A Connection Stronger Than WI-FI

          As a young boy song lyrics/poetry were very important to me. I was never good with words. I never wanted to talk to people it seemed, and if anyone tried to talk to me they would probably only get a one word answer. Conversations with other kids never lasted longer than five minutes. I couldn't talk at all. After a while nobody even tried to talk to me because I just didn't know what to say. I couldn't find the right words to say to them so, I didn't say anything. The songs I listened to helped me to speak. I started to look up the lyrics from my favourite songs and see how the artists used those words, and how they made people feel a certain way by just painting a picture with them. I find it amazing how lyrics can make people feel angry, happy, sad, or any of the other emotions. I also find it interesting what sort of music people listen to while they are happy or sad. Poetry to me is just expressing an emotion through writing and trying to connect with other writers or people reading your words. When people write poems or lyrics they try to make the reader feel a certain way, or think about a certain situation that has happened to them. Connection is what is so powerful behind the words in music and poetry. Poetry is important for all people because without that connection with others, it is hard to understand the world. I have learned so much from listening to music 24/7 and reading the lyrics to songs, as well as writing my own poems. It has taught me that the most important tool we have in life is the ability to speak, connect, and just be ourselves. Write the words that you feel inside you, whether it be one or one million. As long as it's true to you and what you believe, you will find a connection that is hard to ignore (and stronger than any WI-FI connection). I believe everyone can be a poet because everyone has a story that can be told in a unique way only to the person telling it. For me, I still find it hard finding the right words to use for poems, or blog posts, but I write down what I feel and what I believe. I believe that any written works that people have done that bring connection to people around the world is poetry. It doesn't have to be a poem, or a song. Just words that bring feelings to you and others.

This May or May Not Be My Best Work

This quote is very inspirational for me. I believe happiness is extremely important in everything, including work and assignments we have to complete in life. If you aren't happy with what you are doing, it is not going to be your best work regardless of what the instructor's expectations are. It's the instructor's goal to keep you motivated and inspire you to do better, not just teach the curriculum and then disappear from the students. For example, if I am not motivated in a class like Math, I probably won't do homework or listen that much. With a class that motivates me, like Writer's Craft, I will get assignments in on time, and be happy with what I have done. I believe there are ways to be happy with assignments while following the instructor's expectations. You have to look forward to the instructor reading or marking your work. Just be happy with the work you have done, and if you get a lot of criticism that's alright. You can't learn anything from compliments. For me, criticism is kind of bitter sweet. I like when people tell me what I can do better to improve something, but I don't like when people tell me my ideas are wrong or dumb. I think that's a problem with school systems today. There is too much stuff that is considered "wrong" nowadays in school. So many ideas just go to waste because people criticize in the wrong way. That's just me though.

Jack London Told Me To

         Jack London, born John Griffith Chaney,  was an American author, journalist, and social activist. London began writing in 1893, when he was only 17. That same year he ventured on a sealing voyage, and had almost been killed by a typhoon. When he got home, his mom pushed him into writing his story and submitting it into a writing contest. London won first prize, beating out university students from Berkeley and Stanford. He wanted to dedicate his life to writing, but had troubled finding publishers. London began to find fame and fortune when he was 27 with his novel Call of the Wild (1903). A story about a dog which became a sled dog in the Yukon. London was always writing, and made it a practice to write 1000 words a day or more. He had substance abuse problems with alcohol and often wrote about his lifelong battle. However, he kept pursuing his dream. London had quite a bit of health issues, which included Kidney Disease. This disease ended up taking his life in 1916, at the age of 40. 

“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” 

Jack London, 1903

- Jack London

          I can connect with this quote because I have a very hard time finding inspiration to write, and basically everything else in life. To get inspired you need to put yourself out there, and experience things out of your comfort zone. Just like Jack London did with his sealing voyage. I like being in my comfort zone though. I always wait for things to happen, and most of the time they never even happen. So, I just got to go after it with a club and do what I need to do. Even though I find it hard getting inspired to do things, I want to be inspired to do those things. It sounds crazy but it's the truth. I want, and need, to be pushed out of my comfort zone. Once that happens, I will get the inspiration to do anything. I also think inspiration is very important in life because without it we wouldn't advance in the world, we would be stuck. Inspiration makes things happen. Whenever you get inspired to do something, make it happen. Don't wait for a better idea to write down later, just write and you will achieve greatness.