My first diary was a small, hardbound book, adorned with a Holly Hobbie picture, and fastened with a lock that clasped on the front cover. Over the years I wrote my deepest, darkest secrets in that diary. Today it’s interesting to see not only how my handwriting evolved over the years, but also how my interests and writing styles developed. When did I write my first poem? I’m not sure. The earliest one I still have is from 1982, when I was 14 years old. I remember loving poetry and writing, but until college I only ever wanted to be a teacher, and an English teacher at that. As it turns out, in all my years of teaching, apart from teaching my own children, I only taught English one year. The other years I taught Spanish, algebra, and music. I enjoyed them all, but the crowning glory was that one year of 8th grade English. My teaching career would not have been complete without it.
In my senior year of college I took as many writing classes as I could fit into my schedule. After graduating, I enrolled in a correspondence course to study children’s literature, and learned that it was not for me. Later on I took another correspondence course, this time in poetry—and it clicked! This was my niche! I began to write profusely. The year was 2002. I was married and had all three children by this time, but they were small, and I made time to write.
My writing came and went in spurts over the years, but I had put together a collection of poems and anecdotes that I dreamed one day would be published. And then one day I met a lady who just happened to have editorial experience, and she asked to see my work. Long story short, she worked with me, and together we have gotten the manuscript ready for publication. Now the only thing holding me back is fear, I suppose. But that’s another story for another day…. At about the same time, this friend and others encouraged me to start blogging. And here I am.
As a writer, I maintain two blogs. The first is The Abundant Heart Blog, where I post devotionals, Bible studies, occasional poems, and Songs for Sunday. Also, most Fridays I like to participate in the Five-Minute Friday challenge hosted by Kate Motaung.
My other blog exists exclusively for poetry. Here, at Dark Side of the Moon, I write under my pseudonym Abigail Gronway (previously Linda Luna). On the Dark Side I focus on encouraging my fellow poets to try new and old forms of poetry, both rhymed and unrhymed, to broaden their horizons, as I do the same. I have an Incremental Poetry series, in which each poem is one line longer than the previous week’s entry, a themed challenge, a short poem on Sundays, plus I try each week to participate in a challenge by the hosts of d’Verse Poets Pub.
Believe it or not, with all the time I spend writing, I still consider it my avocation, and art I consider to be my vocation, although if my life depended on either of them, I would starve in a week! My sweet husband truly is the breadwinner of our family, but he allows me to follow my dreams, and I am thankful.
Encore! Old Pianos with a New Song 