Lavender Pen was adapted its name from one Tagalog romance pocketbook — Lavender Lace by the great Martha Cecilia from her Sweetheart Series. Two decades ago, I already started writing poetry, but I couldn’t make them public. Why? Because I am afraid people will criticize it, that people will judge it and laugh about the things I’ve written or afraid they might tell me I am not good at this or that my pieces are crap and shit! Yes, I know, that sounds like someone who has no confidence at all, and that’s true. I was doubtful about this gift of writing before. I don’t believe I am good at this, yet I keep on writing, even if I am the only one reading them or appreciating them.
Today, I need to remind myself where I’ll be going in terms of my passion for writing poetry. Of course, any aspiring writers have that dream — to publish their own book. I don’t know if it will happen in the future, but like any other dreams — what causes them to fail? It is in not trying to chase after them that you’ll fail. By all means, I need to go back from time to time to where this mad love of writing has all started.
I am not yet successful at this, so I can’t share a success story; however, what I am trying to share is just to keep doing what you love to do, keep honing your craft, and do not listen to others telling you that you aren’t good enough to succeed. You are the only one who can define your own success. What success to me at this point is to have this platform to share and eventually inspire people through words, and I will keep on doing that, and I hope you too—whatever you’re pursuing at this moment.
