COURAGE

Ek'abo Ebi! (Welcome Family!)

The Obamas met with Malala Yousafzai a few weeks ago.  Everything that she endured, the strength and heart that it took for her to walk that road to recovery, is the epitome of what it means to have courage.  It is obvious that the universe has a plan for her and I cannot wait to see what she will become.

When we witness such an emergence, such a will to endure, can we really sit by and say that we cannot write? I know it’s unfair to make such a comparison.  I mean this young lady was at death’s door and yet here she is.  The survivor within her forced her move forward.

In comparison to her experience, writing should be a piece of cake.  We should take our obstacles off the shelf, examine them, and then put them back. By doing so we will no longer give them the power to deter us from our goals.  We know that the obstacles will always be there, but we now have the courage to move pass them.

We all write for different reasons. There are those that write just for the fun of it. Those that write because they must. (God forbid you flunk your thesis). And those that write because it’s a passion, a calling, a yearning in their blood that cannot be ignored.

As I mentioned in one of my earlier blog entries, life can be a big deterrent when it comes to writing.  But it’s a poor excuse not to.  I have a friend that’s struggling right now.  And yet as bad as it is for her, there are some who have it worst. Homelessness, poverty, hunger, you name it.  Sometimes, I have to check myself when I get in one of my ‘shoulda, woulda, coulda’ moods.  You know the kind. It’s when you look at the direction your life has taken, wonder about the choices you've made and whether you should have done “something” differently in the past. 

Well if you have suffered or are suffering from the ‘Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda’ Syndrome; make your writing the key to pushing pass it.  Make writing a new stage in your life.  So when you look back at all that you have achieved, you will be proud to say that you had the courage to do it.  Be the person who had the courage to talk to that guy or girl. J Be the person who had the courage to start on a new career path.  Be the person who says “yes” instead of “no” all the time. Just be. Small steps are just as grand as big steps.

Even writing and maintain a blog takes courage.  It doesn’t matter if you’ve been doing it for years or you’ve just started.  You are sharing your opinions with people who may or may not care to hear it.

Perhaps you are at the end of your saga. You have no more revisions to be made, your query and synopsis have been finalized, and you’ve even created the perfect marketing tool to promote your book. You no longer have an excuse. Drop that package in the mail; email that agent or publisher.  If you’ve written something out of the ordinary, you may be just the person to clear the way for those that follow.  I hope that this post has given you something to chew on. J

Mari e laipe!

See you soon!  

S-

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Thanks for visiting ‘Amachi is Hope’. If you were inspired or felt a connection with today’s blog (or any of my previous entries) please leave a comment. J

MULTICULTURALISM AND “US”

Ek'abo Ebi! (Welcome Family!)

What is multiculturalism?  There are a number of definitions for the word.  But the one I think is most fitting to this discussion is the one I found on Metapedia:  “… social ideology which asserts that all cultures, races and religions are equal and able to live with harmony within a single state.”  Wouldn’t it be nice if such a philosophy truly existed in our world? A combined effort to live as Martin Luther King would have wanted us to live?  Unfortunately, the ongoing conflict that occurs between us doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. But it’s not just a black and white thing.

I mean multicultural issues exist everywhere, you just don’t hear as much about them. It’s between some Puerto Ricans and Dominicans (growing up in NY, I’ve witness some tension). The Chinese and Japanese (for some it is considered an insult to confuse the two), and even between my own West Indian people (alot of people are guilty of placing islands in the West Indies under the umbrella of Jamaica without realizing how different they are: dialect, food, where they are located on the map J.) Why do so many of us suffer from othering?  Why must we exclude ourselves from others because they don’t fit into our idea of what society should be?

When Spike-Lee started the “Wannabee’s vs. Jiggaboo’s” drama in the movie School Daze in 1998, I would never have thought to look at the battle between good hair and bad hair as form of “othering” but it was.  Women who were of the same race were insulting one another on the quality of their hair. But in actuality (and this is my opinion), it was really about the battle between light and dark skinned women of color. Even now this mentality is stronger than ever. A lot of dark skinned women have been made to feel inferior because of the color of their skin.  See the Dark Girls documentary.

There was even “othering” on the television show LOST.  You fans remember the OTHERS?  Those seriously unstable people on the other side of the island? LOL! Though the word “OTHERS” in LOST had darker connotations, the idea behind it was the same; a separation of a group of people due to fear, ignorance, and/or lack of knowledge.

You even find issues with othering in publishing. I wholeheartedly agree with Tanita S. Davis of the blog [fiction, instead of lies] in regards to multicultural issues in publishing. She says and I quote:

… “People’s attitude about race and ethnicity in this country are as fractured as ever, and are reflected in the production of multicultural books. We don’t truly believe we’re all alike and sisters under the skin. We really do think – and it shows – that there are stories of “us” and then there are “others.” We need to stop othering, as a world, before we expect to see that from publishing. We need to get to know people from other cultures and skin colors, and truly accept that there is a commonality in the human experience.”….

Well said!  This is definitely food for thought.

 

Mari e laipe!

See you soon!

S-

INFLUENCE

Ek'abo Ebi! (Welcome Family!)

Some of my dear friends visited with me this weekend. My girlfriend is pursuing her degree and she is currently taking a course in World Religion. One of the religions that they’ve touched upon (interestingly enough) is the Yoruba religion.

When her professor mentioned the topic, her mind rocked back on the book I wrote, Amachi’s Hope.  And she remembered some of the deities I mentioned, and some of the terms I used, based on discussions we’ve had in the past. (I was absolutely tickled by this.J) Our discussion made me wonder: What is it like to influence someone in either a small or big way through your writing?

It was such a pleasure to know, that my words were heard.  That I have managed in some small way to educate my friend about a culture she knew nothing about; to know that I may have helped her to be ahead of the pack.

Writing carries with it a certain level of responsibility. It is quite possible to influence someone in a positive or negative way. There are so many different genres, so many different styles of writing.  If you are writing Adult Fiction you may not feel quite so much responsibility, because as an adult we are responsible for what we choose to read.  The author only writes the words.  The playing field changes when you are writing for children. (Whether it is for a pre-schooler or a young adult.) 

On top of the stress you face just from writing the book, you are now ever mindful of what you write, how you write it, the message you are trying to convey, “Is this topic too mature?”, “Are these illustrations appropriate?” Did you piss off a parent, or an educational community, because they feel that your topic is not age, religion, or gender appropriate? Phew! Who says writing is easy?? LOL!

Some of you may know that when I starting writing my book, it was originally meant to be a pre-school book for my boys.  By the time I was quarter way through, I knew that this book was no longer for a pre-schooler and that my boys would be reading it as teenagers.  Changing the reading age of my book will not deny me the opportunity to share a part of myself with my boys.  I hope that when they read my book, they too will become one of many who will be educated and influenced by what I have written. 

If writing your book has become a task or a job for you, perhaps you need to step back and look at it from afar.  Has something changed since you’ve started writing your book?  Is it still the book you’ve always wanted to write?  If your intention was to effect or influence another through your writing, do you think you are still able to do so?

Some of us may not want to admit it, but I believe it is in our deepest heart to not only see our name on the cover of a book but to also know that we will leave apart of ourselves, an imprint if you will, upon a reader once they are done; immortalizing ourselves for future generations to come.

My son showed me a book this weekend.  He said, “Mom, she has the same first name as you!” Smiling, I look at him and thought, “Now if only I could get my last name up there as well!”

Continue to be motivated fam!

Mari e laipe!

See you soon!

S-

EBB & FLOW

Ek'abo Ebi! (Welcome Family!)

Two weeks ago, I visited the Outer Banks or (OBX) as the regulars call it.  My family and I were given one more chance to run through the sand and surf even though summer had already graduated into fall.  The wind rolling off the sea was brisk and my boys were pretty stubborn about keeping their sweaters zipped up.  Last thing I needed was for one of them to get sick before returning to school. J

On the horizon I could see the beginning of a storm as it started to roll in.  The clouds were a combination of light and darker shades of grey.  My middle son yelled out, “Mom! Look at those Cumulonimbus Clouds!” He had a cloud project at school last year.  Since then, Cumulus Clouds have become his favorite.  Maybe he’ll become a meteorologist when he grows up? One can only hope. J

The ebb and flow of the waves were getting pretty rough.  Red flags dotting the beach warned visitors that swimming was not permitted. When I looked down at my feet, the surf moved in and snatched the sand out from beneath them.  Jumping up, my boys and I ran a bit farther up the beach.  The water (at least to me) was freezing!

The night before, the owner of a local pizza shop gave my youngest a small, black-netted pouch so he could collect seashells.  With the help of his older brothers, he collected a variety of shells.  When he let me, (he had become protective of his bounty LOL) I peeked inside his pouch.  The shells were different shades of white, black and grey.  There were rough, medium sized shells and smaller shells that were smooth to the touch; most likely as a result of being bombarded by sand and seawater. But I was also pleased to see pieces that were once a part of a whole.  Shades of beige, purple and pink that had not lost their beauty or luster.

As a writer, our attitude at the beginning is positive. For the most part, we have a pretty good idea of what we want to share with the world.  The color of that energy, that shade is a vibrant color. The idea for our book is like a shell. It starts off unblemished and whole with no interference from the outside world.  With determination and courage we pray and hope that our idea (the pearl if you will) can be cultivated and then develop into the first draft of a book.

That of course, is positive thinking. There is always a chance that a storm will roll in and hammer you against the shore.  Weakening and sometimes shattering your shell or your will.  Your shade has now become a gloomy, dark color and your pearl or idea has been exposed to the elements.  These elements can come in the form of negativity, distractions or just life in general.  And if you are not careful, you’ll look up one day and see your idea broken in pieces like the shells I saw scattered across the shore.

Rubbing my thumb against one of the shells that my little one was kind enough to share with me, I wondered: Is it possible to pick up the pieces and start again?

I believe you can. You maybe be reading this and thinking, “Give me a break! That is easier said than done!” But think about.  If you had the strength and patience to write your story before, why not do it again?   There are so many singers out there that go undiscovered because they tried and then gave up after a few rejections.  The same can be said for authors.  I’ve received my share of rejections, but you know what they say, you’ve just got to “Brush Your Shoulders Off”! LOL! Keep positive and keep focused family! Don’t let the ebb and flow of life stop you from reaching your goals!

Mari e laipe!

See you soon!

S-