poetry
-
Bonus Poem: Creative Nonfiction, Behind the Poem
A dear friend of mine once allowed me to read some of her writing, and I was absolutely blown away. She called it “creative nonfiction,” a genre I had never experienced before, and it was written in second-person present, which was a unique choice. More than that, though, was the content. This writing, poetry and…
-
Day 30: End of Project, Behind the Poem
Today is the last day of National Poetry Month, and what an adventure it has been! I am honored to have shared this journey with you. The ending of the project is bittersweet; I have enjoyed this work thoroughly, but it is now time to rest and move onto the next project. To sum up…
-
Day 29: Accomplishment, Behind the Poem
Sometimes, it feels as though an accomplishment can create a high that lasts forever. In the moment, we will it never to fade, and we think that maybe, just maybe, it won’t. It does. Every high is accompanied by a low. It is easy to get lost in this eternal back-and-forth and let the lows…
-
Day 28: Exhaustion, Behind the Poem
I am and have always been a giver. I used to call myself a people-pleaser, but that doesn’t feel quite right because it implies that the things I do are entirely to make others happy, when for many, taking is the status quo. Yet, I still give happily. Giving is a double-edged sword. On the…
-
Day 27: Celebrate, Behind the Poem
Every person lives a unique life. We interact with a unique blend of people and develop unique thoughts and ideals. And every single one of them changes us. All the people I have ever met have made an impact on me unlike any other, and in turn, I have done the same for them. From…
-
Day 26: Ready, Behind the Poem
It is just about time for me to take the plunge into a world I have dreamed about nearly all my life. Scared as I may be, I have steeled myself for this, and I am ready. Since I was a young child, I have been writing poetry and short stories, eventually expanding my greatest…
-
Day 25: Muse in the Mirror, Behind the Poem
Muses are sources of inspiration, traditionally personified as beautiful people whispering ideas into our ears. They drive us, motivate us, urge us to dream and create. If I believed in gods in the traditional sense, these are the deities I would worship. But why should we seek inspiration from outside ourselves? It is easy to…
-
Day 24: Aflutter, Behind the Poem
My favorite part of writing, by far, is outlining. I know writers who skip the step entirely, but I cannot imagine rushing into a book headfirst without knowing where I am going. I love it so much that just about every book idea that comes across my mind gets inserted into tables and fleshed out…
-
Day 23: Harvest, Behind the Poem
It has taken me twenty years to write my fantasy trilogy, and it is just about ready to hand over to an agent. Twenty years of joy, of tears, of exhilaration and desperation. I have put my all into those books and seen them through countless visions and revisions. I have sown my everything across…
-
Day 22: Grow, Behind the Poem
To celebrate Earth Day, I have chosen my poem “Grow.” I have often heard the phrase, “grow where you are planted,” meaning that we should make the most of what we have and be happy in our own circumstances. There is a lot to be said for learning to be happy with what you have,…