Writing & Living

Little Epiphanies On My Writing Trajectory

Posted on by Khaya Ronkainen / 18 Comments

Each time we sit down to create something, we are risking our whole selves. But when the result is the transformation of anger, disappointment, sorrow, self-pity, guilt, perverseness and wounded innocence into something deep and concrete and abiding — that is a personal and artistic triumph well worth the long and solitary trip.” — Dani Shapiro

Spring is a season of transformation and rebirth. Every once in a while, I make room for personal growth by re-potting myself. I once touched on the idea of “being suited to my calling” or holding myself up to a particular type of artistic identity, in a post titled On Questioning My Writing Poetry.

Since then, I’ve been exploring other forms of writing and genres. And even though, I’ll never write a full-on memoir, I still find the personal essay/short memoir both attractive and scary as hell to write. But as the quote above indicates, risking ourselves has its own personal reward.

Anyway, the following snippets and dialogue are from my latest personal essay, where I share about my non-linear writing path.

The path and little epiphanies along the way

[at 6 years]
Me: “I want to be a teacher when I grow up.”
Class Teacher: “You could tell stories.”
Me: No way I could talk all day.

[at 10 years]
Me: I love reading and retelling forktales. I enjoy writing letters, too, to share the latest. But earning pocket money is splendid!

[at 17 years]
Mother: “You have the freedom…”
Father: “Time to craft your own story.”

[at 26 years]
Colleagues: “You should be a writer.”
Me: But I like the dynamic world of business. Besides I have rent to pay.

[at 37 years]
Me: I’m done with the rat race; it’s time to employ myself. And I really miss stories...

[at 40 years]
Me: Oh, I didn’t realise I love languages until now! I like speaking foreign. I also enjoy answering questions about my birth country.

[at 42 years]
Me: Hmm…Maybe teaching could be a path back to stories and a way to impart knowledge.

[at 43 years]
Literature Professor: “You could become a poet.”
Me: LOL! It’s a joke, right?

and the story continues…

You can read more of my little epiphanies and everything else in between from my essay, When You Get Tired of Your Own Nonsense. The key message I hope to convey is that if you have a deep passion for storytelling, you’ll always find your way back to it. But as we know, the path to this deeply satisfying vocation is long, arduous and non-linear.

Care to share the evolution of your artistic path or career? Regardless, keep evolving and never stop learning, and remember to be kind to yourself!

PS. The featured image was created with Gencraft.

Poetry

Ode to Godmothers

Posted on by Khaya Ronkainen / 8 Comments

In the realm of love’s sweet embrace
Where daughters and sons find their place
You stand as guardian with care profound,
Nurturing blooms as godmothers do.

The wind hums, oblivious to a seed’s origin
For it’s not by labour’s toil but by heart’s delight
You guide present and future contributions.
How lucky we are to hold a time capsule!

Happy Mother’s Day to all who celebrate it! ♥♥♥

And this mama will be recovering from the Eurovision party… 😀

Writing & Living

On Lessons Relearned from GloPoWriMo

Posted on by Khaya Ronkainen / 20 Comments

Yes, I made it across the finish line, huffing and puffing, and wobbly with exhaustion. 😀 I’ve done global and national poetry challenges before, but never reflected on them. But this time I thought I’d share lessons I relearned from the exercise:

1. Creativity Requires Freedom

After publishing my latest poetry collection, I vowed to focus on fiction writing until I can write a happy poem again. I miss the feeling of writing poetry from a place of awe, wonder and joy. But here I am, with poems burdened by injustices of our world. The more I tried to control the direction or the outcome of each poem, the more I failed. So, I simply went with the flow.

2. Being a Verb, instead of Noun

There’s no doubt, writing a poem every day for a month requires discipline and commitment. While consistency is an achievement, for me, showing up regularly to the page reminded me to be a verb again, instead of a noun. That is, shut up and write, instead of talking about writing.

3. Embracing Imperfection

There’s much editing to be done now. But I wouldn’t have had anything to edit if I didn’t embrace imperfection. It’s liberating to know I can’t create a masterpiece during GloPoWriMo, and maybe never. The act of writing itself, not the outcome, becomes the focus.

4. Community Fosters Growth

I know I often complain about social media activities and behaviour. It’s because healthy discussions, encouragement, or valuable insights are scarce on these platforms, nowadays. As poet Mark Nepo once said, we’re living in a society where everyone is trying to get attention.

Thank goodness for the blogs! The blogging community remains one of the best. I’m deeply grateful to you all who wrote alongside, read and offered encouragement this past April. I appreciate every comment. Thank you!

5. Poetry is a Journey, Not a Destination

Each poem written is a step forward in the journey of self-discovery and artistic expression. This is also why I wanted to acknowledge this GloPoWriMo effort, instead of rushing off to the next big thing. Poetry writing is an ongoing process that enhances self-awareness and understanding of the world around me. Perhaps, the reason it remains my first love.

On that note, I’ll continue the search for a happy poem, especially now that birds are back. 🙂 Wishing you days full of wonder and joy, whatever season you’re in!