“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: You don'tgive up.” ― Anne Lamott
Sometimes when the words feel lost, it isn't about having writer's block, doubt, or fear. Sometimes it is about being so closed off, the words can't come through. You can be so locked down that your words can't find a way to the page.
Art by Morgan Dragonwillow |
The page isn't the enemy, it is actually the only place that won't talk back, argue with you, or try to make you be something that you aren't.
You can tell the page anything and everything, your deepest secrets, your deepest longings and it will always be there for you, ready to listen.
We are less than two weeks until OctPoWriMo begins, this is a reminder that you can spend the month breathing onto the page your every thought in whatever form you wish, share or not share, just show up at the page.
Three of my favorite tips from last year:
- What Poetry Tools Do You Have?
- Why I Was Scared Away From Writing Poetry When I Was Young
- To Writers Who Don't Think They Can Write Poetry
OctPoWriMo, where the rules are thrown out the window. Show up to the page and let the words flow.
Count Down: 13 Days until OctPoWriMo!
You can find me at Google+
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I know times like these... when no effort will do the trick to bring a poem to the page. Tenacity and time always seem to win for me. In these last few days before OctPoWriMo begins, I am creating piles of lines on index cards to glean from later if I run into this problem. It works for me. Go figure!
ReplyDeleteI love my three by five cards but I haven't used them for poetry yet, just in building manuscripts. Typically if I'm feeling stuck with poetry I open a book or dictionary and pick a word. Part of my problem is that I've been working on my latest book and even when I'm not working on it I feel like I can't work on other writing projects (poetry) until it is done. Of course with OctPoWriMo I'm going to have to get over that. :D
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