The Great Jackie Smith (not unlike the gift giving pumpkin) did an awesome online hangout and wrote a post about it. She challenged other writers to share fun facts and how they got into writing. Since, I’m reclusive and seldom post more than poetry and the occasional joke, I thought it time to open up.
Admittedly, how poetry became my thing is kind of convoluted and not exactly clear. I wrote a lot of stories when I was young: for friends, myself, siblings, or anyone who would read them really. Poetry was more of my guilty pleasure growing up: something I did secretly and never shared. It’s hard letting people see what goes on inside your head and poetry might reflect that better than anything. I was a shy, insecure kid (though totally different now of course. I mean it. I’VE CHANGED, DANG IT!). I don’t think I really shared any of my poetry publicly until my high school English teacher noticed some of my fiction and started a writing club. Though I mostly did read my fiction for the group, I felt brave enough to try some poetry. And it wasn’t until college I got back into it.
My creative writing professor was really instrumental in that, as was his belief in students submitting to the college literary journal. My first try, I didn’t get in and felt devastated. Like I said, it’s hard to not take rejection personally, especially when poetry comes from somewhere deep inside of you. But I kept writing and tried again. And that’s all you really can do: you can’t fear failure or not being any good. Poetry is brave, even when we aren’t. I managed to get some poems into my college literary journal the next year and placed second in a contest. It was an amazing feeling as I’d never really won anything before.
I wish I could say it was all history from there but frankly I’m not that great and it continues to be a journey. There’s so much life left to live and life more than anything creates words. My greatest cure for poetic writers block has always been to be alive and let it inspire me.
The Midnight Writer 