Hello Write Queeners,

For some reason, others trust me with their work and ideas (what do they think I am, a real writer?). What comes along with this privilege is listening to the stories of doubt and fear. They are writing things that are close to their hearts and they want to convey emotion and craftsmanship, but are scared of the can of worms that will open and if they will fall flat of their expectations.

As a writer, whether I am writing a poem, a blog, or other, these feelings are all the time. As writers we choose to lay ourselves open. We are books in constant creation, edit, and rewrite mode. We are in competition with others (in friendly and not so friendly ways), but more importantly with ourselves. It's easy to get caught up in the politics of writing and the writing life.

But I am here to tell you a lesson that I've learned, but need to reenforce often. The number one rule to writing anything is one simple thing:

GET IT OUT

Forget about editing. Forget about censoring. It's great to have concepts/ideas for some of your work, but if you are getting caught up in that more than actually writing, then you are losing raw material. All you have to do is:

GET IT OUT

Fine-tuning comes later. Just continue with what you have and worry about the details after. If you get it right on the first draft, bless you. You are amazing. Share it with the world. But remember it is okay to take your time with a piece, then share. Hey, you don't have to share it at all if you don't want to. Writing is ours to do what we want with it. You are not going to share everything you write. So remember that no matter that doubts and fears you have, don't let it stop you. All you have to do is:

GET IT OUT

Seems easy right? It's not. It never will be. BUT you will save yourself some grief if you try to remember this one rule.

Till next time, all you have to do is: GET IT OUT!

Hello Poets and Readers!

In my last post, I talked about a couple of reminders you should repeat to yourself while doing the 30/30 challenge. Now that you have that down pact, you might be wondering how you can keep up the momentum. Well don't worry because I have a few tips!

1. Keep it short! - I know that after writing a few longer pieces, the thought of writing another one tires my soul. That's when I switch gears and look into short forms such as haiku, tanka, lunes, the six-word poem, writing a poem via Twitter and more. Keep it simple, make it fun, or use this opportunity to play around with language under limited constraints. Remember that you don't have to stick to the topics that traditionally go with these forms. Be daring and write about what's true to you.

2. Prompt It! - There are so many prompts out there for poets. I love when I find one that immediately starts a fire in me. Here are a few places that I go to for prompts and some new discoveries:

3. It's All About Form! - Trying different poetry forms are a challenge and is extremely fun (if you are into certain forms of mental torture...I kid, kind of). Some of us are creatures of habit and write about the same themes over and over again, so using different forms of poetry can either force us into another topic (some forms are known for certain themes) or makes it seem like we are changing things up.  Here's a couple of starting points for looking into forms: Poets.org and PoetryFoundation.org

4. There's an App for that! - Not the most popular, but poetry apps for your phone or tablet do exist. You won't be creating your most epic poems through apps, but they are fun and can jump start some ideas for more poems. Check out a post from a couple of years ago about a few recommended apps. Look out for a more recent list of poetry apps later on in the month.

5. Reading is Fundamental! - Pick up a poetry book and read! Sometimes the words of others will spark ideas of your own. Take it a step further. Take a random line from a poem in the book and use it as your first line, building from there.

Bonus: Here's a post I wrote last year about Mondegreen, when you misinterpret a phrase as a result of near-homophony, in a way that gives it a new meaning - using it as a tool to write a poem.

Hope these tips help you lovely poets out there. Share some results with me in the comments!

Till next time, 

The Write Queen

Hello my fellow poets!

Many of you are participating in the classic 30/30 challenge. Some of you may be attempting it for the first time. From experience, I know how the first timers are feeling right about now. 

If you don't have a lot of time on your hands, you have probably fallen behind already...maybe around Day 3. Am I correct? Maybe it was Day 4 or 5, but you have fallen behind at least once.

Now you are worried about your ability to do this. You may already feel like well I am behind, I won't be able to catch up. 

Guess what? You are getting along just fine. 

It's normal to fall behind. It's normal to have days where you can't write. You may freeze up for the rest of the month. It's okay!

The point of this challenge is to write. That's all. Forget about impressing other poets. Forget about editing a piece to perfection. Forget about missing days and falling behind. Don't be afraid to admit that you are only up to your third poem. Pick up from there, whether you start back up from 3/30 or 7/30. Don't worry if it's not your best. No poet is perfect (okay maybe there might be a few...). Share or don't share. DO WHATEVER YOU WANT, JUST DON'T GIVE UP.

Though if you have to stop the challenge, tell yourself it's okay. There's always next year. AND the beauty of being a writer is that you can do a 30/30 anytime. We have other months of the year.

I have been doing the 30/30 challenge since 2009. One year, I didn't even finished and I was ashamed of myself. All the things I have told you not to do, well I have done it to myself and let me tell you: It doesn't feel good and will do nothing for your writing.

All of this is probably the reason why this year, I decided to do it a little differently. I know my poor overworked brain is not into poetry at the moment(writing it that is). I don't want to pressure of 30 poems. Been there, done that, rewrote and revised the script. 

This year I am challenge my literary journalism and marketing skills by blogging about poetry related things. I always wanted to write about my experiences in the literary arts, but I am not consistent. Maybe this will help me with consistency. Hopefully something I write will inspire and encourage others on the 30/30 and literary journey. Poetry is life and we have to write about the lives we live. And poetry of course (I will write a couple of poems!)

Hope this post was able to lift your spirits (just a little? please?) and move on past some of your doubts. If you need an ear or some help with writing, feel free to send a message my way!

Till next time, write on!

Hello my lovely readers and poets!

April 1st begins a month I love and know I am going to be absolutely immersed in this time around: National Poetry Month/National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo).

There are plenty of beautiful events and more importantly, there's the 30/30.

The 30/30 is when a poet takes on the challenge of writing 30 poems in 30 days. They are shared on blogs, Facebook, in groups, or kept to themselves. It ends dry spells, pushes limits, breaks open gems, and brings curious readers and poets alike to your work. It's a beautiful thing!

I've been participating in the 30/30 since 2009. First couple of years, it was easy and fun. As I continued, it became a challenge to find time and one year, I couldn't complete it. Though I don't think anyone but a few loyal friends really look at my blog during this time, I was disappointed in myself. I got through the challenge last year, but there was so much pressure and I barely remember the thrill of it.

It wasn't fun anymore.

As it slowly approached this year, I was weighing my options: Do I try again this year, know my time is limited? OR Do I change it up for myself?

Let the change begin!

Instead of writing 30 poems everyday, I am going to just do something relating to the nature of poetry everyday.

I will write. I will read. I will share. I will participate and go to events. Yes, being a poet - poetry is about writing poetry. But poetry is always discovering the poems of others by reading and listening. Poetry is about history of the skin and the reaction to words. It's not just about what the poet can do with their pen. We have to support each other through feedback and sharing everything.

So how are we going to start sharing a life of poetry? Check out my next post in a little while!

If you haven't heard of this amazing poet named Thomas Fucaloro, then you have been missing out on a lot. 

Just his voice is enough to rattle your bones, but his words...phew! I've seen him perform a few times in the past couple of months and each time, I've learned a little more about this man who roars raw energy into any room he performs in.

He's a busy bee, coming out with his second book from Three Rooms Press, It Starts from the Belly and Blooms: Poems earlier this year and doing awesome projects such as the video below. 

Directed by Advocate of Wordz, Thomas tells us about his love for used books and why one day you should give away his collection of used poetry books for the sake continuing a book's journey from the hands of one lover to another.

Now that you've seen the video...wasn't that amazing? 

It's wonderful to see a poem come to life not only through performance, but through film. 

Now I have to check out Thomas' book. Will we be back with a Write Recommendation?

I think so ;)

Bravo Thomas and Advocate of Wordz!

Hello my loves,

What is Comprehending Forever? Is it sitting in a low lit venue by the bar while cracking the spine of poems in the middle of a book release party? Or is it the drowning that occurs while doing so, reluctantly putting the book down even though the poet is about to read a selection from the book? Perhaps, but it is also the title of Rich Villar's first book of poetry. 

I've heard and seen Rich's name around the internet, knowing that he was kind of a big deal. I barely have had the chance to be exposed to his work, but trusting the greater community on the internet and my friend Annette, who asked me to tag along with her to his book release at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, I was curious and eager to see what he was about for myself. 

Published by Willow Books, the literary imprint of Aquarius Press, Comprehending Forever is a book of love poems that pushes you through the phases of beauty, worship, and grief. You see Rich's dedication to his beloved, his craft, and loss that resonates through finding solace in another being through this landscape of words. I have not been moved by a set of love poems by a male poet within or close to my generation in a long time. You can easily fall in love with Rich's spirit through reading this body of work. I have read love poems by men in the recent years, but not in this abundance with the high level openness and craftsmanship that Rich possesses.

The blurbs on the back of his book compared his work to that of Pablo Neruda. Rarely would I say or agree that anyone in this generation is reminiscent of a poet as classic as Neruda, but I do have to agree that not only is this true, but Rich Villar also has a voice that is all his own. 

When I purchase a book, as I did at his release, I usually flip through the pages as a preview and then am able to put it away till later. I was so intrigued by his work that I started to read it at the release while sitting at the bar. Even when he was about to read from the book, I was reluctant to stop because I was so caught up in the beauty of it. I continued it this morning and closed the book with great content.

As for his book release party, that was great! It was filled with love and support from his family, friends, and peers. Martin Espada, Eduardo Arocho, Vallerie Matos, Lauren Schmidt, Lynne Procope and Thomas Fucaloro all performed before Rich took over the mic and read from Comprehending Forever. It was a great night of poetry and it's definitely one of the nights that any poet who reaches this point looks forward to.

Here is a snipplet of his reading from the release (and I mean snipplet because this was Instagram'd). To purchase the book, go to the Willow Books online store.

To find out a little more about Rich Villar, you can visit his blog Literati Boricua or awesome networks like Twitter. Or Google because Google is cool too.

Hello Write Queeners!

Sometimes we run into the things we need to hear the most when we least expect it.

This evening, I went to a happy hour for the younger crowd of my corporate job. I knew almost no one from the group and quietly observed and listened for most of the evening. As the group got smaller, I did get to hear some pretty awesome stories about how some of them got to the current point of their career, but when it was my turn, I was definitely the odd one out: a writer from a struggling Latino household who has had to sacrifice so much for survival and is barely able to pursue her dreams as she should, working in the insurance industry because they were hiring - not because she planned on being there like most of the people that surrounded her at the moment.

While I made new acquaintances, I felt lonelier than I did before I went. Everyone parted ways and before I knew it, I was at home (one of my homes - I switch between my parents depending on who needs me around at the moment while I make some decisions). I went on Facebook like the good ol' social media junkie that I am when I noticed a link that my friend Annette shared.

It was the link to the online premiere of a short film called Stereotypically Me. I trust Annette's Facebook shares so I decided to check it.

"Stereotypically Me" is a film written, directed, and produced by Linda Nieves Powell. According to the event page, which was brought to audiences by Sofrito Media Group: Lydia, a struggling screenwriter, is pressured to get rid of her stereotypical muse Marisol in order to become a more successful writer. Marisol, a sassy, urban Latina, refuses to change. Lydia must decide whether to embrace her duality or kill the muse. Go ahead and check it out before you read the rest of what I have to say.

In this almost ten minute film, Linda shows the world what every writer of any cultural background goes through.

As I fine tune myself as a writer, I find myself contemplating the same sacrifices or break ups. This is something that I relate to not only through ethnic culture, but through genre, age, sex, and medium.

We write about what we know, but "successful writers" must go beyond that and write about things that make others feel comfortable in order to get their foot in the door. We have to decompose and detach what is natural to us, even if the story is not true to ourselves to maybe achieve greater success.

I have received many rejections. If only they were as blunt as the one in the film because I am constantly wondering what I need to change in order to be successful. Do I move away from what I typically write poems about? Do I change my writing style to match more closely with well-known poets? Do I change my niche for blogging or even my medium for art? Do I disassociate myself from experiences we don't see on paper often? What do I cut out? Who should I be?

I am still trying to figure out what to embrace and what to change or if I should change anything at all. Do I get rid of all of my Marisols or do I let my Lydia and Marisol fight the good fight together so I can become a successful writer on my terms and leave the rat race (and avoid disheartening happy hours)?

I have a lot to think about.

Sigh...you know something is good when it creates a dialogue not only with yourself but with the community at large. Share this video, share your thoughts. Let's tell the world our stories because one day the color of the world will be US!

Definitely a Write Recommendation!

The event page will be up for the next 90 days here.

Hello Write Queeners!

So many blogs these past few days, right? Consistency is definitely one of my current goals.

I have developed an terrible habit of buying and starting several books at the same time. What usually helps is that most of them are poetry. It's when I get to fiction, memoir, self-help, etc that I am in trouble.

The reason I am a book jumper? It's because these books contain outstanding work and sometimes a girl needs to take a break from all of that grandness and mull over it. Then I get busy and don't pick up the book for a while. I miss the semi-free time of college. Heck I miss the care free days of high school. Yeah I said it. Care free. Compared to now, high school was a breeze. 

Anyway, here is a list of my current reads along with a link in case you want to read along with me (maybe you'll motivate me to finish faster). Maybe we can start a Book Jumpers club!

1. Her Book: Poems by Éireann Lorsung
2. Chasing Utopia by Nikki Giovanni
3. Urban Tumbleweed: Notes From A Tanka Diary by Harryette Mullen 
4. Mother's Day at the Orphanage by David Abts and Michael Shattuck  
5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini  
6. Emotional Wisdom by Mantak Chia and Dena Saxer
7. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

And I have finished other books in between some of these. This also doesn't compare to the many books I've bought this past year that I haven't touched yet. So many books, so little time!

Till next time loves!

When you ask a question, but don't receive an answer, it leaves you in limbo. You carry on with your day or days but you have knots in your stomach and a slight ache in your chest. Nothing alleviates that, but the answer. Nothing allows you to move, but the answer. If you could answer your own question, you wouldn't have asked. You would be okay. 

But instead you wait. You act out in small ways. You take it out on others who just want to see the crinkle in your forehead disappear. You start to ask more questions, pull more scenarios in your head, and fill yourself with a slew of emotions that may not be necessary for the situation. You feel as though you could possibily go crazy because it seems simple.

It seems like a simple question based on the the actions and events that have occurred and the answer should be easy to obtain. But it's not. It's silent, sometimes selfishly so. Do you realize that you have another heart waiting on the line? Do you realize that they won't hang up until you pick up and say the words? 

Listen, I am a writer. Words mean everything. I need to hear the words even when actions speak loud and clear. Because sometimes nothing is what it seems. We need to talk. We need words. Not insecurities or silence. Not a wall of issues. We just need to say the words and know that these are the words we stand by. Repeat them over and over again. Those are the ones that stick. Those are the answers we seek if it's what we want. 

Don't flip flop on me, don't leave me hanging. Don't use yourself as an excuse because right now, this situation, whatever the situation is, has one more to the equation. It's not about your 'you' stuff at the moment. It's about the stuff you chose to start. It's about the stuff you dragged other people into. You can go back to you later. Just give me what I need to stay or go. 

Listen, baby I am a writer. So we know I could write a book on what I'm feeling. As a matter of fact, been there, done that. Said my piece a thousand times over. Sometimes without listening. But I'm listening now. I'm listening to the four walls I choose to confine myself in because sunshine hurts. Sleep is easier than breathing. I could be a workaholic, but everything turns into a 'you'. Every word that turns into a lump of words that comes from the happiness, sadness, pain, anger, lust, compassion, and love you pull out of me. 

I'm so sick of being the understanding one babe. Do you not see the hell I am willing to put myself in for you? I am so angry because I just wanted the simple things and have been met with silence, resistance, a straight up fussiness at times while I bend backwards and wait. And wait. And wait some fucking more. I could write a book on all the bad you make me feel. Yet you have the audacity to get mad when I react? Why do I always have to be the one to reach out first? Be a decent person and give me the love or pain that's due for once first. I'm tired of reaching out for my own pleasure or demise. Oh you don't know how vexed you make me...

Until you touch my hand. Until I hear your voice. Until you show those fleeting sweet moments that makes me sit here in knots and wait. And wait some more. And wait some fucking more, all for simply

an answer.


Come find me in limbo sweetie. I'll be waiting.

I haven't posted a poem in ages, especially since I have been workshopping a lot of my pieces, but since I wrote this nearly a half an hour after my blog post, I'm kind of feeling myself - blog and poem all in one day in the span of an hour. Plus it was one of those Here write a poem moments via text with my dear writing biffle (If I keep calling him that, he will disown me). Plus it's an excuse to come up with a new section - The Write Poems.

Vacant

I wonder who else I may be lost to.

The stage is lit, the crowd full,
but my struggle is bee-lined to you -
an apocalypse in the middle of 
book writing and a girl's night out,
vacant eyes dreaming our moments
against vibrating speakers or
with fingers in mid-air, keyboard 
waiting stiffly beneath my fingers.

Voices rattle around my ear drums, 
hushed against the silent movie of our 
memories - repeat repeated over and over 
until one of my friends or the 
gentle buzzing of the screen 
wordlessly touch the back of my neck,

the stage lights dimming down as I pull 
in another tale beneath the folds of my chest, 
a gentle smile that cannot climb 
to my eyes, mouths the words

"I'm here."



Then the glorious editing suggestions. I like this version too, though it takes out a good line.



Edit:

Vacant

I wonder who else I may be lost to.

apocalypse in the middle of 
book writing and a girl's night out,
vacant eyes dreaming our moments
against vibrating speakers or 
with fingers in mid-air, keyboard 
waiting stiffly beneath my fingers.

Voices rattle around my ear drums, 
hushed against our memories - 
repeat repeated over and over 
until one of my friends or the 
gentle buzzing of the screen 
wordlessly touch the back of my neck,

lights dimming down as I pull 
in another tale beneath the folds of my chest, 
a gentle smile that cannot climb 
to my eyes, mouths the words

"I'm here."


Opinions? Comments are always welcome.