NaNoWriMo

Read more about the article 2009 Poem-A-Day Challenge

2009 Poem-A-Day Challenge

Refrigerator Door Poem Stonehenge by Sister72
Refrigerator Door Poem Stonehenge by Sister72

April is National Poetry Month, so it’s a perfect opportunity to live up to my URL and flashback to the late 90s when I worked at The Academy of American Poets and was terrorizing the NYC poetry slam scene!

I’ve attempted National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) twice, cranking out 15,000 words on the second try, but tomorrow, for the first time ever, I’ll be participating in the Poem-A-Day (PAD) Challenge!

The inimitable Robert Brewer — editor of Writer’s Market and Poet’s Market, and proprietor of the wonderful blog, Poetic Asides — will be posting a daily prompt and I, along with at least 150 others (and counting), are commiting to write a poem inspired by that prompt.

Every. Day.

Doesn’t mean any of them will be good, but every day in the month of April, before the clock strikes midnight, I’ll be posting a new poem here and over at Poetic Asides.

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Read more about the article NaNoWriMo 2004 Update: 15,609

NaNoWriMo 2004 Update: 15,609

While technically NaNoWriMo ended yesterday, practically speaking, I fell off the wagon two weeks ago and never managed to get back on. Final word count: 15,609.

Well short of the 50,000 word goal, but an amazing leap forward for me in terms of self-discipline. For the first two weeks, at least. I take some solace in these words from the final NaNoWriMo update:

The only time we ever catch a glimpse of our creative potential is when we try something so clearly impossible that only a fool would dare attempt it.

Yep. There’s a tremendous payoff in getting in over our heads. In spending thirty days sleeping too little and writing too much, and watching, delighted, as our imaginations haul their weird and wonderful treasures into the bright light of day.

It’s a heroic endeavor whether you ended up writing 10,000 or 100,000 words, and I hope that everyone, regardless of final word-count, realizes what a brave and inspiring thing they’ve accomplished this month.

Indeed, I caught more than a glimpse, I stared it dead in the eye and…well yes, I blinked, but not before I confirmed that the only thing really standing between me and a completed novel is ME. There’s a million excuses and twice as many distractions, some of each are even legitimate, but the bottom line is that you find the time to do the things you want to do when you really want to do them. Like playing Morrowind til 1am again last night!

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Read more about the article BABE IN THE WOODS: Nine

BABE IN THE WOODS: Nine

Thursday, October 31, 2013: Sherman Park, NY, USA Herman Ruth stood perfectly still, partially hidden behind a large oak tree three hundred yards into Leitas Pond Park, directly across from Detective Eric Pearson’s house. It was the first time he’d observed the house, but it was the first time he had company doing it. His eyes sparkled, as if lit from within, as they moved back and forth between Pearson’s house and the other zombie watching it from the edge of the tree line. When the last light in the house had turned off ten minutes ago, he’d locked his…

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Read more about the article BABE IN THE WOODS: Eight

BABE IN THE WOODS: Eight

Thursday, October 31, 2013: Sherman Park, NY, USA Eric Pearson gave the hot water knob another turn, wanting more than anything at that moment to scald away the invisible layer of fear coating his entire body. He winced sharply, but didn’t back away from the steaming spray showering down on him. He’d been standing there for the past 20 minutes and was planning to keep standing there until the hot water had completely run out. The Department of Homeland Water Conservation could fine him double for the violation, for all he cared. It was another twenty minutes before the water…

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Read more about the article NaNoWriMo 2004 Word Count, Day 15

NaNoWriMo 2004 Word Count, Day 15

Babe in the Woods, NaNoWriMo Word Count, Day 15: 13,297 (-11,708) For the second time in three days, I managed to crank out more than the 1,667 words/day minimum, resulting in a 121-word dent in my overall Word Debt. If not for the whole working and sleeping thing, I'd have made even more progress as the cracks in the belated Week 2 Wall were beginning to show. In other news, The Swan managed to reach a new low last night, pitting a pair of sisters against each other as they receive the most unnecessary, and undeserved, makeovers yet. It's bad…

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Read more about the article BABE IN THE WOODS: Seven

BABE IN THE WOODS: Seven

Thursday, October 31, 2013: West Point, NY, USA “Trick or treat, Vargas! Time to move!” Damon shifted under his green flannel bedsheet, slightly damp from a night of fitful sleep, as he teetered on the edge of consciousness, desperately trying to ignore the insistent knocking at his door. Pulling the lumpy pillow over his head in a vain attempt to drown out Captain James T. Merck’s gravelly voice, he wished for another hour of sleep – “Come on, Vargas! Open it up!” – but his wish wasn’t granted. “Alright, alright! Chill! I’m up! Hold on a minute.” Damon rubbed the…

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Read more about the article NaNoWriMo 2004 Word Count, Day 14

NaNoWriMo 2004 Word Count, Day 14

Like so many things with me, once I get past the hump of actually getting started on something, I tend to jump into it completely and, as much as possible, make the most of the moment.

Like spring cleaning, of the sort we did yesterday after continually putting it off for the past few weeks. It ended up being the equivalent of a good meditation session, clearing away the cobwebs that had built up in the corners of my mind and enabling me to take a closer look at some of the little things that tend to get missed in the crush. Like how great our apartment is; how nearly every single toy I picked up from the floor I could picture the kids playing with at some point; how a messy house makes for a messy mood, and a clean one exposes the silver lining.

Babe in the Woods, NaNoWriMo Word Count, Day 14: 11,509 (-11,829)

Squeezed out another 635 words last night before bed, officially bringing the first act to a close. I am now almost exactly one full week behind my word count which means I officially arrive at the Week 2 Wall – aka, where the hell is this story going? – today! Going to have to pull double-duty this week, with lunch sessions and a few late nights just to keep the gap from growing any larger, never mind reaching 35,007 words – the Week 3 goal – by Sunday.

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