasm for storytelling and photography, his interest in human behaviour, and the experiences that eventually led him to write the acclaimed Warren Steelgrave thriller series.
Even before he became a published author, Smith had a great deal of respect for literature. Since he was a child, he has been an enthusiastic reader and has lost himself in classic books, becoming deeply interested in the characters who appeared in them – particularly in their emotions, motivations, the decisions they made and the complexity they possessed.
His early interest in human nature later became a significant element in his writing.
Instead of taking the usual academic path, Smith joined the workforce and developed his career by gaining practical experience. He became an electrician and later set up his own electrical contracting business, which eventually grew into a national multimillion-dollar enterprise.
His career taught him a completely different lesson: after years of working with people, he had come to understand their personalities, had had to deal with various difficulties, and had observed how individuals reacted to pressure and uncertainty.
Those observations were later incorporated into his fiction.
Although photography became his profession, it stayed a personal passion.
Smith discovered another means of observing the world through photography. Although a photograph is able to capture a moment, there is always a story behind each face and each scene, and this link between visual observation and storytelling became an important element of Smith’s creative identity.
Having retired from his career in business, he was then able to give more time to writing and photography.
The fact that he made this transition shows that creativity need not adhere to a traditional timeline, since at times experiences gained over many decades in both his professional and personal life form the basis for stories which appear much later.
Smith is best known nowadays for the Warren Steelgrave thriller series, which features suspense, international intrigue and memorable characters.
His novels extend past the mechanics of a conventional thriller, for at their core lie questions concerning loyalty, morality, relationships, choices and the human spirit.
His knowledge of people is of central importance when it comes to creating characters who appear more complex than simple heroes or villains, just as much as the suspense surrounding them the decisions that characters make and the reasons for those decisions.
This method shows that Smith has always been interested in human behaviour and demonstrates his conviction that one can find an unlimited amount of material for a storyteller by observing people.
Photography has likewise affected the way in which Smith deals with writing.
A photographer comes to notice the details that other people might fail to see, such as a person’s expression, the atmosphere of a place, a brief interaction, or a small detail which alters the meaning of a scene.
The same care for detail can have a great effect in fiction.
The creative aspect of Smith’s work combines the photographer’s capacity to observe with the writer’s ability to turn observation into a narrative.
The discussion between Smith and Lucia offers the chance to go beyond the usual portrayal of an author.
It is also about reinvention according to his story.
He established a successful business, regarded photography as a lifelong passion and ultimately turned his accumulated experiences and observations into fiction. The example shows that one’s creative life need not start at a certain age or follow a set course.
For writers who are just getting started, his experience gives a particularly encouraging message – that life experience can become a powerful source of storytelling.
All the people we meet, the businesses we establish, the difficulties we encounter, and the worlds we study can be included in the creative process.
Catch Gary E. Smith on “Uncut with Lucia”
In this episode of Uncut with Lucia, Gary E. Smith talks about his transition from a career as an electrician and entrepreneur to becoming an award-winning author, his enthusiasm for photography, his interest in human nature, and the inspiration for his Warren Steelgrave thriller series.
The dialogue gives readers and aspiring writers a chance to learn about the person who wrote the books and the experiences that influenced his unique storytelling method.
You can listen to Gary E. Smith talking with Lucia on the “Uncut with Lucia” programme which is available on the WorldAuthors.org YouTube channel.