This week would be best categorized as one of breaking through barriers, in some cases barriers I didn’t even know were there.
My belief is this: because I am aware of my ROW80 goals, respect them and follow up continually, they are at the forefront of my mind ~ or at least the forefront of my subconscious… so I find ways to move forward, even when life feels the bleakest.
It also provides insta-motivation to continue to move through my goals, whichever ones they are. I would have to say this has been my most balanced week since I started ROW80. Even on Thanksgiving when I was cooking up a storm, I managed to do two wordmongering rounds, adding words to my WIP as well as doing some gleaning for my WIP.
I wrote poetry while waiting for the woman I am working with at Bakersfield College to show up: instead of being angry, I filled the time with creativity. Friday I had coffee with a friend who was in town for the holiday. After she left, I sat with a book of Sylvia Plath and wrote a “dialogue” between us which will become a monologue poem for me, eventually.
I am smiling as I carve out writing in my busy life, not worrying incessantly, “Am I getting the job done?”
Thank you, ROW80 friends, for helping to make that happen.
Now, for my goals and progress:
Write: As I said above, I am picking up my pencil (or phone or keyboard or whatever is handy) and simply writing with much more consistency. With so many folks NaNoing, I am almost inspired to start writing fiction again. Almost.
WIP: This has been very exciting. I have been both writing and gleaning, gleaning and writing and revising. (Gleaning in this case is going back to previously written material and seeing which pieces may fit as components of the overall piece I am creating.) I am actually seeing several smaller books, in a series, rather than only one. Even as I write about this I am nodding and getting excited about the thought.
Edit:
Poetry: Yes. I am continuing to focus on editing nearly as much as writing. I also pulled down my book length poem, Upper La Cresta Sojourn. The time to edit and call it complete is now. It’s happening!
Prose: As I said above, in relationship to my WIP, this is happening to a much larger extent than ever before AND I am not dreading it or avoiding it, I am doing it!
PROSE: Read: One poem a day. YES. I usually read more than one. Read a lot of Sara Teasdale this week, as I created art honoring her life and work.
READING about CRAFT
One Book on the Art of Writing. This week I read from both Naked, Drunk and Writing by Adair Lara. Even as she continues to contradict herself, I am getting some good tips from the book. Another credit to ROW80, I probably would have set this aside if it wasn’t on my list here.
Creativity as a Practice:
I am back to working on my “Women’s Sphere Art” and in fact, yesterday I had a huge day as I drove to Pasadena (about two hours south of Bakersfield) and visited the house where Charlotte Perkins Gilman died as well as the site (the home is no longer there) where she wrote The Yellow Wallpaper as well as other stories, poems, essays and articles. I even got to go inside the former home, something I didn’t expect would happen. I was standing outside taking photos, one of the front door, when it opened. A smiling face of a young woman greeted me. I fumbled an apology and explained how much I love Charlotte Perkins Gilman… and she invited me in to take a small tour, even though she felt her house was messy. It wasn’t!
Social Media
Weekly: Write no less than five blog posts weekly. I did cross the 1400 blog post mark. I haven’t posted voluminously this week, but I have a lot “in stock” now from all the wordsprinting and wordmongering I have done. Usually I work either on my WIP or I write essays and articles during Wordmongering. In fact, wordmongering is where I write most of my ezine essays and blog posts. Now I need to make the choice: which to post first? J It is a conundrum I like!
Biweekly: Post my #ROW80 updates on Wednesday and Sunday! Continue with SOCSunday and Wishcasting. I didn’t post my ROW80 update Wednesday. I was so busy with other work and strangely or not, I didn’t have much response to last Sunday’s post so I just elected to work on what was in front of me and not make myself wrong for not updating and I wasn't upset or judgmental I didn't get much feedback. It felt very balanced. YAY!
Daily: Visit no fewer than two or three of my fellow #ROW80 as well as participants in Art Every Day Month. I’m doing this. I sometimes comment more but never less.
Thank you, all, for your comments on my words.
My version of AMEN: REMEMBER I WRITE BECAUSE I LOVE IT and… Word-love has the power to change the world. One sentence at a time, we are having a positive impact on this beloved planet.
Until Wednesday, Word-love to you all!
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© 2011
Julie Jordan Scott
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