*Right Brain – …associated with creative thought and…

I started writing in 2004 and almost ten years later, I was still struggling with my writer’s voice.

Was I a writer, a poet? If I was an author, did I only write creative non-fiction about my childhood? If I was a poet, why did my poems sound like my prose? 

Why couldn’t I write about my favorite thing, cats? That was my biggest question and I needed an answer. I didn’t know that the answer would lead to other questions being answered, too.

I decided to study the writing used in cat books. I gambled and choose one immensely popular cat book series. I spent a winter reading Warrior cat books, the first four series:  The Prophecies Begin, The New Prophecy, Power of Three, and Omen of the Star, twenty-four books. 

That winter a dear friend, Stephanie, asked, “Debra, you do know those are children’s books?” 

“Yes, I’m using them to help me find my writer’s voice, especially my ‘cat voice’.” I still haven’t admitted to my friend that I read more than thirty of those books and just how much I enjoyed them. That’s my secret.

Long story, short: I took the books in on an easy, fun, heartwarming level, and a couple of years later I had my voice and the voice of my feral and domestic cats. I knew how they spoke to each other and to me.

I also figured out that I can write in different genres, but that I prefer creative non-fiction. My cat writing is done mostly via narrative poetry. I have a cookbook percolating, too. I might even finish that book on my childhood. Who knows? I can write whatever I want.

My latest right-brain publication is a collaboration with poet Shirley Radcliff Bruton:

Available on Amazon

Debra’s published books:

This ‘n That Poetry, with Shirley Radcliff Bruton.

Tales from a Rocky Coast, Volume 1, an anthology with three other authors.

Tears to Laughter, Embracing the Future Without Forgetting the Past, with Jim Leonard.

Debra’s books due out in 2020 – 2021: Oodles of Blog Post Ideas; Meow Poetry, 1 – 3

*Dictionary.com

Thank you, Debra, for a very interesting look at how you discovered your writing voice. It’s fascinating to see where/how writers do discover their own uniqueness. And it’s been amazing watching you grow as a writer! I hope all who read this learn something about the unexpected places one can find one’s true voice.