Writing, like many things in life, is about just getting started! In most human endeavors, we all find times where we procrastinate or simply can’t find the internal motivation to get started.
My commitment to writing began over the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday. I decided a poem, read at Thanksgiving dinner, would serve as a nice blessing and would also allow me to express gratitude, especially for the relationships in my life. So, I wrote the poem, shared it with others, and at that moment felt the spark to keep writing.
A holiday and your memories of family, friends, gatherings, and joyous (or maybe not so joyous) conversations is the perfect backdrop to motivate you to write a poem, or an essay, or an entry in your journal. Writing is my chance, and yours, to express feelings, emotions, and to tell a story.
Writing inspiration is everywhere!
During the next six months I wrote 25 poems. My muse you ask? I simply wrote about what I saw or experienced. I did not follow some schedule such as writing one poem a week or some other prescriptive formula. There were weeks when I wrote two poems. There were other periods where I did not write for a week or more.
Ideas for my writing came from…well…everywhere:
- a walk along the beach
- sitting quietly and in deep reflection at my local park
- talking to a friend
- reconnecting with a long-lost colleague
- watching a child at play
- people watching
- the love of a pet
- the loss of someone dear
- And of course, understanding the importance of now – the present moment.
My writing process.
For me, and you, I see an endless panorama of topics. As ideas come to me, I simply write them down as a potential title to a poem. I may or may not add a few words to describe my idea and the theme of the poem.
As I decide to write any poem, I let my words flow – there will be plenty of time to clean up grammar, select synonyms that better express the point, and decide on whether I’ll rhyme or choose another poetic style.
Central to the content and flow of the poem are key themes in writing such as tone, ideation, or imagery. My intent is to place my reader in the story the poem tells.
When a reader can see herself in the story told by the poem, it brings to life their feelings and memories. I do not want my readers to live vicariously through anyone but to see their life’s event unfolding in the poem…to feel the emotion and remember how they were affected by the story told.
Publishing my poems.
Once I completed my first ten poems, I decided to start a collection that I could publish. In May 2020 I had 25 poems completed. To enhance the imagery I wanted each poem to convey, I decided artwork would reinforce the message and work in harmony with the words to bring the poem to life. There was nothing magical about “25” poems. It could have been 20 or 35. I felt it was important to simply publish otherwise I might procrastinate.
In my next blog post, I will start to take my readers through the mechanics of getting published.
See you soon!
Steve
One more thing!
Each of my blog posts will be accompanied by a watercolor illustration from my book, Exploring Life One Poem at a Time. My colleague and editor, Judy Scinta and I have curated a themed collection of lifestyle products featuring these original images. And, we’ve opened the The Observant Poet Shop…which you may visit anytime!
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