An important part of every writer’s journey is the transition from seeing ourselves as “someone who writes” to seeing ourselves as writers.  We asked all the Go Dog Go Baristas to tell us a little bit about their journey as a writer.  We hope you enjoy learning more about the Baristas and are inspired by their stories.

When you did you start writing?

I started my first blog, BrewNSpew, in 2015, and a second blog, ThusNSuch, in 2017, which I consider my beginning in writing.

Previously, my writing was factual documentation in insurance policies, which outlined the occurrences for the policyholder and/or named insured. I also compiled the underwriting guidelines for a business I once owned and other organizations where I was employed.

What kind of writing do you do?

I write mostly poetry, however, I have a weekly event post that I publish on Tuesdays, which is a combo of trivia, quotes, and poetry. I also dedicate a portion of the post for the promotion of others. The theme for BrewNSpew is coffee and the weekly event is geared to coffee and chats in a cafe. I post 3 to 4 times a week on BrewNSpew.

My other blog, ThusNSuch, is dedicated to poetry and quotes.

Where do you find inspiration for your writing?

My inspiration is enjoying my favorite beverage, coffee, and nature. My writing area is situated next to a window where I can reach out to nature for my ideas. I enjoy creating and finding images related to nature to compliment my writing.

What are you current writing rituals/practices? 

I find mornings the best time to write when I am fresh and alert. I organize my thoughts before I start writing because I enjoy a seamless flow once I sit down to write.

I keep a Word document that I continually add to for ideas and inspiration. I access two public domain sites for most of my images. I use PicMonkey to create my collages, etc. I enjoy putting together the artistic imagery to compliment the literary imagery.

Oh, and very important, I enjoy background noise while writing preferably music.

When did you start thinking of yourself as a writer?

I feel I found my niche, where I enjoy what I write, in the latter part of 2016. I floundered for a while because I couldn’t shake the over simplistic and factual style of writing conducive to an insurance underwriter. Anything I wrote at that time was considered documentation that could be called into a court of law, therefore, there was no personal touch.

What are your future writing goals?

My goals are to enjoy and have pride in my work. Also, to promote others using my blogs as the tools to do so.

And to wrap this up, I believe in engagement, meaning interesting discussions within posts, and most important quality over quantity.

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”-Maya Angelou​