Infants, Crying and Parenting

My son will turn three at the end of July. So, it is often that I peruse the web and come across parenting information.

I understand that everyone parents differently, but I have to open my mouth in awe when I read information that tells new parents to leave their newborn infant to "cry it out." I mean, really, how does this make any sense?

I also understand that not every woman is thrilled to become a mother, and that the instant mother-child bond that I felt with my son the second I peed on the stick and saw two lines...doesn't always happen to mothers. That in itself is a sad epidemic in my eyes, and to be frank, I don't even remotely understand how a mother can not feel not only an instant bond with their child, but also the immediate unconditional love that forges between parent and child.

I am not claiming expertise in the parenting field, but I do know that I never once allowed for my son to "cry it out", especially when he was a newborn. If he cried, he got picked up, changed, fed, or simply cuddled with. Sometimes just picking him up and allowing for him to nestle as close as he could with me soothed him enough to end the crying. Infants need human contact, they need their mother, and they need attention. For more information on this, please visit www.attachmentparenting.org.

My son also sleeps with me, as I mentioned in a previous post. He has since his birth. It feels natural to me, to have my own flesh and blood right next to me. Nestled into his mother's arms. He's so content, even at three to be so close to me. He frequently asks me for hugs, and he never gets denied. I don't care what I'm doing, I'll always take time to hug my son. I've seen some moms, one of whom is my close friend, completely ignore her son when he asks for a hug. It's appalling to me that a parent wouldn't want to hug their child. But again, it's not my place to judge how others parent their children, and I'm no expert.

Everyone has different views on how to parent, that's no secret. What I would like to see research on, so please point me in the direction of any if you are privy to such information, is why some parents are not close to their children? Was it because they were not close to their parents while growing up, or perhaps they resent becoming parents in the first place? The factors are numerous and monumental I'm sure. A lot goes into why and how you parent your child(ren) the way you do.

Please, share your stories and theories. I'd love to hear them.

Father's Day

For as far back as I can remember, my dad was awesome. He was always there for my brother and I, fixing our bikes, or getting dirty in the sand box with us. He was a fantastic father, and he still is.

I'm turning thirty in a few days, and I have to admit that it wasn't until my early to mid twenties that I truly appreciated my parents. I finally understood all they gave up so that their children never had to go without. I've also realized that I've learned so much from each parent.

From my mother, I learned to appreciate being a woman, how to be my own person, how to be a fantastic mother to my son, to follow my dreams, and to live my dreams. Mommy taught me that in order to become someone, you have to be someone first. Find out who you are, be comfortable in your own skin and with yourself, and never listen when someone tells you you're not good enough or that you may not make it. While I was growing up, she showed me time and time again that a mother's love was powerful, life giving, unbreakable, and most importantly, that it was unconditional.

But so much of the person that I am today is also because I had a loving father in my life. Dad taught me how to ride a bike, how to mow a lawn, plant and maintain a garden, be a woman that respects herself, be a daughter, be a role model to my son, and most importantly, my dad taught me to how be independent. He told me to never rely on anyone to get what you want. If I wanted something, I simply achieved it. There was no failing, dad said it simply wasn't an option.

Having a father's love surround you when your a female is something that's hard to describe. It gives you such a sense of being wanted, of being adored, and respected. I was never afraid of anything with my dad around. The fact that he was a big Italian guy that had a permanent puss on his face was enough to scare people in the other direction anyway. But just his presence around me made me feel invincible. I felt I could move mountains if I wanted to.

I am the woman and mother I am today thanks to both of my parents. But it is because of my father that I am a strong and absolute female. A father's love and attention cannot be replaced. And having that strong fatherly shoulder to cry on when your young and adolescent years flash before you means more to a daughter than any boyfriend ever will. I learned that when it came time for me to find a man in my life that I had no other choice but to emulate my father. After all, he was the only male authority figure that I had to go on...that I had to clone.

I enjoy manly men, thanks to my dad. I love a dirty guy - an auto mechanic, a construction foreman. But I also love an authoritative gentleman, a man that knows what he wants. A handsome fellow in an Armani suit and tie grabs my attention as well as any bookstore. My father was the man I wanted to duplicate because I had so much respect for him.

Father's Day is a wonderful chance to say thanks to the man in your life that picked you up when you fell. The man that held out his hand for a firm handshake when your boyfriends came to pick you up for your dates. But most of all, the man that you have enough respect for to call Dad.

Thanks to my dad, and also to my mom, for making me the center of their world.

Please share your stories, my readers and I would love to hear them.

A Writer's Thoughts

"But words are things, and a small drop of ink, falling, like dew, upon a thought, produces that which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think." - Lord Byron -

It's no secret that I'm a Byron (and a Poe) fan. His above quote ignites a rush of ideas that have been nesting within my loins, simply screaming to be written down. I think it's the same for every writer that lands upon whatever it is that gives them inspiration. Be it the flowers outside, the birds singing their harmonic tunes, or the gentle breeze that ruffles the fall leaves, inspiration is all around us.

For me, inspiration speaks in forms of words, quotes, colors, sounds, and writing. I find that simply reading calms my soul. When it's so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, the silence itself is astounding. I've always been a fan of solitude. Not just for the fact that I get to know myself, but also because silence speaks volumes without saying a thing. Cliche, I know...but true nonetheless.

So when writers begin writing, whatever it is they may be thinking of at that moment, something magical happens. Ideas mix with feelings and words intermingle with dreams, all producing a masterpiece that now has bore an audience. Once words amalgamate with paper, a story is given new life. Characters find friends, mothers bare children, men become fathers, and something that just a moment ago was nothing...now has been given a voice. And sing it shall, just you watch.

A single word, sentence, or paragraph means a world of difference from one person to the next. You may read a story and gain nothing, while the person next to you reads the same story and allows for the tears of their triumphs to rain down. Words are powerful, life giving, and tremendous. And never underestimate their influence over complete strangers.

I doubt that when iconic writers such as Byron, Poe, Melville, and Shakespeare were penning their thoughts, they allowed room for an audience. From studying them through college and on my own, I've learned that all the aforementioned wrote because their souls commanded it. Poe wrote The Raven inside a farmhouse while battling depression. I'm sure he highly doubted it would reach publication, let alone be canonized in high school and college classrooms today.

For all of you that are writers presently, and for all of you that are scared to write down your thoughts, my advice to you would simply be to WRITE. Write more...never less. Whatever lives in your thoughts needs to be authored. It needs a home among the greatest literary geniuses that continue to live on today through their writing. Find the courage to start a journal, a blog, or even a book. You never know whose life you may change simply because they took the time to read your persuasions.

Please, share your writing thoughts. I admire other people's determination when it comes to writing.

Co-Sleeping: Yay or Nay?

Co-sleeping...touchy subject I know.

However, in my opinion, co-sleeping with your baby is Heaven. I'm an advocate of it 100%. My son, who will turn three at the end of July, has been sleeping with me since birth. When in the hospital, I chose not to leave him in the nursery. I requested that he be in my room at all times unless otherwise medically necessary.

And when he arrived home, I knew that instinctively I wanted him to be as close to me at all times as humanly possible. Infants are utterly helpless. They need their mother (or care giver) around the clock. Therefore, I thought it was insanely natural to have my son sleep with me, and according to the information I've read on the subject, it is. So much so, that I didn't even purchase a crib. I didn't add a crib to my registry and I instructed all my close family members to not even be on the look out for a crib, I flat out didn't want one.

I enjoy my son being close to me, even now as he gets ready to turn three. He's still helpless and he needs his mommy.

I adore the smell of my son and the way he nestles into the crook of my arm when it's nap time and bedtime. I love crawling into bed at night after I have put my son down and pulling him close to me so that we can cuddle and become as close as safety allows.

If you're a new mother and you may be worried about any dangers associated with co-sleeping, I direct you to Natural Child , Mothering, or CoSleeping.org. Those three websites will give you all the research and statistics associated with the topic.

I can also tell you, as a mother who co-sleeps with their child, that when my son was a newborn I hardly changed positions while sleeping. This wasn't done deliberately. Your natural mothering instincts take precedence. You know your newborn is sleeping next to you, and for me, that was enough to tell my body not to move. It may sound like it was uncomfortable, but I can assure you it was not. I found it amazing that the exact position I went to sleep in, was the same one I woke up in. I'm sure this doesn't happen for all moms, but in my case, it did.

The benefits of co-sleeping are tremendous for me and my son. He was never a sound sleeper and he woke up quite often throughout the night until he was about two, and maybe a little older. He would wake up to eat, or reach for his pacifier that fell out of his mouth, or simply to nuzzle closer to mommy. It was so much easier to lull him back to sleep with him right next to me, and he slept for longer periods of time when he was an infant. And that meant that mommy got to sleep decently as well. Sometimes, we could go up to four hours before he wanted to eat again. And I see that even today, when he wakes, he is extremely well rested from getting a full nights sleep.

While co-sleeping may not appeal to all mothers, it worked for me and my son. If I have another child, I will absolutely co-sleep with them as well. And when I feel the time is right, I will transition my son into his own room and bed. But for now, there's nothing more sublime then taking in the smell of my son, or feeling his drool land on my arm, or even allowing for the faint sound of his little snores to help lull me to sleep.

Please, share your motherly outlook on co-sleeping. I'd love to hear your side of the story.

My Favorite Places to Write

I'm a person who needs silence when writing.

Therefore, crowded coffee shops don't quite cut it for me most of the time when it comes down to writing for money. I prefer to be home, with my feet up on my over sized ottoman, hot cup of tea in hand. I am also a person who prefers cooler weather to hot, so when the winter time hits and I'm curled up on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa and my pink bunny slippers on, life just doesn't get much better. My laptop is my best friend when I'm getting my freelance writing and editing done.

However, if I am writing for my own pleasure, then I'm a person who prefers writing long hand. To sit down with an open, lined notebook or journal, my favorite pen, and my two cats at my feet, is simply heaven for me. Computers are grand, don't get me wrong, but there is just something insanely relaxing about putting pen to paper and allowing your hand to guide the pen in upward strokes across the paper. To really focus on and savor your writing is a fairly cheap form of therapy for me. Long hand also allows me to become one with my words. I also read aloud my writing often. I prefer words that linger on the palate and appreciate being sung by the tongue.

It is this writing for my own pleasure that sometimes takes me outside to write. I appreciate an empty park (bench or grass) and an ice cold tea with a splash of lemon to help alleviate the sometimes stress of being a mother. I allow for the freshly cut grass to dance in between my toes and take in the smells of the flower gardens nearby. I never bring my laptop with me when I'm writing for my own pleasure. I simply would never be able to engross myself in the semi-trance-like state that writing puts me in. That horrid key tapping sound would ruin the rhythm of my prose and interrupt the dreams I allow room for in my writing.

Sweet, playful i-dotting and t-crossing...that's all I want to hear when I'm writing for my own pleasure in an empty park. I want to gaze lovingly at a brand new, jet black Moleskine journal and feel that little bit of anticipation that builds right before I take it out of it's wrapper. And when my heart fluttering subsides and I open it up to the first page, I can't wait to grab my Paper Mate and allow the two to become one. The mating of pens, journals, and a passion for recording your innermost thoughts.

Share your favorite places to write, I'd love to hear the inspiration you gain when being there.

Forgetting Children in Cars

So here I am, perusing the web with my coffee in hand, and I start my day with this post from momlogic "Baby dies in hot car."

Fantastic way to start my morning...not.

For starters, can mothers/parents please tell me how you forget your children in the car? Anyone?

I'm a mom, I travel with my son in the car daily, and I have never even come close to forgetting him anywhere I am, let alone in a car.

It's such a preposterous act that I simply don't understand it. You go through all the trouble of strapping your children in a car, then you find a parking space, get out, and lock your car up without taking out the human being you strapped in ten minutes earlier? I can't...I just cannot comprehend the absentmindedness of parents some times.

There is no excuse, as far as I'm concerned, for leaving your children in a car. Period.

Please do share your thoughts and opinions on such a weighty topic.

Guest Blogger: Jennifer Fink

Today I have a wonderful guest blogger, Jennifer Fink. We met during the May Blogathon that we were both a part of. Jenny is a full time stay at home mom and freelance writer living in southeastern Wisconsin. She home schools her four boys who range in ages from 11 to 3. Jenny's blog is a wonderful mix of both modern mothering and what it's like to raise four boys, please check it out, you won't be disappointed.

Here's what Jenny wrote for us today:

Staying Sane


I write from home and home school four boys. My life is – how to say this? - chaotic.

There’s noise, constant action and the continual sense that something else needs my attention. Often, something else does require attention. Take, for example, the time this winter when I sent my youngest son out to play just as the phone rang. It was an editor, so I took the call. Meanwhile, my son, in his zeal to shovel snow, wandered out into the street and was rescued by a snowplow driver.

Balancing work and life is never easy. Staying sane while balancing work and life is a minor miracle. And I won’t lie: I’m not always sure I pull it off. (Just ask my kids and husband.)

So far, though, I’ve managed to avoid institutionalization, so I must be doing something right. Here, then, are my Top Five Tips for Staying Sane:

Do what you love. I love to read. I could play the “no time” card, but that would mean depriving myself of the one activity that has always entertained, relaxed, challenged, inspired and informed me. So I read constantly. I read while eating breakfast. (The kids inevitably finish up before I do – no doubt because they’re halfway through by the time I’m done serving them all!) I read when I’m in the bathroom. I read before bed, in the van, on the couch. Anytime I have a few minutes, I read.

Connect to the wider world. Part of reading, for me, is staying in touch with the outside world. Newsweek, the Sunday paper and online news keep me informed, while social networking keeps me in touch with real, live human beings. Laugh if you want, but Twitter, Facebook and online writing communities such as FLX are invaluable for us work-at-home types.

Move. I am not what you would call a natural athlete. In fact, I’ve managed to make it well into my thirties without ever playing an organized sport. But I’ve finally learned the benefits of movement. As much as I love sitting in my chair and reading, I’ve learned that exercising energizes me and clears my mind. It can be hard to make myself go, but I never regret going to aerobics or heading to the gym.

Find joy in everyday moments. My life contains a lot of certifiable crazy-making things: Cats that puke. Boys who love to torture one another. Clocks that spin far too fast. If I concentrated on the craziness and the craziness alone, I’d never make it through the day. Instead, I relish the feel of my three-year-old son’s arms squeezing my neck. I cuddle under a soft blanket as I read to my eight-year-old. And I listen as the boys laugh in the other room.

Relax. My relaxation method of choice is the hot bath. My Dad always said, “Everything looks better after a hot bath and a good night’s sleep.” I think he’s right – even if I occasionally sacrifice sleep to make time for a hot bath.

What about you? How do you stay sane?

The Presence of a Parent

Your children need your presence more than your presents. ~Jesse Jackson



Ain't that the truth, huh?

Parents know how important it is to be a dominant presence within your child's life, but sometimes I'm convinced they don't understand it.

Speaking from my own experiences, I am a stay at home mother to my son. I only have one child and therefore I'm sure that it's much easier for me to give 100% of myself to my child than say - a mother with three or four kids - or even two. But I can't speak for those moms, because I'm not one. I have only one human being who longs for my attention and my presence. The only thing he asks of me is "mommy play." My son, at three, has no idea if we're rich or poor, and he doesn't care. If he only had one toy to play with, and a mommy who sat on the floor with him all day and played with him, he'd be happy.

Parents tend to replace their presence with presents. You know who you are. You think that buying your child that Big Wheel will replace all the long hours that you put in at the office. Newsflash: it won't. From birth until old age, kids need their parents. Not just to feed, shelter, and comfort them, but to be there for them and be parents to them. To sit on the floor and play Matchbox cars or Barbies means more to your children than any toy you could buy them.

Please, don't get me wrong. I'm not claiming to be an expert on child rearing, and here's another newsflash for you: no one is. Every child is different, and every parent is different. You parent exactly like your parents did, if you had a good upbringing. Or, if you had a horrible childhood, you parent completely different, hoping to give your children a better life. Either way, you're a product of your environment.

For me, I choose to shower my son with my presence. I spend hours each day playing with him, coloring, cooking, playing cars, or kicking a ball around. Your children want you around, never forget that. Make your child your priority instead of your job, or whatever it is that may take precedence over your parenting. I know, for some, it's easier said than done if you're the sole money maker. Regardless, your children are only their age once, you will never get back today. And your children will never forget that you weren't there when they just wanted your attention, or to spend some alone time with you.

I chose to make myself a stay at home mom because I never wanted to miss a moment with my son. I think he literally grows before my eyes. To think that just three years ago I brought him home from the hospital, it seems like yesterday to me. I'm glad that I don't have to put long hours in at the office and miss out on my sons first anything. My company means more to my son that any Transformer action figure I could buy him. Presence versus presents, they sound exactly alike, but carry an entire world of difference to your children.

Please share your thoughts and opinions. We learn best when it's from each other.

Guest Blogger: Huriya Manzar

Today I have the pleasure of having a guest blogger. Huriya and I met during the May Blogathon that I was a part of. She expressed a likeness to my work and I asked her if she would be interested in being a guest blogger someday. Have a look at her blog, she posts regularly about her life as a mom.

Here is Huriya's post that she wrote for us today:

Danielle is kind enough to let me be a guest blogger on her awesome site today. I have been blogging for more than three years now, mostly about my day to day events with a sprinkle of book/movie reviews plus arbitrary thoughts on events or observations and then I top it off with my favorite quotes. Initially the purpose was to document my life and my feelings, because it's always fascinating for me to go back in time and read about my state of mind under certain circumstances.

However, over time I have realized that even though blogging helps me in therapeutic ways, writing in general forces me to think more analytically and logically about my life. For example, when searching for interesting topics I found myself writing about Arranged Marriages vs. Love Marriages, Brand Name shopping madness, Why have kids?, Why get married?, Different conversation styles and what they tell about a person's personality and many more.

I also found that I love to describe events in engaging and funny ways, I have found that has always been the hardest for me. I have never known the difference between reporting an event or pulling the reader into a scene prior to my blogging (micro) career. But this is one of the many things I learned.

Lastly, but the most important thing I have realized from blogging, is that writing is my passion. I have never taken a writing class or wrote anything formally before (except for term paper in college), and after two years of casual blogging it dawned on me that writing is what fulfills me intellectually and creatively.

If you decide to stop by at my blog I am sure you will find at least a topic or two that will interest you and if it does, feel free to comment. You can read more about me here.

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Thanks again for taking the time to tell us about yourself Huriya. It's been a pleasure having you as my guest blogger today.

If you are interested in being a guest on my blog, please send me an email through my web site and we can put something together. Guest blogging is a fantastic way to get your name out there, and it's free, even better.

Some Secrets of the Freelance Life

I came across an awesome post by Michael Geffner entitled "My Freelance Writing Secrets." I enjoyed the post so much that I thought it would be best to not only give him some well deserved credit for writing a great post, but also to put in my two cents on the matter because, after all, this is my blog.

Michael Geffner's first point is crucial: "Be prepared for a roller coaster ride." When I started freelancing myself as a writer and an editor, I knew it wasn't going to be easy. Lets face it, there's a lot of competition out there. Some know how to write and some don't. As I stated before in an earlier post, I don't believe writers are made, I think they're born. Writing is either in your blood, or it's not. Edward Cullen should be able to feed from me and quote Poe after, that's how I feel.

Michael also hits on the importance of being disciplined. You have to put in the time to get the time. You should be researching new article ideas constantly, and emailing editors to see if you can turn their attention to you. If you think that Random House is going to call you to write a book, think again "sista", you're not J.K. Rowling. It's part of your job as a writer to make publishers and magazines want to publish your ideas and stories. Which brings me to my next point...

If you want your freelancing career to really take off, understand that you have to stand out. There are tons of other writers who think they're better than you. Maybe they're right, maybe they're not. Image is everything, and don't ever forget that. Find an area that you can excel in, for example, if you're a mother than perhaps writing about parenting would be an avenue to pursue.

Michael also brings up a great point that you should always be hustling. While working on one article or story, start browsing for new ones. This way you'll always be busy, you'll always be writing, and you'll always be building your portfolio. And if you're a writer, this is crucial for your survival in the field.

Being a freelancer isn't always easy, trust me. You have to market yourself daily, work this into your schedule. I personally devote three to four hours a day marketing myself. This includes blogging, commenting on other blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, et cetera.

However, if your calling in life is to be a writer and you're good at it, then don't let anyone tell you that you can't do it or your not good enough. Keep marketing yourself and sending out those queries. One line at a time, you'll get there.

Please share your writing tips, it's nice when writers can learn from each other.

Yes, I'm a Twilight Fan

For any of you that watched MTV's Movie Awards Saturday night, it will come as no surprise that Twilight took the win in just about every category. I've never seen anything like it on the MTV Movie Awards actually. The Twilight phenomena is HUGE....that's not even the right word...colossal, immeasurable, mammoth, massive...you get the picture. 

I am a humongous Twilight fan. I know, the writing isn't all that great, and the story could have sat in a drawer for a few years and marinated, then gone back to and rewritten in some parts. But the plot...is what grabs me. A forbidden love between a vampire and a mortal. How can you not be a fan of such a taboo? I was a late bloomer when it came to reading the books however. I picked up the first book days before the movie opened. I kept telling myself it couldn't be good writing...it's a teen thing. But because I kept seeing the books everywhere I went, after a while, they almost started calling to me. Every time I walked past a display of Twilight books in Borders, my fingers ached to arch the binding and fan the pages. I skimmed the paragraphs quickly, until one day, I purchased a copy of the first book. That was it. I was hooked. I finished the entire series (there are four books total) in a week. I did nothing but immerse myself in the love that is Edward and Bella. I couldn't wait to read on. I didn't even turn on my computer for a week. I read every chance I got during the day, and I would stay up late into the night curled up on the couch. My friends couldn't find me because I wasn't answering my phone. I was in Forks, at Edward's house, looking in on him and Bella. 

Stephenie Meyer had me so tangled in the love between her two main characters that I had to tear myself away from the books to come back to reality. Stephenie created a wonderful world. Her writing isn't top notch by any means, and I really had to put my college degrees on the back burner to get through the books. They're an easy read. You could easily finish the first book in a few hours.

Nonetheless, Edward Cullen is dreamy. And the phenomena that is Twilight is huge. The New Moon movie, which is the second book in the saga, is due out in November of this year. Seeing a sneak peek of the trailer at the MTV Movie Awards was heaven for me last night. I can tell it already looks like it's going to be a hundred times better than the first movie, because, lets be serious...the first movie was terrible acting for the most part.

I am not ashamed to call myself a fan of the series. It's in no way as good as Harry Potter, but it has caused quite a stir in the entertainment field. 

Call me what you will. A Twilight fan, a Twilight mom, A TwiHard....whatever. I'm in too deep to get out. And I can't wait to see how Summit Entertainment handles the next two movies. 

Share your Twilight commentary....I'd be delighted to know if you're a fan or not.

My Writing Journey

"Every great and original writer, in proportion as he is great or original, must himself create the taste by which he is to be relished."

- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

I started my writing journey when I was very young. My mother told me I doodled on everything when I was small. Receiving notebooks, journals, books, and pens as gifts has always been exciting for me. I can't wait to get home and start filling them up with the ideas and scenes in my head. I carry journals with me everywhere. And I must admit, I can waste away hours at a bookstore....sometimes half of my day is absorbed in a bookstore sipping on a latte. It's an extreme pleasure of mine, books and writing.

I write everything down. From grocery lists to one liners that catch my eye, everything goes into a notebook. Sometimes I write nonsense things down like names I like, or colors. If it tickles my inner muse, it gets recorded. Period.

Naturally, this means I call myself a writer. I do this not just because I have been published in magazines and literary journals, but because writing keeps me sane. Lord Byron said it best, "If I don't write to empty my mind, I go mad." 

I write whenever I can. In the early morning, at my son's nap time, and late into the evening (if I can stay up that late). I don't always plan what I'm going to write, or what direction I want my stories or articles to go in. I have poetry yearning to be published and short stories that scream for a book's binding. Nameless characters and pretty places that long to be lived in. 

I am called to write by neurological tendencies. I don't know how else to express myself. What I do know is that Byron, Poe, Nabokov and I would have been fantastic friends. I'm in love with their writing styles and word choice. I try like hell to learn from them daily. I don't want to mimic them or their writing abilities, but I do want to become as versed as they were. Sometimes when I read their works, I have to stop and literally savior and marinate in their style. There's a pull from somewhere inside me that refuses to allow me to go on unless I digest their depictions. I try to understand why their writing flows so freely and melodious, then I attempt to create the same in my writing.

Like Coleridge states in the above quote, every writer must create their own voice. How do you want your readers to perceive you, how do you want them to remember you? Some may disagree with me, but I don't believe that great writers are made, I believe they're born. Either you know how to write or you don't. Taking English as my major in college, didn't make me a writer, nor did it teach me how to write. It made me a better writer. You see, I was already a writer going into it. Putting words down on a page so that they grab a reader's attention and make them want to read more, was something I had been doing for years prior to enrolling in college. It's the same reason why those that have a knack for concoctions chose chemistry and the sciences as their major.  It's something that they are already good at and they want to hone in their strengths.

As a writer, you create your own voice. And it's this personal voice that comes through in ones writing regardless if you are allowing it to or not. It owns you, you don't own it. 

For anyone that is truly a writer at their core, you have to write or you crumble. 

Please share your writing journey, I'd love to get lost in your world for a moment.