Trainers – Dverse Poets Challenge

A new challenge in my poetry skin – http://dversepoets.com/

 

For Showing Me the Way – Thank You.

 

I take a snapshot of you

before I let you go,

you have travelled with me

eaten the dust of my sights

 

Trodden on the stones

and ragged edges

Saved me from falling,

cushioned my sores,

 

You worked harder than every expected

and I never gave you a second thought …

Until now.

 

Now I have to throw you away,

You have more holes than fabric

and when it’s wet

you just can’t encase my skin

in the way you need to,

 

I promise to give you

a good burial in a shoe bank bin

so you can continue your

journey,

help someone else.

 

For now I must part company

But before I do

Smile for me

One last time.

November 2013 Summary

I cannot believe it is already the end of November – it only seems a minute since the 1st… guess life goes fast when you are writing for NaNoWriMo… so how did the rest of the month pan out?

Submissions: 0

I really need to get back onto the action plan and send work out but this month has been all about writing and performing.

Blog:

Following INKSPILL we had a surge of new followers and the Short Stories Writing Tips post continues to be the most popular on the blog, visited and read by over 20 people a day!

I had a secret wish in April – regarding the number of people who would be following AWF by the end of the year and we are so close. I hope we make it!

Followers 533

 

Challenges:

I was attempting 3 writing challenges this month; NaNoWriMo, Writers Digest PAD challenge (poems) and PiBoWriMo (Picture books) I only managed to complete 1, Nanowrimo win and now have half a novel (51,370 words) to work on next year or possibly reproduce in a collection of short stories and or poems.

 

Exciting writing adventures;

I performed at Poets for Peace at the ORT for remembrance day Peace

I did my debut performance at SpeakEasy in Worcester. SpeakEasy

I attended a Stanza meeting. (Poetry Society)

I got lost in Oxford and missed a workshop and book launch poetry event Lost Weekend

I performed at Purple Penumbra at the Old Rep Theatre in Sandwell. Performing

I went to the Writers’ Toolkit Conference event at Birmingham Ormiston Academy Toolkit

I performed at Sunday Xpress in Digbeth on the launch of Miss Halliwell’s new CD Sunday Xpress

I performed flash fiction for the first time at Drummonds 42 Flash event in Worcester. 42 Flashes

I attended a book launch by Maurice Riordan and Andrea France at Waterstones Birmingham. book launch

 

It has been an amazing month and I have spent sometime every week in my writing skin, sometimes for an entire weekend!

A Birthday Party for a very Special Lady!

My Gran is having a very special party today to celebrate her 90th!

We asked her what she wanted – my brothers and I are planning on taking her out for a day somewhere she wants to go. She has suggested BUNGEE JUMPING as something she has never done!

We are planning to put a clause in that prevents her from choosing an experience that will turn her grandkids and great grandkids grey!

What a woman!

Privileged to share some of her genes!

I WIN! I WIN! I WIN! Nanowrimo 2013

A lot of hard work in the past 48 hours and points I thought I couldn’t do it!

BUT I HAVE!

Final STATS

Your Average Per Day

1,717

Words Written Today

11,404

Target Word Count

50,000

Target Average Words Per Day

1,667

Total Words Written

51,534

Words Remaining

0

Current Day

30

Days Remaining

1

Goal Achieved On

November 30, 2013

Words Per Day To Finish On Time

 Copyright © 2013 Comsoc.org

I Have Nearly Done It! NaNoWriMo 2013

We didn’t make it to the German Market today – we are postponing the trip for next week.

 

Prince William was at the Library of Birmingham today meeting 4 poets – my older brother was there – we could have been too if we hadn’t stayed home…

but, I did get to write down (like chow down) on my NaNo Novel and here are the latest stats:

Your Average Per Day

1,571

Words Written Today

7,000

Target Word Count

50,000

Target Average Words Per Day

1,667

Total Words Written

47,130

Words Remaining

2,870

Current Day

30

Days Remaining

1

At This Rate You Will Finish On

December  2, 2013

Words Per Day To Finish On Time

2,870

I didn’t think I could do it and now I know I can – nearly 10K today! Blimey!

There is a message about validation doing the rounds and in the remaining hours I am going to try to finish and validate as the system gets overwhelmed on the 30th with 200,000 people trying to do the same. Validation has been open since the 25th.

This has not been an easy challenge and I am unsure that I will bother with the pressure of it again until I actually have a book in me to write.

But it has been fun.