Ask the Author: Irriesse Chia
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Irriesse Chia
Poetry writing was literally "dumped" onto us when I enrolled in Writing Fiction/Poetry at university, thinking it was the start of me leaving my mark in this world as a great novelist. I was duped -- although I was shocked to receive mostly A's for all my poems -- considering my poor command of English, in comparison with that of my American classmates'.
Years later, still feeling cheated that I had to write all that poetry instead of prose, I made up my mind that those "A" poems had to result in something useful for my career! That debate of "to publish or not to publish poetry" went on for years in my head, urged on by my long desire of being a published author, as the long-form story had yet to manifest.
Anyway, since then, I had undergone Screenwriting workshops in which I had learned the "Hero's Journey" structure.
In my personal life, I was undergoing a spiritual journey where, for some months, I was experiencing dreams of vivid-colored worlds, where I could remember designs and textures of landscapes, the earth beneath me, the skies, the characters, the sounds, the movements and especially, the feelings.
I would wake up tired from those deep sleep with the dreams replaying in my mind. I could instantly interpret the meaning of each dream as the answers to fears and desires that I had.
So, while mulling over that compilation of poems I had written through the years, I decided I must have a concept if I were to publish them as a book. I suddenly thought of making the Hero's Journey as the structure for the book. Then amazingly, I found that I had poems that could fit into each of the 6 chapters or 6 stages of the journey!
Next, worried that readers would not get the meanings of the poems, I decided I needed an illustration to visualize each chapter or each stage. I finally decided to paint the 6 scenes myself, largely due to a lack of funds to pay a professional artist. So, I found an art teacher who watched over me while I painted as I hadn't touched a paint brush for years.
As for the title, "Then True Love Comes," it was an intuitive word for me from an acquaintance during a night out at the bar! He had taken a look at my palm and told me, "You have to take a risk, even if it frightens you....then true love comes."
Years later, still feeling cheated that I had to write all that poetry instead of prose, I made up my mind that those "A" poems had to result in something useful for my career! That debate of "to publish or not to publish poetry" went on for years in my head, urged on by my long desire of being a published author, as the long-form story had yet to manifest.
Anyway, since then, I had undergone Screenwriting workshops in which I had learned the "Hero's Journey" structure.
In my personal life, I was undergoing a spiritual journey where, for some months, I was experiencing dreams of vivid-colored worlds, where I could remember designs and textures of landscapes, the earth beneath me, the skies, the characters, the sounds, the movements and especially, the feelings.
I would wake up tired from those deep sleep with the dreams replaying in my mind. I could instantly interpret the meaning of each dream as the answers to fears and desires that I had.
So, while mulling over that compilation of poems I had written through the years, I decided I must have a concept if I were to publish them as a book. I suddenly thought of making the Hero's Journey as the structure for the book. Then amazingly, I found that I had poems that could fit into each of the 6 chapters or 6 stages of the journey!
Next, worried that readers would not get the meanings of the poems, I decided I needed an illustration to visualize each chapter or each stage. I finally decided to paint the 6 scenes myself, largely due to a lack of funds to pay a professional artist. So, I found an art teacher who watched over me while I painted as I hadn't touched a paint brush for years.
As for the title, "Then True Love Comes," it was an intuitive word for me from an acquaintance during a night out at the bar! He had taken a look at my palm and told me, "You have to take a risk, even if it frightens you....then true love comes."
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