SCROLL DOWN TO JOIN MY APRIL POETRY CHALLENGE 30! Poems!
Some of you may be wondering why on earth some of us poets take on the daunting task of writing a poem a day (for a month, a year, eleven years). Why force it? I hear some of you say. Why not let the poem come to you?
Here are some of the things I’ve learned from taking on such challenges:
As a professional, I sometimes need to be prepared to deliver a poem even when I’m not in the right space for it. I am often going on about writing practices and the writing muscle and this is what I mean by it. When you challenge yourself to write every day for a month (or a substantial amount of time) you learn how to induce creativity. Most importantly, you learn how YOU get to creativity.
You start looking at the world differently. You find yourself observing more, and what is a writer if not a person who lingers in their observations? Could this be a poem? you ask a leaf floating to the ground. Could this be a poem? you ask the tender look in your cat’s face. Could this be a poem? you ask the tragic/good news. And so on.
You create order out of chaos. Your thoughts come together on a page, even if they, in turn, create more questions than answers. In that interim, there is beauty.
You set your ego aside. Instead of writing a poem and setting it aside, and then carefully picking it apart and re-stitching it, then letting it sit, then picking it apart again, then sending it to your first reader, then your partner, then your editor… before it ever sees the light of day--you write, then write more, and write again. Let me just make it clear that the editing needs to come later, but for now, you must create.
The page pulls you back with each little satisfaction of a complete poem. Yes, it becomes a muscle because of this little dopamine hit too. Facing the blank page becomes easier. Instead of looking at it with doubt and trepidation, you look at it with possibility. What will I create next?
This is a time for experimentation - especially if you’re writing in a group and if you are likely to receive feedback. It’s time to use space differently, use language differently, try out a new form, try pushing your voice to different limits, and let go of limitations. If you’re not comfortable at the time of editing, the poem still has the possibility to change. This experimentation can help you to level up, no matter where you are in your journey.
If you want to join my poetry challenge this April, here are the details:
Poetry month challenge - April 2023
Receive a short and simple prompt every day in April at 7am CDT
Write for 10 minutes
Send your poem by clicking REPLY ALL (Accountability!! We will be waiting:)) any time that same day
If you choose this option, at the end of the month choose 3 pieces for me to send my suggestions on
Tiered pricing: No critique, prompts only, join for 25 euros/dollars.
Full package: suggested price 60 euros/dollars
To join simply reply to this email letting me know which email address you'd prefer to use and which option you are choosing from the above.
The deadline to join is Wednesday 29th March