In 1994, in Mrs. Rowe's 5th grade class at Avon Grove Elementary School, after my classmates and I learned about the different types of poetic structure, our final unit assignment entailed constructing a collection of our own poems -- illustrated, laminated and bound with a piece of yarn. I vividly remember writing a poem for that collection entitled, "A Windy, Cold Day" and how, as she outlined the assignment, inspiration struck me in an intense vision, and I could think of nothing else but bringing that vision to life for her, my reader.
Right after school, I furiously crafted that poem on lined yellow paper, aware of how each word represented a distinct image, and each punctuation mark a cause for pause or emotion, and that I only had a certain framework to work within. Mrs. Rowe returned my final collection of poems with an A+, and a comment about how much she enjoyed "A Windy, Cold Day" in particular, and that I'll make an excellent writer someday.
Fast-forward to 2018, when I'd been seated in a corporate cubicle for ten years, and I realized that I am halfway through my life. Mrs. Rowe's feedback surfaced at that very moment, and really made me think and reflect - was I where I wanted to be, doing what I should be doing in life? So, after much deliberation with friends and family, I left my cubicle to "become a writer." In all honesty, it has been an almost four-year-long process of failure, research, collaboration, learning, and challenging life experiences, but I can honestly say that "I'm a writer" without feeling like a fraud because:
1. I'm using years of marketing experience to create content on my very own website.
2. I'm actively seeking freelance proofreading jobs on two different online platforms.
3. I continue to market the children's book series I wrote in 2018, 'The Culinary Adventures of Mordelfitz and Cheechai' to prospective publishers.
4. I've completed a rough outline of a work memoir, and it is my goal to complete the first draft by 12/31/2022.
And most importantly, because:
5. I am already a published writer. My first book, a hardback called "My Dog Sheba" was typeset and bound by members of the Avon Grove Elementary Publishing Company in second grade, and I illustrated the first edition myself. More recently, in college, I was twice a contributing writer for the 'Shop Around the Corner' column in "Mountain Home Magazine."
Elevation as a writer is only a matter of goal-setting, time-management, organization, and discipline...join me as I continue to post the chronicles of my journey toward a life of authenticity and purpose!
You are welcome to keep coming back here to see new content. However, a better option is to subscribe to my newsletter! You will get updates on new posts and special content that is only available to my subscribers.
Copyright © 2022 Views and Coffee - All Rights Reserved.
Powered by GoDaddy