Irish dramatist, Brendan Behan once said "I am a drinker with a writing problem." I have to admit, it's one of my favorite quotes. Around our house we look for reasons to celebrate: holidays (especially St. Patrick's Day) birthdays, graduations or because that particular day of the week ends with the letter "y". I enjoy champagne, margaritas, shots of Irish Whiskey, martinis...well, you get the picture. But here's the thing. Drinking and parties are fun, but not every day. If we don't throw a party for a few months (yes, it does happen) I'm still okay.
Writing, on the other hand is my addiction. If I'm not doing it, I'm thinking about it. I think about my next project, how to fix my last project, projects I want to do someday. I look at something like a sunset, a rain puddle, or a popcorn kernel and wonder how I can describe it in a way no one else has. I think about emotions I have, and try to apply some sort of tangible image to it. I look at a park's playground and remember how it felt to fly down a slide. Unfortunately it's sometimes hard to get all those thoughts written down. It's like Professor Harold Hill's "Think System" in the play, The Music Man. If you just think about it all the time, you'll get better or hey, get published!...if only.
Last year during April, I participated in a poem-a-day challenge, courtesy of Robert Lee Brewer's Poetic Asides website. I'm pretty sure I did all or most of the prompts, but I had a hard time keeping up with posting and writing sometimes. This year I'm determined. I've been actively writing every day and keeping up with posting for the most part. I keep thinking if I can get myself disciplined to write my work down every day, and not just be rolling it around in my head, I might actually sleep better at night...and maybe, getting better and getting published will be that much closer.
Caren E. Salas
Want to join me? Check it out: http://blog.writersdigest.com/poeticasides/
