Blog from the backwoods

Being a poet and writer can be difficult. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but it can be both a blessing and a curse for it is something that lives within you, yet divides your time with the world. The obvious answer to settle such a dilemma would be to abandon it altogether in favor … Third Party Read More »

I made a New Years promise to myself to write four poems a month and post them on Facebook. I forgot to post February’s installment, which actually wound up being one large narrative poem that is nine pages long. I made the decision that nine pages of a narrative poem more than filled the required … The Warrior’s Path Read More »

When I first began writing, I was very young. I made serious efforts from the time that I was in middle school and never stopped. In the beginning I wrote what was in my heart, weaving stories that sprang out of me from the depths times that have long since passed. However, as I neared … Passion vs Demand Read More »

I grew up reading the classics; Dickens, Austen, Longfellow, Wordsworth, etc. From novels to poetry, I could not get enough of them. Those are the wondrous lines and meters that shaped my own writing, inspiring me in so many ways. After doing my genealogy I found that I had many authors in my background so … Where Fields of Heather Lay Read More »

There are times when inspiration comes at the drop of a hat for me. This poem was just one of those moments. I was not even in the mood to write and chose to watch a Korean drama instead. There was a moment in one scene where time stood still for everyone except one character. … Inner Orbit Read More »

If you ever find yourself starved of ideas for something to write about, the best thing to do is never look for the obvious. It is so easy to pop open your laptop and google things such as, “25 Amazing Writing Prompts,” or, “The Top Ten ideas for a Great Plot.” Instead of traveling down … It’s All in the Search Read More »

Confused about direction in life? Here’s a thought—- There it is…see it? Dare I? Should I? But what if I did…or didn’t? Could I? Will I?Should I?Would I? CAN I? That’s it—-life summed up in a few modal verbs, conjunctions and conditionals. Life would be more progressive if we took power over the grammar of our thought, … Confused About Life? Read More »

There are three main elements to a novel; character, setting, and plot. Character and plot, however, are nothing without a well-constructed setting that will catapult the story into powerful imagery. Any avid reader or writer knows that setting means everything. The setting of any story will shape the tone and mood; the overall feel of a story. It can … Where Are You? Read More »

This past week, while my son’s quesadilla was frying in the pan, he ran into the living room to get the episode all set up. When everyone was settled and ready, he clicked play. We saw acts which ranged from touching to beyond ridiculous, but at the end, there was one performer who touched me above any … It’s Hard to Dream When You’re In Survival Mode Read More »

Recently, I found an old journal entry that pinpointed a time in which my confidence as a writer, already fragile due to childhood abuse, was completely submerged into an abyss of hopelessness and self-doubt; it reads as follows: “…When you said we could never go anywhere with my writing, I died inside. You became the … Eluding Would be Murderers of the Soul Read More »