Poem Girl

"We are the scientists, trying to make sense of the stars inside us."

we joked that i was Poem Girl, and that my character has to defeat Writer's Block and villains like Protagonist and Critique. I'd been watching entirely way to much Justice League and Batman. I kept playing with the character in my mind. It was also me trying to hide behind a mask. No one would accept me for who I really was. But Poem Girl. They would admire her leadership and skills. She was a journalist, like me, who wanted to do more than cover the news. She wanted to make an impact and she would do so with her superpower: words. Not only is Poem Girl the master of persuasion, she could write anything into existence. She could rewrite destiny.

I'm still playing with the idea of Poem Girl in my head as I work on my poetry book. 3 months ago, I started an Instagram dedicated to my other blog - The Pretty Poems. There is something about taking the first step towards achieving your childhood dreams. Something life-affirming. I feel like I had been lost in the wilderness for who knows how long, and now I finally see civilization. A campfire. The sound of cars coming and going. I was a survivor, now trying to find my place in the world.

The marketing tools I have are all from Etsy Journey: the attempts at aesthetically pleasing Instagram - check. Pristine and clean photography - check. Networking relationships - check.

Unfortunately, I'm getting old. I learned this when I realized how much the publishing industry has changed. I remember sitting next to a stack of Poets & Writers Magazine back in 2007 reading about Danny Strack, when slam poetry was emerging. I have a few of his chapbooks. I collected zines so that's where I want to start. Even though there are a lot of "instagram poets" who have a collection of poetry available through Amazon.

I miss making zines and the mixed media fun of it. So that's what I am working on. A small chapbook of poems. Two in fact. Again, not sure if this is the right direction but it feels right.

Meticulous time. Watercolor words. Japanese stab stitches. The poems are fresh off my vintage typewriter. Now it's time to choose the type of paper. I want to add pastel blue tissue. I want the collection of poems to feel like clouds.

In 3 months I've also started my Art Journey. There are remnants of an artist in my old bedroom, and somewhere I stopped reading and painting. I decided that I wanted to take drawing seriously so I could draw story boards and bring my characters to life.

Poem Girl would breathe on the page.

It started out of loneliness. And accountability. I hadn't read a book all year, maybe longer. The idea for Writer's Guild had been on my mind for a while, inspired by GirlSquad, a facebook group of women that build each other up. (To be honest though 98% of us are lesbian.) I wanted a place to share books and share poems and stories. I share book memes, blog posts, no-fee writing contests, and writing prompts to encourage and inspire story tellers of all types of platforms.

Ugh the bad part is I've had 5 guys use it to try to "talk" to me, sending me DM's about stories they are working on. I don't intend to give my time away like this, and I've speculated blocking these men. (you should you totally should they're gross) Actually, if I can go on another tangent - I hate how messaging traps you. The red notification shows and won't go away unless I click it. It also reveals when I was online, like NOW. and READ when I read and choose never to respond.

It really freaks me out guys that do this. The ones that like all your posts and comment on every post and respond to every other story or send a message every other week. It is intrusive. I don't know what I did wrong.

You didn't do nothing wrong. That's what's wrong with men.

I'm not trying to sound like a man hater, honest. But when I post a story, and 6 men respond in the exact same way to the exact same story, (no seriously one time each guy said the exact same thing and they all are from different states it freaked me out. all guys think the same.) I feel more bothered than flattered. Unless it's someone I know IRL. that is the only exception. You must break through the digital walls and code and find me IRL. This rule does not apply to women though. I love it when my lady friends comment, because I know what it means. We are showing each other love, and we aren't asking for anything in return. We appreciate our beautiful castles, we are in awe of the divine arches and scenery.