So three of us will begin exchanging a poem a day starting tomorrow, April 1st. The month will be an honoring of National Poetry Month, a means of stretching our skills, of taking on the challenge of writing on demand, of being constantly aware and ready to "see" the world around us for invitations to speak as poets.
I once thought poetry - good poetry - might only be written when perfect timing and inspiration presented themselves. I was wrong and naive about that. That was only my fear and emotions speaking. While I don't have a specific time to force myself to sit and produce, I have better learned to take advantage of unexpected moments of opportunity, whether I'm in the mood to write or not. This is essential for accumulating your material. As you know, one poem can become two, two can be split into three, one poem can become a short story, a paragraph from a novel might be a poem. Without sufficient material from which to draw, this exploratory birth of revision might not unfold.
Participating in writing months - whether NaNoWriMo or NPM (US or UK versions) - teach us to grow more comfortable with not knowing where the words are taking us. To listen carefully - to everything - realizing, hopefully, that inspiration is constant with a focused mind and eye.
I once thought poetry - good poetry - might only be written when perfect timing and inspiration presented themselves. I was wrong and naive about that. That was only my fear and emotions speaking. While I don't have a specific time to force myself to sit and produce, I have better learned to take advantage of unexpected moments of opportunity, whether I'm in the mood to write or not. This is essential for accumulating your material. As you know, one poem can become two, two can be split into three, one poem can become a short story, a paragraph from a novel might be a poem. Without sufficient material from which to draw, this exploratory birth of revision might not unfold.
Participating in writing months - whether NaNoWriMo or NPM (US or UK versions) - teach us to grow more comfortable with not knowing where the words are taking us. To listen carefully - to everything - realizing, hopefully, that inspiration is constant with a focused mind and eye.
