A Poem-a-Day for April: My After-Action Review

I’ve silently participated in Writer’s Digest’s poem-a-day challenges since November 2022. The magazine's online version holds these challenges twice a year, in April and November. Depending on life circumstances, I have approached these challenges either with diligence to write every day or hit or miss, doing my best.

But this April, I decided to participate publicly for the first time. Each day, I posted my prompted poem in the comments on Writer’s Digest’s website and on my Facebook page. I quickly discovered that doing this dramatically changed the experience.

First and most obviously, I found myself interacting with people. Other participants made comments and suggestions about my work; they cheered me on. I did the same for them, though I did more “liking” than commenting. Overall, the environment among participants was encouraging and celebratory. It was fun.

Second, I found myself challenged to produce final drafts. In silent seasons, I could challenge myself to try difficult forms and give myself a few days to do so if needed. I could also take a day off if other tasks were calling for my attention. I would still finish the challenge, but at a more flexible pace. Participating publicly, I didn’t have this luxury. Instead of attempting complicated forms, I’d stick to short and simple or free verse. Though I did make time for a sestina on April 17^th.

Third, I found myself censoring my work. Knowing people would read it that day, I steered away from subjects and stories I might regret sharing too quickly. I do write personal, emotional, and intense poetry, but I always give myself time to step away from it and reconsider it with fresh eyes before publishing. Writing poetry can be therapeutic, but sometimes, the results of such therapy must remain private.

Finally, I found myself able to stick to one project daily for a month. I did work on other projects during that time, but the poems were my focus for April. Discovering how this worked may have been the greatest benefit of completing this challenge for me. I am juggling several writing projects and have feared dropping one or more by choosing one to focus on. Seeing something reach completion in such a short time shows me I can favor one without losing contact with the others. Starting today, I am focusing on a uniquely formed devotional based on the book of Jonah. When I finish writing that, I’ll turn my attention to another project already in the works.

Progress is important, but so is finishing the work. A month of intense focus can give a project a huge boost.

* * *

Photo by Suzy Hazelwood at Pexels.com.

Comments

No Worry Anymore

I don’t want to worry anymore. Don’t want to fear the phone call, the bill, arriving unexpected by mail, the month left at the end of the money, the unseen predator, the crisis not mine, but mine to fix or forever wonder if my two mites could have made the difference after all, at last, the natural disaster, the unnatural disaster caused by consequences unintended, unforeseen. I don’t want to worry about any thing, any more. And so, I give all of this worry unworthy to You Who sees only and all real threats to me coming, no surprise, no problem, only gracious provision preprepared . * * * I wrote this post for the Five-Minute Friday Link-Up. Click here to read other writers' posts on today's prompt: anymore . Photo by Artem Kovalev on Unsplash

God's New Work

Stories of how God has helped others realize their dearest dreams encourage me as I reach for a new dream. I am not going to name it because I am still striving to define it, but I’ll write more about that in a future post. For now, I will tell you that it has to do with reaching some of my writing goals. A few days ago, though, I encountered one of those success stories of God helping one of His children realize a long-held dream. I discovered the story because I had seen reviews of a new author’s first novel online a few years ago and added it to my TBR. Then, a few weeks ago, I saw reviews of her second novel which reminded me I still want to read the first. I moved that novel to the top of my list and then looked to see if our library had it. Somewhere in the process, I discovered that before she wrote either of these books, this author wrote a book on prayer. * I purchased it to read right away—and did so! I was surprised to discover that the author had self-published this 38-...

A New Box of Bees: My Close Encounter

My son is a novice beekeeper. He trained for several months under a mentor. Then in May, he purchased his first box of bees, which has already grown into three boxes of bees, two in the process of raising their own queens. Justin and his family were able to taste the honeycomb and the nectar within just a few weeks of receiving their hive. This past weekend, my granddaughter proudly presented me with a jar of honey she and my son collected. Locally grown has taken on a whole new meaning: honey from hives thriving in my son’s backyard. Last month, my son and granddaughter took me to meet the bees for the first time. I had already seen pictures of my three-year-old grandson letting bees walk on his hand. My son had talked of petting them and assured me the bees had to be seriously provoked to sting. After all, bees want to make honey. If they sting someone, they die. Armed with this knowledge and led by my son, I approached the hives with what felt like a surprising amount of confidenc...

Janet Benlien Reeves

Search This Blog