By Nadja Maril, a founding member of Old Scratch Press Poetry and Short Form Collective

Before humans had pen and paper, or stone and chisel, they had their voices. The oral tradition of storytelling goes back to the days preceding recorded history. Repetition and rhyme aid memory. In many cultures, the story becomes a poem or a song.

            I was thinking about this as I mourned the death of Dolly Parton. Not only was she an extraordinary performer and philanthropist, she wrote over 3000 original songs. Many of her songs, were inspired by her life experiences. Her song, “Coat of Many Colors” is really a mini memoir that shares a part of her early childhood.

The best creative nonfiction is written with honesty. Intuitively the reader can sense when the writer is inventing or exaggerating truth. Dolly Parton’s work comes across as genuine. I wrote in my personal blog about her authenticity as a human being. For the Old Scratch Press platform I’d like to further explore the art of songwriting.

In “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” she shares her resolve that professionally following a path, minus her mentor Porter Wagner, is the right choice for her performance career. Listen to the first two lines of the chorus “Cause I can see the light of a clear blue morning/ I can see the light of a brand-new day’ https://genius.com/Dolly-parton-light-of-a-clear-blue-morning-lyrics

 Most of us have family members who challenge our patience. In her song “Family” Dolly conveys her feelings that despite their differences “When it’s family, they’re a mirror/ Of the worst and best in you.”

          Dolly is not the only great American Songwriter. I would be remiss if I didn’t give some space to Bob Dylan, another legend.   In 2016 the Nobel Prize Committee broke convention by awarding the Literature Prize to Bob Dylan for “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” Yes, songs are poems. Here is a link to the complete speech.

It’s hard to know where to begin when sharing which Bob Dylan song is my favorite. The first one I learned when I started playing the guitar was “Blowing in the Wind.” The song that always brings tears to my eyes is, “Forever Young” and the one I find particularly nostalgic is “If You See Her, Say Hello.”

Before I ever started writing poetry, I was writing little songs inside my head because that’s what all toddlers do. I am not unique. I just remember.

If you are having difficulty writing a line or a sentence, try saying it aloud as a chant. Maybe you hear it accompanied by music. Maybe you don’t. Not every songwriter has a voice meant for performing, but the act of saying/singing/chanting phrases can provide a new approach to your creative journey. It’s worth a try.  Writing includes experimentation.

If you’ve written a poem, song, or flash prose ( under 500 words) you are proud of, we’re still reading submissions for the Winter issue of Instant Noodles Literary Magazine. We accept multi-media submissions. Check us out and THANK YOU for reading. Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=old%20scratch%20press