Winter Poetry

            Occasionally, on the last Friday of the month, I do a Flashback Friday post. I suppose this post would fit into that category because I am sharing some things I've written in the past, although I have never shared these on my blog before. I'm sharing two short poems I wrote about winter. The first was written when I was 17 for my Junior English class portfolio. The second was written in 2013 as a response to someone on Facebook who wrote a poem about how she disliked winter.

Change

The winter winds are starting to blow.
Blowing the orange and red leaves to the ground.
The ground is covered with an icy dew.
Dew that makes the grass crunch with each step.
Step-by-step, the season is changing.
Changing as snowflakes begin falling from the sky.
The sky is a pale blue without much light.
Light comes from the bright, white blanket of snow.
Snow that glistens with beauty.
Beauty surrounds you in the snow and ice.
Ice covers the ponds and trees.
Trees are now bare, in the beginning of the winter.


In Defense of Winter

Would you like it with a good book,
or how about cuddled in a nook?
Would you like it nestled by a fire?
That should satisfy your warmth desire.
Would you like it with boots and a sweater?
Those certainly make the best of the weather!
Not even in the fresh, fallen snow
with beautiful whiteness all aglow?
I love the cold! Please don't wish it away.
It's much more pleasant than a hot summer day!

I know there are many people who do not share my sentiments of winter. Which season is your favorite? Have you ever written about it?

IWSG: Plan? What Plan?

Happy New Year! It’s time for the first post of 2018 with the Insecure Writer’s Support Group, where writers can share their insecurities and encourage one another. IWSG was founded by Alex J. Cavanaugh, and we share our posts on the first Wednesday of the month. We are given an optional question to answer each month, and this is the question for January:

What steps have you taken to put a schedule in place for your writing and publishing?

            That is a very convicting question. What steps have I taken? What plans have I made for writing? I certainly did not have a schedule or plans in place last year, and I haven’t gotten very far with my writing. I’ll be honest, there are many moments when I don’t feel like much of a writer at all. I rarely have the energy or the patience to sit down and write most days. As an introvert working in an extroverted environment, I usually feel so drained at the end of each day. I can’t concentrate. I can’t recall my ideas. I can’t write. Believe me, I have contemplated quitting my job and diving into an entrepreneurial lifestyle many, many times. I stay because I’m scared of losing my financial security. Other part-time writers somehow manage to balance their time, and I do not know how they do it. I have tried different methods and nothing seems to stick, except journaling. I do tend to write out my thoughts, prayers, and feelings on a regular basis. The problem is that those journal writings are deeply personal, and I’m not comfortable sharing most of them. But, at least I have been getting some writing done.

            As the New Year was approaching, I was thinking about my current works in progress. My “quiet book” is still on hold right now. I have a handful of short stories that I have started, and one story I would like to fix up. I also have some non-fiction writing and poetry I could work on. It’s not the ideas that I’m lacking. It’s more of a lack of motivation to sort through it all and get those ideas in a presentable form. What are some methods you use to motivate yourself when you lack the energy to write?

“May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.” –Neil Gaiman

“If you have other things in your life—family, friends, good productive day work—these can interact with your writing and the sum will be all the richer.” – David Brin