Would you consider yourself a poet or a story teller? You would be surprised to find out how many people actually have it in them to be decent writers. I know, you just rolled your eyes and said, "Oh man, he's talking poetry. " Well i've got news for you, YOU are the ones who will make the best writers. You are the ones holding it all inside, the emotion, the turmoil, the imagination and the inspiration. Let it all out, put pen to paper or fingers to keyboard, I dare you.
If you can string letters together to make words and then string words together to make sentences and paragraphs then you can write poetry. You don't have to be Shakespeare, (
Yawn.) Poe or any of the other great poets that bored you throughout highschool. You don't have to be Stephen King, Dan Brown or Bram Stoker to tell a good story. All you need is emotions, feelings, a mind and a thought or an idea.
Have you ever been so mad at a friend that you felt like you needed to write them a letter to tell them everything they did wrong to upset you? Plenty of times, right? How many of those letters did you actually send? If you are still friends I would imagine you didn't send any of them at all. What you probably did was read it after you finished writing it then threw it in the trash and went and talk to the person instead. What about the many love letters you have written? You know you have. Did you send those? Maybe. The emotion wells up inside and it needs an outlet, Write that letter, the reason it never gets sent is that it served it's purpose. After it is written and you read it, you feel a little better.
Every poem I have written has a background. Every one has a reason why it was written, once it is written and the emotion is out it has served it's purpose to me. The magic happens when I watch someone else read it, I see the emotion through their eyes. The writing becomes new again and gains a new purpose in someone elses life.
Stories and Poetry can have an impact on lives. People read to escape, people read to better themselves, to learn, to be inspired, to heal. People write for the same reasons, to inspire, to heal, to show hope, to teach and to document great events. You can do that too. it doesn't have to be a masterpiece and you don't have to be a "Writer", there is no special badge. (but if that is what it takes to get you to write I would be happy to make you a badge.) You just have to know a story or have an idea and go from there.
One of the best books known throughout the world today, The Bible, was written by Shepherds, Soldiers, Kings, Scribes, Fishermen, and even a Tax Collector. Now before getting offended hear me out. It is one of the most powerful collections of stories and poetry ever known. You can not say, (no matter what your belief system is, ) that this one collection of words does NOT affect any one who reads it one way or another.
Also, before you get offended that I called The Bible a collection of poems and stories, please know that I mean that as a good thing. What better way to describe a prayer than as a work of poetry. Just look at The Lords Prayer, Dude, that's a poem. Write it out, it even LOOKS like a poem. (Given to us by a Carpenter). What is a Parable? According to Wikipedia, (-Rolls Eyes-, I know, Right?) a parable is " a brief, succinct story, in prose or verse, that illustrates a moral or religious lesson ." A story, That has an impact on the story teller AND the listener.
I'm Not saying you have to be Jesus or Edgar Allen Poe to tell a good story, or write a good poem, and it doesn't even have to be good. I Promise you if you write it it will have an affect on someone, and you will have inspired that person. (Even if you just write for yourself).
Have fun with it.
