My Writing Process – Blog Tour

The following is part of the 2014 International Blog Tour – Enjoy!

My Writing Process – Blog Tour

Step one: Acknowledge the person and site that involved you in the blog tour.

That would be Rosemary Nissen-Wade a brilliant Aussie poet. Her book Secret Leopard, published by Alyscamps Press, is not to be missed. Rosemary has been a wonderful mentor for me. She is always there with encouraging words and will freely give grammar pointers when they are needed. Both of these attributes along with her ability to ‘poet’ a tear to my eye are a few of the reasons I find Rosemary so endearing. When she asked me to take part in a Blog Tour (and explained it to me) I could not resist. To learn more about Rosemary and read her poetry for yourself visit her blog SnakyPoet blog, http://rosemary-nissen-wade.blogspot.com/ you will not be disappointed.

Step two: Answer the 4 questions below about your writing process:

1) What am I working on?
Whew! Okay but just remember you asked…. 

For a living I am a content creator/ copywriter with my partner and at the moment we are rewriting the website for a local career college. It has been fun and challenging project at times. I also enjoy writing motivational non-fiction. I have a blog, Tune In 2 Life that I am in the process of churning into a motivational self-help book. 

My real passion is writing poetry. I look forward to the day when poetry can keep me in the lifestyle I have yet to become accustom to.

As far a my poetry projects I have a few. One book I started some years back (yes years) is a hybrid poetry and autobiography about me and my first mentor Audre Lorde. Another project that I am dabbling with is a poetic fantasy with the working title While the Moon Dances Above. Think Helen Patrice’s A Woman on Mars but less Science Fiction and more a kin to a Celtic fantasy.

I am also challenging myself by participating in Poetics Asides PAD 2014 Challenge. I have enjoyed the excuse to write a poem everyday in April. I might not always keep up but I try to catch up when I can. The side perk of completing this challenge is the possibility of a collaborated poetry book with Rosemary Nissen-Wade, Helen Patrice, and my dear friend Leigh Spencer and we are all completing poetry challenges this month.

Another project I am working on is with a local artist Elisabeth Spillman Nord. Nord is an outstanding abstract artist who’s work inspires poetry from my soul. The two of us have already had a portion of our show Interactions hang at the Got Art Gallery (See video here). We have secured a showing the first Friday in August at the Wheat Gallery. After that, we hope to have Interactions show in another gallery before September.

2) How does my work differ from others of its genre?

This is one of those questions that seems straight forward but yet I find hard to answer.

Like most poets I write from my heart but we all have different experiences that we pull from and that have unconsciously become a part of us. Up to the age of 20, when I moved out of my parents home, I had moved 29 times. Needless to say I have met a lot of people and from an age when I was building my understanding of the world. This influences me a lot as a writer almost as much as being a lesbian raised as a Mormon. I think that it is all of the unique experiences I have had that tend to set me apart. I am always searching for the soul of things, experiences, and people. I use poetry as a decanter so I can taste the fullness of life and all it has to offer.

3) Why do I write what I do?

My life is empowered by the words of other poets. Audre Lorde, Alice Walker, Mary Oliver to name a few. Through their words, these women encouraged me to live and share my own voice. I not only feel that I owe it to them to write but I hope that my own words will someday touch someone else as deep as they touched me. 

I admit sharing my words has not been an easy thing to do, but I cannot stop writing poetry. It really is how I digest life and it is the core of my understanding of myself and my place in the world.

4) How does your writing process work?

Ah well the usual process involves a spark of some sort. It could be a word, a feeling, a dream something that inspires or maybe even shakes me. I tend to just let the emotion turn into words.

Sometimes the feelings are there but the words elude me. To get the flow going, I use meditation to get to the heart of what I want to say. Then I just start writing eventually the words just flow out on their own.

I usually free write and then come back to fix and clarify later after I have given the poem and me some breathing space. 

All of this writing takes place on my laptop or iPad. I have always had some adverse reaction to physically writing by hand. Add this to the fact that spelling, phonics, and bits and bobs of grammar have always posed a challenge to me. As you might imagine, I loved it when word processors came out. No one had to see my hurried mistakes or dyslexic tendency. POOF like magic deleted. I love it!

Step 3: Who’s Next?

I was asked to choose three other bloggers to pass on the torch. At this moment I have not found anyone to pass the baton on to. So until I do please take a moment and check out Rosemary’s blog. Also my very dear friend Leigh Spencer has just published a wonderful poetry book Tequila & Cookies. Give yourself a gift and buy the book, and maybe some tequila too.… You will be thanking me later I am sure.

Also if you are a writer with a blog and would like to participate in this Blog Tour message me.

Thank you all for reading this post and my poetry. I appreciate your support.