A Word To Live

odyssey

Poetry Surprise

One reason to study poetry is to enrich all of your writing. This year, I’m attending a couple of poetry workshops in order to learn about structure. The first workshop used Structure & Surprise: Engaging Poetic Turns, edited by Michael Theune. My practice poems are pushing me toward considering turns and surprises thoughtfully. Both concepts important in writing prose stories as well. My piles of poetry rejection letters show a new view is needed. I’m looking outward and finding surprise in my poetry and prose stories. Now, on to the next workshop with more confidence . . . writing is an on-going journey.

Early version:

PAPER VERSE

by Linnea Heaney

Blank years, tossed into

lost corners, forgotten,

scattered words, wasted
seconds to be rushed out,
paper verse, wads crushed—
only my spilling thoughts left.

Revised version:

PAPER VERSES

by Linnea Heaney

Blank thoughts

thrown, crumpled, toward waste basket
while seconds ticked on—now,
view transformed as paper verses flow
out, dashing words down,
spilling laughter, memories about.

STRUCTURE & SURPRISE: ENGAGING POETIC TURNS, edited by Michael Theune (Teachers & Writers Collaborative, 2007).

Sculpting Your Writing Life

Think of your life as a lump of clay. Family life will form the shape of the clay. What else needs to find a place there? Smooth out the bubbles in the clay. Where is your writing life, somewhere in the heart of the clay?

Writers have to find a special place in which to nurture and protect their creative writing. Set priorities so that your writing life can flourish with your unique voice. Decide how to sculpt in the clay. It is hard to work on your writing without a plan. Consider the following ways to create goals and find deadlines to push your writing (or art) forward.

• Decide on doable yearly, monthly, weekly, daily goals.
• Consider achievable goals: five minutes, 500 words, or five hours.
• Discover the best time of day for you to write.
• Take care of yourself: eat healthy, exercise, get enough sleep, find balance.
• Set some possible personal deadlines: by summer, by conference time.
• Talk about your writing with other writers—make it real.
• Join or find a critique partner or group.
• Pay for editor or author critiques to receive critiques and deadlines.
• Attend and network at SCBWI and other writing events.
• Enter writing contests, apply for SCBWI grants.
• Work toward writing “publishable” manuscripts, set goals for submitting.
• Attend conferences to meet editors accepting submissions within set time periods, submit.
• Write your story in one sentence to help you focus.
• Write the front and back jacket flaps of your potential book to help you find your way.
• Write a blog.
• Write, write, and write every day that is possible.
• Find places to publish essays, poems, short stories, flash fiction, letters . . . .
• Put manuscript titles on a spreadsheet to track your submissions, set mini-goals.
• Read and study books, especially books like your writing style.
• Learn to say “no” to activities not supporting you or your writing or your family.
• Study publishers; submit manuscripts to places that publish that type of writing.
• Show up for writing, use the “butt in chair” method.
• Write because you must write to be you.