Late Morning, Tuesday, July 9, 2024, Madison, New Hampshire
Hello, folks. I got a slow start on this hot and muggy morning in early July here in New England, even though I was up early and ate a decent breakfast a few hours ago. I feel sluggish and tired, so I’ll make this post brief.
A New Voice in Poetry!
I have some happy news to share with you: P.J. Gudka, a fellow WordPress blogger and writer, has just released a new book today. It’s called All the Words I Kept Inside, and it’s a book of poems that reveal her deepest dreams, happiness, sadness, worries, and doubts.
All the Words I Kept Inside is the result of P.J.’s long and meticulous work, and you can tell by the way she skillfully crafts words to express her emotions or reveal insights about humanity.
A poem that I love in the book is Boundaries:
People want you around
Until you learn to say no
Once your boundaries are found
They can’t wait for you to go
(Gudka, P.J.. All the Words I Kept Inside [p. 30]. Wild Ink Publishing. Kindle Edition)
A poem that I admire very much is An Abundance of Wound:
Time does not heal all wounds
It just creates fresher ones
That overshadows your old wounds
(Gudka, P.J.. All the Words I Kept Inside [p. 33]. Wild Ink Publishing. Kindle Edition.)
I like that one a lot, not only because it’s well-written, but because it strangely mirrors the start of my novel, Reunion: Coda’s prologue.
If you don’t believe me, check this out:
Some phrases just get under my skin. Take “Everything happens for a reason,” for example. It’s like nails on a chalkboard to me. It’s worse than “Think outside the box” or “At the end of the day…” – those overused phrases that you hear on TV all the time. It’s just a lazy way of saying something without really saying anything at all.
I used to date this girl named Cheryl Lynn who would always say “Everything happens for a reason” whenever something bad happened. A family dies in a fire in Brooklyn? Everything happens for a reason. A marriage falls apart? Everything happens for a reason. A war breaks out? Everything happens for a reason. Even when she learned about JFK’s assassination in history class, she said it…..
Another phrase that really grinds my gears is “Time heals all wounds.” My mom used to say that all the time when I was growing up. She’s been gone for eight years now, but I still remember her trying to comfort me with those words.
I don’t believe that time is a cure-all for every pain, particularly the ones that don’t leave a physical mark. P.J. shares this view as well, as evidenced by her insightful comment in the poem An Abundance of Wound.
If you enjoy poetry that is filled with deep and potent reflections on what it means to be human, you should read All the Words I Kept Inside.
On Writing & Storytelling: Preparing to Write a New Scene
I’m sorry to say, with a lot of annoyance, that my writing efforts on Monday were a disaster.
I tried to do everything right. I had my break around noon. I ate a decent lunch. I went outside and enjoyed some fresh air and sun. I even took a soothing hot shower to ease my tense muscles and wash away my troubles and sadness.
And when I came back to my desk to write, I was ready to rock.
Even with Romantic Moments with Mozart discretely playing on my device and stirring my soul, the only spark I got for my novel Reunion: Coda was a single scene idea.
It was only a latecomer in my brain, by the time I thought of it I was too exhausted to put it on paper. (Luckily, I still have the story idea in my head, so if today goes smoothly I should be able to sketch it out.)
Looking at the silver lining, I guess I’ve got some material to work with for the new scene in Reunion: Coda’s chapter eighteen later today.
A Certain Point of View, Too 
Comments
10 responses to “All the Words I Kept Inside: New Poetry Book by P.J. Gudka | Writing Struggles and Inspirations”
P.J. Gudka’s poetry book is indeed very powerful. I loved it.
I agree, cliches like “Everything happens for a reason,” and “Think outside the box” are unhelpful and they don’t seem to carry any truth to them. “Think outside the box” used to be popular in the workplace but then managers who used to say it caught on to the fact that everyone hated that empty cliche. I haven’t heard “Think outside the box” in I think 20 years. Another is “be true to yourself”. What does that even mean?
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Thanks so much. I think “Everything happens for a reason” can be so devastating to hear because it really minimises what someone has or is experiencing.
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You’re welcome, Pooja!
And yes. I loathe trite expressions like “Everything happens for a reason” or “It was meant to be,” especially if someone says it after a devastating loss or other calamity.
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Thank you so much for sharing my book and I’m so glad the poems resonated with you. I definitely do see a similarity between my poem about wounds and your start. Those cliches are rarely ever accurate and are often said by people who don’t know what it’s like to have deep wounds that never truly heal. In the end, we all process things different and some things leave a scar whether we like it or not. They become a part of who we are. And these cliches end up minimising our scars and experiences which can be really frustrating.
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You’re so welcome, P.J.!
I submitted a slightly different version of my brief review at Amazon yesterday, but it hasn’t been published yet.
As for the “Time heals all wounds” cliche….I’ve never believed it. The passage of time might dull the pain and put scar tissue on our “invisible wounds,” but it doesn’t magically cure them. Jim Garraty knows this. You know this. And I definitely know this.
Congratulations on your debut as a published author, P.J. May your book enjoy the success it deserves. It’s an excellent work of literature! 🙂
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I so appreciate that, I think they often take a while to share the review on Amazon.
Yes, we sure do.
Thank you, I so appreciate that! I don’t know if poetry books can really do well (they don’t sell great) but I really just wanted my words out there and as long as even a handful of people enjoy the book that’s enough for me 😊
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I used to write reviews on Amazon more regularly in the Oh-Ohs (2000s), and for a while (before the company changed its ranking system) I was a Top 500 reviewer there. Getting reviews published took about three to four days for “noobs,” but if you wrote often enough, you could see your stuff “live” in one or two days.
I stopped reviewing on Amazon (regularly, anyway) in 2003 when I joined the now-shuttered Epinions because while it’s nice to see your stuff on “Ammy,” it doesn’t pay. Epinions did. 🙂
I suppose not being a regular reviewer on Amazon slows things down for me. But at least you saw this mini-review. (I’m not terribly good at critiquing poetry, though!)
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Ooh okay, yeah I think it’s definitely better to use something like Epinions instead. At least you get paid for your time.
I think poetry is extra difficult to critique so don’t worry about it. You did a good job reviewing my book though 😊
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Also, as to why I decided to write Reunion: Coda….
Mostly, my sentiments about the novel echo yours. I am not writing the novel with delusions of grandeur or visions of fame and fortune (though I do want it to sell well). Some fans of “Reunion” wanted more of Jim, Marty, and Mark’s story (which at first glance seemed impossible, considering what happens to one of the three), so after many years of saying, “No, sorry, but there’ll be no sequel,” I gave in.
The second reason is because I promised my mother, when I was 14 or 15, that I’d write a novel. Well, I’m 61 now, and Mom has been gone for almost nine years now (it’ll nine in nine days), but I’m keeping this promise.
Plus, I want to read the darned thing! 🙂
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Yeah, with most writers we just want to write. I mean, the fame and money wouldn’t hurt lol but it’s not our primary goal.
It’s sweet that you’re still keeping the promise to your mother. I’m sure she’s looking down at you and very proud of your achievements.
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