NaPoWriMo 2022 ~ Day 3

Prompt from Napo.

Our featured participant for the day is this and other poems, a poem based on the word “afterwinter”.

… our featured online magazine is Rust and Moth, which has been publishing quarterly since 2008. I’ll point out Leah Claire Kaminski’s lyrical “Flung Girl,” and Lucia Owen’s moving “The Gardener’s Prayer.”

Prompt: This one is a bit complex, so I saved it for a Sunday. It’s a Spanish form called a “glosa” – literally a poem that glosses, or explains, or in some way responds to another poem. The idea is to take a quatrain from a poem that you like, and then write a four-stanza poem that explains or responds to each line of the quatrain, with each of the quatrain’s four lines in turn forming the last line of each stanza.

Traditionally, each stanza has ten lines, but don’t feel obligated to hold yourself to that! Here’s a nice summary of the glosa form to help you get started.

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Getting your teeth stuck into longer weekend prompts when you barely have time to brush your teeth can be a challenge. Give it a go though, see how far you can delve!

Knowing I was time poor today, I spent my morning coffee over at the Napowrimo site. Starting as usual with the featured participant. this and other poems is a website I know, so I was excited to read Afterwinter. I read it several times.

through my window the sun cuts

the film dust, 

I’m ready. It seems to say. Those sudden snows were mistaken. This is no place for silence. This is a place for celebration.

Exquisite!

We had 4 seasons of weather in one hour a few days ago, in the UK. I have never witnessed snow flurries followed by the brightest sunshine repeating over and over at five minute intervals. It was almost like watching fish fall from the sky!

I enjoyed reading through many poems in Rust and Moth and found the navigation of the issue easy. I returned after 6 poems to find which ones Maureen Thorson recommended and read them.

Flung girl

—after the painting “Christina’s World”, by Andrew Wyeth

By LEAH CLAIRE KAMINSKI 

blew my mind a bit (in a good way) – there is so much story to unravel.

bundle myself in warm skin and chlorophyll,

there is a particular rhythm to the
silence at the end of rage.

Having experienced a very recent bereavement I found The Gardener’s Prayer by LUCIA OWEN a difficult read. It is a skilfully written poem. Beautiful. I think it hit hard because Mr G. turned our garden over and we could see that once upon a time it had been planted with love and kept. Unfortunately the house had been on the market so long that we inherited a partially dead bedding area and some jungle sized overgrowth! But I always felt a bit unsettled at the change. We kept what we could. I am sure they would want us to have a gorgeous garden to enjoy spending time in too.

when someone else sees what she’s done
and wants to turn her lifework under,
take out the native ferns and honeysuckle,
the thick-trunked rhododendrons that she’s fed
and winter-covered for so long they pay in blooms
big as softballs pink and red,

I recommend these:

Circadian Arrhythmia

By TIEL AISHA ANSARI

If you enjoy the poem, there are lots more here.

For Breakfast

By DAVID DONNA

I wrote a peach poem back in 2015 but it is not a patch on this one.

There are lots of fantastic poems in this Journal and I look forward to dipping back in for a read.

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I took a deep breath as I read today’s prompt and also realised the glossary explanation/summary was over on Writer’s Digest where the PAD (Poem a Day) Challenge is taking place. So of course I had to make note of the first 3 days of April over there too.

I love discovering forms which are new to me and the Glosa is. I decided straight away that my 4 lines would come from one of the striking poems I read in Rust + Moth today. I gathered them as quickly as I could, which was not very fast as I read another 10+ poems, read the summary of the form and Robert’s example poem (which does use 10 lines) and then set about working my 4 lines stanzas together.

In the end after reading every poem in this issue I returned to the first poem I read: Circadian Arrhythmia by Tiel Aisha Ansari. I picked my 4 lines quickly and surprised myself as they weren’t the 4 lines I thought I’d pick.

Sunset is marked only by the sudden blink
of streetlights, dawn by the electric buzz

of alarm clocks. I wake in the dark, adrift—
what time is it? Should I get up?

Now I had the extra challenge of dealing with enjambment and tenses as I struggled through the first draft of my grief poem.

The process:

Weaving someone else’s words into something as personal as a grief poem is an interesting exercise. But just like the Golden Shovel you are scaffolded by writing towards those end words. I found I wrote it quicker than I would without having those 4 end lines as a starting point.

as if grief had become an ocean and I

was the only person out here. The dark

waters did not answer my questions:

what time is it? Should I get up?

Writer’s Block (that old chestnut)!

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

At the end of January I caught Covid, which kyboshed my plans to clear the inbox and share gems with you all here. I have finally (after 10 days) had my first NEGATIVE test result and am all good to return to work tomorrow. Apart from the financial damage, I am okay. Grateful and fortunate for that!

So I thought I would share another piece of treasure with you whilst I still had a little time at the desk.

Now, there are several schools of thought on Writer’s Block from it doesn’t exist to chronic suffering. I tend to feel I am somewhere near the not existing end of the spectrum, simply because I believe you block the flow if you tell yourself you are blocked. I do believe (and have experienced) slumps in writing after large projects or book publications, ill health and periods where there has been no writing at all*, I take these to be normal passages of being a writer.

*It is said (widely) that even if you don’t commit words to paper/screen your mind is still creating, gathering and writing for you.

I also know if you are ever suffering medically (as I was in 2019) your brain will not be working in the way you’re used to. Your whole system starts survival mode. Personally, there were 6 months where I didn’t write at all. I actually reached the point of acceptance;

‘Well those years were fun whilst they lasted, what’s next?’

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Here for your reading is a Writer’s Digest article from the archives of 2019, it’s a Guest column written by Hope Bolinger.

_{9 Weird Ways to Beat Writer’s Block}

Bolinger starts by looking at typical responses (some of which I’ve stated):

“You just have to write every day.”

“You gotta push past those esoteric obstacles and believe in yourself and your writing.”

And, of course, everyone’s favorite: “Writer’s block doesn’t exist.”

before moving on to tackling nine atypical solutions.

My favourite solutions include:

3) Treat / Rewards

…we will psychologically program ourselves to equate rewards with writing. Done in moderation, our brains will work harder to achieve these benchmark prizes. So set the bar. Once you reach an attainable goal (500 words, a completed article, etc.), don’t be afraid to gift yourself when you hit it.

7) Get anti-social

I love writing, but I also love Pinterest. Take a wild guess at which one sucks me in for hours.

Although social media has allowed writers to connect with readers from across the world and share fantastic tips in various writing communities across all social media platforms, it takes us away from the thing we post about all the time: writing.

Various apps such as FocusON and Anti-Social allow for authors to turn off social media and focus on the writing. Don’t worry. Once you finish those last fifty words, you can turn social back on and beam at all the Instagram notifications to your heart’s content.

© Writer’s Digest

Photo by Cristian Dina on Pexels.com

When I first started writing and hadn’t built up discipline, I used to use the other laptop, the one which refused to acknowledge the fact we had the internet. I was more productive! We all know that time slip when you just pop on for one post or the rabbit holes of research (wondrous though they are). If you only have 30 minutes, use it ALL for writing!

For more atypical solutions read the full article here.

NaPoWriMo The Extra Bit

Read the full post here.

Hello, everyone! We made it through another Na/GloPoWriMo. I hope you feel that you’ve written good poems and stretched yourself in your writing.

I also want to thank you for coming back to this site each year! It heartens me, especially in this particularly hard April, to see so many people gather for the love of poetry, and support one another in their efforts!

Final featured participant for the year is Gloria D. Gonsalves, who reminds us, with her poem based on Day 30’s “returning” prompt, that a “rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.”

Na/GloPoWriMo will be back next year, of course, with more prompts and resources. In the meantime, all the posts from this year will remain available.

In the meantime, if you just can’t get enough poetry prompts, you might enjoy the weekly prompts that Poets & Writers provides, these 30 prompts created by Kelli Russell Agodon, this list of 101 poetry prompts, or the weekly (and in April, daily) prompts provided by Robert Lee Brewer at Writer’s Digest.

And of course for many of us there will still be some NaPo prompts we want to finish writing for! That is the 6th year I have taken part and as with every year I think there are a handful of promising poems that I look forward to coming back to.

I usually work straight onto the computer but since lockdown have attempted to cheer myself up by using some of the waiting in the wings notebooks, like most of us I love a special journal and often buy them and store them away, am sometimes reluctant to ruin them with inside scribbles. I worried the other day that I would run out, but remembered where there are more so no need to start ordering a rescue package yet. The same with pens, have enough of those to last. Didn’t panic buy but seems like I’ve been preparing to be a writer in Lockdown for most of my adult life!

I also like to think that there will be a shelf somewhere in our house where all these will sit, an almanac to that time the world changed without actually keeping any sort of historic record.

A huge thanks to Maureen Thorson for another year of NaPoWriMo prompts and the bountiful resources you have delivered to our screens this year.

I started with Gloria’s poem, there are some beautiful lines. I then looked over the suggested resources, many from sites I have in the past or currently use. If you are looking for a meatier prompt then starting with the Poets & Writers site is a good idea.

I must have downloaded the Kelli Russell Agodon PDF at least 3 times. I’ve also used the prompts from thinkwritten.com the site has some interesting articles you may want to peruse.

I usually do the PAD challenge at the same time as NaPoWriMo but this year as the world moved online I have been busy with other writing too, so just focused on Maureen’s prompts, I have used the Writer’s Digest website often though. I have discovered these sites already, if you haven’t you are in for a treat and many constantly update the prompts so you can always find something new later in the year… because to be honest, right now… you probably just need a Post NaPo Nap!

Who’s going to join me? 

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NaPoWriMo: The Inevitable Catch Up – Day 1

I took Easter offline and have been chasing my tail ever since. It was not an intentional break from online activity, but it was a blissful and practically fulfilling decision.

My first full writing day for a while (last Thursday) was spent sorting through the inbox, finding a fair few rejections and also some work accepted for publication. I also discovered a freelance job opportunity – I would have bid but unfortunately it was too close  to the deadline. Apart from this and the backlog of social media and emails my time offline has not had any great impact.

It does mean I am 18 days behind with NaPoWriMo and one of the jobs on the list today is to get busy writing. I am mid editorial on my manuscript so in the ‘take a break’ slots I am playing catch up.

I have discovered this year that they are featuring different poets;

As in prior years, we’ll be featuring a participant each day, and giving you an optional prompt. In years past, we’ve also featured a daily new book of poetry, magazine, or poetry-themed website. This year, we’ll be doing something a little bit different. Every day, we’ll be featuring a different poet who writes in a language other than English, but whose work is available in English translation, working our way from east to west.

Our first poet in translation is Japan’s Hiromi Ito. Known for her ability to uncannily represent spoken language on the page, several of her books have been translated into English and, incidentally, she’s a translator herself, having translated Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat and Oh, the Places You’ll Go! into Japanese. But you don’t need to know Japanese to get to know Ito’s work: Poetry International features translations of a number of her poems into English, as well as audio files and essays. Also, one of her books, Wild Grass on the Riverbank, is available in English from Action Books, as well as a selected poems, Killing Konoko. © 2016 NaPoWriMo

As well as this they still have a featured participant each day too. I spent some time this morning exploring Veronica Hosking’s poetry vhosking without reading her NaPo work (I like to write mine cold). I will link my NaPo posts to the featured blogs because they are great to share.

DAY 1: The first challenge was to Write a Lune, which is apt as I spent the weekend writing Haikus with my Young Writers Group.

The lune is also known as the American Haiku. It was first created by the poet Robert Kelly (truly a great poet) and was a result of Kelly’s frustration with English haiku. After much experimentation, he settled on a 13-syllable, self-contained poem that has 5 syllables in the first line, 3 syllables in the second line and 5 syllable in the final line.

Unlike haiku, there are no other rules. No need for a cutting word. Rhymes are fine; subject matter is open. While there are less syllables to use, this form has a little more freedom.

There is a variant lune created by poet Jack Collom. His form is also a self-contained tercet, but his poem is word-based (not syllable-based) and has the structure of 3 words in the first line, 5 words in the second line and 3 words in the final line.

As with Kelly’s lune, there are no other rules. © 2016 Writer’s Digest

I like this genre as it is fun to play with and doesn’t take too long to come up with new poems (unless you are writing to demonstrate the ease to teenagers, then you will struggle to identify multiple syllables and finding words to fit)!

Generally I post excerpts of my NaPo Poems, as these are short form you get to enjoy them fully.

Go have a play!

Robert Kelly Lune

The grey day unfolds

work did not

call. Freedom to write.

The sky is white with

Spring, frozen

bird sits on bare tree.

Faint music. Thin walls

the daily

ghost playlist begins.

 

Jack Collom Lune

I thought a word count as opposed to a syllable count would be easier to compose, I actually found it trickier and it is quite hard to get the brain to stop counting in syllables.

My Desk (which is messier than this Lune suggests)

Black stapler, pen,

bulldog clip, paperclip, magazine, key,

notebook, receipt, diary.

 

Now

High flying dreams

catch invisible contours and soar

further than imagined.

April

Numb feet, stinging

toes, fluffy socks, extra layers,

the English spring.

I hope you enjoy them.

RELATED LINKS

DAY 1 Lune

 

 

Writing Historical Fiction: Research

Last October I hosted INKSPILL – a virtual writing retreat, as part of the programme we looked at Historical Fiction.

INKSPILL HISTORICAL FICTION Part1

Part 2

Today I am attempting to write a short story which is Historical Fiction.

Here is some of the advice I researched;

1. Fiction. Regardless of your time period, regardless of all the in-depth research you’ve done, you must remember that you’re writing fiction first, and historical fiction second. In other words, don’t forget that it’s action and conflict that moves the book forward.

2. Avoid history lessons …You know your period of history so well, but you must assume that your reader does not. So, it’s temping to fall into the habit of giving history lectures for a few paragraphs. Educating your reader may be necessary, but it works best when the history comes across as part of the action.

3. Using your research. Make sure the historical fact is of interest to your reader.

Don’t paint historical pictures without making them a part of the drama of your book.

4. Building a Setting. I’ve always found that an effective way to build a setting is not simply to describe the landscape, but also to make the setting part of your character’s journey.

5. Using languages or accents. I was always careful not to use words that took too much space to translate. The basic rule of thumb, I think is, if you want to use a foreign word for effect, then look for those words that are close enough to the language of your book that the meaning is obvious.

© 2014 Writer’s Digest

Pick your time period – it should be an area of history you either know about or have an interest in learning.

Then choose your character(s), setting and work on the plot – remembering this is a story first, you can edit, amend and add historical detail and facts at a later stage.

Immerse yourself in that time period.

 

 

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 19

 

Today is a “Two for Tuesday” prompt. In fact, it’s the one that I include in every challenge. Old hands knew this one was coming sooner or later. Here are your two options:

• Write a love poem. Romantic or more general types of love. Or…
• Write an anti-love poem. Some folks just don’t like love poems of any type, so have at it.

That’s just doubled what I have to catch up on, hoping for some time tomorrow to catch up with PAD poetry writing.

Robert Lee Brewer

Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community

 

PAD Challenge – Another Catch Up!

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 16

For today’s prompt, write a half-way poem. The poem might deal with a half-way point in time. Or perhaps, a place in the dead center of here and there–in a physical sense. Even a compromise on terms in a negotiation can work.

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 17

Whew! These are the dog days of the challenge, right? The middle wasteland, but remember: “The Wasteland” is like a pretty incredible poem (for some folks anyway). As we wander in the desert of the November PAD Chapbook Challenge, be sure to let your mind wander and maybe a mirage or two will spring into a keeper.

For today’s prompt, write an element poem. Maybe an element from the periodic table (hydrogen, oxygen, etc.). Maybe an element of surprise?!? Or a missing element, which could refer to a person, tool, or poem. Run wild with it.

 

I had to study The Wasteland for A-level English, it was good to re-read it today without having to dissect the meanings. 

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 18

Mondays feel so much better when we’re poeming. Well, I feel that way anyway, and I hope at least a few others do too.

For today’s prompt, write a “forget what I said earlier” poem. This poem could be a response to a poem you wrote earlier in the challenge (or just earlier in general). Or it could cover one of those moments–I have them all the time–when you say something that ends up proving wrong or that you wish you’d taken back.

 

I can’t wait to catch up with the poems in this challenge – I have my work cut out though!

 

PAD Challenge – The Catch Up Post

I have not written a poem for the PAD Challenge as I was performing at SpeakEasy and then out at Stanza followed by a weekend away *which was supposed to include a poetry workshop and a performance – long story I will link to that post when I have written it – so here is the PAD Challenge update and later on I will plug into the poetry machine and create!

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 14

Two weeks! We’ve made it two weeks into the challenge. I don’t know why I ever doubt it, but this month is flying by as it usually does.

For today’s prompt, write an exploration poem. Maybe you’re exploring a new land, the depths of quarks, outer space, the mind, the soul, etc. Your call. In fact, it could be said that most poems are an exploration of one sort or another. So get at it.

Robert Lee Brewer

Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 15

After we finish today’s poem, we’ll have crossed the half-way point in this challenge. Congratulations for making it this far! It’s all downhill from here, right?

For today’s prompt, take the phrase “What (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Possible titles might include: “What Luck,” “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas,” “Whatever You Say,” and so on.

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 13

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 13

For today’s prompt, write a self-help poem. It can be written in the style of a self-help article or book. Or you can take it in a more subtle self-help direction.

Robert Lee Brewer

 

I wrote a tongue in cheek poem called ‘Self-Help’ it is in its infancy – I know I will work on this one and make it something at a later date.

 

PAD challenge – back in real time after a hefty 4 poem catch up!

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 9

2013 November PAD Chapbook Challenge: Day 9

Nine days may not seem like much, but hey, we’re now 30% of the way through November, and that’s a lot of percents, right? We’re making real progress, and I hope making some real poems.

For today’s prompt, take the phrase “The Other (blank),” replace the blank with a word or phrase, make the new phrase the title of your poem, and then, write your poem. Some possible titles may include: “The Other Side of the Story,” “The Other Brother,” “The Other Hand,” or whatever else you concoct. And remember: I really don’t care if you bend or break the prompt in your favor. My prompts are just a starting place.

Robert Lee Brewer

Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community

 

Possibly the best poem I have written yet on this challenge, yes I know I have already made this claim, about the one before the one that you are now – something we can all relate to – the ex. I called it ‘The Other Lover’.