I will rave about poetry until the day I die.

Welcome back lovely people. Today I will talk a little about my upcoming poetry book. I won't spoil the name of it, but its acronym is T.G.C. I did not intend to make this compilation at the onset. I wrote one of the poems around 2016, another in 2019, and the rest within the past year. I realized I had a theme going in a few of my poems and decided to keep going with it. I love poetry. 

​About TGC

The theme for my poetry book surrounds glass, namely mirrors and gems to represent false hope and new beginnings. I write about falling for cracked mirrors to represent a cycle I found myself in continuously hoping for something I knew would never pan out when it came to relationships with people. When I say relationships I'm referring to friendships and familial relationships as well as romantic. There is a lot of confusion in TGC as I question my motives and my lack of self-awareness when I fall back into the cycle. The book is really a journey to healing - represented by gems - and getting to a place where I prioritize myself. Let me tell you, I do not often write about myself. A majority of my poems are fictional narratives, but in TGC, some of those poems are inspired from my real-life experiences. I am being vulnerable and raw about what goes on in my mind. I am confronting my incorrect patterns of thinking. Super nerve-racking but these poems are way too good to keep private. I know many people could benefit from reading TGC and enjoy the message. 

Imagery

The poems are graphic and gory. Lots of blood, wounds, and scars. Emotional pain can be just as bad as physical pain and I wanted to express those emotional wounds in a physical way. I find it easier to describe imagery in poetry than in fictional stories because the structural expectations are different. You can experiment more in poetry in my opinion. Maybe I forced a rigid structure upon myself that isn't necessary. Either way, I feel more free in poetry. I really surprised myself with the images and metaphors I came up with. The Resident Evil 8 video game inspired the imagery for one poem. I love how I can grab inspiration from anywhere and weave it into the narrative I am writing. It makes writing enjoyable and stimulating. Who knows what I'll say next!

Publishing

I do plan on self-publishing T.G.C. because I have a specific idea of how it must look. I might add illustrations. I want more creative control on how it comes out. Plus, it's a project that is near and dear to my heart so I want to hold it close. I thought I was done with T.G.C. but I have an idea for another poem. The plan is to publish it in 2022, but I am not opposed to refining it and publishing it next year. 

Thank you for reading about T.G.C.! I hope when it does come out you all will be interested in reading it. :) Also click the link below this post to get a custom poem from me for only $10!

*Photo by Tuva Mathilde Løland on Unsplash.com!

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Welcome back to my blog. It's been awhile I know! But I am back so enjoy today's post about a conference I attended two weeks ago.

I heard about the Black Writers Weekend (BWW) through my best friend back in May or early June. It was a four day conference set in Atlanta, Georgia from August fourth to the seventh. BWW  included workshops, panels, screenings, and networking. There were different types of creatives like literary writers, filmmakers, and podcasters! What a great start to an ending summer, just what I needed. So, why was this weekend significant?

                                                          Legal Career vs. Creative Career
I spent the past three years in law school working towards a Juris Doctor degree and finally graduated three and a half months ago - yay me! But that wasn't the end. The second week of May to July 26th was reserved for studying for the California bar exam. BWW came a week after I took the exam. Great, a chance to spend most of my time working on creative projects while I wait for results! Law school was a lovely challenge that didn't leave much room for developing my fictional stories. I want to create content for this blog, for my ASMR YouTube channel (fading sunlight asmr), and write my short story. It's exciting to devote my free time to creative expression and build my creative career. Writing is fun and expressive. I want to indulge in it as much as I can before I dive back into legal land. I have so much to say, it would be a crime to keep it all in. BWW was a mental reset to get my mind back into writer mode/creator mode.

                                                          Practical Advice vs. Motivation
During BWW I attended several sessions such as how to get a literary agent, creating social media content, access to Hollywood, and MORE. I gained practical advice and motivation through the speakers' inspirational words. Those two go hand in hand. Sometimes hearing the steps you need to complete something is not enough. You know what you gotta do, but where's the motivation? The sessions I attended that had speakers sharing their successes, failures, and insight were just as necessary as the speaker who taught us how to approach a literary agent. Imagine having a car with no key. Yes, you have a mode of transportation, but nothing to make it start. You can't drive anywhere if the car doesn't turn on. The car is the practical advice and the key is motivation. My mind is ever flowing with ideas. Sometimes I don't know how to bring them to fruition while other times I don't have the motivation to physically work on them. Sometimes it's fear! Following your dreams takes courage. What if I publish a book but people hate it?! What if someone gets offended by a line in my poem?! What if I get laughed at?! I think it is natural to have these thoughts, but I can't let them stop me from putting my work out there. I appreciate the speakers for being vulnerable and authentic and for taking the time to encourage us creatives. The conference renewed my creative spirit. 
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I hope you readers stick around to follow the content that is soon to come.

*Photo by Mika Baumeister on Unsplash!