We are so excited about OctPoWriMo 2015! Last year we saw over 15,000 visitors during the month of October, that's a lot of visitors! Who knows how many we will have this year.
We are officially in the count down to OctPoWriMo! We have a great group of poet volunteers that are going to be helping out here with tips, prompts, reviews, and more leading to the first day of October when the challenge begins!
Tamara Woods, who decided to join us last year and fit right in with our poetic bunch!
Linda Roy, is joining us once again! She was a contributor to OctPoWriMo in 2013 and we are very happy to have her back once again!
Beverly Tan is our newest contributor and I look forward to reading her posts!
And of course me, Morgan Dragonwillow, the creatrix of OctPoWriMo.
You can find out more about each of us either by clicking on our names and going to our websites/blogs/social media, or by going to the Creatrix and Contribtors page.
We will miss Julie and Amy and all of their great tips and prompts but they were unable to join us this year. If we're lucky, they may pop in to say hello!
During September:
We will be sharing poetry tips, our favorite poetry books, poetry journeys, and possibly guest posts during the month of September leading to OctPoWriMo.
There are two ways you can participate during September:
- You can begin to get to know the other participants by leaving a comment with a link to your favorite poem (either from last years OctPoWriMo or another poem on your blog).
- You can share in the comments during the month of September any poetry type post from your blog.
- You can write a guest post with your poetry journey, your poetry process or anything else about poetry.
- And of course you can chat with us on Twitter using the hashtag #OctPoWriMo and on Facebook in the Writing Poetry Group
If you are interested in sharing a guest post email me at morgan_dragonwillow@hotmail.com.
Normally I would have a separate post for the Poetry tip of the day but Blogger decided to be a bear and make things difficult.
Normally I would have a separate post for the Poetry tip of the day but Blogger decided to be a bear and make things difficult.
Poetry Tip One - Letting Go
If you aren't sure whether you would like to participate or not, read what Dawn said about joining OctPoWriMo last year.
2014 is the first year I joined OctPoWriMo
Before then, I never believed I could write, let alone write poetry. But with the support of some friends on my blog, I tried my hand at some short poems. It felt good, I tried again, and the prompts were great, the support from other poets welcome, and I managed to write almost one poem a day, which was not something I expected when I started on that journey.
There were many reasons why I didn't think I could.
First, I'd always been told as a child that I was good at maths and sciences, but not so good at literature, and I always had the hardest time figuring out the hidden meaning behind texts we studied in class. So I didn't think I could express things myself through words, there is nothing in my poems that isn't right there, in your face, I haven't mastered the art of simile and such yet. But it doesn't mean I didn't enjoy myself!
The second reason I wasn't sure about participating in OctPoWriMo is that English isn't my first language. Who was I to think that I could express anything worth reading in a language that isn't my own? It certainly was a challenge, I used thesaurus and dictionary on a daily basis, but it also helped improve my mastery of the language. And for that, I'm really thankful too.
Reading poems from other, more seasoned writers made me realise how far I still had to come. But it also gave me ideas, things I wanted to try too... it was very rewarding.
Reading poems from others also made me realise that sometimes, the simplest of words are the ones that manage to convey what I feel. And what is poetry if not a way to elicit feelings and emotions in the reader?
The comments were great, encouraging me to keep going. I realised that not all my poems were masterworks, and I'm not even sure any of them were. But it enabled me to try my hand at many different forms, at many different themes, and to express myself, without feeling judged. And that helped me tremendously.
(I guess those could be reasons 3, 4 and 5 ;-) )
So if you're not sure whether you want to take part, if you don't think you have it in you to try poetry, if you don't think you can pull this off... forget your insecurities, leave your doubts behind. If I can do it and want to try again this year, you can do it too!
Poetry Tip One: Let go of what you think poetry should look like and allow yourself to explore and play with your words. Who knows, you just may discover how much you enjoy it!
Check out our previous first tips.
2012 Tip One: Getting Ready
2013 Tip One: What's in Your Writing Tool Box?
2014 Tip One: Why Do You Write Poetry
Count Down: 30 Days until OctPoWriMo!
Special for Indie Authors!
We are offering Indie Authors a special deal as we did last year to showcase their poetry book covers for the month of September and/or October. Check out Indie Authors Promo for more information.
Morgan Dragonwillow is a poet, author, foodie, urban gardener, and recovering perfectionist, that (mostly) doesn't let her fears get in the way of her passion for writing and creating. She is team leader at @StoryDam, creatrix of #OctPoWriMo You can find her Playing with Words on her blog. She lives in Marietta, Ga. with her loving and patient partner, their dog that thinks she's a princess, and the cat that reminds her that she isn't.
You can also find her on Google+
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