Do you know I am so busy that I spent 8 days in London and didn't write barely 10 sentences about it? I took hundreds of photos of course, but there is going to be something boiling inside of me if I can survive the rest of this Spring schedule I assure you.
And luckily, April is knocking on my door. The one month were I actually force myself to write (with admitted varying success throughout the years). I used to call it the National Poetry Month Challenge and you can read all about my enlightenment after writing a month of poetry here. Last year, I discovered a whole host of people do this and call it #Napowrimo, not so unlike National Novel Writing Month, and the rules are basically the same. You can read about those lovely folks here.
I will also link my blog there of course.
Because poetry, like most writing, is best when the experience is in some way shared.
So this year, like every year, I challenge myself, and you dear readers to write a poem for every day in April.
The rules are simple:
1. Don't revise too much. Knock it out, fix it up a bit, and call it done. If you really have the time and gumption to have a love affair with one poem everyday, revising it until your heart sings at the mere whisper of its title-- all the power to you. Just know you're exceeding the requirements for this particular challenge (which is totally fine) and that the hurried mom who scrawls something on the back of a dried up baby wipe with a big crayola marker is just as much a winner this month as you are.
<3 p="">
2. Share it. You don't have to post to your blog like I do. (That's my accountability.) But share at least the idea, the fact that you wrote a poem, with SOMEONE. Even if it's your hamster. Especially if it is a poem about your hamster because, you know what, they just don't get enough poetry in their lives.
<3 p="">As a side note, if you are concerned about publication, this is even a better reason to not revise, and to make a note that this is merely a rough draft. This is what I do, and if I do decide to re-work a poem for publication, I generally take it down before submitting, even if I make drastic changes. This may be why you'll notice a few missing posts in my #nationalpoetrymonth history. On the plus side, two have been accepted, and one was almost accepted, and since I never expected anything from this challenge to be good enough to even consider submitting when I started it -- that's a HUGE bonus.
3. A poem for every day simply means 30 poems. You'll notice I don't find the time to write every day (Sorry Stephen King and every other self help writing text out there). When this is the case I do my best to catch up. Some years I make my goal, and others I don't. Some years I make some up in July because I feel thus moved to do so. Last year I made it, even if a smidgen late.
4. Relax. Have fun. Write. Enjoy. And don't quit if you don't like your first results. If you don't normally write poetry, it may take a little while to find your stride.
I'll occasionally get a bit educational in my post and share inspirations and or specific poem forms to try, so for those of you who like that kind of thing enjoy!And, let me get one out of the way right now.
While in London, I purchased this game called Paint Chip Poetry.
It's brilliant in terms of prompts and getting interesting words and imagery. And you can play alone. I know I'll use it at least once this month. Check it out: (It's way cheaper on Amazon than it was at the Victoria and Albert Art Museum, but had I been cheap my students wouldn't have gotten to write some of the lovely pieces they did!)
Finally, you don't have to stalk me all month. There are tons of people participating. Check out Twiter and the NaPoWriMo Participant Sites.
See you in April and happy poem making!
And luckily, April is knocking on my door. The one month were I actually force myself to write (with admitted varying success throughout the years). I used to call it the National Poetry Month Challenge and you can read all about my enlightenment after writing a month of poetry here. Last year, I discovered a whole host of people do this and call it #Napowrimo, not so unlike National Novel Writing Month, and the rules are basically the same. You can read about those lovely folks here.
I will also link my blog there of course.
Because poetry, like most writing, is best when the experience is in some way shared.
So this year, like every year, I challenge myself, and you dear readers to write a poem for every day in April.
The rules are simple:
1. Don't revise too much. Knock it out, fix it up a bit, and call it done. If you really have the time and gumption to have a love affair with one poem everyday, revising it until your heart sings at the mere whisper of its title-- all the power to you. Just know you're exceeding the requirements for this particular challenge (which is totally fine) and that the hurried mom who scrawls something on the back of a dried up baby wipe with a big crayola marker is just as much a winner this month as you are.
<3 p="">
2. Share it. You don't have to post to your blog like I do. (That's my accountability.) But share at least the idea, the fact that you wrote a poem, with SOMEONE. Even if it's your hamster. Especially if it is a poem about your hamster because, you know what, they just don't get enough poetry in their lives.
<3 p="">As a side note, if you are concerned about publication, this is even a better reason to not revise, and to make a note that this is merely a rough draft. This is what I do, and if I do decide to re-work a poem for publication, I generally take it down before submitting, even if I make drastic changes. This may be why you'll notice a few missing posts in my #nationalpoetrymonth history. On the plus side, two have been accepted, and one was almost accepted, and since I never expected anything from this challenge to be good enough to even consider submitting when I started it -- that's a HUGE bonus.
3. A poem for every day simply means 30 poems. You'll notice I don't find the time to write every day (Sorry Stephen King and every other self help writing text out there). When this is the case I do my best to catch up. Some years I make my goal, and others I don't. Some years I make some up in July because I feel thus moved to do so. Last year I made it, even if a smidgen late.
4. Relax. Have fun. Write. Enjoy. And don't quit if you don't like your first results. If you don't normally write poetry, it may take a little while to find your stride.
I'll occasionally get a bit educational in my post and share inspirations and or specific poem forms to try, so for those of you who like that kind of thing enjoy!And, let me get one out of the way right now.
While in London, I purchased this game called Paint Chip Poetry.
It's brilliant in terms of prompts and getting interesting words and imagery. And you can play alone. I know I'll use it at least once this month. Check it out: (It's way cheaper on Amazon than it was at the Victoria and Albert Art Museum, but had I been cheap my students wouldn't have gotten to write some of the lovely pieces they did!)
Finally, you don't have to stalk me all month. There are tons of people participating. Check out Twiter and the NaPoWriMo Participant Sites.
See you in April and happy poem making!
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