The Writing Path
Today I am grateful for my five senses and that they all work. I am grateful for the clean air that I have to breathe.
Yesterday, I blogged about poetry as a lifesaver for me. About the time I started writing poetry, I also started journaling about my thoughts, feelings, and life events. At times, I would rattle on for pages. I am so grateful today for that writing because it has become a good supplement to my memory. I always dated, and continue to date, every poem, every journal entry. That has allowed me to go back and check details, or refresh my memory that may have faltered over the years. It is truly a gift.
I have shared some of my poetry over the years. I wrote one about marriage that I gave to friends getting married. I wrote many to friends that I then shared. I have written some fun holiday and other event ones that were meant to be read by others. But many, especially my earlier ones, were too personal, too raw. They were meant just for me.
I am a free verse poet. For many years, however the poem came out, that was the final version. There was no revising. It seemed wrong to revise the raw and real. Today, I will do some revising, but usually not much. My poetry isn't typical I guess, but it works for me.
I tried to enter poetry contests, with very limited success. Then I tried to write greeting card verses and submitted those. Again, nothing! I guess my poems weren't meant for a wider audience. The poems and the journaling kept me writing and when a cancer diagnosis came along, as did my friend Jenny, my writing was about to blossom even more. Read more about Jenny and our shared writing path here.
Facing one of my biggest fears must have released some of my other fears. And writing a book with Jenny about our individual and shared breast cancer experiences brought out the essayist in me. Today, I blog and write a monthly column for our local paper. I have also written several guest blog posts, and made it into the "Opinion Exchange" portion of The Minneapolis Star Tribune four times. I am so very grateful for the healing power and energy that have been flowing from my pen, and now my keyboard, for nearly 40 years.
And I am so grateful for my friend Jenny and the way our life paths and writing paths crossed and helped pull me out as a writer. Thanks Jenny! I love, and believe in, the writing path I am on today.
Yesterday, I blogged about poetry as a lifesaver for me. About the time I started writing poetry, I also started journaling about my thoughts, feelings, and life events. At times, I would rattle on for pages. I am so grateful today for that writing because it has become a good supplement to my memory. I always dated, and continue to date, every poem, every journal entry. That has allowed me to go back and check details, or refresh my memory that may have faltered over the years. It is truly a gift.
I have shared some of my poetry over the years. I wrote one about marriage that I gave to friends getting married. I wrote many to friends that I then shared. I have written some fun holiday and other event ones that were meant to be read by others. But many, especially my earlier ones, were too personal, too raw. They were meant just for me.
I am a free verse poet. For many years, however the poem came out, that was the final version. There was no revising. It seemed wrong to revise the raw and real. Today, I will do some revising, but usually not much. My poetry isn't typical I guess, but it works for me.
I tried to enter poetry contests, with very limited success. Then I tried to write greeting card verses and submitted those. Again, nothing! I guess my poems weren't meant for a wider audience. The poems and the journaling kept me writing and when a cancer diagnosis came along, as did my friend Jenny, my writing was about to blossom even more. Read more about Jenny and our shared writing path here.
Facing one of my biggest fears must have released some of my other fears. And writing a book with Jenny about our individual and shared breast cancer experiences brought out the essayist in me. Today, I blog and write a monthly column for our local paper. I have also written several guest blog posts, and made it into the "Opinion Exchange" portion of The Minneapolis Star Tribune four times. I am so very grateful for the healing power and energy that have been flowing from my pen, and now my keyboard, for nearly 40 years.
And I am so grateful for my friend Jenny and the way our life paths and writing paths crossed and helped pull me out as a writer. Thanks Jenny! I love, and believe in, the writing path I am on today.
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