[stylist] Old stuff sharing for fun

[Bridgit Pollpeter]

Jackie,

I was not blind when I wrote this; I actually didn't even know I would
eventually be blind.  I lost my vision when I was 22 and it was the
result of an infection that complicated my health.

I've often wondered what the process would have been if I lost my vision
when I was a child or teen.  At 22, I handled it pretty well, but I
wonder if I'd have handled it the same way when I was even younger.

And Robert, yes, I was very involved in the performing arts.  I danced
from a very early age since my mom owned a dance studio, and my first
theatrical play was at age 9 when I was cast in a community play for a
summer, it was a stage version of Disney's Cinderella.

Throughout my teens, I was in several stage productions for both high
school and local theatres in town.  When I first was in college, my
major was vocal performance with a minor in theatre.  I've always loved
and respected the performing arts.  I've always employed a type of
method acting and exercises to help "get into character," with my
writing.  The emotions in a piece like this were taken directly from how
I felt about life at the time, but I still draw on these emotions to
create characters now.

I'm no longer Natalie Wood from Rebel Without a Cause *smile* but I have
a history of feelings and emotions I can tap into to help my writing
now.

Any old stuff I have is in print form.  I always wrote in notebooks,
which I  miss.  If I could still see, I would use my trusty old
notebooks instead of a computer.  What I do still have, I've been trying
to scan it or with the hand written stuff, which is what most my old
writings are, I've tried to get my mom or someone to copy.

Some of it, though, I don't want my parents seeing, a little to
personal, a little to much of a touchy subject for them.

Bridgit
Message: 4
Date: Mon, 18 Jul 2011 17:18:11 -0700
From: "Jacqueline Williams" <jackieleepoet at cox.net>
To: <stylist at nfbnet.org>
Subject: [stylist] Bridget
Message-ID: <F47F8EAB54BB4E89BB7429E5715C19A3 at JackiLeePoet>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="us-ascii"

Dear Bridget,

This is a true definition of angst.  It brings tears. I did not go blind
till late in life. It helps me to understand what it is like for a child
in his or her formative years. 

Robert just helped me understand how I have misdirected e-mails by using
my trustee "R" key and I am upset to realize how unresponsive many of
you must think I have been. I have been returning messages saying , Dear
One, Two, and Three names thinking it was going to everyone.

I have a practice lesson, so I hope everyone will know I think the
quality of your description both of place and emotion is superb.

I am so glad you have saved your early writings.

Thank you for your work.

Jackie Williams