I write because it is how my brain translates life.  I write fiction because I want to stretch my voice and try new things.  I write non fiction because I want to tell my story in ways that will hopefully reach more people.  I write poetry because it is my breath; it is what flows most naturally from my pen.

For me, poetry is the ultimate expression and exercise of language. It is the bones, the blood and the heart, uncovered and untethered.  Poetry is about the extraordinary power of words and the impact of profound simplicity.  When I write poetry,  all of my emotions are electrified; my euphoria burns brighter and my frustrations cut deeper.  Poetry can give life to the magic and the strength of a single word; it can transform an image just by putting the right two words together.  I have spent weeks trying to find one word for a single poem.  Obviously, it gets me excited.

Although poetry will always be what I turn to first, as a writer, I have discovered how much strength and power exists in all forms of writing. Before “Stories from the Edge of Blindness”, I only wrote poetry, but now I see that I was limiting my voice.  I have found that exploring different kinds of writing has uncovered how nuanced and varied my writing can be.  I feel as if I have a different voice for each style of writing, a different way of expressing myself that gives me creative freedom in ways I never knew existed.  It is as if I have knocked down the walls of a room I had stitched myself into, and now I can look at myself and the world in a more comprehensive way.

I am not saying I become a completely different person when I am writing in different styles; I have and always will veer toward the darkness, but I have found that when I am writing non fiction, I can lend myself more to a kind of sarcastic wit (sometimes), and write with a voice that feels more like every day life.  I have just started writing fiction and honestly, when I do it, I feel like I am floating; I can look down at nothing and slowly add color and shape and texture.  My fiction voice is still a whisper, but I am looking forward to what I will find as it becomes louder.

I think, most importantly, I have found the breadth of the magic and power that is language.  I am discovering new writers, many of them bloggers, who are showing me what incredible things language can do.  In a single morning of reading others blog posts, I can find myself, laughing and crying, feeling still and contemplative or being completely swept away.  I know that without being a reader, I cannot be a writer; I am grateful to all of the writers that transform my life every day and inspire me to delve more deeply into my own craft.