Lidy

IWSG Day & Anthology- Rita Dove*

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Wow, can you believe it’s April already? I swear 2016 is passing by as fast as 2015. And before I know it, I’ll be saying Happy 2017!

Well, it’s that time again. Where we gather every first Wednesday of a new month. To give and receive encouragement as we continue on creative journeys. And who do we have to thank for creating this haven of much needed support for all us insecure writers? Alex Cavanaugh the ninja extraordinaire of course!

To find out more about the group and/or maybe even sign-up, click on the badge above.  And don’t forget to check out my other co-hosts:  Megan Morgan, Chris Votey, Viola Fury, Christine Rains, Madeline Mora-Summonte, L.G. Keltner, Rachna Chhabria, and Patricia Lynne!

Our Twitter hashtag is #IWSG

 

What’s troubling me this month? Time. Time is slipping through my fingers like sand. I’m not writing towards my deadlines. My work in progress manuscripts are coming along slower than molasses.

You know that quote by Douglas Adams, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” I swear he was talking about me.

So it’s time for me to go back to the drawing board and replan. There’s no way I can complete the Triplicity poetry manuscript and I refuse to do a rush job on it. It will not be completed in time for the Marsh Hawk Poetry Prize April 30th deadline. To finish it needs deeper insight and research into feminism. As well as diversity (inclusion & exclusion)  and intersectionality. So no, no rush job on this one indeed.  And when it’s ready, there are other poetry book prizes and presses to submit it to.

What I plan to do from now on is to refocus on The Soul Traveler first and Dreaming of You second. I’d like to submit The Soul Traveler in time for the final quarter of the Writers of the Future Contest. But if not, I can still upload it to Wattpad and test it out on readers. Plus, there are other places I can submit it to. And Harlequin’s So You Think You Can Write contest on Wattpad starts in the fall too.

Basically, I should have plenty of time once National Poetry Month and my blog tour is over. Because I’ll be on a blogging break starting May and most of the summer. When I’ll dedicate myself 100% and make the most of that time to give my WIPs some extra needed TLC.

Is time your friend? Your enemy? How do you deal with deadlines?

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Credit image: National Poetry Month logo/Poets.org

Now getting back to today’s favorite poem.  Today’s poem from my favorite anthology is by former US Poet Laureate Rita Dove.

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Credit image: Poets.org, Photo credit: Fred Viebahn

She is another new favorite poet of mine since last year’s 30 Days of Poetry Love interview project. And that’s considering my poetry reading preference has always leaned more towards dead poets.

I’d planned to feature her poem Trans-. But that was bumped off for another poem that arrived in my email yesterday. So here’s Ms. Dove’s poem Transit.

What do you do when faced with the ugliness of this world? Ignore it, join in or search for the beauty you know exists?

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24 comments

    • Thanks LG. Although I’m against the clock I’m going to keep repeating the mantra ‘a book is not a race’ to myself as much as possible.

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  2. I always feel that time is not on my side. It just goes by so fast and I never get as much done as I’d like. I always feel very accomplished when I do get things done in the time I’d planned. You’ve got a lot on your plate. Good luck.

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  3. I write about time travel, so I often feel like time is mocking me.

    I think you’re going about things the right way. You can’t rush through a big project, especially if there’s research involved. Take your time and be sure you do it right.

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    • Exactly what I was thinking. It’s better not to rush it and to take my time to put my best pen forward. Thanks for stopping by. 😀

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  6. Douglas Adams’s knew what he was talking about. I have troubles with time management as well, though I’m getting better. Having a daily schedule and monthly goals has helped me a lot in that regard–I might always follow the schedule to the letter or complete all of my goals but having them helps me get more done than I would otherwise.

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    • Yes, schedules are helpful. Staying on them is the problem. But by using what works best for me (writing challenges), I should get more done from now on.

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    • Yes, more like the only side time is on is itself. And thank you. It took awhile to come up with the titles. I went through at least 50 titles for another WIP (epic fantasy on hiatus). So I’m glad I didn’t go through the same thing.

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  11. I wish I knew how to slow time down. It seems the older you get, the faster it goes by. Deadlines stress me out, which is why I’m happy to be self-publishing. As frustrating as it is, it doesn’t matter quite so much if I miss my own deadlines. I’d rather do things well than quickly.
    And since I bowed out of A to Z for April, if you need any more blog tour spots, contact me. Good luck with everything!

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    • Don’t I know it. Time is like one elusive lover. But yes, I’m trying to learn not to worry too much about time if it means I have to rush and not give my lovely stories the TLC they need.

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