Do Ya Wanna Write?

The best way that I know how to answer the question:  Do Ya Wanna Write? is to answer the question by letting the reader know what I did in my life...  when I answered that question with, "yes, I do wanna write."

For me, the question was answered in 1972, 48 years ago, when I started writing poetry in the mornings so that I would have something to do while drinking coffee at McDonald's every morning before attending my college classes.

In addition to writing poetry, I joined a local Writers Club and began writing Short Stories and a couple of plays, as I recall.

I also remember taking creative writing classes at our local community college because the cost of each course was only $10.

My degree in college was English, so we were always asked to write out debates, essays, critiques, term papers, etc., and whenever we had a writing assignment, I would write more than was required unless the Professor indicated that writing more would lower the grade.

My term/research paper required a 20 page length and I would typically write a 40-50 page length.

One of my first jobs was writing package inserts for a microbiological media manufacturer which again allowed me to practice my writing.  When I directed a local non-profit, I would love to write press releases because again it allowed me to practice.

After several years, I joined LinkedIn and spent the next few years writing 1,000 word opinion articles that I posted as often as I could write them.  When I stopped that social media account, I had posted over 1,200 articles.

Next, I started writing novels and while writing those novels, maintained 4 blogs on a daily basis which also required writing and posting articles.

IN SHORT, I wrote something all the frigging time and the more I wrote the better I got or that is what others said who read what I had to write.

TO DATE, I have completed 2 - 350 page novels, and have started 2 other novels and complete a chapter outline of a third.  Before the end of 2021, I will finish all 3 in-progress novels while continuing to maintain my 4 blogs and write poetry, along with whatever other letter writing I can manage to fit in.

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE YOU MUST DISCIPLINE YOURSELF TO WRITE ALL THE TIME...

My Desire to Write

Caricature 1977 by Tom Edgerton, a NC Artist

I wrote my first poem in high school (1962-1966) while we were living in Cairo, Egypt and it was about some female with whom I was infatuated but said nothing...  as I recall I wrote the poem in green ink while listening to "Tired of Waiting," by the KINKS.  I have no idea where that written down poem is...  probably thrown away with all my other stuff from high school that I got tired of holding onto.

In 1966, I attended a small 4 year college in North Carolina and started writing poems on a regular basis while waiting for my classes to start...  at that point, while I did not write a lot or even consistently everyday, I NEVER STOPPED WRITING...  and, a couple of years later started writing short stories along with my poems, even though I had never taken any classes in creative writing as it was just something I wanted to do.

To date that is to say from 1966 until 2020 (54 years), I have written the following:

• over 42,000 poems
• 1200 opinion articles under a fake name on LinkedIn (profile deleted after being hacked, articles lost)
• 2.5 novels (0ver 300 pages each or 90,000 words) out of 12 outlined
• maintain 4 blogs daily
• Journal of Daily Pages
• Reflections: White Scorpion
• Bipolar Scorpion
• My Cancer Pilgrimage

I did not stop writing my novels because I got tired of writing novels but because I started questioning myself about being a writer that people wanted to read...  and, the more I questioned myself, the more I decided that maybe writing novels, at this time, was not the best direction to take with my retired life.  SO...  I started focusing on publishing my poems on Reflections: White Scorpion instead.  Was this the right approach to take?  I don't know actually...  but, it is one that I am following at least for a while...  In the back of my mind, while I have no real desire to write all 12 novels, I do have a desire to complete the first 4, because the other 8 are simply sequels.

Instead of sending greeting cards, I write my own poem instead as to me, it seems that it might be more valuable since it is personal.  At the funeral of both my parents, I read poems I had written the night before in their honor.  And, my wife has volunteered me several times to write poems to several people for their high school graduation or wedding.

Writing poems is not easy although once I start, all the words just seem to flow out of me onto paper with relative easy...  however, the pump is not always that easy to prime.

Most of the time, I am writing opinion pieces on the above mentioned blogs not necessarily to increase my readership but to get those thoughts out of my mind.  As you can see, I am quite opinionated even though I am not always right.  I expect the worst but hope for the best and I am never disappointed because one of those two damn scenarios will always happen.

I have always been a rebel, breaking the rules, and sometimes making my own as I go along.  I kiss no one ass nor do I expect anyone to kiss mine.  I earn my own way, never asking anyone to open the door for me.  I will never violate my ethics or integrity, although I have violated my moral.  I am a liberal who was smoking pot and protesting long before it was popular or cool which includes wearing long hair before long hair was "in" and attended a concert called WOODSTOCK once upon a time...  there is no better music than the music of the 60's especially the lyrics because they were all poetry.

I am a conservative liberal because I don't believe in debt basically, but the liberals of today are so far out in left field that they can all kiss my ass before I will give them the time of day.  I am not into SOCIALISM, nor am I into WEALTH, POWER, and CONTROL and I don't give a damn if you want to own a gun or get an abortion but you DAMN SURE BETTER NOT TAKE AWAY MY FIRST AMENDMENT or censor the news because it does not play well.

In my opinion for the last 4 years the mainstream media should be ashamed of themselves...  and, because of what they did or did not do, I lost all respect for journalists and reporters, putting them into the same category as LAWYERS...