Being a writer means lots of things to lots of different people; however, I recently have learned a few survival tips. For those of you who don't follow my other articles, I am first and foremost a poet. I love poetry. I love writing poetry, reading poetry, performing poetry, listening to poetry, etc. However, since I've started being a journalist for Odyssey, everything has changed.

Tip #1: Ignore the Haters

Since I started writing publicly, I've been dealing with critics and people who don't like my writing or my style. This commentator above calling me a nut? That was one of close to 50 or so comments about my previous article on things to do in my hometown during the summer. Anything you choose to write has the capability of making people angry. However, the idea of online commenters (aka the haters) was relatively new to me when I joined Odyssey.

My advice to all the writers out there? I know you are going to read the comments, even though everyone tells you not to. They are going to be awful. However, your self-worth is far greater than anything some anonymous internet hater has to say. Believe in yourself and your art. It's easier to criticize than to create. Be strong.

Tip #2: Love Your Writing Enough to Make it Better

In reference to the first tip, don't listen to people JUST because they say they don't like your writing. Listen to your instincts. The photo above is quite honestly 4 drafts of the same poem that I wrote for the National Poetry Slam last year. Over the course of two years, this poem has gone through probably 10 drafts and is ever-changing. Love yourself and your writing enough to make it better.

This is what writers fondly call "killing our darlings." It is easy to get attached, glued to your own phrases, ideas, word choices, rhyme schemes, etc. However, if you find yourself hitting the same snag over and over, put it aside for a while and come back to it in a few weeks, months, etc when you can look at it again and be objective about the work you created. Be honest.

Tip #3: Get Opinions You Can Trust

Again building off of the previous two, if you set your work aside for a while, come back to it, and still can't fix it... Ask a friend or several. The photo above was a comment I received on an "impossible comma." To this day, it is one of the best comments I have ever received.

Ask someone you can trust who will give you solid advice. Don't ask someone you don't think will be objective. Ask someone who you know can give you edits without being cruel and can give you compliments you believe. Join workshops. Talk to people you can trust. Chances are, your writing isn't nearly as horrible as the anonymous internet haters say it is and it probably isn't as perfect as you think it is. The in-between is what will make you great. Be vulnerable.

Tip #4: Write What You Know and What You Want to Know More About

I know, I know, everyone says... "Write what you know." But that can feel awfully limiting sometimes. How do you write a murder mystery without witnessing it? How do you write articles on politicians you've never met? Easy enough. Do the research. If there is something you want to learn more about, put in the work. Research. Read. Write. Educate yourself. Ask others.

The photo above is not even a percentage of the number of poetry books I've bought over the past 5 years trying to learn and educate myself in different styles, subject matters, and predecessors. If you decide to use what you researched, maybe ask the trusted person in tip #3 to read it for you afterward to see if it works well for them. A large part of being a writer is to constantly be educating yourself. Naivety and ignorance are not excuses for subpar writing on a subject. Be informed.

Tip #5: Be Inspired. Always.

This might be the biggest tip I can give writers. From my own experience, every tiny thing can be used as inspiration. For a story. For a poem. For an article. This article was inspired by the anonymous internet haters mentioned in Tip #1. My poems are inspired by people, experiences, songs, other poems, the weather, nature, feelings, muffins, etc.

The picture above is of a tree in autumn in Massachusetts near the campus center at Mount Holyoke that looks like a rainbow. If that is not inspirational, I don't know what is. That tree, that view, that sky, the feeling that I am witness to something beautiful and beyond my understanding...that is inspiration. Feeling uninspired? Take a look around and remember, there's so much to celebrate and there's so much to mourn. What you choose to write about is entirely your choice. Be inspired.