Phenomenal

My first exposure to Dr. Maya Angelou was in the ninth or tenth grade. I don't even remember under what circumstances it happened, but I stumbled upon her poem Phenomenal Woman during one afternoon of mind-numbing internet browsing. I read it, got chills, read it again, and then sent it to several of my friends so they could get chills, too. 

One of the topics I want to cover with this blog is what inspires us to write. A lot of fiction writers, myself included, have difficulty writing poetry but often cite poetry as one of their biggest inspirations to write their stories. I think the reason why I find poetry, particularly Angelou's work, so inspirational is because it feels out of my realm. I have written poetry in the past, but when I read the work of truly inspired poets, I feel like I've caught a glimpse of something gloriously over my head and mysterious. How do they do that? I often find myself wondering. 

Here's one of the those poems that hopefully makes your head shake and your fingers ache to put some words down today. 

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.

I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms,
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing,
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need for my care.
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
—Maya Angelou

Source
1928-2014

To you who write

I would like to begin this post by first saying, I don't know who you are. I don't know where you are in life, what you look like, or what your reality is in the writing world. Maybe you write in your spare time and your work is only shown to a handful of individuals. Perhaps you write for a living and the act of writing is part of your daily life that tons of people get to see. Maybe you love to read and, every now and then, try your hand at storytelling. You might be the person who writes in utter privacy because you were told that those who write stories are foolish dreamers, so you've never worked up the courage show anyone. Regardless of where you are in your journey, if you give any time at all to the craft of writing fiction, I want you to know that what you have to say is important. I say this to you not as someone obliged to make you feel better about your little writing thing, but as a fellow writer who believes as fervently in the worth of your stories as I believe in my own.

We live in a world where success is measured by currency, by power, by material possessions. Our worth is constantly being measured by how well we can sell, produce, and maintain and this sad reality of our time, is inexplicably damaging to the fiction writer's soul. I could spend pages and pages writing about how this world is bad for writers but I'd rather use my bitty platform to encourage you who write. Whether your write for yourself or for an audience, you have chosen to embrace this quirky and often misunderstood craft. For some of you, writing stories is a hobby and for some it may be a means of surviving an otherwise creativity-devoid existence. You may study writing at school or only in books. You may have writer friends or you may have chosen to weather the joys and sorrows of writing alone. Wherever you happen to find yourself on this journey, may I exhort you to write what is on your soul? Don't let that fire be extinguished by self-doubt or naysayers or anything else. What you have to say is important and whether it takes you one day or a hundred years to unleash your story, it can only be written by you. You have a voice that belongs only to you. There are hundreds of other voices that would love to tell you that this pursuit is unworthy and dying, but I say be brave.

Be brave and write what is on your heart.

Be smart and learn the elements of craft so that you can create sharp work.

Be bold in your choices. Always take the opportunity to defy expectations and create new norms in your stories.

Take heart. You're not the only storyteller here, and that should be a comfort, to know that there are many of us who share your hardships and would also love to share your victories.

To you who write, this blog is for you. I'm just one writer in one part of the world with one set of stories that I'm dying to get out. I want to talk about craft and inspiration and other great writers' stories. I want to set both of our hearts ablaze with a fervor for our writing and courage to say the hard things. I hope you'll be inspired and stay a while.  

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