I've been getting a lot of e-mails lately asking what I was like as a teen. What a terrifying question. Mostly, because I remember exactly what I was like & how I felt back then. So the short answer? I was weird.
The long answer is more complicated:
dark
moody
volatile
wore lots of black, but wasn't goth (style indescribable)
smart, but hid it
eclectic musical taste = the smiths, the cure, black sabbath, u2, pink floyd, led zeppelin…
short (when i graduated high school, i wasn't even 5 feet tall
wrote poetry in spiral notebooks all the time
(some of my actual notebooks)
And even more embarrassing…
(me at 16)
This was actually my favorite picture because: a) you couldn't see my face and b) I was sitting in front of my favorite window in my bedroom.
(me at 15)
If you weren't reading me blog last year, which let's admit it, you weren't (no one was), these are some older posts that include actual poetry from the pages of my teen poetry journals. Lots of angst.
The Solitude of My Silent Suffering
I am a huge believer in journaling,for writers & non-writers. This is my favorite journaling book, which is actually one of Sabrina Ward Harrison's art/poetry journals.
More on this book in this post here: Spilling Open and my angsty teen poetry here: If You Spill, I Will.
I hope you start a journal of your own. Send me a link to your pages or, even better, a twitpic on twitter to @kamigarcia.
a #1 New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author and comic book writer. As an award-winning, Bram Stoker Award-nominated young adult author of 12 novels and graphic novels, she has been published in 51 countries and 38 languages and her books have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Kami’s best known works include the Beautiful Creatures series, Teen Titans: Raven, The X-Files: Agent of Chaos, The Lovely Reckless, Broken Beautiful Hearts, and the DC Black Label comic Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity. She is also a cofounder of the Kid Lit book festival YALLFest.
Awesome post! I always *think* about starting journals but never really end up doing it. I might have to now… I also have a Wreck This Journal, which is fun 😉
I have kept journals for years. I have most of them, but sadly the earlier ones were lost in the shuffling of my life. I first got the idea from a psychiatrist. I did not trust people enough to tell them what I was thinking/feeling, so he said write it down. And I did. Thou more in the form of a diary, I addressed to my mom. So I guess like writing a letter. But I would add lyrics in there, poems, and thinkings on books I read. I have gone back many times to read them, and laugh at what I wrote. I can do this, but would never let anyone do this. At my worst times, it helped. Instead of letting it build up inside, I was able to get it out. And at my happiest, I felt like I was sharing it with my mom. I second what you say, everyone should have a journal.
Keeping journals is great, I always write my poetry and thoughts in them, but usually end up ripping the pages out and throwing them away because someone might read i.. I’m trying not to lately, and its working out well! It really helps writing everything down, if i dont, it sticks in my head, and i already spend too much time there..
Great post, i agree!
xx