Kern Carter's Blog, page 119
May 31, 2021
May 28, 2021
My Love/Hate Relationship with Writing
Writing, I love you but also despise you.
Image by Kevar WhilbyI’ve always had quite a fondness for writing. Writing should always come naturally to me with a creative outlet to express how I feel and to feel free to play with words as I please. Until it doesn’t. I have a bit of a complex relationship with writing, and I’ll tell you why.
There are days where I don't particularly appreciate the writing process. I should expect that first drafts are crappy, but when I’m at a loss with what words to use and how it sounds, I can get quite frustrated. As a content writer who’s been writing professionally for a year and six months, it feels like I should be a pro at this. But I should be a bit kinder to myself and my writings. Yeah, I know there’s always room for revision and that I could make my articles better, but sometimes that could be tough. On the other hand, I like to spruce up my pieces more to make them the best.
The days that I do love writing are when I’m not automatically forced to sit and write about topics I’m not interested in, when I’m free to create when and whenever I please when I don’t have deadlines to reach, and where I have complete creative expressions. I also value when I can get constructive feedback to apply and get my creative juices flowing. I love writing, and I love days where I could also take a few days off from writing.
When I get well-known writer’s block, I also listen to what my body is telling me and attend to that need, whether it’s hunger, boredom, or need a nap. What makes me fall back in love with writing is gaining some inspiration by reading a book, doing arts and crafts with my kids, watching some heartfelt entertainment, listening to music, listening to a podcast, playing word games, and taking a much-needed break after writing a week straight.
Whatever helps you fall back in love with writing, I suggest that you do it. Writing is a skill that’s hard to master, but writing can be enjoyable once you get in the swing of it. Also, if you’re writing rut and overwriting the same topics, you can explore different niches. I’m currently taking classes in copywriting and want to study technical writing as well. Maybe even step a foot into graphic design.
Learn to fall in love with writing again and don’t give up on the beauty of writing in a way that only you can express.
My Love/Hate Relationship with Writing was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
May 27, 2021
May 25, 2021
Call for submissions: What’s your relationship with writing?
We all have one. For me, my relationship with writing is mostly about love, partly about obsession, and always about being caught in constant pursuit of perfection and acknowledgment.
Writing brings me a pleasure that’s difficult to explain, but it also can be frustrating, elusive, and even angering. All of these emotions somehow make it into my words.
But this is all about you. What’s your relationship with writing? How would you describe it? How do you nurture this relationship to make sure it lasts?
Same rules as always:If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.If you’re not a writer for CRY but would like to submit to this request, let us know and we’ll add you ASAP.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.The deadline to submit is Monday, May 31, 2021.Please reach out if you have any questions at all. If you are new to Medium, here’s how you submit a draft to a publication.
Call for submissions: What’s your relationship with writing? was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
Imposter Syndrome Often Creates Writing Woes.
Subconscious Writing Blocks are still kicking my ass even after a lifetime of writing professionally. Here’s what I’m doing about it.
May 23, 2021
May 20, 2021
Despite The Criticism We Face As Writers, We Must Continue To Write
Despite The Criticism We Face As Writers, We Must Continue To Write
The BackLash From “Pretty Boys Don’t Cry.”
Writing “Pretty Boys Don’t Cry” for Love and Literature brought me so much peace, but it was also controversial. While I received praise from friends, strangers and family members about the stories, my mother and my ex disapproved of me writing about my negative experiences because of how it made them look. I wasn’t surprised by their critique, but I was disappointed in how they chose to express it.
My ex and mother didn’t understand the intentions because of the shame that came with the shared experience. I was hoping that the past experiences that had kept me enslaved by my insecurities and ego could help break some of the generational curses affecting young men like me. People generally judge you as you speak based on their interpretation of what you are saying, not what you are trying to say.
As writers, sometimes our emotions become miscommunicated when we try to articulate how we feel because we are usually coming from a hurt place when writing about traumatic experiences.
Not being able to adjust their perspective, they attacked me with an acrimonious tone followed by labels and judged me for who I was and not who I had become. My series reminded them of the parts of them that hadn’t changed that they couldn’t admit. In reflection of some of my past arguments, I realized that we often attack people we love with a bitter and vicious tone but are polite to people we don’t love because the people we do love are a reflection of who we are.
The labels they branded me with made it easier to accommodate their ignorance. I’ve learned the moment you allow people to tell you who you are is the moment you allow them to limit who you can be. They found it easier to label me than put themselves in my shoes because it prevented them from getting attached to their flaws.
One of the most frustrating things is to be filled with emotions but limited with the words to express them. I often found myself looking in a dictionary for ways to help articulate how I was feeling during vulnerable moments in Chapter three. Thoughts empower you, but when the only thoughts you hear are the voices of the people who discourage you, it becomes hard to manage.
It has been my observation that as writers, our opinion, emotions and thoughts are the only protection we have left in this world. To receive access to many privileges, we often give up our private information to our electronic devices and social media to list a few examples. The mind is the only place we have left of assured privacy. Though it is the safest place in our world, it’s also the most dangerous when we are in our darkest moments.
As writers, we allow ourselves to become completely vulnerable and honest. If we allow the opinions of others to impact our writing, it would merely dilute how we express ourselves. Still, with the power of the pen or keyboard comes responsibility. We can’t take back the hurt one feels when they read our writing with an apology.
This is why it is essential to remember your intentions when you are writing, whether for a purpose or something you are passionate about. Understanding who your target audience is and understanding the potential backlash from your writing is instrumental when processing the rejection, especially in this culture that is always cancelling instead of investigating the message behind the messenger.
When writing scripts and books, you often have to cross-references comparable stories to sell your idea. When writing articles for publications, I believe we have to embrace our uniqueness to stand out from the other writers in the industry. I would rather be a great original instead of a cheap copy, especially when I have the option to be myself and tell my truth.
Not everyone will be able to relate to your writing, but it is our uniqueness as writers that make us part of who we are, and although it feels awkward, I promise that eventually, you will get to a place where we can see its relevance.
The power of life and death is the tongue. My tongue is the pen of a skillful writer, and this pen has no eraser.
Despite The Criticism We Face As Writers, We Must Continue To Write was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
May 19, 2021
Writing For Pleasure vs. For Money
As a writer who does both, here are my thoughts
Image by Natasha HallI’ve always loved the art of writing. From writing poetry, short stories, and song lyrics to writing articles for a side income, I much rather prefer to write as freely as I’d like. I fell in love with writing because it was always something that brought me happiness.
I’m thankful for the opportunity to write articles. However, the articles I write require tons of research, and the majority of topics I’m paid to write about don’t interest me.
While I’m pretty content with having made a little income by writing and having extra money for my family, what I found to be a happy outlet has become such a chore. Writing for money has made me become a shell of my former expressive self. I had to shove myself in a closet and come back out as a money chasing article writer. Practically driving myself crazy to make sure the grammar, wording, spelling, and positive attitude were there at all times.
So I cut back on writing those articles. I used to write eight 2,000 word articles a month, and now I write about 2 or 3 a month, which has given me plenty of room to write the things I passionately love to share.
What pleasures me when I write is when I write poetry about all of my complex feelings, and well, erotic scenes. I also thoroughly enjoy reading and writing poetry. I have a collection of notebooks filled with poems, some great and some cringeworthy.
I participated in an open mic Spoken Word and loved it because I overcame a fear of public speaking, and I openly expressed my emotions in the artform.
I’ve always been a sucker for romance books, mainly out of the norm romance (and I’m NOT talking about 50 Shades of Grey)! You know the ones; those Harlequin books. Anyways, currently, I’m writing a short LGBTQ story, and I love writing fictional stories. I’m not doing this for profit; I’m doing it for the love of storytelling.
I love making an income while being creative, and I’m considering branching out from so much content writing and looking into copywriting. I decided not to stay stuck on one writing path, and the beauty of writing is that there are many different ways to get your message across. So in a sense, I love to both write for pleasure and to make money as long as I have the most creative flexibility to do both.
Writing For Pleasure vs. For Money was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
May 18, 2021
How Much An Influencer Earns — What Nobody Tells You
If you are an Instagram influencer, you can now make a living easily in the palm of your hands and create a brand out of you, your…
Call For Submissions—For Love or for Money
Maybe your first thought is like mine: why not both?
In a perfect world, we’d all be able to write and get paid for it. And not just paid, I mean PAID!
But a huge part of us writes because we’re called to. We write because it’s the way we know how to best communicate our emotions. We write because we have stories to share and this is the best way to share them.
For this week’s call for submissions, tell us about how you balance love and money. Let us know if you want to make a living writing or if you’re in this purely for self-expression.
Same rules as always:If you’re already a writer for CRY, go ahead and submit.If you’re not a writer for CRY but would like to submit to this request, let us know and we’ll add you ASAP.Be as creative as you want in your submissions. As long as you stick to the topic, we’ll consider it.Just because you submit doesn’t mean we’ll post. If you haven’t heard back from us in three days, consider that a pass.The deadline to submit is Monday, May 24, 2021.Please reach out if you have any questions at all. If you are new to Medium, here’s how you submit a draft to a publication.
Call For Submissions—For Love or for Money was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
