Sometimes the hardest part about writing is not, actually, the writing. Sometimes isn’t not even the revising or editing, either. Nor is it the query letters or the pitches to agents, or the submissions of manuscripts for publication.

Sometimes the hardest part about writing is remembering why you love writing so much when it’s beaten you down. It’s remembering the joy of the process– the careful selection of words, the creation of worlds, the getting to know your characters– even when you’re suffering from major writers block or a tough critique of your work.

This is why I’m thankful to have Julie in my life. Julie is a poet who reminds me every day that writing is spiritual. Maybe, when you have pressing deadlines and an editor has just informed you that you don’t know how to write– it doesn’t feel spiritual. But it is. Stories come from our hearts and souls, and Julie is my writer-friend who doesn’t ever let me forget this.

WHEN DOES SHE WRITE?

It was storming outside again, rain pelting the window, demanding entry as if it, too needed the solace of the warm, inviting room. Julie lit another candle, opened her journal and began to write.

Dear Anjali,

When do I write, you ask? On dark nights, when storms rage outside my window and a restlessness seeps into my weary and aching bones; when sleep has flown with the nightingale high in the shivering boughs of the willows that weep as they sway in the wind …. Before the light of dawn has bonded with the warmth of the sun; in the brilliance of full day, and in those quiet moments when dusk descends, I write.

During the most mundane chores; in grocery lines, while washing dishes, when I hear a haunting, soulful tune, I write. Words swirl with summer breezes and winter gusts; pour onto the page in bursts of joy and sorrow, elation and pain. And even when the pen idles on my desk and my eyes are closed, my mind writes.

When do I write, you ask … and I answer; dear Anjali … I write always.

Love, Julie.

Julie dabbed the ink on the page with her blotter and closed her journal with gentle reverence. She cupped the flame of the candle, taking a moment to watch it glow against her fingers, then blew softly. In velvet darkness she padded to her bedroom, hoping for a few hours’ sleep before rising to bask in another day of writing.

BIO:  Julie Catherine Vigna is a writer, poet and artist currently residing in Alberta, Canada, moving to British Columbia in October 2012. Writing and art have been driving passions throughout her life, which began in Dundas, Ontario, before she migrated to western Canada in 2004. She is inspired by the world around her, nature, and especially water – her muse and source of inspiration.

Julie Catherine’s poems have been published in various anthologies throughout Canada and the United States, and her self-published debut poetry book, Poems of Living, Loving & Lore, is scheduled for release before the end of August 2012 under her pseudonym, J C Edwards.

She participates regularly in BlogTalk Radio’s Speakeasy Café: The Sound of Ink; an online, open mic poetry reading show held every Thursday evening; and at Re-Verse Classical Poetry online open mic on Sunday evenings.

Beginning with the October 2012 issue of AWESOME! Online Magazine, Julie Catherine will be writing a monthly column called “Poetry Corner”— with articles and interviews featuring a wonderful variety of poets and their incredible poetry.

Julie Catherine belongs to several internet writing groups, including 21^st Century Poets and Wattpad, and has her own blog: Muse-Sings, Poetry & Art of Julie Catherine, at http://juliecatherinevigna.wordpress.com. She continues to write poetry, and is working on her first fiction novel for young adults; a mystery set in Georgian Bay, Ontario.