#IWSG Question: Where Do You See Yourself 5 Years From Now?

 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Alex J. Cavanaugh's awesome co-hosts for the December 7 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Hawes, Jen Chandler, Nick Wilford, Juneta Key, JH Moncrieff, Diane Burton, and MJ Fifield!

 

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The December 7 Question: In terms of your writing career, where do you see yourself five years from now, and what’s your plan to get there?

My insecurities do not lie in my beliefs about my abilities or the appeal of my novels but in an inability to attract the attention of readers who share those beliefs. Just writing the words makes me feel egotistical. Is it any wonder my marketing isn't top notch?

Nothing keeps me from continuing to write my novels, however. For NaNoWriMo2016, I typed all but the final climactic scene of my next Pepper Bibeau mystery. The reason I skipped over the climax was because I had a different solution in mind before I started writing. Near the end of the month, a much better solution presented itself to me. I was so excited about this new ending, I refused to write it. Sometimes, it's good to savor such pleasures for as long as possible.

This novel will also be the last one in the series. In the next five years, I will compile and publish a mystery short story anthology featuring sixteen Honolulu authors, concentrate on a new protagonist in a new mystery series, and edit my genealogical novel which is informed by my 20+ years of genealogy research.

But what about the marketing?

Ay, there's the rub.

 

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Mele Kalikimaka

&

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou

 

 

 

 

Mr & Mrs Claus greeting visitors to
Honolulu Hale on O'ahu Island, Hawai'i

 

 

WAITING AND WHISPERING Poem 70 of ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING 70 Poems for 70 Days

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,

often including a complementary photograph.

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.

 

 

 

 

70

Waiting

*

**

She

glanced

down at the water

again, whispering a prayer.

Maybe one day the brave little

girl would open the eyes of the world.

She would demonstrate how change, by way

of  acceptance rather than  argument  and discord,

would benefit

everyone. Was this

a goal worth waiting for,

as death stole the hearts and souls

of families while they knelt to offer pleas?

Sons and daughters breathed their last, as they

each believed they too had made life safer back home

She whispered

a second  prayer,

eager to believe, along

with those sons and daughters

of revolutions, there would be an end.

As she waited, tiny flowers drifted across her

field of vision. The yellow blossoms reminded her

anything

is possible

She smiled

The universe

smiled back

***

 

 

 

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AUTHOR’S NOTES

These seventy poems were penned, not to confront or analysis a life endured but to give thanks for and to better appreciate a life well-lived. 

Had we, all of us, not fully experienced every moment of past years as we did, then everything we encountered would have evolved differently. Our altered actions would not only have eliminated our tribulations but a vast amount of pleasure, blessings, and joy. 

If even one of these poems gave you reason to laugh or cry with tears of remembered joy, please feel free to contact me to share a nostalgic moment. 

 

 

Available for purchase in print at Amazon:

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING 70 Poems for 70 Days at Amazon

 

 



LINKED POETRY: CHANGE 68, and BEYOND REACH 69

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,
often including a complementary photograph.

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.
 

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.

 

68

Change

 

At thirteen

her world contained

confusing shadows

Hiding answers

to which

no questions applied. 

Teen years

slipped into brilliance

she perceived as sunlight. 

Then fading shadows

opened vistas of

rainbow-stained hues 

Inevitable change,

Promises targeting growth,

Indelible answers

Beyond reach.

 

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Ah, the springboard of teen years -- when everything is in a state of flux. Too young to understand body changes or thoughts that appear to make little sense. Unable to form intelligible questions, and wondering who to ask even if one could. Like the tangled aerial roots of a banyan tree, there appears to be no rhyme or logical reason to each new experience until, like the roots, they take hold and become solid support for continued growth.

 

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69

Beyond Reach

 

She works the front door latch.

Locked. She thinks, again

left in the rain.

Alongside, a window raised

for circulation, offers hope

once beyond reach.

Defeat is not

an option, she reasons,

inside or out.

Shrieks of laughter

in the back. A gathering.

Faces turn to her.

"Ever so long,”

they say, “we’ve

been waiting. For you.”

 

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The difficult years:

The confusion of not belonging, thinking she does not fit in anywhere. Also convinced she is the only one suffering this dilemma.

 

When, new accepting friends offer possibilities, though different from what she knows, it allows her to feel she belongs.

 

Eager to be accepted, her rationalization is quick. 

 

Was she even right to harbor such thoughts?

 

Then, realization. She is not the only one who felt insecure and out of place. Everyone must search. Most will find their niche, sooner or later.

 

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COLLABORATION Poem 66 and REBELLION Poem 67

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,
often including a complementary photograph.

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.
 

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.

66

Co-Existing

 

 

 

I see how coral thrives along the

jagged coastline.

How geckos live and play

among the plants.

Silverswords disguise the

peaceful Nene,

on the slopes of dormant

volcanic rock.

Night marchers travel through

the steaming mist

on lonely roads lit by

a silver moon. 

A surfer’s board on water

Orchids blooming in sweet air

Pineapple roots in soil. 

Collaboration

is what I see.

 

So much of life in its natural state knows to cooperate with its surroundings to survive in comfort. Humans, superior in their reasoning, are unable to fully grasp this concept, instead always striving for more of their allotted share. Would mimicking the practice of coexistence demonstrated by nature offer a more collaborative existence for men?

 

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67

What You See

Riots

Society on the edge

Politics, redefining lives 

Anger

Men engaged in war

Family structure, realigned 

Rebellion

Control in flux

Freedom, the goal 

Question not

what you see, but

the lack of change 

Change may not be an acceptable long-term solution. Then society might consider the simplicity of recognizing that whatever we have to share can be used as a catalyst toward equality. The result, an end to riots, anger, and rebellion, leads to satisfaction.

 

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#64 and #65 Turning From Diamonds

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,

often including a complementary photograph.

 

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.

64

Recurring Thoughts

 

The day this thought

first occurred,

words spoken in her mind

She knew an end had come.

So loud the words:

“One cannot hate until one

has learned to love.”

Was it possible, she

tried to reason,

to experience both emotions

in a single span

of time?

Engulfed and smothered.

Memories meant to last,

turned now from diamonds

back to coal.

 

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65

Turning From Diamonds

 

 

Paris in the ‘70’s inspired

you to express

the longings deep within

To hear the music that your soul played

Whenever spirits craved

Encouragement

Euphoria filled the air as you

Strolled the Avenues

and Champs Élysée,

Searching 

Diamonds were not treasures worth

your heart strings, in a place

where wine

and chocolate

Co-exist

 

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HOLIDAYS and GRATITUDE #62 and #63

ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING

70 Poems for 70 Days 

 is a collection of poetry I wrote as a birthday present to myself and gifted in book format to 70 of my friends and family members. Over a period of 70 Sundays, I am submitting the poems in the order of composition, along with a short comment about the poem’s style or theme,
often including a complementary photograph.

With linked poetry, a form of Japanese Renshi poetry,

the last lines of one poem are used to form the title of the next poem,

then the next poem shifts to a different topic.

I hope you find a few entries that bring a smile to your face or a long buried memory to the surface of your consciousness. Poetry is like that, whether you are the reader or the author.

62

Now The Pie

 

Holidays bring family close together

with birthdays a favorite, for the cake.

Chocolate is the choice most every time.

 

The 4th means potlucks and fireworks

displays in the park, on the island,

or near the shore. With watermelon

chilling in the cooler for dessert.

 

Thanksgiving’s feast means

now the pie takes center stage, topped

with vanilla ice or fresh whipped cream.

 

Christmas is a winter solstice celebration

most anticipated every year. The sacred

offering of bread and wine consumed with

wrongs forgiven and gratitude expressed.

 

 

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63

With Gratitude

 Geckos on my lanai bring

good luck into

my home.

With gratitude

I watch their

high-speed sprints.

 

 Birds on the high wires

chirp me awake

the sun our silent clock

Their downy feathers

floating on trade winds

demonstrate a ballerina’s grace.

 

Nature delivers peace

at morning’s start,

lightening my cares.

Sipping caffeine black,

the pain subsides

leaving only re-occurring thoughts.

 

 

Ah, the unparalleled pleasure of sipping morning coffee on the lanai before the weight of the day demands your full attention. Still not fully awake, unmindful of opinions pressing down with unrelenting force, obligations stacked for later consideration, and disorderly expectations of unruly humanity. 

 

Soon, the geckos scurry for cover,

the birds' chirps become more frantic,

and the sun's golden rays appear to tarnish

 

Back to a world of reality. 

 

 

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#IWSG What is Your Favorite Aspect of Being a Writer?

 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

November 2 Question: What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?

Alex J. Cavanaugh's awesome co-hosts for the November 2 posting of the IWSG will be Joylene Nowell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaard, Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and Christine Rains!

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If you've ever participated in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) you know the importance of setting goals. With NaNoWriMo, the objective is to write 50,000 in 30 days. Basic math suggests that writing 1,666 words per day will get you smoothly to that goal. Simple, right?

The title of my previous post suggests there is: No Wrong - Just Write-Write-Write!

 

Each year that I've participated in the November event I've learned a bit more about how to become a 'Winner' (completing the goal of writing 50k words.) This year, I made an outline of the basic story, decided on the general progression of the plotline, and laid out the order of scenes. This doesn't mean I confined myself to a narrow framework or a boring ritual, though.

 

On day one, my characters surprised and fascinated me. After layering my basic knowledge of a topic with imagination, I created scenes that never existed until I started typing. Kinda gives new meaning to "let your fingers do the walking." In this case, it's letting them do the "talking."

 

Where else can you be so totally in control of your work? Let your imagination run wild, create extreme characters, build psychedelic scenes or develop an outrageous plotline.

 

This is my favorite aspect of being a writer!

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Applying this freedom to another area of my life, I've decided to change my menu to non-cooked meals, at least during NaNoWriMo. Here is a picture of what lunch consists of for the next 30 days:

 

 





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Are you participating in NaNoWriMo 2016?