How I missed the days
When I would write to write
All that mattered then
Was seeing my characters every night
To one, two,
or three in the morning
One girl and her characters
Were constantly exploring
So many nights
Writing adventures of her friends
Not caring about phrasing
Or how the plot will end
No punctuation, no troublesome tags,
no perfect wording
Or critics that nag
Just writing to write
To make a good story
Figuring it out as we go
Not a care or a worry
But now it’s all changed
It’s gotta be good
No one will take it if it’s misunderstood
The trouble with learning
With getting better and better
Is that progress is concerning
And stress is like heavy leather
It has to be perfect
You need the right words
You’ve forgotten the magic
Of characters being heard
Striving for exceptional
Thrown your characters in the corner
You must be professional
But it’s absolute torture
Retreat to the magic
Sometimes that’s the key
Just you and your characters
Free as can be
So take a moment, a week
A month or two
To return to the wonder
Of when you were new
A newbie writer
Just starting out
Letting your characters show you what it’s all about
Just write to write
Who cares who will read it
Put your magic on the page
You’ve just got to believe it
nikki diekemper 