ANTILLES MIDDLE SCHOOL, NOV. 2010

good morning everyone, my name is patricia schaefer röder and i am a writer.

recently, i published a book (in spanish) with short stories about the problems and conflicts that city people suffer, and the need for them to return to nature in order to feel good again.

those are my stories, the stories that i want to tell.

everybody has something to tell, and in fact, we are constantly telling things to the people around us. since we don’t live isolated from the rest of the world, we have to interact with those who are next to us. we become tellers and listeners, emitters and receivers. we have many possibilities to express ourselves; we can dance, make music (or noise), paint, design something, make a sculpture, build, make a video, take photos, talk, write…

the only thing that we actually need in order to tell something is an audience. and nowadays, with the internet, the whole world can be our audience! we can upload anything on the web: videos, music, photos and writings, and put it into the public domain. we stay connected with everyone through cell phones, twitter, youtube, facebook, myspace, and obviously regular telephones, mail and e-mail. every time we use one of those resources, we tell someone something, either about ourselves or about someone else. we can tell what we want, what we dislike, what we are doing, what we will do, what we did and what we didn’t do and why.

when we write, we tell things that move us in some way, and we tell them in our own way. sometimes we write only for ourselves, acting as the teller and the listener at the same time, like when we keep a diary. in doing this, we can even explore and figure out our problems, because we will have to understand the issue in order to write about it. usually, when we finish those writings, we feel much better and know that we are closer to a solution.

when we do creative writing, we can deal with different conflicts and points of view. it’s very interesting because we can actually place ourselves in other realities, feeling and understanding new emotions and situations.

to begin writing, the only things we need are a pen or pencil, and a piece of paper… or just a computer. as soon as we sit in front of it, we can start taking five minutes to write everything that crosses our mind, just the way it comes to us. write each and every thought, even if you would think it’s silly or corny, that doesn’t matter! the important thing is, that at the end, you will be able to identify the themes that really move you. later on, you can start thinking of those themes or issues and write about them in more detail.

to write, you can get inspiration from endless sources like feelings, people, music, photos, videos, literature, movies… anything! when we write we can convey our own ideas and test them by others. doing it is cool and it’s actually good for us, because it lets us express ourselves in our own way. the only thing we have to do is start!


©2010 PSR
Patricia Schaefer Röder

BEING A WOMAN

I am a woman and I can't stop being amazed by that.

Being conscious about my female condition fills me with different feelings and sensations that complement each other to form something so complex and beautiful that it becomes difficult to explain with words. 
 
I am a woman and I am happy about it. Because each of us has in her something of a mother, a partner, a friend, and a girl. Because we are passionate, understanding and noble. Because we are fighters and we are capable of doing many things for our children, for our partner, for our family. Because we are self-sacrificing and we can do unforeseen things if we feel they are worth it. Because we love, we feel, we believe and we reason in a particular and unique way. Because our body is wonderful; we can love, give life and feed that life afterwards. Because from us comes the life that will survive us, life that is the continuation of ours. Because, although we are capable of receiving, we are never too tired to give. Because we are the spiritual and moral support of our families. Because we can carry unbelievably heavy loads, yet still have an encouraging word for someone who is tired. Because we resist succumbing; we always look for the way of persevering despite the difficulties. Because our soul is full with flowers. Because we can alleviate the pain of others with tenderness. Because we can change the course of events with our presence. Because our love is capable of achieving the impossible. Because we feel deep inside. Because we love with no condition; we devote ourselves totally, and we are loyal to our love. Because when we love, we do it with all our senses, with body and soul. Because we are the oasis for our partner. Because we are patient and tolerant. Because we go after our goals without excluding the ones we love. Because with only a smile, we can make others happy. Because in our heart is plenty of space for those who are around us. Because we take care of our children and we prepare them for life optimistically. Because we are capable of giving our own life for that of our children. Because we are sensitive. Because we live our femininity in a natural way. Because we like compliments when they have a reason. Because, being conscious of all this, we know we are strong and nevertheless we are sensitive. Because, although we are professionally on the same level as men, we like to be respected and treated as women in the only valid sense. Because we don't need to constantly demonstrate how much we are worth; it is a fact and everybody knows it. Because of all this, it becomes so beautiful and fascinating living our existence plentifully; because we are important and essential. We should never forget it and we should by no means hide it: we are women and we have to be proud of it.
 
 
© 1995 PSR