Yesterday and today have primarily been spent reading Maame, which I finished this morning. Finally a novel with the sense resolution I’ve been longing for the last few reads. I am proud of Maddie and how far she has come, happy for the ending she made for herself. For a spoiler free review of the book check out my Goodreads review, if you don’t mind a minor spoiler read the next paragraph.
**Spoilers for Maame** I love that Maddie publishes a retelling of her life and names her character Jess, while in our world Jess is writing Maddie’s. This detail gives the novel a cyclical or mirror dimensional feel that made me smile. I do however find it unrealistic how quickly she wrote the story and got it published. I’ll let it slide because one this is a fictional novel, duh, but also because I can admit I am just jealous it hasn’t been that easy for me. **End of spoilers.**
The journey to becoming a published writer has been a slow one. I’ve been submitting to poetry contest and open chapbook calls for a year to no avail. In a workshop I took in January, hosted by the incredible Tania Deshawn, we talked about why we have the drive to publish. She reminded us this is a Western standard of success, that our status of publication does not define us as writer. It is a helpful reminder that I do not have to have my words bound in a book to claim the title of writer. Still, I want it. Seeing my own name on a cover would fulfill every version of me in my head. So I keep trying, so I started this blog to find a real voice in my writing. For the first time in a the year of trying to become recognizable as an artist I am choosing to share my art, it’s a start.
Madi V Writes 
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