Commit To Poetry - Quote Of The Day

“If you commit yourself to the art of poetry, you commit yourself to the task of learning how to see, using words as elements of sight and their sounds as prisms. "  Archibald MacLeish, Academy of American Poets Chancellor (1946–1949)

Hello, my sunnies! 

I have been very occupied with so much going on I have received my first proof of my book! So I have been editing and editing, and I rewrote the ending to one of my most personal pieces.

This is one of my favorite quotes, it's what I have been leading with for my book - I hope these words aren't just read but can be heard. Writing is something that I have felt like was a calling. To be able to take a quick break from editing to write this little blog is surreal. Even if nobody reads my book, I'm so proud of that fact that its getting published and to me thats a dream come true in itself. 

 I was getting a lot of email with the same question:  How Do I Write? 

Writing for me is personal. It is what I love. I just followed my passion as corny as that sounds, I write everyday. But I don’t write to make sure I have a article that I have to post. I think the mistake some people put a pressure on themselves that they have to write to post everyday, to get those likes, —

We compare “likes” to good writing, so we freak out when we see nobody noticed it. I feel you, I get it.

I’m not a writer who cranks out articles every hour on the hour — I can do it, I have done it for work, but thats not my style for my self writing.

I personally love to let it collect, until I’m ready to share those pieces.

When writing becomes something that is unenjoyable/frustrating to you, take a step back, walk away for a little.

I have so many pieces that I will start and visit them in a day or a week or a year — sometimes the best thing to do is give yourself a break.

My poetry professor told me to never throw away anything I wrote, that one day I will stumble upon it or I will be ready to finish that piece I was once stuck on/exhausted of writing — and he was right (it’s the piece that is ending my book, it was written over two years edited from 7 pages to 4 back to 8)

When you least expect it your body will have a desire to sit and type or pick up the pen. As weird as it sounds, I really listen to my body and mind it lets me know when I need to write.

I have so many notes, and journal entries of all of my day to day observances and I grow upon that.

Have a clear vision of what your writing, and why you are writing. I just want to write words that heal, help, and inspire people — I write because I was born to do it, I write because its a part of me.

So my advice to people is

Just write, stop worrying on the ‘proper” way to write, the rules, my rule is I don’t have any — just go write.

 

Lots of sunnies your way, 

Demetra