Split Your Heart, Not Your Tongue

As an author, I felt the need to school people on the difference between a good writer and a good storyteller. They may not seem much different at first but once you're done reading this, you'll be able to spot the difference. A lot of people get writers and storytellers confused. Yes, storytellers do write but that doesn't necessarily make them a "writer". Let me explain: First off, let's start with writers! Writers are known as the people who can put a bunch of fancy words together and make it sound as if it's the most beautiful thing you've ever heard/read. A writer has the ability to make you reminisce and cause you to feel things you didn't even know was possible. A writer is a god/goddess of vocabulary. They can make almost anything sound good. For example, Maya Angelou was a writer (and an amazing on at that!). Just take a look at her body of works: I Know Why The Cage Bird Sings (that title alone!), Phenomenal Woman , And Still I Rise , ...

"Living in a city of sleepless people Who all know the limits and won't go too far outside the lines Cause they're' out of their minds." "Generally the agents seem to dislike anything too violent or depressing, and stress that writers should "sell a solution, not a problem." This is a comment under a literary agency's information. A few days ago I expressed over Twitter and Facebook how I find it troubling that agents shy away from topics such as suicide, rape, and drugs because these are real issues that happen to real people. We all don't live in a fairytale land where the leading character finds love in the end and the only issue she had to deal with was bullying (not that bullying isn't a serious issue). No one wants to go there. Everyone wants to play it "safe" and not cross the line that will possibly cement them a spot in history.  Another troubling aspect about the comment above is how do they know if the auth...