I was gonna....

I was going to write a great blog tonight, full of words that made my readers feel things.  I spent a lot of time at work, thinking of different topics.  Instead, I opted to write my wife a letter.  Yes, you read that correctly.  I wrote my WIFE a letter.  I got married last Saturday in Las Vegas.  It was one of the best moments of my life. 

My wife and I had a conversation earlier today, that prompted the need for a letter.  Although many people say they enjoy hearing me speak publicly, I have always felt more comfortable communicating through the written word.  I try to write her a letter, or a poem, at least once a week.  Writing allows me to gather my thoughts, put them on paper and edit them, so that I say what I'm trying to say, before delivering the communication. 

I have read a lot of writers decrying the dying art of letter writing.  Emails, text messages and instant messages, have all but killed off the need for letters.  I concur with these writers.  I believe that writing in any form, strengthens my technique as a writer. 

I have made a commitment to myself, to work on my writing, for at least one hour every night.  This is a tall commitment  for a man that works 60+ hours a week in a factory.  Working on my writing involves writing and editing poetry, writing and editing short stories, working on my novel, writing this blog column, sending poetry to publications in an attempt to get published and of course, writing letters. 

A lot of famous writers also mention the need to read, if you desire to be a writer.  In addition to this commitment of writing for an hour a day, it is also important that I read.  Reading is likely more important for a writer like myself, than for many other writers.  I am not a college educated writer.  That is sometimes a disadvantage for me, but can also be an advantage.  There are writers with college degrees, who have smoother technique and are better at punctuation.  Conversely, working in a factory, having unique life experiences, is to my advantage.  Due to the lack of formal writing education, I feel that it is more important for me to read than it is for other writers.  What greater education is available for a writer than reading?

Working a hectic factory schedule, limits my free time.  It takes a certain amount of discipline to write and read, when I'd rather be doing other things that involve relaxation.  It means that I have to make some sacrifices.  I rarely watch television.  We don't have cable anymore, because we don't watch a lot of television in our home.  Time spent watching TV is time that could be used for reading and writing.  I don't watch as many movies as I'd like to.  Sometimes I stay awake later than I should, because I'm writing or reading.  These sacrifices are all worthwhile, as long as I write.  I'm well aware that if I am to gain acclaim as a writer, that I'm going to have to exert more effort than others who have more time available. 

I don't think that one form of writing is more important than the others.  Unless it's writing letters for my girl.  That takes precedent over anything else that I write.  I need to work on my novel more, but poetry is easier to write.  At the end of the day, it's only important that I have done enough writing collectively, that I can feel comfortable calling myself a writer. 

In other news, I received a rejection letter the other day, from a publication that rejected my poetry.  They did however, call me a lovely badass, which is awesome.  They also wrote that they enjoyed "my voice in the poems" and that they particularly enjoyed one poem more than the others.  I also received an invitation from another publication, to write a guest blog.  The publication, an online magazine, said that they would love to publish some of my poetry in their poetry corner, in the same edition that features my guest blog.  So some of my writing time later this week will be spent working on and submitting an idea for a guest blog.  This is a huge step for me as a writer and will help get my work out to a wider audience.  The late night hours spent reading and writing are paying off.  Stay tuned for more, from your soon to be, slightly more well known, angry writer.