Katy Lee Trevenen Darlington manages her family’s ranch in Punaluʻu.  A graduate of the Kamehameha Schools, Katy earned an Associate of Arts in college.  But her true passions are horses, sewing, hula, reading, and writing. She says:

I LOVE words.  I love interesting words, new words, great sounding words.  I love putting words together to create an image, or invoke a feeling, or juxtaposing oddball words to create fun phrasing.  I love tinkering with sentences to convey exactly what I want to say in a creative, interesting way.  I love distilling all my notes and ramblings and see them take shape as a poem, a letter, or a grant proposal.

Katyʻs writing ideas come from personal experiences, situations, and relationships. Writing helps her get emotions, experiences, questions, observations roiling around in her head out and onto paper or computer where she can more objectively reflect and understand life around her.

A published poet, Katy offers some practical advice for anyone who wants to write but doesnʻt know where to start:

For any writing project, one must begin.  Write something, anything, and everything, even if it is the same word over and over.  It will eventually morph into what really needs to be said.  At the beginning stages of a project, avoid self-censoring and self-editing and consider all possibilities and impossibilities.  Do not be afraid to have many versions before choosing the one that best suits your intent.  Save phrasing, observations, notes and ideas that didn’t make it into the current project for future projects that may not occur for years down the road.   It will be a pleasant surprise when that little bit finds its perfect fit in something seemingly disparate.  Write for yourself, write for your pleasure.

Pūpū A ʻO ʻEwa is proud to share Kahana Bay, by Katy Darlington.

Credits: photos courtesy of Katy Darlington