How I Overcame Obstacles of Learning English

Back in Minsk, Belarus, where I was born, I used to go to a school that was considered an English school. While all the classes were taught in Russian and everyone spoke Russian as well, we were given a class where we learned English. I had no idea why I would need English in a Russian speaking country, but I did not have a choice, so I went to the class.

A year or so later, I found out that I would be leaving my homeland behind to move to America. I was not thrilled that I was leaving to an unknown new place, but it seemed that now what I learned in English class would come in handy. Of course when I came to America, I realized that whatever I learned back in Belarus had vanished and the only word I remembered was no. Yes no does come in handy but clearly that is not enough to communicate with other people.

When it was time to go to school I was old age-wise to go to 4th grade so I was placed into 5th. I was only in 5th grade for a few months, however, since I enrolled there toward the second part of the year. I was unsure how I would communicate with other people, but it turned out that I was placed into a Russian class. Everyone there was Russian, even the teacher. I thought that would make it easier to communicate and even understand the lessons being taught, but it turned out that everyone spoke English amongst themselves, and that the classes were taught in English as well. It was clearly a challenge for me, but I was fortunate enough to make friends with a few classmates who were nice enough to help me translate and fill me in on what was happening in class and what we were learning.

While attending 5th grade, I excelled in some classes, like math, where I didn’t really need to know much English, and struggled in those where knowledge of English was a necessity. I remember on graduation day I got an award for being so well behaved in class, and while I am usually a well behaved person, the reason I was so well behaved and quiet during class was because I didn’t know English. I could not really participate in class discussions as such because of my lack of English.

I was unsure how I would be able to master English, and if I would even be able to accomplish this task at all, but that is something that had to be done. In 6th grade my grades were still not high due to my lack of English. I would take time doing my homework assignments, and often enough had to use the dictionary so that I could do the homework correctly. Using the dictionary was not something that thrilled me but I had no choice. I had to learn English, even if it meant not going outside to play with my friends. So, I spent my afternoons after school not only doing my homework but also doing other things, like watching TV programs, and reading easy English books and English study guides, that would help me learn English once and for all.

Little by little I began to get accustomed to the English language and was able to read, write, speak, and understand it. While I wasn’t a master yet, it was enough to get by at the moment. It took a number of years to get really good, and, while I have a full grasp of the language now, there are still things left to learn…

Having nailed a new language like English, I ended up falling in love with writing. I remember taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes, where the second part of regular class exams was an essay. I would always be the last one to leave the class on those days. I was not struggling with the essay. I loved writing so much and was so into it that I found it hard to stop writing. My ESL teacher was very proud of me, and told my mom and me, at a Thanksgiving Dinner gathering at the school, that I should go into journalism. I did take a journalism class in junior high school and even wrote an article for the school paper but for some reason I did not pursue journalism later in life. I did not stop writing, however, and have not stopped since.

While I do not have a career in journalism, I have a lot of writing under my belt—poetry, lyrics, prose, short stories, and other writing. On top of that I have published twelve books, and two poetry anthologies, which I put together featuring poets from around the world.

Ever since I fell in love with writing, I have dreamed of being a published author one day and have my books be read by people all over the world. I am very proud to be a published author and am very grateful to have been presented with the opportunity to share my gift with the world and to be able to touch people’s lives with the written creations I bring to life. My dream has become a reality, to a degree, and I am very proud of myself for it. English was an obstacle for me for a while, but with determination and hard work I have mastered it. This goes to show that anything is possible, so long as we have the drive to achieve it.

Being a published author is not a career but a side project at the moment. In focusing on a career, I hope to be able to put my writing talents to use somehow. But no matter which career path I am taken on, and no matter where life takes me, I will never stop writing. So long as I can write and publish books I will. And who knows, maybe someday I will be a famous author, known and read, all over the world.

How to Write a Villanelle

There are different poetic forms and styles that you can write in. One of them is a villanelle.

What is a Villanelle?

A villanelle is a poetic form may hold some similarities to a sonnet, but it is much more difficult to master, and may be confusing when learning this poetic form for the first time.

A villanelle is usually written in iambic pentameter though trimeter and tetrameter have also been used. It is comprised of six stanzas – the first five of which are made up of three lines, while the last is made up of four lines.

Breakdown of a Villanelle

The first and third lines (refrains) of the first stanza are repeated throughout the poem in the five stanzas. But they are not just repeated any which way. The first refrain is repeated in last line of the 2nd and 4th stanzas, while the second refrain is repeated in the last line of the 3rd and 5th stanzas. In the sixth stanza the two refrains are together again, except that now they make up the last two lines of the poem, with the first refrain being in line 3 and the second refrain being in line 4.

Rhyme Scheme of a Villanelle

A villanelle has a rhyme scheme that needs to be followed. In the first five stanzas the first and third lines must have the same rhyme, while the second line has its own rhyme throughout each of the first five stanzas. In the last stanza the second line has the same rhyme as the second line of the other five stanzas, while lines 1, 3, and 4 have the same rhyme as the first and third lines of the other stanzas.

Breakdown of a Villanelle by Stanza, Line, and Rhyme Scheme

Here is a simpler breakdown of the villanelle structure:

Stanza 1:

Line 1 (Refrain1) – rhyme a1
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 2) – rhyme a2

Stanza 2:

Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 1) – rhyme a1

Stanza 3:

Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 2) – rhyme a2

Stanza 4:
Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 1) – rhyme a1

Stanza 5:

Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 2) – rhyme a2

Stanza 6:

Line 1 – rhyme a
Line 2 – rhyme b
Line 3 (Refrain 1) – rhyme a1
Line 4 (Refrain 2) – rhyme a 2

A Sample Villanelle

Here is a sample poem of a villanelle. I wrote it for my poetry class years ago and it is my first and only villanelle. Perhaps reading it will make it even clearer as to how this poetic form is structured and needs to be written.

“SPRING”

Spring has awakened and opened its wings.
Streets once blanketed with snow are now bare.
The birds’ sweet echoing melody rings.

Naked branches are covered with seedlings.
Green grass slowly peeks, scent wafts in midair.
Spring has awakened and opened its wings.

The cool breeze sifts and serenity lingers,
The threads of music serenade the air.
The birds’ sweet echoing melody rings.

Burning sun warms bodies and hearts’ cravings,
From winter that has left us in despair.
Spring has awakened and opened its wings.

On shores, waves smash against the rocks like springs.
The boats, whose bells ring in the morning air.
The birds’ sweet echoing melody rings.

Flowers’ rich aroma crafts us greetings,
For months to come and savor this affair.
Spring has awakened and opened its wings.
The birds’ sweet echoing melody rings.

How to Write a Shakespearean Sonnet

Writing poetry is easy when you don't have to follow any rules, structures, patterns, rhyme schemes, etc. But when you tackle writing a traditional form of poetry such as a Shakespearean sonnet it becomes more of a challenge, especially when you start out on this creative endeavor for the very first time.

There are different types of sonnets that exist out there: Shakespearean (English), Spenserian, Petrarchan (Italian), Occitan, Urdu sonnet and others. Each is slightly different than the other though there are similarities between them all. All the sonnets use iambic pentameter and have some kind of a rhyme scheme that needs to be followed. They also have the same number of lines - fourteen.

What is iambic pentameter?

Iambic pentameter is a measure of a line in a traditional verse poem. It describes the rhythm of that particular line that is created by the words you write. The rhythm is measured in syllables, which are referred to as "feet". In iambic pentameter there are five of these "feet" in each line of the poem and each "foot" consists of an unstressed syllable and a stressed syllable.

It's not that easy to understand this the first time around but it gets easier as you write more and more poetry in iambic pentameter.

To make things a bit easier you can think of each line in an iambic pentameter poem sounding like this: DA-DUM, DA-DUM, DA-DUM, DA-DUM, DA-DUM. When you write your lines read them in the DA-DUM style and if your line has five DA-DUMs that means your line is written in iambic pentameter.

How to Write a Shakespearean Sonnet?

Before you write a Shakespearean sonnet you have to become familiar with its structure and form.

A Shakespearean sonnet uses iambic pentameter. It consists of fourteen lines and follows a specific rhyme scheme. The first twelve lines in a Shakespearean sonnet have a rhyme scheme where every other line rhymes - abab, cdcd...etc. The last two lines are a couplet and therefore rhyme with each other - gg.

Line 1 - rhyme a
Line 2 - rhyme b
Line 3 - rhyme a
Line 4 - rhyme b
Line 5 - rhyme c
Line 6 - rhyme d
Line 7 - rhyme c
Line 8 - rhyme d
Line 9 - rhyme e
Line 10 - rhyme f
Line 11 - rhyme e
Line 12 - rhyme f
Line 13 - rhyme g
Line 14 - rhyme g

Now if your first four lines have a rhyme scheme of abab doesn't mean that you can't use that rhyme sound in other lines of the poem. Just make sure that every other line rhymes, with the exception of the last two lines that have their own rhyme scheme. Of course, if your poem started with a first rhyme sound of cat for example doesn't mean you can't use that same sound in the last two lines of the poem. You can... But you don't have to! Doing all this however may not classify your poem as a full Shakespearean sonnet .But I think there is nothing wrong with that as there are many variations of a sonnet.

An example of a Shakespearean Sonnet

Below is a Shakespearean sonnet that I wrote for my poetry class back when I was in college. It may not be the best sonnet I could have written but it will help you to better visualize and understand how to write a Shakespearean Sonnet.

"Photos" 

A sea of photos scrambled on the floor,
Pieces of life once lived in distant past.
Flashing before my eyes an open door,
It’s like a movie that is being cast
About me when I was only a child,
Going to camp, wandering through the forest,
Picking mushrooms and berries, free and wild,
Running, in flight my body will not rest.
The tape has STOPPED, and now this life is gone.
Wish I could PAUSE it and just press REWIND.
Life’s full of work, no time to have much fun.
Can’t fall asleep with nightmares so unkind.
Glad the photos are in my possession.
They’re a memory of past expression.

How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Before you find out how to write an acrostic poem let's take a look at what it is.

What is an Acrostic Poem?

An acrostic poem is a poem with a hidden word, phrase, or name spelled out by either letters, syllables, or words in each line of them poem.

The most common variation of this poem is when the first letter or first syllable of the first word of each line in the poem, or the first word itself, spells out a word, a phrase, or a name. There are other variations of this poetic style however.

 

Variations of an Acrostic Poem

Here are the variations of an acrostic poem:

1. Have last letter, last syllable, or last word of each line spell something out.

2. Have a combination of first and last letter, syllable or word spell something out.

3. Have the first letter of a middle word in each line spell something out.

4. Have the middle word of each line spell something out.

5. Have something spelled out diagonally. For example, start from the first letter of the first word in the first line followed by the first letter of the second word in the second line followed by the first letter of the third word in the third line, and so on...

Line 1 - Word 1 - First letter

Line 2 - Word 2 - First letter

Line 3 - Word 3 - First letter

....

Line n - Word n - First letter

6. Have a variation of the format described in 4th bullet but instead of the first letter make it the first word.

Line 1 - Word 1

Line 2 - Word 2

Line 3 - Word 3

....

Line n - Word n

7. There are many more variations you can create here. Get as creative and as complex as you'd like.

 

How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Writing an acrostic poem is simple but can be a challenge. The easiest acrostic poem to write is one where the first letter of each line spells something out - be it a word, a phrase, or a name.

When writing this easiest type of acrostic poem simply first write out the word, phrase, or name by having each letter on its own line and making it bold. Then write your poem so that each line begins with the letters you have laid out on the page.

For example: if you were to write a poem that will spell out the word APPLE you will first write each letter of the word APPLE on its own line, in bold:

A
P
P
L
E

And then you will write your poem so that the first word of the first line starts with the letter A, the first word of the second line with the letter P ... and the first word of the fifth line with the letter E.

Now you can also have the word APPLE spelled out by last letter of each line, by the first letter of a middle word in each line, or diagonally.

Look at the picture below for better understanding.

Tips on Writing an Acrostic Poem

When writing an acrostic poem, no matter what variation it is, it is better to first spell out that word, phrase, or name and bold it before you start writing the poem. This will ensure that you will not make a mistake and leave out a letter or letters from whatever it is you want to spell out. And you will be able to check yourself once the poem is finished because each required letter will be in bold and easily found.

Also, when writing an acrostic poem it is better to have the poem be about that specific word, phrase, or name that you are spelling out. Of course you don't have to do that, if you don't want to.

Having said that, you can use an acrostic poem to write a hidden message that you only want certain people to know. In that case, you may decide not to bold the letters that spell out that special message and ask those certain people to figure out the message you want to relay to them.

An example of an Acrostic Poem

“ACROSTIC POEM”

(2005)

Across

Countries

Running

Over

Spheres

This

Inspiring

Concept

Penetrates

Our

Emotional

Minds

An example of an Acrostic Poem

“LIFE JOURNEY”

(Spring 2005)

Listen to the song

Inside your playful heart

Find nothing wrong

Enjoy life from the start


Journey to a place

Of beauty and of peace

Unlock your jailed face

Release yourself to bliss

Never let bad take over

Even when it’s near

You can make it sober

So make it disappear

An acrostic poem is a fun and creative poem that can also challenge your brain when you decide to spell something out in a complicated way.

If you haven't tried writing this type of poem I urge you to give it a try. You will enjoy this poetic form and will grow to love it over time, if not right away.

If you find yourself struggling with writing your first acrostic, don't worry and most importantly don't give up and surrender. It gets easier with time. The more acrostics you write the better at it you'll get...

Being in a Relationship

Here are the things I learned being in a relationship for a bit over a decade:

1. Communication is key. If you can’t share things—good or bad—with your significant other the relationship will not work or evolve. 

2. If something is bothering you about the other person or about what’s going on with you as a couple you have to speak up and let your partner know about it. Without you speaking up things cannot get fixed. 

3. The other person should accept you for who you are and not expect you to change. However, if your habits or actions hurt the other person that should be worked on. The same holds true for you. You should accept the other person for who they are and not expect them to change. But if their habits or actions hurt you they should work on that. 

4. If your relationship has problems you don’t just walk away from the relationship. You should have an open and honest discussion about it and try to fix things, either on your own or with the help of a counselor or therapist. After that if both of you feel that it is best to part ways then do so but not until you gave it your all to fix things and make it work. Especially if the relationship is important to you. 

5. When your partner shares something with you listen and don’t judge or criticize. Make your partner feel comfortable sharing things with you. When you reply don’t raise your voice or talk back in a nasty tone. That will only hurt your partner and make them hesitate to share things with you in the future.

6. Your partner’s feelings are important. Before you do something think about how that will affect your partner. Don’t repeatedly do something that hurts them. 

7. Don’t lie to them or make up excuses about something. If you do it will make it harder for them trust you.

8. If your partner cannot do something for whatever reason, don’t judge or criticize them. Find out what’s going on and help them out by doing it for them, if possible. 

9. Major decisions should be made by both people. One can finalize things but both have to participate in the planning and solving of whatever it is. One person cannot expect the other to do everything from start to finish and then just go along with it. It takes two people to make things work. 

10. It’s ok to have some alone time but when two people spend most of their time apart from each other then the time they can spend together should be spent together and not alone or separately with other people. 

How I Wrote and Published My Debut Novel

Ever since I mastered the English language it was my dream to be a published author with many books to my name. I didn't want to publish just poetry and lyric books. I wanted to write and publish my own novel. It took a while but finally I made that dream a reality. I have brought to life my debut novel called The Secret Life of Ashley Miles, which is now available on lulu.com, Amazon, and barnesandnoble.com.

I wanted to share with you my journey of bringing The Secret Life of Ashley Miles to life. What led me to write the novel, the process of writing it, which involved editing, and finally getting it published into a paperback book. Hopefully, you will find what I share with you useful and will be able to apply it if you are thinking of writing and publishing a novel yourself.

What Led Me to Write The Secret Life of Ashley Miles

Sometimes stories are born from a title or a phrase that pops into a writer's head. That is what happened to me and how my debut novel The Secret Life of Ashley Miles came to life.

A few years ago, as I was walking home from the library one day, the title The Secret Life of Ashley Miles came into my head. I have no idea why it happened, and why that particular title appeared as opposed to another one, but I am sure glad it did because after this title came to me a story idea was beginning to come together in my head. The main character would be Ashley Miles and the story would be about her life after graduating high school. It would include struggles of finding work, moving out on your own, falling in love and establishing a lasting relationship, and making your dreams a reality... something that many teens face and what I had faced as well and was actually facing still at the moment of writing the novel...

Food for Thought

• Let me tell you that while writing the story may be hard, editing the story is even harder. In this step you not only have to make sure that all your grammar, punctuation and spelling is correct, but you also have to make sure that everything flows smoothly and that there are no flaws in the story. You have to sit there reading every chapter, not only with your head but with your eyes and edit it as you read. Then when you are done you have to read the novel again from start to finish and most likely edit some more. It seems like a never-ending process and it is hard to tell yourself that you are finally done and that no more editing is required. You want the novel to be perfect and it can be hard to decide if you got there or if there are still minor things that need to be altered. To help you with all this it is a good idea to get other people to read the novel and offer their feedback. This can help you fix any issues you may have overlooked and improve the story.

• When you get negative feedback for your novel do not get discouraged. If your novel is published don't unpublish it. And if you were planning to publish it don't stop. That negative feedback is just the opinion of that person and does not mean that your novel is of a poor quality and that the story is not good enough to be published and shared with the world. You can't please everyone. There will always be haters. See if you can get something positive out of that negative feedback and then push it aside!

My Journey Writing The Secret Life of Ashley Miles

As soon as I came home that day, I opened up a blank MS Word document and wrote down the title, jotting down the story ideas that had come to me. They included things happening to Ashley and other characters that would be in the story. Doing that I realized that the things I was writing down resembled my own personal experiences. The things that the main character (Ashley Miles) was going to go through were things that I had gone through and experienced in my own life. Now the story would take on a whole new meaning for me because it would be based on what I had gone through and experienced in my own life. I would essentially be sharing a part of myself with the world.

After getting those ideas down on paper I began to write the story. I didn't care about grammar, punctuation, spelling or formatting. All I cared about was bringing the story to life. So, while writing, I focused solely on getting the story on paper and nothing else. The thorough editing would come once I finished writing the story. I will admit though that there were moments where I had written some lines and then rewrote them as I had slightly different ideas or different wording pop into my head right after the original thought. For the most part though I didn't really edit as that wasn't my goal at that moment. Starting and finishing the story was.

Little by little the story began to unfold. Since it was based on my own personal experiences writing the story came naturally and with ease. I was happy with the way things were turning out and how the story was coming together. Unfortunately, about midway through writing the novel I hit a roadblock, which was quite unexpected for me.

It was time to write a new chapter in the story but my mind drew a blank and I had no idea how to proceed further. Whenever I managed to come up with something I ended up rejecting it. I was left with a blank page and had to start all over again. I didn't want to force anything so I put the novel aside and didn't work on it any further for a while. It was after that hiatus, which lasted probably at least a few months, that things started to progress in the story. The words just started coming to me. A new chapter was born and the story continued. After that it was smooth sailing in terms of writing the story until its ending. There were no more roadblocks like that to face.

I am not sure how long it actually took me to write the novel from start to finish, but it doesn't really matter. The important thing was that it was brought to life. All that was left to do was edit it and then I would be ready to share the novel with the world.

Having edited the novel many times I thought the novel was ready to be shared with the world so I chose to publish it with Lulu. I started the book project and was ready to upload the file, get an ISBN for my book, create the book cover, and then complete the rest of the process to get my book published... Before proceeding though I decided it would be best to get some people to read the novel first and let me know their thoughts on it. This way, in the event that I had missed something, whether it'd be typos or minor flaws in the storyline or the flow of the story, I'd be able to get it fixed before publishing the novel.

I didn't want to email people my manuscript, for fear of it being intercepted, so I published the novel on writing.com, made it a private item, and set a passkey for it so it could be accessed by those to whom I sent the link. No one else would have access to the novel but those few people.

The few people (people I knew) that I had asked to read my novel and provide feedback for it gave positive feedback. They told me that they loved the story, enjoyed reading it from start to finish, and that they would not change anything in the story. That made me feel great about the novel and I was ready to get back to my book project on Lulu and proceed to upload the manuscript, create my book cover, and finally publish the book.

Then things suddenly came to a stop when I received feedback from one writing.com member (someone I didn't know whom I had asked to read and comment on my novel). That person gave me negative feedback, which greatly affected me and not in a good way. It made me feel that my novel was not good enough, and not worthy of being published and shared with others. This led me to push the novel aside and delete the book project from Lulu. I almost deleted the actual manuscript from my computer. Thankfully I never went through with it and I am glad I didn't because, now that the negative feedback no longer affects me and I realize that that person's opinion is just one opinion and doesn't mean the novel is bad, I chose to finally publish the novel. It is now available on Lulu, Amazon, and barnesandnoble.com to share with the world.

My Journey Publishing The Secret Life of Ashley Miles

Once the editing of The Secret Life of Ashley Miles was complete I now had to ready the file for publication. I had to turn the MS Word document into an actual manuscript. I needed to have a title page, a copyright page, and an author bio. Then I needed to number the pages, include the title of the novel and author name in the header, set the page size to 6x9 (as my book would be 6x9 size), set the margins and choose the font for the novel. And since I was publishing the novel with Lulu I also had to make sure that the page count was divisible by four and that the last page of the manuscript was left completely blank.

I wasn't done there. Since I was planning to sell the book outside of Lulu, in places like Amazon and barnesandnoble.com, I needed to get an ISBN for my book. (Just selling the book on Lulu doesn't require an ISBN). I didn't want to deal with trying to obtain an ISBN for my book on my own, and didn't even know where to get one, so I opted to get an ISBN directly from Lulu, which was free. All I had to do was start a new book project on Lulu and select the option to obtain an ISBN for the book directly from Lulu. I got an ISBN for the book right away and was able to insert it into the copyright page of the manuscript. This ISBN can only be used with Lulu but it doesn't matter to me. I am not planning on finding another publisher for it.

After getting the ISBN into the manuscript I saved the file as a PDF and uploaded it into my book project. It was then that I had to move on to the next step, which was to create a book cover for my novel. I could have used one of the images and/or backgrounds that were available on Lulu but I didn't want to do that as I wanted the book cover to be unique and not contain images that others may use in their books. So, I had to come with something on my own.

I knew that I wanted a diary on the front cover but I didn't want it to take up the entire page. This meant that I also needed a background image for the front cover and for the back cover as well. I didn't want the background to be plain solid color, so I had to create the background images myself. I didn't have any pictures of my own to use and didn't want to use anything from the Internet as I may have ended up with an image that I wasn't allowed to use or that was used by someone else. That's where my creativity kicked in.

For the diary I took an image of my own leather diary that had a lock and a key hanging from it. And for the background I took a picture of one of my couch pillows. I changed the color of the pillow picture so it was brighter and matched the diary more color-wise. Then I uploaded all the images into Lulu's cover creator and tweaked them until I was pleased with what I saw. Then I added the title and author name to the front cover and the spine, the Lulu logo to the spine, and the book description to the back cover, along with a photo of me and a few words about me. I was done. I clicked to make the cover into a PDF and save it and then proceeded to include relevant book information, choose the price of the book, and hit the button to publish the project. My book was now published an available for sale on Lulu. It is also available on Amazon, and barnesandnoble.com thanks to Lulu's distribution service, which I opted for.

Why I Chose to Publish My Novel With Lulu

• I have total control over how my book cover looks, how my interior looks, and how the story unfolds... There is no one to tell me what to do!
• I can make changes to the manuscript and re-upload the manuscript and fix the book cover, if needed, even after the book has been published and available for sale. 
• I get a free ISBN for my book and I don't have to pay to get my book published as it's free to publish a book with Lulu. 
• I decide how much I make per each book sale and what the price of the book will be. 
• When I buy my own book I pay what it costs to manufacture the book not the retail price of the book, which means that I save money. 
• When someone buys my book I can see when it was bought, where it was bought from, and how much I made for that book. 
• I need to earn as little as $5 to get paid my royalties, which are sent to my PayPal account. The payments are made monthly, not quarterly or longer than that. I don't have to go through the following: search for an agent, suffer through writing a query letter, find a publisher for my book, and face rejection after rejection until hopefully finally finding a publisher who will want to publish my novel into a book.

Writing and Publishing My Poetic Tale Treasure

I am a huge fan of poetry and love when a poem tells a story or a tale, especially one that takes a reader on an emotional and even adventurous journey.

One day I decided to write a poetic tale. I had no idea if I would be able to pull it off, had no idea what would come out of it, but I took a shot. I had nothing to lose and a lot to gain.

It wasn't easy writing this poetic tale because I wanted it to have four line stanzas and I wanted them all to rhyme and in a certain way. I also wanted the tale to be engaging, moving and enjoyable for the reader and I didn't want any part of it to sound forced, especially because of the rhyme scheme that I had to follow.

At one point I even faced writer's block. I didn't give up though. I just took a short break from it and then got back to it with a fresh mind. In the end I managed to pull it off. I had written my poetic tale.

I will admit that it wasn't perfect. My first stanza turned out to be more than four lines and not all the rhymes are perfect rhymes. But all that is not as important as the story itself. It turned out great and the people that had read the story told me positive things about it and that is what is important here.

I was very proud of myself for setting a writing goal and actually achieving it. It also made me feel good inside knowing that I had created something that people were responding to in a positive way. It was an incredible feeling.

I wanted to share my poetic tale not just with these few people but with the world... That's when I decided to publish my poetic tale, not just online on a writing website but as an actual book. I used Lulu to make that happen. I now have a poetic tale published called Treasure that is available in a pocket size paperback and an e-book. It's available on Lulu and on Amazon in both formats. I am very proud of this accomplishment and can't wait to write and publish another poetic tale in the future. Maybe it will even be a sequel to Treasure. I already have a little bit written for it. I just have to pick up where I had left off.

My poetic tale Treasure is about a guy named Fin who sets out to find a land that others deem to not exist. When he finds it it is there that he comes upon a girl lying on the shore. Not knowing her name he calls her Angel. After bringing Angel back to life they set out on many adventures together and she becomes his true love. Of course everything is not perfect. Obstacles come upon them, obstacles that try to tear them apart... Will they be able to rise above and stay together, keeping their love alive? Or will everything crumble and lead them to be apart from each other forever...?

Writing a story or a tale may prove to be a difficult task. Writing one that is in the form of poetry may prove to be even harder.

No matter how hard it may be we should get out of our comfort zones and try new things; we should challenge ourselves by writing and creating something in a different style than we are used to. In this way we can not only become better writers but we can also discover things about ourselves that we didn't know existed, things we never thought we were capable of.

Poetry Anthology Voices of the World

One of the things that I always wanted to do was put together a poetry anthology that featured poets from different parts of the world who wanted to be heard and dreamed of having their work in print. It was always on the back of my mind, yet I never got around to actually going through with it.

I finally decided it was actually time to put together and publish my first poetry anthology. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to get enough poets interested to be able to publish a book. With the help of a friend and fellow poet I succeeded and Voices of the World was born.

Since I did not want to have a specific theme for this anthology I left it up to the poets to decide what they wanted to write about and in what poetic style their work would be. This resulted in a diverse anthology of poetry with something for everyone to enjoy.

Voices of the World is a wonderful collection of poetry featuring forty-six poets from around the world (me being one of them). These poets come from such countries as United States, Canada, Ireland, France, Romania, India, and Russia, among others. They showcase their work to the world by sharing two of their poems written in their own unique voices and writing styles.

The poets that are featured in Voices of the World are very passionate in their craft. When they write they leave themselves on the page and it shows through in their work. I think their poetry leaves a lasting impression and leaves us with something to think about.

Every poet deserves the chance to be heard, to be in the spotlight, and my poetry anthology lets them do just that.

I am very proud of this anthology and am happy that I brought the book to life. I will treasure it for a lifetime. I got my own copy and have read it many times. I enjoy the book each time I read it. There is always something new that I discover when I dive into the book. I can't wait for people to get their own copy so they can enjoy all the treasures that lie inside.

For those interested in obtaining a copy of Voices of the World, the poetry anthology is available in paperback format on lulu.com, amazon, barnesandnoble.com, and in other online retailers. Happy reading!

Poetry Anthology Whispers in the Wind

Giving poets the chance to be published in print and among other talented poets is a great feeling. Having put together and published the first poetry anthology called Voices of the World I decided to do another anthology.

While I chose to have the first anthology contain poems on any topic the poets chose to write about, I wanted the second one to have a theme. Nature was the first thing that came to mind as I love nature so much, and write nature poetry myself on many occasions. And that is how Whispers in the Wind was born.

I feel that nature poems can be very captivating with lots of beautiful imagery that readers can vividly picture in their mind. It's like looking at a painting without actually having it in front of you. It lets people, with their unique imagination and visualization, bring the poetry to life in their mind, interpreting what is being described in their own unique way. Nature poems can also prove to be inspiring, refreshing, and can lift the spirits of people too...

Just like the Voices of the World, Whispers in the Wind also has poets from different countries around the world. In this poetry anthology, the poets showcase two nature poems a piece for the enjoyment of readers, sharing their experiences, visions, and connection to nature in their own unique way. With each poetic creation, they paint memorable images with their distinctive vision and creativity, in turn bringing to life enjoyable treats that will engage at least some of the five senses of readers, as well as make readers feel and perhaps be inspired and uplifted in the process.

For poetry lovers and those that enjoy nature this poetry anthology is a great addition to your poetry collection. Reading this book once you will surely want to pick up the book again for another read time and time again. I am proud to have put together and published this wonderful anthology, and to have shared two of my own nature poems in it as well.

Every time I read this anthology I feel my emotions soar, which to me is very important. I also am able to get lost in the words and picture in my mind what the poets bring to life with their words. My creativity soars, and I feel inspired, having a burning desire to write more nature poetry, and poetry in general.

For those interested in obtaining a copy of Whispers in the Wind, the poetry anthology is available in paperback format on lulu.com, amazon, barnesandnoble.com, and in other online retailers. Happy reading!

Time to Get Back into My New Poetry Book

Back in 2021 I had this idea for a new poetry book to be titled Seasonal Memories. It would include four sections, one for each season. The poetry in each section would include nature with memories of the past or something that happened in the past mixed in. 

I’ve stopped working on this book but I don’t want to leave it unfinished. I will have to go back to my manuscript and see how many poems I have left to write. I was aiming for ten poems per section. Seems like a good enough number. If I really feel inspired I may add more poems to the manuscript. Each section doesn’t necessarily need to have the same number of poems in it but I’d prefer it to be the same.

I don’t want to force anything but I do want to make progress so any ideas I may have I will jot them down. I can always edit something or get rid of it altogether if I don’t like what I’ve come up with.

I think it starts with opening the manuscript, going to a blank page, and seeing where that takes me. Just waiting for ideas or inspiration to come may not lead to anything. I’ve got to give myself a push. Perhaps the passing and memory of a fellow poet this summer can help steer me on the path of progress. 

Once I finish writing, I’ll need to proofread and edit. Then I’ll need to format the manuscript and think about the book cover. I will start working on it once I come up with what I want the cover to be. The book will be published with Lulu just like my previous books. Once it’s out there it will become my 13th book, not including the two poetry anthologies I put together and published, featuring poems from around the world.