Wednesday, April 11, 2012

JOURNEYS (A-Z April Blog Challenge)


The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back….

As a little girl I used to daydream about the journeys I would take as a grown up.  We never traveled as a family and I dreamed of far off places where I was a different person.  I didn’t have anywhere specific in mind…just to be someone else, somewhere else.

Those dreams have fueled my writing a lot.  Many of my pieces have the characters either uprooted from their familiar surroundings or on a trip headed somewhere.  Often times it’s not a physical journey, but an emotional one, searching for something they’ve lost or yearn to discover.   

Throughout our marriage, we’ve taken mostly car trips.  We’ve been to Boston, Alabama, up the coast of California, Arizona, Mexico, down the East coast, Canada and around and about New York State.  I’ve gotten pages and pages of writing.  I’ve written a couple of completed pieces and there’s any number of snippets of scenery, weather conditions, landscapes and character sketches. 

Sometimes I would just tag along with Steve when he went to a conference for work.  Sitting in the lobby, I was able to people watch and imagine to my heart’s content. 

This A-Z challenge has been more of a journey than I expected.  I thought the theme of some childhood memories and how they relate to my “adult” life was going to be a fairly straight forward one.  What I’ve found instead is it’s not been as simple a road as I remembered. And like most journeys, there’s a lot going on that isn’t seen, but has a great deal of impact on the overall experience. 

There have been some really wonderful memories. And there should be – overall I had a very happy childhood with a family that loves me very much.  However, there are some not so pleasant ones that I’ve purposefully chosen not to write about.  Not writing unpleasant things goes back a long way in my writing journey and that goes for both my fiction and non-fiction pieces.  It’s been terribly difficult to remove the “happy editor” from my shoulder. You know, the one who is worried about what other people will think if you write something dark, or unpleasant.  The one who worries about hurting someone’s feelings or that makes them think “Where did THAT come from?” when they read what you’ve written.

I have to trust my travels have led me to this point for a reason.  I’d like to embark on a writing journey that is true to what I want to write.   Possibly I can dig deep and find a little Robert Frost in me, and choose the path that is “grass and wanted wear” and for myself, make the difference. 

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

 

22 comments:

  1. What a way to start off with one of my all time favorite poems!! You know--I've found that writing about the dark stuff can sometimes be healing--and sometimes others don't receive it well. From that, I've learned to always write for me. If I feel something needs to be shared--that my mind won't be silent any longer, then I write about it. Sometimes the audience is receptive, other times not--but it always feels good from where I sit to know that I've lived to tell the tale. I tell my friends, write for yourself first, be genuine, and your true audience will follow. :)

    Cheers, Jenn.

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    1. Thanks Jenn - I've written a good deal of it for myself. It's the sharing part that has me doubtful, but your encouragement is quite helpful!

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  2. It's lovely to read that your childhood dreams of travelling helped in your writing :)

    I'm just stopping by from the A - Z, you have a lovely blog and write very nicely :)

    Nikki – inspire nordic

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    1. Thanks Nikki - took a look at your blog. Loved today's post in Joik! It was great to learn something new.

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  3. I agree with what Jenn has said about writing for yourself first and foremost. Some people will understand and appreciate it, others won't, but that doesn't matter. What you've written is 'you' which is the important thing.

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    1. Thanks Paula - this challenge is helping me define the "me" part of it. :)

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  4. I love that poem. Everyday is a journey for me too.
    Nutschell
    www.thewritingnut.com
    Dropping by from the A-Z!

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    1. Took a look around The Writing Nut. Nice website...and good luck on your journey!

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  5. Every day in life is a journey. Great post!!

    Kathy
    http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com

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    1. Kathy - I love coming along on your ride as I read your posts daily. They never fail to either make me smile or inspire me. Sometimes, both at once.

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  6. I've always liked that poem. Thanks for the reminder!

    New follower here. I’m enjoying reading my fellow “A to Z”ers. I look forward to visiting again.

    Sylvia
    http://www.writinginwonderland.blogspot.com/

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    1. Nice to have you stop by Sylvia and be a follower too! I checked out Writing in Wonderland. Your inspirational messages are beautifully crafted.

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  7. I do enjoy your posts. and especially interesting that on all those drive trips you took notes, made character sketches...can you go back to any of them and develop them further? I'm using this challenge in a way I didn't expect; kind of doing character sketches but by getting into the heads of the people closest to me, my children, my mother...those that spark my most volatile emotions these days (oddly or thankfully, it is not my hsuband who does!) Keep writing!

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    1. Thank you Sandra. I have actually gone back and written a short piece or two or pulled a character or descripton of a hotel lobby out from my notes. It's been great to have them as a reference and has helped springboard me when I get "stuck".

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  8. Write whatever is in your heart, in your soul. Just pour it out and don't try to tame it. There'll be plenty of time to clean it up through editing, but the most important step is just let whatever needs to come out, come out.

    Oh, and maybe one of these days a writer will say, "Possibly I can dig deep and find a little Amy Morgan in me..."

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    1. "Possibly I can dig deep and find a little Amy Morgan in me..." now that might be a little scary! Soul writing is the tough part, but I'm working to get there!

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  9. oh, yes, like beth say.. just write.. do a five minute sprint.. where you time yourself for 5 minutes.. write non stop without worrying about mistakes.. it is exhilarating.

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  10. That's one of my all time favorite poems.

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  11. I like the way you moved that poem right into the journeys of your own. It's one of my favorites too. When I was about 9 or so, my folks had a poster on the wall that had a large tree to the side of a path, and the poem down the center. I used to read it a lot, and at first, wonder what it meant, then as I got a little older it made more sense... perhaps it stuck because of the frequency with which I saw it.

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  12. Beautiful poetry by Robert Frost...

    I carry the happy editor on my shoulder too, but that's just kind of who I am and I think that's okay. When it's appropriate, I write about it. By the way, lobbies are a fascinating place - I could people watch all day...and wonder. : )

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  13. Amy, I understand--I have those certain things too that I find hard to write or even tell anyone about. I'm a private person, but I'm finding that having platforms like Facebook and a blog make it easier to open up and write honestly, maybe because I don't have to look someone in the face and try to find words. I've always been more able to write than to talk about things I feel deeply. For me, it's been easier to approach such subjects in fiction. I've also been happy to find how much my fellow bloggers and I have in common and how much understanding they show. You've covered a lot of territory already in this challenge, and I admire how well you've done it. So let's continue this journey we're on and see how much more we can learn about ourselves!

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  14. All sounds wonderful Elaine and I agree with you about the platforms helping in sharing the more private things. I keep reminding myself though that it is a public forum (how I have it set up) and to make sure I don't write anything that I wouldn't want read out loud in public in front of me!

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