One Door Closes...Another Opens

I decided to keep looking over my old poetry and decided  to share another.  This one comes from 2011 as I approached my final days at one job before starting a new one.

One door closes…Another Opens

By Andrew Hess

Is it weird to be sad?

This road has finally ended.

It’s a joyous thought;

Yet brings tears to my eyes.

Those I’ve encountered;

Will slowly fade;

Making room for newer ones;

Embracing the new associates.

But long and behold;

They are never gone forever.

They will remain like the others;

Never truly departing from my life.

Instead they will merely visit;

Resurface when it’s their time.

Rekindle the friendships;

Living a new life together.

Then why so sad?

Am I afraid of the changes?

The idea of starting something new;

Has me feeling exhilarated.

In my heart;

I know I’m ready.

I can face the challenges;

That lay ahead.

Each day;

Each step;

Has me closer to my dreams;

Slowly making them a reality.

At First Sight

I wanted to share an intimate poem that I wrote shortly after I met my fiance for the very first time.  It's called At First Sight.

At First Sight

By Andrew Hess

It was a surprise;

Something unexpected;

Yet welcomed;

Finding something I believed to be gone.

It was a freezing cold night;

During the warmest winter ever.

A month of talking;

Brought me to this point.

Sitting in my beat-up Sonata;

Waiting eagerly with a friend in the passenger seat;

Looking for a sign or car;

Ready to meet her for the first time.

She was tall; roughly my height;

Blonde and beautiful;

She was sweet, friendly, outgoing;

More than I was expecting.

We sat in a dimly lit coffee house;

Striking up a long conversation;

Forgetting our friends were there;

Only one person mattered.

I lost complete concentration;

But knew what to say.

I never fumbled for words;

Just spoke freely.

The hours ticked by.

The waiter was ready to kick us out;

Glad we left on our own;

So they could replace us with more customers.

Into the cold cloudy night we went;

Standing idly by the truck;

Refusing to break from the conversation;

Letting our time together expand.

Every other though that crossed my mind;

Was how much I wanted to break my rule;

To kiss her right there;

Despite our friends watching.

But the cold overtook the temptation;

Forcing everyone to retreat to their cars.

It took us away from each other;

Longing for just another moment with her.

My Second Book

So without further wait, I'd like to take the time to announce that my second book, The Hall of the Forgotten is now available on Amazon.com, Kindle, and CreateSpace.com.

http://www.amazon.com/Hall-Forgotten-Andrew-Hess/dp/1481287664/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1357140651&sr=1-7&keywords=andrew+hess
http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHall-of-the-Forgotten-ebook%2Fdp%2FB00AVS0S9O%2Fref%3Dsr_1_3%3Fs%3Dbooks%26ie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1357140651%26sr%3D1-3%26keywords%3Dandrew%2Bhess&h=vAQEuQtw1

https://www.createspace.com/4102233

Dreams

Ever wonder where writers get their ideas from?  They can come from anywhere or anything.  When I started writing poetry, I would be sitting at work; thinking about random things.  Sometimes I would come up with nothing, but other times I would have a great idea or remember something from my past.  When I did write, people said I went into some sort of trance.  I was staring at the wall or out a window.  After about ten minutes I was done and ready to type it up on the computer. 

My brother has his own way of coming up with ideas.  He listens to what people say and gets an idea instantly.  He comes up with elaborate storylines in a matter of minutes that would be great to see on the big screen. 

Another way of coming up with ideas is through dreams.  That has been the way I have been getting new story ideas, and from what I have read a lot of other writers get their plots from dreams they had as well.  They are usually weird and abnormal, but most dreams usually are.  Sometimes they feel too real.  Some have you portraying the main character in the dream and other times you are a spectator watching everything unfold. 

There are many more ways people can find ideas on what to write.  Taking a walk through the park, the beach, observing people's interactions with each other, interactions with family, old jokes either with friends or family, songs, poetry, reading, and the list can go on and on.

The best piece of advice I can give when it comes to searching for something to write about, is don't discredit anything.  Write any and all ideas down; either in a notebook, type it on a computer, or enter it into a cell phone.  Don't ignore the thoughts that come to mind.  Keep them and look to them when you decide you want to write something.  If you think you can expand on it then go for it.  If you can't, don't scrap the idea; keep it for another time.

Poetry, Novels, Movie Scripts pt1

Over the next week I will be talking about the topics of writing poetry, novels, and movie scripts. There are many differences between these three genres of writing.

The first topic I will cover is poetry.  There are many types of poetry (way too many to cover in one post, but I will post a link that covers all of them.) http://www.types-of-poetry.org.uk/
Here are just a few as examples.

• Lyric poetry is a poem that expresses the thoughts and feelings of a poet.  It does not tell a story of characters or actions.  The poet speaks to the reader directly; telling their own state of mind, feelings, and perceptions.
• Haiku poetry is a type of Japanese poem written in three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables.  It typically reflects on nature or creative images.
• Free verse is a type of poetry that can be either rhymed or unrhymed lines without a pattern.  This allowed poets to break from the typical structure of poetry and express their feelings.

When I first started to write poems, I was always under the impression they needed to rhyme in order for it to be considered a poem.  As I studied at New Paltz, my professor assured me a poem is fueled by the emotion behind it.  A poem is however you decide to write it regardless of its structure or rhymes.  As long as the reader can picture and feel the meaning of the poem in their minds,  it is a successful poem.

Now there are several outlets for poetry writers.  Most Literary Agents and publishers will tell you they do not accept queries based on poetry, and for the most part they don't.  There are a few agents that will accept poetry submissions but they are very rare to find.  There are websites, blogs, and contests where you can have your poetry published; which is the path that most poets take.  There are quite a few that self publish their poetry and sell it online or personally.  These are the best ways to start getting your name out there as a writer for future projects when contacting Literary Agents. 

As I stated this is only part 1 of the topic.  Stay tuned for part 2 where I will cover writing novels.  As always I welcome any thoughts and comments on my posts.  And feel free to check out my interview on the Anthony Charles Podcast: http://soundcloud.com/anthonycharlesofficial/episode-20-andrew-hess-author and follow me on Facebook and Twitter for other updates: https://twitter.com/ThePhoenix1369, http://www.facebook.com/#!/TheRealPhoenix13

Inspiration

I wanted to use tonight to talk about one of the fundamental components to writing or doing anything in a creative artistic field; inspiration.  In my opinion, inspiration is what brings a writer to his/her craft.  It is what we look for in life to bring us the next idea for a future project or something to work on at that moment.  It can be found anywhere; in a movie, a TV show, music, nature, talking to friends and family, and sometimes even when you are at work staring at a door or window. 

You can find inspiration anywhere and in anything.  There are a few places I like to go to create new ideas.  For starters I like to go to the beach.  It doesn't matter if it is day or night, I will go there to sit on the sand and listen to the waves wash up on the shore.  I'll watch the sun or moon light bounce off the water and let the wind relax me.  I have written many poems based off of my time at different beaches.  Another area was the Walk over the Hudson.  It is upstate in Highland/Poughkeepsie area.  It's a long walk to get from one side of the bridge to the other, but well worth it.  I don't get up there that often, but when I have it is amazing to see.  You stand high above the water and watch it flow easily underneath you.  You can watch the cars pass by on the Mid Hudson Bridge.  This has provided ideas for one of my books.

There are so many examples of finding inspiration that I could talk about.  Instead I want to encourage you to use the weekend to enjoy the weekend, relax, and find some inspiration in everything you do.  For me I will be heading back into my old stomping grounds in New Paltz and Poughkeepsie this weekend.  I will also be on the Anthony Charles Podcast taping this weekend which will be available soon.  Stay tuned for details. 

Poetic Beginnings

I've always had a way with words.  Ever since I was little my mother and even my teachers said that I write a lot better than I speak.  I would have to agree with the statement because it has always been easier for me to express my feelings in writing than spoken words.  In the past, when I needed to express myself, it was written in a letter or a constant rant of me venting my feelings.  At times they made sense and others were incoherent ramblings of a man who was frankly upset with everyone in the world including himself. 

I have to go back a little to my last semester at New Paltz.  During my creative writing class, my professor told us we had to write a poem for class and make it very descriptive; using minimal amounts of words.  I never wrote a poem that made sense and could rhyme, but my professor assured me a poem did not have to rhyme for it to be a poem.  To be honest I don't remember what I wrote but it was the first poem I wrote since deciding I wanted to be a writer. 

There were multiple times that year that writing poems put a lot of things in perspective.  It was 2009 and 2010 that brought on more of my poetic insights.  There were a few poems that were written in regards to a close friend of mine.  Who knew it would be a giant leap forward towards my first major literary goal.  So here is one of the first poems I wrote which was chosen to be part of my first book the Chamber of Souls (more to come on that).

Breathe

Lying on the sand,

The beautiful clear sky lets the gentle breeze flow over me.

The red hot sun radiates my body,

While my mind simmers with memories.

 

I’m reminded of my happiest times.

Driving around town, the music blasting, with the windows down.

One drive makes everything feel right.

My friends are all I ever needed.

 

A glimpse into the sun reminds me of our time together.

Waiting for the next adventure to begin;

You’ll jump at a moment’s notice,

But you never notice the one starring you in the eyes.

 

Now I’m here, unable move.

If I do I’ll die.

Wishing I had the strength to tell you,

But fear I never will.

 

The lights are fading fast.

There’s a shadow standing over me.

I notice her eyes one last time;

I love you.