Many thanks to my dear friend Mary
Bach for inviting me to participate in this Blog Hop. Mary and I met through our writing. She became a fast
favorite of mine through her charm, her wit, her sense of humor; and our mutual affinity towards nature, seasons, home,
family and even a certain Doctor!
Interesting, smart and so talented, please follow this link to her Blog Hop to read in
her own words what inspires her to write.
Mary Bach
Mary Bach, also known as Other
Mary, writes mainly poetry which can be found on her website called Writing in the Bachs.
She lives in the middle of nowhere, more specifically rural
western-Wisconsin. She has a love for words that includes not just writing and
reading, but quotes, pun and general word-play. She has had poems in several
on- and offline publications including The Book Times, Pigeon Bike Poetry,
Living with Nature and Beginnings.
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What am I working on?
Wow. I wish I had a more profound answer for this! It seems the
ultimate goal of being a writer is to have collection of poems or a story
somewhere in the process of being published—to always have something in the
works to share, promote or brag about on social media
sites. And rightfully so, for in the poems that I’ve submitted for
printing, I’ve learned that there is definitely more work that goes into ‘publishing’ than meets
the eye! With that being said, I am pleased to announce
that one of my pieces will soon be published in “Journey of the Heart: An Anthology of Women’s Spiritual Poetry,” a new book that is due for release this
summer.
How does my work
differ from others of its genre?
I would say not as good as some, perhaps a bit better
than others. I’ve been writing for just over 4 years now. In that time, I’ve gotten a sense of my own voice, but am not nearly confident enough to call myself 'poet' yet. I think that is a title earned through recognition and respect of one’s peers. And there are so many others whose writing absolutely blows me away! I think most of what I write about has probably been said
before—actually I’m sure of it. What makes it different is my own unique
perspective. We may travel
parallel paths with others, sometimes it seems the same road, but what we see
and how we view it—what it means to us—comes from a deeper place inside. I try
to write from that place; not how others see and understand it—but what it
means to me alone. But then, isn’t that
what all writers do?
Why do I write what I
do?
Why do crickets chirp? I started writing as a
catharsis: a need to express anger and disappointment; to pull myself out of a
dark hole after losing a job of many years that I
truly loved doing. Putting my thoughts, my feelings, down on paper helped me to
find myself again. And I continue to write because I’ve always enjoyed being
creative; and channeling this creativity into words, into poetry, helps me to
feed this addiction. Sometimes I write from image or word prompts, if only
because they challenge me to keep writing. Yet even my own life experiences offer quite a deep well to draw from. And then there are those moments when I am so moved and
inspired by something that I can’t write fast enough. The words are there, the
universe aligns, and I’ll finish in one shot and think, “Did this just come
from me?” My recent 'Five a.m. on an April Morning' was one of those pieces.
It’s in these rare “aha” moments when I think I am most worthy to stand among my
writing peers.
How does my writing
process work?
Hmmmm…process? I don’t really have a formula. Either the
words are there, tumbling to get out, or they’re not! Most of my writing stems
from what I am feeling at the moment—perhaps a memory bubbling up from the
past, my emotions at the time, or from being touched by something or someone
during my daily routine. Often I find myself composing something on the half
hour drive between home and work. The words will start to toss about in my
head…sometimes they may fall together in some sort of rhyme or format on their
own…and sometimes its just a line or two that keep echoing, repeating, crying
out to be more. It’s really difficult to predict at any given time what may move or
inspire me. And I truly envy those lucky writers who are able to spend time and focus on their writing each and every day. It’s not always easy for me to eke out time to write, between
working full time and taking care of home and family, without feeling guilty
over letting something else go. I live for those quiet moments alone when I can
get lost in the words!
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I'm honored to pass this torch along to these two lovely and extremely talented poets, writers and friends who will posting their Blog Hop and sharing their answers
to these questions next week, on or about Monday, May 26, 2014. Please visit their blogs, and read, like and follow if you are not already doing so!
Victoria C. Slotto, Author
Victoria spent many years working as an RN in the
fields of death and dying. In retirement she’s chosen to pursue the creative
life as a novelist and poet. Her first novel, Winter is Past, was published by
Lucky Bat Books in 2011. A second novel will be forthcoming in the near future.
She is happy to pen poetry and articles for dVerse Poetry, Into the Bardo, and
her own blog that deal with the art and craft of poetry and fiction writing, as
well as spirituality. Victoria derives inspiration from her life experience
working with persons at the end-of-life, from nature, spirituality, from poetry
prompts and whatever else pops into her awareness. She enjoys life with her
photographer husband and two dogs in Reno, Nevada and Palm Desert, California.
Margaret Schaff Bednar: Poet, Photographer
Margaret Bednar was born and raised in Northern Illinois. She
remembers being a bit of a tomboy growing up—living on a small farm with
horses, goats, chickens, dogs, cats, and being outside all summer!
Married now for 24 years and a mother with six children of her own, she
currently lives in the southeast (United States) and loves it. She
started composing her poetry a few years back – which most often reflects upon
her two passions above - the out-of-doors and
her family.
A regular contributor to G-Man’s Flash 55 and Imaginary Garden with
Real Toads, you can find Margaret’s wonderful words and amazing photography at:
Art Happens 365 — MyPoetic Journey
