Nov PAD Chapbook Challenge Prep

I’m almost late – the Writer’s Digest Poetic Asides Chapbook Challenge begins tomorrow. I committed last week to getting back on the creative wagon, and have been remembering activities and experiences from April 09.

So, here’s what I learned:

1) It was helpful to read a poem every day. Not one from the prompt (which I suggest you don’t do until after you write yours),  but from other sources. I was often inspired to experiment with different styles by doing this.

2) I also enjoyed choosing different forms and forcing myself to use them for a specific prompt. The results weren’t always good, but the learning was.

3) I hit the wall about a week and a half in – threw up my hands and had a fit. But this time I expect it, and know I’ll be able to push through. And I liked what I wrote after, it was less like my usual. So, ignore those blisters and keep going.

4) What also worked for me was to read the prompt early in the day. Then I could meander around, play with bits and pieces as I did my paying job, until something formed. When I waited until the evening, the pressure wasn’t pleasant and the poems not as thoughtful.

That’s all I remember now, and maybe I’ll learn something new this time.

If you have hints, will you add them? Then if or when any of us (yes, you) trip and fall, we’ll have something to refer back to.

And break a pen!