My guest today, Dawn Colclasure, shares her thoughts on writing poetry and how the author can escape into his/her own special world.
When it comes to writing poetry, one rule of fiction applies: There are several types of genres to choose from. You can write romantic poetry, horror poetry or fantasy poetry. Writing futuristic poetry is another option – even poets like to envision what kind of world we may one day live in.
And sometimes, it’s not even our world that we write about when we write poetry. It could be any kind of world at all, one of our own making that can exist in fantasy poetry. This is where the poet has the chance to “escape” to a world where we can only dream about certain things actually happening. A cure for a disease? It’s there. A magical potion to take the burn scars away? Find it in the mysterious cellar. Something to use against nightmare monsters compromising our ability to sleep? It’s just a wish away.
Writing fantasy poetry offers the poet another benefit: We have the chance to step into a world where we can be ourselves without criticism. If we always dreamed of traveling the world as a dancing magician, it can happen with fantasy poetry. Another benefit is that writing fantasy poetry allows the poet to be seen by others for who we are on the inside – someone who is big, brave and magical – and not how we are on the outside – scarred, broken or slow.
That’s one thing writing fantasy poetry does for me. With fantasy poetry, I can be beautiful and not scarred or I can hear instead of being deaf. And I can do anything with two good strong hands when I only have one hand that has all five fingers on it (the other hand has three). My poetry chapbook, Follow That Dream, may have poems about what it’s like to be in a hospital so much and teen angst, but it also has fantasy poetry where I got to be a maiden or a sea captain. Poetry brought those worlds to life. Fantasy poetry allows me to create the kind of world where the scarred and disabled are not so limited and completely accepted just as they are.
When the poet sits down to write, no matter what kind of poetry that will be written, it is a chance to create a world where anything is possible, even a cure. Even acceptance. It’s a world where magic happens, and that’s the greatest kind of world to escape to of all.
About the author: Dawn Colclasure is a writer who lives in Oregon. Her articles, essays, poems and short stories have appeared in several newspapers, anthologies, magazines and E-zines. She is the author of seven books, among them
BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL: How We Survive as Writing Parents; 365 TIPS FOR WRITERS: Inspiration, Writing Prompts and Beat The Block Tips to Turbo Charge Your Creativity; Love is Like a Rainbow: Poems of Love and Devotion and the children’s book
The Yellow Rose. She is co-author of the book
Totally Scared: The Complete Book on Haunted Houses. Her Web site is at
http://dmcwriter.tripod.com/.
About the book: Follow that dream. Take a few moments to read poems meant to seek refuge from the harsh realities of life, from pain, confusion and loneliness. Allow these poems to take you on a journey of wherever your imagination may lead you. The poems in this book share coming-of-age struggles and the fantasies created in order to offer a temporary escape from the real world.
Follow That Dream
ONLY $5.99 in paperback
And
ONLY $2.99 for Kindle
I have the extreme please of hosting author Blaize Nolynne on my blog today. Please enjoy this interview and keep your eye out for her new release coming soon!
1) Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?I graduated in 2009 from the Children’s Institute of Literature and put out my first book the following December under a penname. I then went on decided to study to write adult fiction.
I am from Maine and was born and raised there. I love animals. I have two dogs and a bunny.
2) When did you first start writing and when did you finish your first book?
I began writing in 2009 after I graduated from the Children’s Institute of Literature in 2009 that following December I put out my first picture book. From there I put out my first adult genre fiction the following year.
3) How did you choose the genre you write in?
I love fiction! I decided on a topic that interests me and begins to write.
4) Where do you get your ideas?
I got it from the fact my father was a firefighter.
5) Do you ever experience writer’s block? Do you work with an outline, or just write?
I have never experienced writer’s block. I don’t use outlines either. I just write as I go.
6) Is there any particular author or book that influenced you in any way either growing up or as an adult?
Yes, Ray Bradbury! I loved his writing. I also loved the fact that it took him awhile before he made it, this is something I could relate to.
7) Can you tell us about your upcoming book?
It is called ‘District One Stand By: On the Bleeding Edge of Change’ which is the second one in the series.
Catisha Spadoni gets a phone call in which she wasn’t expecting. It spirals from there knowing someone deliberately did this to her former crew. She decided to take the case, in the mist of it all her personal life began falling apart.
“District One, Lieutenant Catisha Spadoni, speaking.” I answered the phone as I tried hard to unbury the phone from the stack of papers I was trying to do for Jack, our beloved Captain.
“Catisha, you are the person I actually wanted to talk to.” the voice on the other end said. I recognized him as Rick Johnson, my former Chief and Fire Marshal that I worked with in New York City.
“Well you got me, so I guess it is time to ask why you are calling.” I chuckled.
“Obviously you haven’t watched the news or you would already know why I am calling.”
I glanced at the clock. “The national news doesn’t start until a couple minutes when the commercial stop. I already watched the local news. Why what’s going on?” I asked.
“Breaking News from New York City. A Firehouse exploded in the early hours today. The Firehouse, trucks, and equipment are also destroyed. The firefighters who were sleeping at the time were inside. All except three made it out alive. Three are still unaccounted for. The rest have been hospitalized for injuries from severe to minor.” the national news anchor began.
“Oh my God!” I screamed as they showed the firehouse that I lived in. That was my former crew that was injured and also among the missing. Those were my brothers and sisters in that barn.
8) Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely all imagination?The only real parts of my book is the fact my father was a firefighter and I got to know these wonderful people. Everything else is fictional.
9) What was your favorite chapter (or part) to write and why?
I think each chapter has a different reason why it holds close to my heart. However I think Chapter 28 in ‘District One Stand By: On the Bleeding Edge of Change’ would be my favorite from the book. It is were ‘Angel’ a new character comes in.
10) What project are you working on now? Will you have a new book coming out soon?
Yes, I am working on ‘District One Stand By: Love Beyond the Flame’ which is the third in the series.
District One Stand By: On the Bleeding Edge of Change is coming out in less then 12 weeks.
11) Are there certain characters you would like to go back to, or is there a theme or idea you’d love to work with?
I don’t know how to answer that. I have my favorite characters, but each of them have a reason why they do the things they do. I wish in book one I added Jimmy and Angel, two new characters.
The theme of Catisha’s life is what I go with.
12) Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
Yes, NEVER give up!!! I got plenty of rejection letters in the beginning of my career and then I began rejecting contracts. Now I am happy with my publishing company! Even if you have to self publish get out there!!!
13) Is there anything that you would like to say to your readers and fans?
Thank you for all of the support!!! I would also like to say part of the proceeds of this series go to the 9-11 Foundation and the National Fallen Firefighter Foundation, two very important Foundations to me. It may never take away the pain of loosing a love one on duty, but I would love to help in any way I can.
FUN QUESTIONS!
1) If you were a superhero (or villain!) what would your power be? Would you wear a cape?
To Heal the world from diseases- especially cancer.
2) Chocolate, Strawberry or Vanilla? Chocolate!
3) The light side or the dark side? Light Side
4) If you could live off of chocolate would you? What kind? I would! I love dark chocolate.
5) What do you think the coolest pet to have would be? I think having the animals I have are the coolest pets.
6) If you could visit any world (real or imagined) where would you go? I would visit each and every fire station.
The back to school time always reminds me of my master's thesis of preschool emotions and the first day of school. I researched this topic and complied a list of 100 books for parents and teachers to explore with preschool age children to prepare them for the first day of school.
I found three new titles for the Pre-k to Grade 1 classroom to start off the school year. These titles are Hello My Name is BOB, Hello My Name is JACK by Linas Alsenas, This is the Firefighter by Laura Godwin and Call Me Gorgeous by Giles and Alexandra Milton.
I picked up this book at first glance because of the Hello My Name is Bob sticker. (I hate when I get one of these stickers to wear). Suprisingly, I loved Bob the Brown Bear and is friend Jack the black and White Panda Bear. Why? Well, my childhood was spent playing with my brown bear named John who was friends with my sister's black and white bear named Frank. Bob is a bear who loves to sit. As he simply puts it, "Sitting's great, isn't it?. Jack is a bear who lives to do wild and crazy stuff. The go to each others favorite places even though they have totally different interests. They realize that even though they are different they can be great friends.
The pictures are cute and fun loving and just want you to pick up Bob and Jack. Especially cute is the picture of Jack with underpants on his head. A great book to start the school year and show young children how we don'thave to like the same things to be good friends.
Firefighters are always a big topic with young children. I have an all time favorite "Firetruck" song. It is song by Mr. Ivan Ulz. Check it out at -
http://www.ivanulz.com
This book will clearly be enjoyed by the younger audience in a guessing game of different animals. However, it would be equally enjoyable to a third or fourth grade audience. Each page shows a different picture of part of an animal. At the end the child is left to discover that the animal is a reinde-piggy-porcu-croco-touca-flami-roos-dalama-chameleo-bat-frog. But...(there is still a surprise). You can call me gorgeous. This books puts all the parts of the animals together to create a new animal.
The book is beautifully illustrated and lends itself to a drawing activity that allows students to create an imaginary animal.
Firefighter Ted by Andrea Beaty and Pascal Lemaitre
When Ted woke up one morning, he smelled smoke. He knew that he needed a firefighter! Unable to find a firefighter anywhere in his room, he become one. He did have to make his own fire extinguisher our of whipped cream and an air tube from the fish tank. Firefighter Ted started the day by putting out a breakfast fire, much to his mother’s dismay. He then rescued a kitten from the hot sidewalk. This made him late to school. Met at the door by the principal, Ted became alarmed that the principal was overheating, so he wrapped him in hazard tape and used his fire extinguisher on him. When the class went to the science fair, Ted had to leap into action again to make it all safe. In the end, there was a real fire and you know who came to the rescue!
This second Ted book follows Doctor Ted. Done with the same humor and spunk as the first, readers will be very happy to have a second adventure that hints at a third. Ted is a great character who takes imaginative play to an entirely different level. He combines ingenuity with courage, never paying attention to what others have to say about his costumes or what he does to help. The illustrations are done with thick black lines and bright colors. They are inviting, fun and fresh.
Recommended for all public libraries, this series will fly off of the shelves. It will also make a welcome addition to fire safety story times and units. Appropriate for toddlers through preschoolers, this series will be enjoyed by ages 2-5.
Reviewed from library copy.
Thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to be a guest on your blog, Mark. I enjoyed checking out the rest of your blog and book info. Good luck with your books!
Thank you, Dawn and good luck to you too!