Being a writer is often a lonely existence. Hour after hour spent tapping away at the keyboard. Deleting, editing, staring at an illuminated screen craving a brainstorm, a few more lines of meaningful content to enlighten and amaze.
I am just a year shy of turning 50 and like many people in the middle age years I am taking stock of what I have accomplished, personally, my career and my writing. I have not yet made the break to full-time writing and continue to work toward a fulfilling career. Striking a balance between personal life, career aspirations and the creative writing side is a constant juggle.
There is so much in life that greatly influences writing. As an author of poetry I look to my senses and observations about those things that occur around me…and around the globe. I draw from the happiness, the sadness, the elation, the anxiety, the remorse, the indecision, love, anger, mourning, conflict, bloodshed, addiction, illness, virtually everything and everywhere that this earth is and evolves around.
I take pride in my writings and seek to author works that are honest, engaging, insightful, pleasing to read with the hope that the reader takes with them something of value whether it be a greater sense of satisfaction, belonging, understanding, emphathy…the poetry and my articles are there for the reader’s own interpretation, their own experience.
Poetry is life itself to me. It can reflect upon any life situation, fantasy, or perception of any given subject. It seems that actual personal experiences are the best subject matter for a writer to embellish upon as it has more merit, a greater sense of connection for the reader. Real experiences, especially those that are commonly shared and experienced by the greater percentage of the population the world over, have the greatest credibility and overall meaning for the reader.
Writing poetry has evolved through the decades, centuries. It has changed with sensibilities and situations day by day as life around the globe changes. Although many of us who author poetry aspire to embrace writing styles of the past we also may accept the changing forms of poetry that are penned to this day. The medias that transcribe and reproduce the written word today are so vastly different than those of years past, and so vastly different they will surely be decades from now.
The media of today is becoming more and more interactive, more socially relevant. We have computers, the internet, email, blogs, websites, online articles, instant messaging, social networking, and online diaries. By simple choice and a few clicks we can make highly personal journals available for either a select group of readers or a general public audience. We can upload photos of events that shape our lives. We are becoming connected to a massive reading audience, sharing intimate thoughts with a cyber audience hooked on the technologies and audio-visual experiences now offered with the internet medium.
And so it is that as writers we are able to make immediate publication around the globe those inspired words tapped out on the keyboard. Some of us are strictly sharing for personal reasons while others amoung us aspire some degree of notoriety and commercial success from our written efforts. Writing is after all a first love for so many of us. The opportunity to share in print the cherished words we pen is priceless.
The measure of writing success is not a question of quantity, rather it is recognized by its quality. The readers of today want and need not only fictional adventure but they also crave the drama of real life. Touch readers’ minds, souls, hearts and your objectives as a writer will have been achieved.
To your writing success!
copyright 2007, Don MacIver
Don MacIver
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