Two to three years ago I arrived at She Writes website via a link from a digital article that I think my friend, Carina, told me about. I wanted to join but two requirements stopped me: writing an autobiographical profile and fearing rejection. At the time, I wasn't ready. This time, I arrived because I wanted to "like" a college acquaintance’s page on SW, learn from budding to experienced writers, and create my own writing space on a social media site catered to publishing. Since my first encounter with SW: I have written a mini profile as a poet and I wasn’t scared anymore. I’m not planning to be published yet. My goals are to write beyond free verses, perhaps, a memoir, short stories, or essays and connect with people in the publishing industry.

My journey seems to come in pairs. My yin occurred over a year ago. A friend emailed her memoir for me to read. I put it aside until the story became a distraction from the drama at my workplace. As I read, I edited her story. I found joy in editing until I became attached to her story. I evolved from editor to a wannabe writer for someone else’s story. I thought if my friend Heather could complete a memoir so could I. She has a story, complete with exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement. I only have details that could build a story. I have the heroine and history but no plot. By the way, I confessed to my friend that I could not continue as her editor and proofreader. I did not disclose that I resented my attachment to her completed work. Being a happy-go-lucky person, Heather remained grateful for my assistance.

The yang began as I reconnected with my inner desire to write again via Ello. I joined early on so I could have first dibs in creating my username. I began nesting when I needed a separate website to showcase my creative abilities in order to join a health club. This particular establishment accepted creative applicants only. There was a possibility that my husband and I were going to move to the Fulton Market neighborhood in Chicago due to a company move and since we both have been trying to get fit, he wanted to join a state-of-the-art fitness club that also had an indoor swimming pool. My husband is in the tech business so he had no problem getting in; however, I could not join by marriage, I had to create my own passport. (His company decided to stay in Wicker Park and we didn’t have to move after all.)

A little about myself. I've been writing poetry since fourth grade. Bad rhymes and silly scenarios. In junior high, my favorite poet was William Wordsworth. I fell in love with the imageries and rhymes he created in "I wandered through the clouds." I didn't improve my poetry writing skills until eighth grade. I had an English teacher who encouraged and supported my free verses. A year later, I joined a writing club and my poetry mentor edited my poems. She guided me towards revisions and I learned to create jarring finales for all my poems with brevity. Attending poetry readings and slams, I learned other rhythms and cadences in language and gestures. I continued to experiment with space on paper, individual letters, words, phrases, and images from my child/adulthood directly and vicariously.

So here I am hoping to restart my writing aspirations and connect with other writers.