Friday, January 8, 2010

The reason for being?

I used to fancy myself something of a writer. I even shared the things I wrote with others. I carried on epistolary relationships. I wrote poetry and love letters, observations and editorials, I wrote smut, uh I mean lurid detailed accounts of carnal activity and sometimes I wrote full on rants. Then I would send them out for all the world to see... I loved it, other people loved it, I even had something of an audience! Then I made one fatal mistake...I went to graduate school. I'm sure you've heard it before, they stole my voice. All that "academic writing" blah blah..."don't be too familar" blah blah... make it as confusing and "smart" sounding as possible while not really saying anything...blah blah blah! And then it was gone. My voice was gone. The one I liked, the one that other people liked, gone...POOF!! I resorted to sending out quotes, you know smart things that other people said, and while they were interesting they certainly weren't in my voice. Then I just gave up, I stopped sending things out altogether. Now anytime I have to write something I agonize and struggle over every word, I procrastinate, and avoid anything that requires me to write. Me, the one who started the poem of the month club just so I had an excuse to write at least one poem a month. Basically my writing has dwindled down to random one-liners on facebook and sometimes I even agonize over that...uggh! That's it? That's all I get? I just give up and scurry away? I don't f----n' think so!!! (I'm leaving the profanity out for now, but I'm sure it will creep it's way back in...fair warning) So here I am at midnight on a Friday night taking the first step to finding my voice...

3 comments:

  1. Damn straight, lady. Find that voice! I'm following... Amy P-B

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  2. Hey Sue,
    It was wonderful seeing & breifly chatting with you last night. Love your new website and especially your new work. Seeing your new work reinforced how much I love and connect with your art. Especially "Love's Momentos"... I MUST go see this in person.

    I can relate to this post on so many levels. From what little I have read you already have a fasinating and refreashing writting style and voice. Here's to finding our athentic voices. :)

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