Confession Tuesday

Ladies and gentlemen, children of all ages—it's Confession Tuesday! Time to share the highs and lows. What's on your mind? Tell us a little about yourselves and we'll do the same. And stop by The Confessional to see who said what and why.


 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Friday's post on The Creative Economy. I encourage you to keep the conversation going, and respond to other comments in that post.

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We're one week away from the U.S. presidential elections. Lately, I've watched CNN incessantly … it's my crack! Can't get enough of it or that magic map. Thank goodness the Boston Celtics start their regular NBA season tonight so I have something to watch after the elections.

In all seriousness, I haven't spoken much about the elections but I do plan to post about it in the next few days.

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I'm trying very hard not to beat myself up for not being a more productive writer. Admittedly, I'm coming off a very busy period with lots of poetry and travel. So now that I'm entering a slower-paced period, I'd like to start writing poems, but not just any poems. I'd like to write a series of poems with a focus. Between writing, submitting to journals, working on manuscript #2, and working on a marketing plan for book #1, I should really give myself a break.

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The nice part about not having so much to do outside the home is that I can spend more time with the kids. I'm very happy that All Hallows Eve is upon us. Hmmm … maybe this is the year to introduce "The Raven" to the kids. Halloween photos to be posted Nov. 1.
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Comments

Catherine said…
My current poetry project is a series of poems around a single topic area, so I'm interested to see that you are thinking of the same thing. I found it didn't really happen until I found something that I was fascinated enough about to explore in depth.
The problem is that I can't think of a publication outlet for the finished series (of course I'm getting ahead of myself here) - individual poems would work on their own but I think they will gain by being seen together and there is no journal that would take so many at once
3:56 PM
Kay Cooke said…
I am struggling to write right now, but it has been a big year for me, and it's not over yet ... I feel too pre-occupied. I think 09 is going to be a better year for me writing-wise - there will be a degree of garnering all that happened in 08. I'm taking lots of notes!
6:55 AM
Joyce Ellen Davis said…
What does your publisher do in regards to marketing? Do they wait for your suggestions?

I am also putting another collection together--I think it's pretty uneven. Wish they were ALL terrific, however, nothing is perfect, right???
3:04 PM
January said…
Joyce, the publisher does the basics but it's up to me to market to my connections and my local network. They provide a media list and I add to that. They handle distribution and have a beautiful catalogue to promote the entire list, and work on many other things I'm sure I'll find out about in the next few months.

But admittedly, I like it this way. This is what I do in my day job for Babson College, so it's nice applying my work skills to poetry.

As for manuscripts, there's nothing wrong with fewer poems that a larger collection with so-so poems. What if you took out the ones you don't like and then add in or write new poems to fill the gaps?
10:25 PM
January said…
Kay, I think there's value in not writing (although it doesn't feel like it sometimes. I'd feel better if I were writing good poems once a week, but that's not happening for me.

I'm glad this has been a good year for you, which will give you much to write about in the next few weeks, I'm sure.
10:27 PM
January said…
Catherine, if I can get my lazy self to the library, I can do the research to start my project. I have a theme in mind for my next manuscript. This also gives me the opportunity try some forms.

And I know that there are journals that publish series of poems. Does it have to be a print publication? Have you thought about publishing a chapbook?
10:34 PM
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