How is the Poetry book coming along? An update on my poetry collection.
An update on my upcoming Poetry book and the making of my collection.
Many of you have asked me how the poetry collection is coming along. Well, it’s coming along. Not as a fast race toward a deadline, but as a slow practice of gathering the right pieces to match the puzzle I have in mind. So, here is a quick update on how the collection is coming together.
If you had asked me a few years ago if I would consider publishing a poetry collection, I would have nervously laughed and said: “No, silly, this is just a creative outlet.” Internally, it would have sounded more like, “No one is going to be interested enough to buy it anyway.” Yes, imposter syndrome is my worst enemy, but to explain this further, I’ll start at the beginning.
How it all started
My depression is where it starts. This sudden darkness had taken over my life and made me numb, apathetic, and lost. So, I sought out therapy to create peace from the silent storm raging inside my mind. It is there that I found hope, which led me back to a passion I neglected for a long time: writing. Journaling, mostly. Reflections on the page offered me clarity. To see truths my mind had turned into lies. Clarity, in its turn, created more space for hope to thrive. Hope brought me back to a hearth in my heart and helped me rekindle the fire for writing.
I even started reading again, which felt impossible during my depression. I sought out words of comfort and understanding and found them, yes, on social media. Reading quotes turned into reading poems, and that is where the seed was planted. In these poems, I felt seen for the first time after all this darkness and brain fog. Since reading poetry, I have never felt alone in this life again. A meaningful gift I, too, wanted to share with the world.
It started really easy, more poetic thoughts and feelings than an actual poem. But I was learning as I wrote and shared my words in the Instagram community. Thoughts transformed into micro poems, free verse writes, haiku, and all different forms of poetry. But most importantly, people started to resonate with my words and even felt seen. Coming full-circle on a journey that grew from darkness and moved towards the light.
Self-doubt and imposter syndrome have been my saboteur along the road, but maybe this collection can be both for others and for me. That shift of mind has helped me to collect poems from over 5 years of writing. Yes, there are a lot of poems. And yes, there are multiple maps titled “poetry collection” and “final poetry collection”. Well, plenty of poets have reassured me that these messy parts belong to the creative process of publishing a poetry collection.
So, how is the collection now coming along?
Well, a lot changes over 5 years. I am no longer that same poet stringing poetic thoughts together, and that is perhaps the trickiest part of this collection. I have an abundance of poems written in all different styles, forms, themes, and moments in my life. And now, I have to make them match. Making all these pieces of the puzzle come together as a whole has been a challenge.
But I think I have managed to create a raw sketch of all the poems that will find a home inside this collection. Some I never shared on my socials, and others are favourites from both the readers and me. They all center around the main themes I write about and will guide you through the journey from where I started to where I am now, as a poet and as a person. Themes will include mental health, the road to healing, hope, innergrowth, finding and believing in yourself again, and more. The poems will be divided or sometimes even overlap through 6 different chapters. Each their own important part of a life.
There is still no deadline, and sorry to say this, but I am taking my time with this. Autumn has been an inspirational spark to really work daily on the book, and I have made a lot of progress lately.
Gathering the poems, editing, and outlining has been keeping me busy. I have also been playing around with possible titles and covers, but in the end, I have faith that the collection will tell me her name and how she wants to show up.
I might have more news for you in December and maybe even start to call out a release time. But like all things this year, gentleness is guiding me through the entire process.
I know it is not much but I do hope this update gave you enough answers to your questions, and if it didn’t, then feel free to reach out and ask me personally.
Thank you all for your gentle patience, endless support, and wonderful motivation.
I would not be here, bringing a dream to life, if not for your support and kindness.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
All my love
CoraLynn
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