Write a short story or a poem.

“So, I put all my feelings and truths in the poem, sealed it up and put it away. Even though they still don’t know about these remnants of past pain, it still made me feel better because I acknowledged its presence and put what I was feeling into something coherent and sound. It felt good to acknowledge my feelings and to put them into an art form that reflects them not only through words but through emotional impact.”

“So, I wrote all of this down in a poem that was both emotional and full of small jokes. She laughed, and then we talked. She was also confused about what happened and thought that I never liked her. I was sad she ever thought that, and she was sad that I thought she was ever so upset with me. The poem ultimately got me my old friend back and cleared away any “beef” that never actually was there to begin with.”

“Nonetheless, it did not end as successfully as I had anticipated. After writing about four pages, I gave up. It wasn’t as easy as it had seemed! Seven years later, I came to learn in my writing class that before writing a story, you need a theme, plot, and structure. You need to have an exposition, climax, falling action…the list goes on and on. I began to see the sense in my cousins’ point — that writing is not just something you cough out; it requires time, planning, and a LOT of editing.”