Need More Writing

Someone asked me what made me want to write, and I struggled with an answer.  I replied that in first grade we were given an allotted time to write stories, and it was my favorite part of the day.  I described that I wrote a rhyming poem on my white board at home that made my mother cry because of the subject matter.  I explained that writing is my drug and I’m addicted.  I’ve been doing so much writing lately because I am taking Nonfiction and Fiction, and I couldn’t be happier.  I’ve composed a list of quotes all about writing, literature, poetry, and authors because I simply cannot get enough:

 

1.  “Every good writer writes shitty first drafts.” – Anne Lamont

 

2.  “That is part of the beauty of all literature.  You discover that your longings are universal, that you’re not lonely and isolated from anyone.  You belong.”  – F. Scott Fitzgerald

 

3.  “At the touch of love everyone becomes a poet.” – Plato

 

4.  “There is nothing to writing.  All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” – Ernest Hemingway

 

5.  “The crown of literature is poetry.” – William Somerset Maugham 

 

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6.  “A short story is a different thing all together – a short story is like a kiss in the dark from a stranger.” – Stephen King

 

7.  “For your born writer, nothing is so healing as the realization that he has come upon the right word.” – Catherine Drinker Bown

 

8.  “The road to hell is paved with adverbs.” – Stephen King

 

9.  “Writers live twice.” – Natalie Goldberg

 

10.  “Writing isn’t just a hobby for me or a way to pass the time. I write because I need to. Because words flow through my head to my fingertips and beg for life. I write as a way of life. I write to relive memories. I write to forget. I write to escape. I write to create. I write to stay sane. I write, yes, because I want to, but also because I have to. Because writing is a part of me that grows and thrives with me. I write to understand. Understand the world around me and the people who inhabit this world. I write to understand myself. I write to express myself. I write because it makes me happy. But, I also write when the sadness or anger or loneliness is too overwhelming and writing only makes it worse. I write to inspire others. I write because I’m inspired. I write because I need to. I write because I don’t know how not to.”  – Me

Pierced By The Veil

I couldn’t even tell you how many times I have read, reread, and read again Pierce the Veil lyrics.  After I bought their albums I holed myself up in my room and listened to the album in its entirety, reading through the lyrics as the lead singer, Vic Fuentes sang them.  Sometimes I read them before bed, simply because I love the literature.  For inspiration to write, I read Pierce the Veil lyrics.  The sincerity of the words, the beautiful imagery, the powerful symbolism, the personal narratives, and the diction of the lyrics is addictive to me.  I can never get enough Pierce the Veil because their music speaks to me on multiple levels, as a writer, as a listener, as someone going through the same things they describe, and more.  I wanted to share some of the most memorable Pierce the Veil lyrics to me:

 

1.  “Now as the rain falls like shattered pieces of glass from the sky/we bleed like water colors and drunken pastels down the stairways.”   – The Boy Who Could Fly

2.  “Do you know/I count your heartbeats before you sleep/I bite my fingernails to bone/And then I crawl back under the stairwell/To a place I call my home.” – Bulls In The Bronx

3.  “I still remember the night you tried to kiss me through the window/I tried to settle for the taste of touching glass over the sound of answering machines/because I love the way your voice it says it’s gonna get back to me someday.” – The Sky Under the Sea

4.  “And I might be holding on too tight/But there is a beast in my heart/and he won’t let you leave alive.” – One Hundred Sleepless Nights

5.  “Baby please come home/I need you here right now/I’m crying underwater/so you don’t hear the sound.” – Props & Mayhem

6.  “You’ve gone and sewn me to this bed/ the taste of you and me/will never leave my lips again/ under the blinding rain/ I wanna hold your hand so tight/I’m gonna break my wrist.” – Bulletproof Love

7.  “You’re my favorite explosion/(You know the only real way to cure pain/ is to add a little more/because everything new distracts the old)/A violin with no hands/plays symphonies with no words.” – Besitos

8.  “The thing I think I love/Will surely bring me pain/Intoxication, paranoia/and a lot of fame.” – King For A Day

9.  “I heard the train shake the windows/You screamed over the sound/And as we own this night/I put your body to the test with mine/This love was out of control/Tell me where did it go?” – Hold On Till May

10.  “Oh what a waste of a perfectly good clean wrist.” – Disasterology

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Writing VS. Talking

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The other day I told someone that I can more clearly put into words how I am feeling through writing rather than actually talking about my emotions.  This statement to me seemed disjointed and silly after I said it.  Isn’t talking just saying the words I put on to paper and basically thinking aloud?

But, after much thought I’ve concluded that  talking and writing are, in fact, very different.  Talking is about conversation, and typically it’s simple, involving slang and expressions, and happens quickly without much thinking.  Sure, we think before we speak, but usually when we do that we are trying to make our statement clear to others or not offend anyone.  Writing, on the other hand, is a pouring out of emotions, it’s personal on every level, and beautiful, and refined.  Writing for me is truth.  If someone asks me how I am, my usual reply is excellent, simply out of habit.  By saying that word I divulge nothing because it is a meaningless statement.  But, if I were given a pen and paper, I’d fine tune and pinpoint my exact emotion, whether I be elated and actually excellent or upset and vulnerable.

Writing is a form of expression, and yes talking includes words and is also a form of expression, but writing is a process of saying exactly what needs to be said using the precise words to make your statement clear.  And those who write have a style all their own, only making their written piece even more unique and personal.

And to finish up, I never would have been able to talk to my friend about all this and verbalize all of my thoughts; it was easier to write how I truly felt.

Looking Back

I saw a good idea: Start 2013 off with an empty jar and fill it with notes about good things that happen.  On New Year’s Eve empty it and see what awesome stuff happened that year.  I think I’m going to give it a try.

And speaking of looking back, I’ve decided to reminisce about what happened to me in 2012, and I feel like the first day of the New Year is a good time to do that: look back one day, and then enjoy the remaining 364 days.

 

January:  I learned that sometimes we just need to cry.  We need to listen to sad songs, pop in a tear jerker film, or read a depressing book.  But, I will always have people in my life who can cheer me up, and there are people in life who will hurt me.

February:  I gave someone one of the best hand made gifts I’ve ever created (in my opinion): a scrapbook.  I discovered some people don’t appreciate hand made gifts.

March:  First time I’ve ever flown in a plane.  First time I’ve ever been to an airport.  First time I’ve ever left the East Coast.  First time I was in New Mexico.

April:  Participated in the Day of Silence, to raise awareness for a cause I believe in.  I enjoyed Senior Prom, and a trip to the beach!

May:  My first internship.  My last soccer game of my career.  I drew with chalk for the first time since I was a little kid.

June:  I discovered my favorite place.  I graduated high school, which was a bittersweet moment, and I got to enjoy my very own graduation party.

July:  I went to Sculpture Gardens (and want to go back) in NJ.  I wrote a short story that I hope to get published one day.  I went to the best concert ever: Warped Tour!

August:  I experienced a gum graft, and I was unable to eat hard food, smile, kiss, and put on lip balm.  I had to say goodbye to all my friends when they left for college.  And I realized that sometimes love isn’t enough.

September:  My first semester of college began with making new friends, transitioning into a new life, and I became a DJ.  I had to deal with a breakup, and realized I deserve better, and that love can be blind.

October:  I realized it’s okay to eat alone, and sometimes I don’t need to be around people to be happy; I can read and write and paint and that’s okay.  I also enjoyed a Halloween party.

November:  I truly realized I feel right at home at the college I chose, and I can be myself at college and people accept me, praise me for it, and do not judge.  My first semester ended, and I survived.  I reconnected with friends and stitched up broken friendships.

December:  I wrote a lot of poetry.  I realized that even though your family can make you mad, they can always make you laugh.  I travelled to Florida and realized how much I hate traveling.  I also learned you can’t trust a lot of people.  And I think I fell for someone new.

 

 

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