Kern Carter's Blog, page 121
April 29, 2021
April 28, 2021
April 27, 2021
April 26, 2021
Call for Submissions — Using your life as inspiration
As a writer, we find inspiration from a lot of places. A lot of that inspiration makes its way into our writing. But what happens when the inspiration for your writing is your own life?
For this week’s call for submissions, we’d like you to answer this question: how comfortable are you with using your own life as inspiration for your writing?
There are different ways to think about this. Using your life as inspo can be as detached as including the character traits of a person you saw at the library. That person is not connected enough to your life for it to matter.
But what about when your writing more directly reflects your life? What if you’re sharing stories about your personal experiences? How far do you go? How vulnerable do you allow yourself to be in front of your readers?
That’s what this submission request is about. How do you get to a place where sharing about your life is a comfortable proposition?
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 3rd, 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.
[image error]Call for Submissions — Using your life as inspiration was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 22, 2021
Writing With Feeling
How I define myself as an emotional writer
I battle mental illness issues daily, and there are times where both my anxiety and depression have me feeling like I’m drowning in sadness.
Being a sensitive person has always become natural to me. Being a person who feels such complex, empathetic emotions has helped me write with such passion. In a world where sensitivity is considered a weakness, I view it as a strength.
Being sensitive in regards to my feelings has made me much more empathetic towards the feelings of others. Mainly, I write about what I see as inspiring and heartfelt, but there are occasions where I write about the hard things in life.
I battle mental illness issues daily, and there are times where both my anxiety and depression have me feeling like I’m drowning in sadness. It’s very burdensome for me to openly talk about these feelings with others, so I turn to write and share how I feel through poetry or narrative essays.
I also like to write about my mental health issues not only to have a healthy outlet for these heavy feelings but to also show others that they aren’t alone in this.
I want to bring an authentic voice by writing about how I feel more. I’d like to be remembered by being open about how you truly feel, being open about getting the help you or the people you care about need, and that it’s okay not to always be okay.
I don’t want to keep how I feel inside because there are people out there who genuinely care and wish to help me through difficult times. Who knows, perhaps one day I’ll start a creative feeling blog where I let these feelings be shown to others, and for others to share how they feel too.
Writing with feeling will always be a huge part of who I am, and it’s time that I let that be shown.
Writing With Feeling was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
April 21, 2021
April 19, 2021
Why It Took a Year to Say “I’m a Writer”
Writing comes first, then it takes time to recognize who you’ve become
Tyrone 1997 Vs 2021
The Advice I Wish I Had Fourteen Years Ago
Erykah Badu’s Tyrone song came out in nineteen ninety-seven on her “Live” album. It felt like my mother’s anthem how she would belt out the chorus while doing her makeup. She sang to the vanity mirror as if she was performing to my stepfather. She would keep the song on repeat until she memorized the lyrics while subliminally letting me know the emotions she was feeling in the present.
The iconic song was an anthem for women who felt unappreciated and mistreated by their partners. These acts were measured by the time and amount of money their partner spent on them. Not being able to meet Badu’s expectations, she breaks up with her boyfriend, suggesting he be with his friends who keep most of his time, specifically “Tyrone.” Badu complains that there isn’t a balance in their relationship and compares the amount of sex her boyfriend asks for versus the money he gives her.
On Ty’s version, I get the advice I wish I had before meeting my older daughter’s mother. Only it was about fourteen years too late. The song’s sped-up, uptempo beat creates the perfect clapback ambience, making it the ideal response to Badu’s down temp tranquillizing original. It was the response that I had been waiting for. Like mother, I would belt out the chorus, but in the shower and also like mother, I would perform as if my ex was right in front of me using Ty Dolla Signs words as if there were my own.
It felt good no longer being alone in the struggle of co-parenting and resentment from my past decisions. I was surprised to know that someone else experienced the same level of toxicity that I had. This song felt like a revelation from the scriptures. It channelled real emotions that I was feeling, and the storytelling reminded me of my own.
It is a story about a man who would have to navigate ending a relationship with someone with whom he has a child and the obstacles ahead.
Ty was excellent at broaching the consequences of dragging on a toxic relationship by providing examples of stalking and mingling in new connections resulting from stringing ex-girlfriends along. It was like he was talking to me about my past baby mama drama. He continues to highlight potential threats that progress in toxic relationships using examples of generational curses that we continue from our parents and the patterns relationally between mothers and their daughters.
Then he ewarns men of the backlash of not being upfront about our intentions to pursue women by providing the consequence of spitting game and repercussions of unmet expectations. Triggered by observing his friend’s toxic relationship, Ty shares his past experiences with women who have the same habits as his friend’s girlfriend. While projecting his insecurities in the form of insults and shade at his friend’s girlfriend, Ty gives us a list of reasons to end the relationship and move on.
Big Sean ventilates examples of how vindictive people can be in a custody battle where the rules are biased, favour mothers and could lead to prison. He continues to put forward instances of resentment that have built up due to not getting out of the relationship sooner, such as missed opportunities, wasted time and money. Sean elaborates about the change in the relationship’s dynamic when a woman becomes less of a partner and more of a dictator. He compares it to being in a relationship with his mother and the disgusts that follow.
Although the song is fourteen years late in advising me what type of women to avoid, living through my own experiences has allowed me to see my faults. I can analyze these songs differently. I can see the pain the artist is in. I understand what they are trying to articulate. All while creating something that we all can bop to, which in itself is a difficult task.
I can clarify my children between misogyny and patriarchy without being that annoying dad trying to ban everything with a dope beat. Referencing my experiences compared to the artist makes me more relevant when encouraging them to make better decisions based on rationale and not on emotion because hurt people hurt people.
The cycle can stop when you establish healthy boundaries and hold people accountable.
Then it becomes easier to be more secure with yourself.
Tyrone 1997 Vs 2021 was originally published in CRY Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
