Sunday, January 31, 2016

At a loss for words


This has been a tough week in my life, for a myriad of personal reasons. It feels like my poetry this week is struggling around some of these things, and I haven't quite hit the words, but I'm working on it. Maybe it isn't the words, but finding a way to really look at the emotions, at the feelings, and convey them with a punch. It would be nice to punch something. With words. Like a grown ass woman.

Here's to a fresh week, my friends. May your words flow like wine, your wine flow like water, and your water be lead-free.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016

Goal setting, writing, the New Year

Goals for this upcoming year:
Write!
Write!
Write!
Derby!
Derby!
Write!
Derby!
Derby! Derby!
Write.
Maybe publish? Eh? :/

But seriously, I have a bunch of stories I want to get out- so I am delving into prose again, this year- but also, I'm going to keep this little guy updated more regularly! I enjoy talking to myself in public, which is basically what this blog is...

If you do follow my writing blog, feel free to comment or pitch in whenever you'd like! I love engaging with my readers and all feedback is welcome. Unless you're a dick, then obviously I'll respond negatively. Keep it constructive or gtfo.

In 2015, I participated in NaNoWriMo: started and finished a book. Ambitiously, I'm hoping to knock out the second book this year and start on a third from the same fantasy world. I also have some poetry to work on, so I'm going to try to keep this steam rolling.
My intention is to get a blog post up at least once a week (Sunday, but that's not strict) and to do a 5 in 5 challenge once a month (5 poems in 5 days). 

Write at you, soon.

Friday, January 1, 2016

A Tree in January

Upside down
we are just writhing
shadows, snakes sliding
over each other
and disappearing
into the depths 
of the frozen
grasslands
But look up, 
and I reach to the sky
unfettered
living
dancing in the 
harsh, cold gusts
of wind

Happy 2016, or whatever

"Everyone lies about writing. They lie about how easy it is or how hard it was. They perpetuate a romantic idea that writing is some beautiful experience that takes place in an architectural room filled with leather novels and chai tea. They talk about their "morning ritual" and how they "dress for writiing" and the cabin in Big Sur where they go to "be alone" -blah blah blah. No one tells the truth about writing a book. Authors pretend their stories were always shiny and perfect and just waiting to be written. The truth is, writing is this: hard and boring and occasionally great but usually not. Even I have lied about writing. I have told people that writing this book has been like brushing away dirt from a fossil. What a load of shit. It has been like hacking away at a freezer with a screwdriver."

~Amy Poehler, Yes Please

I had a wonderful conversation with one of my teammates last night, somewhere before or after midnight. We were talking about roller derby and how there are moments that are sparkly and wonderful and you want to scream "Yeah buddy! I did a thing!" but for the most part, it's hard and sometimes you just want to sit down and cry for hours because you just can't get it. Then I started reading Yes Please, a badass Christmas present from my brother-in-law, and I was like YES. THIS. There are some life lessons and shit right there.

Shit is mostly hard and boring, but because you slog through you get to create and witness something that makes all of it worthwhile.

So last year was mostly shit, but I wrote another book! Yessss. It was mostly poorly done, but it is finished and the next one will be better because I got through the first one and I learned some shit.

Hope y'all learned some shit this past year and that next year you have at least one Hell Yes moment.