I Made It!

Hola, August!! In June, I made a pledge to blog every day in July. I did really good with that. I blogged every day of July except one. I am so proud of myself. I haven't been the best at keeping up with my blog for the last year and a half. I allowed my emotions to take me away from my passion. I will not make that mistake ever again. Writing is my thing. I gotta remember that no matter what happens, writing is the thing that helps me through it all. I am glad that I did it. I am just hoping that August will be a productive blogging month for me. I will not be making any proclamations though lol. I just pledge to be a better writer tomorrow than I am today. That I will write and post as often as I can. Thank you guys for reading and sharing my world with me. Hope that your August is amazing as well. One Love!!

Message!

I really should be but I am burnt out. But, this Idris Elba meme just might have given me all the motivation that I needed. Well, that and I am almost finished reading the dopest book and I cannot wait to review it here for you guys. Sometimes I sit and the words just won't come. You cannot force them. So, I don't. I get up and do something else, usually listen to music to stimulate my mind. I am forever thankful when the words flow like a river. Because then, I get to be my most authentic self. Words are just my thing. I love to write and create something new in my own words and my voice. Maybe the words will flow in the right way for my review later this week. I am praying that they do. Hope you guys have a happy Sunday. <3 i="">

5 Miles To Empty

My tank is figuratively on empty. I have simply run out of words. Well, good words. Great words. I feel like anything I write would be a pile of hot steaming trash. I could be wrong. I'm just in a bad mood it seems when it comes to writing. I'm sorry if that offends anyone. But, the writers, the writers will understand. I'll try again at a later date. Try to be a better writer than I was yesterday and the day before that. I will try and try until I succeed. I need to be better. It's one of my main goals in life. To be better. In all areas. I am praying that I can achieve this. Ok, I am done rambling. I'll be thankful tomorrow. Until then...enjoy the video that lent its name to this random post.

#30in30: Defining My Literary Voice

"Do you have a 5, 10 year plan?" he quietly asked. That question used to cripple me. Only because I never knew exactly what the right answer was supposed to be. It's like the "describe yourself in 5 words" question. Such a hard question to fully answer. This time, I had an answer. Because the older I get, the more focused I am becoming. My ultimate goal is to write a novel. That's the easy part, proclaiming my future. The hard part deciding what to write, what particular story to tell. In college, I started working on a novel. I was heavily influenced by the literature that I was taking in. I was all about the urban lit genre. I gobbled it up. I read just about every highly praised street lit book. The story lines were new and exciting to me. Mainly because they were all so foreign to my life. 

I grew up in the hood but I was never a street chick. I was enthralled with that lifestyle in the pages of those books. My first attempt at writing my novel was unauthentic to me. It wasn't my voice or my story to tell. So I destroyed it. I sent all of those words to a fiery death. I didn't want anyone to read them. They were awful. Now, I am more focused on telling a story that speaks of my heart. I know that I want to create great characters who have depth that just happen to be Black. My plot and story have to be awesome. I am leaning more towards a romantic comedy edge. That is what piques my interest. I want people to get so lost in my world that the race of my characters means nothing. I just want to write a beautiful moving piece of work. It's easier said than done. 

Anyone who proclaims to be a writer knows how hard it is to share your art with the world. My words are like my babies. It's hard to give the world your heart because everyone isn't going to love what you do. I have tough skin but my heart is fairly fragile. It's the one thing hindering me. I have decided to just do it. Just go for it. I have to know if I have the literary chops to make it. I feel it deep in my heart that I do. I know once I have my work published, I am opening ng myself up to the criticism of the world. People will have their strong opinions about it. Some will love it, others will hate it. I have to accept that fact. I know I won't be able to satisfy all of the readers with my work. I have to accept that fact. 

Finding and perfecting my literary voice has been a tedious task. I do not want to tell a story that has already been told. I cannot be a carbon copy of the writers I love. It's one of the main reason I love my blog. I get to write my story in my voice here. Writing is a skill that needs to be sharpened. It can only be accomplished by writing in mass quantity with mass quality. I pour my heart out here. I'm hoping that I can translate that passion into my novel. I am putting it out into the universe that I will write that special piece of literary gold. I'm focused on doing the work to achieve that. My mind, heart and literary voice are all in sync. Remember my name and this particular post. I know what my future holds.

Rant: I Think I'm...

Writing truly makes me happy. That said, I think I've reached a breaking point. Finding topics has become harder in the last month. I only like to wrote about issues that concern me and that I feel deeply about. I do not just write for the sake of blogging. I need to write. I've committed myself to blogging every day. So far, I've been able to accomplish this. It's the end of July and I haven't missed a day. I've even posted a few extra times this year. It has been truly hard work.

Some of my friends think that blogging is easy. It isn't. Some don't get why this is so important to me. It's me finally doing what my heart wants. All throughout school, writing has been my thing. I'm going to try to not fall off my writing goal. I cannot let myself down. I'm doing this for me. I have to write to better my craft. I'm writing myself into being a better writer. I guess this is just me putting myself on notice. I'm just ranting about feeling burnt out. I'll sleep on it and get through it. There will be more writing to come in this space. Don't mind me, I'm just in between thoughts.

“I hate writing, I love having written.” ― Dorothy Parker

A Novel Idea

One of my goals in life is to write novels. It's been a long term goal since I was in college. I've always been a lover of literature. Reading has been my hobby for as far back as I can remember. I've always allowed myself to become submerged in the world that authors create. Writers, to me, have long been the artists who painted the most vivid pictures in my mind with their words. I've always wanted to be able to do that. It started with poetry for me. In high school, I wrote for the yearbook and newspaper. I've written a bunch of short stories. This blog has helped me to get into the habit of writing daily. But, honestly, tackling my book scares me. I know it shouldn't but it does. I don't want to mess it up.

I've been kicking around ideas for characters and plots. I don't want to tell a story that's been done before. I don't want to do something that's different from my perspective. I want to develop and flesh out 3 dimensional characters. My goal as a writer is to write something that touches and moves people. I want to be one of the greats. I know I have to just buckle down and write. Just let the words flow from me. The words will come. They always do. I'm blogging about it to push myself into action. I've found that putting what you want out into the universe works. I'm speaking it into existence...amongst other things. I am a writer. I just needed a nudge to get started writing.

Blogging Is...

Blogging is a great outlet. Being that this is a personal blog, I fight one major battle daily. How much is too much? Where do I draw the line? I walk the fine line of when not to over share. This is my place to discuss my feelings on the world, music, books, life, love, relationships and family. I've touched on a lot of these issues. Sometimes I write things that I feel are too personal to share in this space. I love the freedom that blogging allows me in my writing. I can vent or rant or praise anything here. It's what makes me happy.

I would never want to write something that I wasn't proud of here. I have posted about topics that have been difficult for me. But I felt that I needed to tackle them here. I try to not write about my family in detail because they did not ask for their lives to be put on display. The same goes for my Love and my friends. I wrote an awesome blog that I feel is too centered on one person in my life. I realize that I have to protect certain parts of my life in this space. I think that comes with the territory though. I just felt the need to discuss this. I wonder if other bloggers/writers struggle with this fine line as well. I love my blog. It's been a labor of love for almost 2 years now. I will continue to write what's on my heart and mind. That will never change. I have to write what I know.

I'm Back!!! (Kinda)

I have neglected my blog. This summer hasn't been anything like I expected it to be. I lost my joy for writing for a while. I just couldn't focus enough to make it happen. It was a strange feeling that I couldn't shake for a while. I think that I am ready to try again. Even if what I write is crap. The writer in me knows that I need to write. So, I'm back at it. I cannot say that I am committing myself to writing everyday as I was earlier this year. That may be too big of a feat for me right now. I am just going to write when and if the inspiration hits me. I promise not to stay gone so long in the future. These are just all the thoughts that have been clouding my mind.

Pictures Speak Volumes

I am trying so hard to stick to this. But, this has become harder and harder. I will pray and push forward. "The writers, they write." - dream hampton

An Untold Story

This picture stroke a chord with me. It expresses my exact feelings about writing. Also the main reason why I started this blog. Writers write. It's just that simple. I write because it's what I am meant to do. I fancy myself a writer. It's my thing. I've been doing this since the 4th grade. When I was a freshman in college, I had a dream. That dream prompted me to begin a novel. My initial premise has changed drastically. I still have a story to tell.

I've been throwing around this book idea for a while now. These characters have been formed in my mind. I know some of their stories. I'm not sure where they are going yet. I'm dedicated to telling this story. I've been trying to keep as much of myself out of the picture. That's been the hardest part. I also need to really focus and write it all down. I believe I could write a story that is different and unique. That's my ultimate goal.

Poetry is easy for me. I can do an editorial piece with my eyes closed. Writing a novel is different. It's harder. I have to dig deep inside of me for it. It's much more creative than anything else I've ever written. But I'm committed to it. I feel that it's my destiny. It's time I get serious about "A Woman's Way."

Some Days

I'm supposed to be writing every day. That was the mantra I said I was going to live by this year. Some days are much better than others. Some days the words just flow from my soul. On those days, I am the best writer. I am a fountain of inexplicable bliss when it comes to words. I live for those days. And, then there are the days that I cannot formulate an interesting paragraph. I get stuck from the first sentence. I abhor those days. Those days, I chose not to share the less than stellar writing I do with the other writers, poets and readers I know. Those days I am ashamed of me squandering my gift.

There are things I feel I cannot write yet because I haven't experienced enough. I write from my heart and that leaves me very vulnerable. Whenever I write, I am laying my heart bare on the page. That takes guts. Some days I am entirely gutless. There are things I write that I won't post or blog or share because it is too personal. I don't feel ready to share all of me. I am getting better at this though. This blog is a great testament to that. I love to write. It is my passion. Some days. like today, I just have to sit with some topics before I can get into it. This writer has a headache now. I'm done. I'll write to you guys later! <3