Confession Tuesday
Growing up, my favorite movie was Snoopy Come Home. Thought it was the sweetest, saddest movie on the planet when I was about 6 years old. It would make me cry every time. The thought of Snoopy leaving Charlie Brown to live with his first owner, a little girl sick in the hospital, was more than I could bear. Well, this past weekend I had a chance to see it again with my daughter, Ella, and I cried like a baby. Can’t believe my daughter actually cried with me—tears streaming down our faces.
I tell people I’m dead inside—jokingly—because sappy movies don’t faze me.
Yeah. Cried like a baby.
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I've been thinking a lot about finishing 2010 strong. It's been a busy year and 2011 promises to be even more hectic helping to plan the Mass Poetry Festival. So I'm trying to use my time more effectively. What's most important to me in the month ahead?
During the next few weeks I'm sure I'll take a turn at looking back and looking ahead, but these are things I can work on right now.
December Poetry To-do's
- Write 10 poems (total of 40 drafts for 2010)
- Submit work to 8 publications
- Organize desk (this is a huge task)
- Send second manuscript to publisher
In two weeks, I'm going on a weekend mini writers' retreat. I should get a few good drafts, which will help make up for my poor showing in the November PAD challenge. *sigh*
(Share a few of your December/end-of-year goals.)
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Manuscript is almost done! December 1, I'm calling it done. Held onto it for a few more weeks because I added one of my PAD poems to the mix. But for the most part, it’s done. I’m sending it out to a few friends for review but will send it out mid-month to my publisher. Fingers crossed.
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Rejected by the New Yorker ... again! (big surprise) I don't have much out there now in circulation. Time to get in another round of submissions in before 2010 comes to a close.
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Just found out Terrance Hayes is coming to Emerson College this Thursday via Ploughshares. I will try to make it!
Comments
1. Simplify, and donate material objects that no longer serve me well.
2. Replace the screen in my kitchen window so that my cat Jesse cannot not make another heroic escape through the window to capture an opposum that visits the porch on the second floor.
3. Take more walks in nature along the many horse trails nearby.
4. Finish knitting my dad's Christmas scarf (the first I've knit for anyone).
5. Refurbish the bathroom floor with new linoleum and a fresh coat of paint.
6. Breathe more deeply and more often.
There are fewer and fewer literary journals in New Zealand, one of my target journals just folded. I'd be hard put to make a list of 8 different journals that I might submit to, unless I included the very top ranked ones. I'd like to get established in NZ journals before I try overseas ones.