Ominous Poetic October

Hey, everyone! I know this post is coming much later in the day than normal, but I’ve had lots to do. As most of you know, my next book, Unfettered, is coming out in one week! So, I’ve been busy making my final edits and formatting everything to give you an amazing book come Friday. On top of that, I’m busy preparing for Christmas. My husband and I live roughly 12 hours from our family, so we’re having Christmas at Thanksgiving this year. That means, in my traditional way of doing gifts, that I’m making a lot of things to give out to people. That, of course, requires trips to the craft store to purchase the things we need. All of that takes up a lot of time!

We are 10 days into October which means that I’m 10 days deep into my daily writing challenge, Ominous October. To my knowledge, no one else has chosen to participate with me, and that’s just fine. I’m getting ready for NaNoWriMo (beginning November 1st), and I’ve got my eyes on the prize. That means I’ve been writing something every day, and I thought we could take a moment here on the blog to talk about some of the writing I’ve done.

First of all, I’ve been writing a lot of poetry this October, which is something I did not expect. I have always loved poetry, but most of the time, I have to be in a certain, poetic mood in order to write something worthwhile. However, the desire and ideas for the poems have come quite naturally, so I’ve decided to go with the flow on that. So, for six out of the ten days in the month, I’ve written poetry. Let me share some of my favorite sections.

It lived and breathed among them there,

Had a heartbeat, a home, a chair

At each and every table.

This stanza is from the first poem I wrote this month with the prompt word “Fear.” I love this stanza because it embodies something that I admire about poetry: its ability to give whatever its subject many human-like qualities, bringing ideas or feelings to life. I don’t always succeed in doing this when I write poetry, but it’s something I strive toward.

Perhaps…magic isn’t made.

Perhaps…magic isn’t born of a spell or a curse.

Perhaps…magic isn’t something to be owned or used.

Perhaps…magic is only something seen.

Perhaps…magic is only something felt.

Perhaps…magic is only what you make it.

The above is a segment from the poem I wrote for the word “Wand.” Another thing I love about poetry is its power of suggestion. With only a few words, poetry can twist a commonly held belief and make you look at it in a new way. The same can be said for magic, changing something common into something amazing or extraordinary.

So, I work through the bad days

Just hoping for a great day,

A good day,

Or a passable day,

Because I’ve learned that,

No matter what,

There’s always an end to each beginning,

Horrible or not.

This poem was written for the word “Dim,” and embodies another trait of poetry that I love. I, as the author of this poem, know what this poem is about. You, as the reader of this poem, have your own understanding of what this poem is about. You could think of the words in reference to me, if you know me in real life, and try to come up with what I could have been feeling when I wrote this particular piece. Or, you could have completely new emotions evoked in you, remembering a time when you were not okay but needed to be. You might walk away from this poem thinking I’ve written it about something far different than what I could tell you. But that’s okay. That’s the beauty of poetry. There is no right or wrong answer; there’s just your answer.

“I’m innocent, not guilty,

I swear.

It only looked like me because you found a hair.”

Writing these few lines made me giggle, so I think I’ll end this post here.

Don’t forget to look at my social media to read snippets of the things I’m writing all month. If you want to get a copy of my newsletter tomorrow, make sure you’re subscribed to my mailing list. You can do that at the bottom of any page here on my website. And, don’t forget to check out Unfettered when it releases on Friday, October 16!!! I can’t wait to share it with you! Have a great week, and I’ll see you back here next Saturday. Bye!