Poetry: My Only Language

Though short stories are one of my favorite things to write, with the aspect of control over the a life I could never live, or already have. It gives me time to write out and evaluate situations I'm going through or have been through. Pretty much it's a complete escape into another world that allows me to explore options and freedom of stress.

But sometimes you can't escape your issues through a story or play out all the different scenarios in writing. You can't write a new path and pretend everything is okay when it isn't. When times like that come around, when creating a new story isn't an option... that's the time for the truth to come pouring out through paper and pen. That's when poetry becomes my only language.

Poetry is a  productive and healthy way to face all my problems head on without drowning in the fear of them. I cannot express how many times poetry has saved me, quite literally.

Whether to express my darkest feelings, or try to get down in words the love I feel towards someone, it always helps shed some life on the subject. My conscious and heart finally agree to work together and get done the truth that's within me.

When I'm done I can reread to see how I feel about the situation. Or even at times I can reread it and see how much I'm over reacting. It's incredible how reading thoughts like that helps you see how the anger or fear or depression blinds you from reality. By just doing that you can save yourself a world of unneeded pain or anger.

This is one of my favorite pieces that I've written:

Here's to the broken hearted
The carelessly discarded
Here's to the blood shot eyes
The disregarded cries
Fighting the dark
Like a dying lighter spark
Bite your tongue until it bleeds
Because your words are what plant the seeds
Of doubt inside your mind
Lost but no one wants to find
The broken soul you have become
Cut and smoke, now perminately numb
A blinded future with a haunted past
How long can this high last?
How can you kill the enemy without suicide?
I'll stop. It's over. I'm fine. I lied.
Move on as if I was never here
For I never was, my faithless dear

The Hard Truths of Writing

Though this career is pretty much my dream, and I can fantasize about it all I want, there are a lot of hardships and difficulties you go through for even a chance of your dream to come true. I always knew that it wasn't an easy career path to follow, and while doing research for my career project for AP Lang, I ran across a blog (which I will post a link to at the end) that helped put things in place in my mind about what'll it take to achieve my dream.

Pretty much every part of this career is up in the air. There is no real formula of success in this business. I mean, true, vampires may be in now, but by the time you're done writing your Twilight-rip off and it's published...? Everyone has already moved on to salsa dancing robots (okay, maybe that won't be a thing any time soon, but you see my point). Really there is no way to tell what'll work and what won't until it just does. No one can predict that though, so there's never any sign or hint if your book will sell 1 copy, 100 copies, or if you're lucky they could fly off the shelf. You just don't know.

Oh writing! It's so freeing, so different, so unique! You wrote the most beautiful, tragic, inspiring love affair that not even Romeo and Juliet can touch! Soooo... the editors are definitely going to pick up your book and give it to a publisher right? WRONG. If they don't think it'll sell, they're not passing your book on to any publisher. Like every other business, it's all about the money. Sure there's still a ton of passion and love for literature, but a fat paycheck always helps, doesn't it?

In this career you have constant competition, with over a billion books a week being released. Anyone can publish a book at this point with self-publishing. Real, good old fashion, book stores are going under (two Barnes and Noble have already been closed near my house). People who love you online- through a blog or twitter you might run- aren't exactly going to go out and buy your book. The book you poured your heart soul in to? Yeah, everyone hates it.

Writing is one big gamble. You never know what'll happen. Nothing is set in stone with what's in, what people want, what people will say. Every time you try you might just get a big, "LOL NOPE."

But if you love to write, if this is your passion, don't ever give up. Because yes, there's many chances to get turn down, but there is still all those chances to have your dream fulfilled and get published.

Keep knocking on those doors, because even if a thousand shut you down, that thousand and one door might just be your ticket to your dreams.

Here is the link to the incredible article: 25 Hard Truths About Writing and Publishing