poetry – L. Ryan Storms

Try

July 14, 2021 L. Ryan StormsLeave a comment

Have you ever wanted something in your life so badly you can’t imagine living without it? Have you ever felt that if someone just gave you a chance, you know you could succeed?

This?

Is every writer I know. Every dreamer.

We write, we create. We make real our fantasy worlds, give breath to characters who live only in our minds until our words bring them to life. We pursue our love of storytelling, of words, of poetry, of sound – all without ever knowing what success, if any, our words will bring.

I watch writers around me succeed. (And I cheer, my friends. I cheer!)

But more often, I watch them fail. Then I watch them fail again. And again. Some shove the words away into a deep, dark drawer, never to be seen again, thoroughly convinced they aren’t “the chosen” writer or they haven’t produced “the chosen” work the world wants to see.

More often than not, they are wrong. More often than not, there are simply too many ways to stumble when it comes to publishing, and it has nothing to do with the writer at all. How many Harry Potters never made publication? No, I don’t mean how many times was Harry Potter rejected. I mean how many other stories are just as marvelous, just as fantastical, just as ready for the eager eyes of excited readers? Dozens. Hundreds, maybe. Perhaps even thousands.

Thousands of manuscripts with talented, good-hearted authors behind their fiery pages, and marvelous minds behind the creation of their worlds. But these stories may never be seen, may never be known. Because in the end, publishing is a business and business is about money.

Oh, how much art has been lost to money!

My heart weeps for the number of manuscripts I’ve known (both my own and those written by friends) that may never make an editor’s desk, and, therefore, may never see the inside of even the smallest bookstore or library.

But, writers.

Do not walk away. Failure is only failure if you stop trying. So, friends?

Try.

The world needs your words.

12 Books—Month 9

November 8, 2019October 10, 2019 L. Ryan StormsLeave a comment

It’s time for another Twitter friend book review and this time it’s Roselle Lim’s Natalie Tan’s Book of Luck and Fortune.

I didn’t think twice about picking up this book. It has everything I love – a romance, a little bit of magic, a girl finding her place in the world. I wouldn’t think of missing it!

What I found when I opened the pages and dove in did not disappoint. In fact, it’s such a unique story that I almost don’t want to delve into the details and give anything away…

Suffice it to say the story follows a young woman who returns home to San Francisco’s Chinatown after many years away (and a not-so-happy parting with her agoraphobic mother). She returns because her mother has passed away, and she’s plagued with sorrow and guilt at having left her mother on bad terms. She finds her community in disrepair and longs to help in a way she couldn’t have before she’d left. According to a mystic, the neighborhood will prosper if she makes three recipes to help three neighbors.

Because Natalie Tan’s recipes come from her grandmother’s magic recipe book–a book that features recipes for the tastebuds, but ingredients for the heart, her cooking contains just as much magic, repairing damaged relationships and helping love to flourish. It’s the story of a woman who finds her place in this world.

But it’s also a story of suspending disbelief, of allowing magical realism to take over. Lim’s descriptions are poetic, her writing lyrical. The book was a delightful read full of mouth-watering recipes that made me wish I had my own personal chef.

In the end, I have only one question. Who cleans Natalie’s kitchen after all that meal preparation?

2017: A Poem

November 30, 2017November 30, 2017 L. Ryan StormsLeave a comment

Hi, all! If you are family (or easy offended) please stop reading here.

For everyone else, it’s nearly December! If you know me, you know I don’t write poetry, but 2017 is a ‘special’ sort of year, isn’t it? Therefore, I have written a poem. Without further ado…

2017: A Poem

2017, you came,
shining and new
whispering sweet promises
of a better year,
a better life.

2017, you liar.
Fuck off.
And good riddance.

These Boots Are Made For Walking

May 27, 2017July 8, 2017 L. Ryan Storms5 Comments

Let’s talk shoes. What? That’s not related to writing?

Of course it is! Bear with me.

I love shoes. I know what you’re thinking already, but trust me when I say you’ve got it all wrong. To clarify, I love a single pair of shoes. So what are they? Pretty little red ballet flats? Sexy black kitten heels? Strappy summer sandals?

No.

And no.

They’re these.

boots

Purple, waterproof hiking boots by Ahnu. They’re considerably more beat up now than they were when I took this photo two years ago, but I love them no less (and they were especially wonderful on numerous hikes during my cross-country trip in 2015)!

What do I love most about them? I mean, why in the world would I dedicate a blog post to shoes?

These aren’t just shoes, my friend. These are the most kickass pair of boots I’ve ever owned. They’re comfortable. (Oh so comfortable!) And that’s what’s important. I love adorable shoes as much as the next gal, but every time I’ve tried to buy shoes because they’re “cute,” they sit in my closet and never get worn. So why bother? Why waste my time and money on something that I’ll never actually use?

The same goes for writing.

I’ve read work by so many different authors — authors whose voice pops off the page, authors who create characters I want to invite to lunch, authors who describe settings so beautifully, so poetically, and with such prose that makes me wish I could hop on a plane and get myself to wherever that main character might be because surely it’s heaven. (This is considerably harder if you read fantasy and the character is not on Earth, of course.)

But reading books by authors whose writing strengths are different from my own can have a debilitating effect on my writing. When I put down a really well-written book, I instantly fall into despair, knowing that my own work could never compare!

My writing will never be that good! I’ll never be able to capture a scene like that! What am I thinking???

Back to the boots. I don’t wear flashy heels because I can’t pull them off. (God, I wish I could. At 5 feet, I could use the height.) I don’t do the strappy sandal thing because I’m not a Greek goddess. (I’m not even Greek.)

So, I stick to what I do best. Yes, other writers have their strengths, but in admiring those strengths, it’s important not to get so caught up in my awe that I forget my own strengths. I, too, have strengths.

My point? As a writer, it’s okay to appreciate what other writers do well. (It’s encouraged!) It’s even okay to experiment with different writing styles to see what works for you (also a good idea!), but don’t get so intent on mimicking someone else’s style that you lose what makes your writing yours. Your voice is important. Willingly giving up your own style because you think it’ll “look better” if you do what works for another writer is akin to putting on a pair of heels half a size too small. Sure, you can fit your foot in there, but at the end of the day, do you really still want those shoes on your feet? Are they comfortable?

Forget about flashy. Stick with comfort. The “next big thing” could be anything, and maybe, just maybe, purple hiking boots are the next J.K. Rowling.

(Probably not.)

(Okay, definitely not.)

(But stay comfortable anyway.)