I’m getting comfortable with my writing routine.
Poets & Writers http://www.pw.org
Here you can get a weekly dose of writing prompts and recommended books on writing.
Poetry Prompt
In the introduction to an issue of Ploughshares edited by the late poet Jean Valentine, who died in December, she says: “My dreams were very important to me right in the beginning. I had a teacher in college who said ‘You could write from your dreams’ and that was like being given a bag full of gold.” Inspired by Valentine and her award-winning first collection, Dream Barker, write a poem that begins with an image from one of your dreams. Allow the internal logic of dreams to guide your lines.
Self-Portrait Poem
Most people spend at least a few minutes a day in front of a mirror, whether while brushing teeth at the bathroom sink at night, or involved in a focused morning makeup or hairstyling routine. Spend a more intensive amount of time in front of a mirror and write a self-portrait poem as you study your own reflection. How has your face evolved over the years? Do your features seem more or less familiar the longer you look? Are there particular elements of your face that remind you of certain people or memories?
My Gear
I found a pen that works for me. It easy to grip and doesn’t slide too quickly across the page. Z-Grip Ballpoint Retractable pen. https://www.zebrapen.com
JBL Go 2 Bluetooth Speaker http://www.jbl.com
The speaker is compact and I can carry it anywhere I go and has a great sound.
Insight Timer http://www.insighttimer.com
The Insight Timer has a desktop and phone app that I use. I like the music selections and I can choose how long I want to listen from 5 minutes to three hours.
Spotify http://www.spotify.com
I like the Indian Chill, Coffee House, Workday Soul and Mello Cello for writing. I have others that I follow for reading.
To keep myself motivated and going I now have an “Accountability Partner.” We talk once a week to make sure that we are still following our goal list. We provide support and remind each other what our end goals are. We do not discuss personal or political issues.
Meetup Groups
I joined Motivating Writers and Virtual Writing Get Down groups on Meetup.com http://www.meetup.com. I am taking advantage of every tool that I can to keep writing and to complete my memoir this year.
Trust
I’m reading the book “Trust” by Iyanla Vanzant and in it she has one of her favorite scriptures from the Bible that she learned in Proverbs 4:23-27 (New Living Translation):
Guard your heart above all else,
for it determines the course of your life.
Avoid all perverse talk;
stay away from corrupt speech.
Look straight ahead,
and fix your eyes on what lies before you.
Mark out a straight path for your feet;
stay on the safe path.
don’t get sidetracked:
keep your feet from following evil.
I interpret this to mean to stay focus on your task and not to get caught up in what does not work for you or sustain you.
Bruce Lee Be As Water My Friend https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJMwBwFj5nQ
I’ll keep writing, no matter what, will you?
