I did this amazing program about a decade ago and it was amazing.  If you’re in the L.A. area you really owe it to yourself to check it out!

Okay, friendly writers, how’s it going?  Who else is doing NaPoWriMo and how is it going?  Are you a poet yet?

It really works best if you take the time to write every day, but if you get behind, you can play catch up.  That’s what I had to do on a few days.

Has anyone done anything else to celebrate National Poetry Month?  I’ve read three books of poetry, my favorite being The Republic of Poetry by Martin Espada.

I’d love it if anyone would like to comment about her/his experience of NaPoWriMo and/or share a poem or two.  Pleeeease?

Here it is, as promised!   Your chance to win a free copy of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Poetry!

From Amazon. com : “Is writing poetry alive and well beyond the ivory walls of academia? Yes, and it always has been. With The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Writing Poetry, aspiring poets-those who write for their own pleasure and those who dream of publication–will have the world of poetry opened wide. You’ll learn about poetic process; how to “paint with words” using imagery; how to create memorable metaphors; how to use repetition and rhyme; how to get the most of tenor, tone, and voice; and how to deal with writer’s block. Lessons on writing love poems, fixed forms, chants, sonnets, limericks and more are also included. Poetry groups, conferences, competitions, colonies and workshops are also covered, as well as practical advice on how to get your poems published. You’ll find dozens of inspiring poetry exercises, and a whole chapter of exercises from published poets who teach.”

This is a slightly used copy with one loose page, but it still functions nicely as a guide to getting your poetry on.   Yes, I am that gift horse you have heard so much about, and I would appreciate it if you would not look in my mouth.

What do you have to do to get this book?  Be or become a subscriber to Writer Friendly and then email me at 1writerfriendly@gmail.com by Tuesday April 20th.  The winner will be announced on the 21st.
So easy, it’s amazing you haven’t done it before!!

Instructor: Terry Wolverton

Location: Skylight Books, 1818 N. Vermont Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90027

When: Sunday, April 11, 2010 2-4 p.m.

Cost: Free Please pre-register by Friday, April 9 by emailing wtrsatwork@aol.

Using poems drawn from Best American Poetry 2009, participants will discuss not only their meaning, but how their construction contributes to their meaning. Participants may want to get a copy of the anthology prior to the workshop, and Skylight Books will have copies for sale, but it is not required.

Writer Friendly Note: If you do go, please let them know WF let you know! – Thanks

Writers At Work
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Email: WtrsAtWork@aol.com
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Poetry & the Daily Practice

by Ti Klingler

This morning’s poem was late. I started at 8:04 and it sputtered out at about line thirteen. Turns out I had gotten the opening image of wax on a nightstand right and went in the wrong direction after that. So I deleted it, typed out a new poem between putting on mascara and brushing my teeth, posted it on Facebook, and was out the door to work by 8:30.

For those who perfect their work before releasing it into the world, that may seem a quick turnaround time. For me, it’s a habit. I first participated in National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) in 2009, responding to prompts on the readwritepoem.org website to create a poem every day in April.

I had previously finished a 50,033-word novel during the better-known National Novel Writing Month.  I gained a huge amount of confidence and learned how to blast through my inner critic’s barriers. I’d written a scant handful of poems in my life, but a month of poem writing seemed intriguing. No one warned me it might be addictive!

I wrote every morning, using the suggested prompt. I had so much fun, I decided to keep going in May. Without prompts, I found myself looking around my bedroom, fingers on the keys, curious to see what would emerge. As the poems kept coming, it became easier to drop into the quiet observing mind from which my best work springs.

Nearly a year and well over 300 poems later, I no longer doubt I’ll produce a poem every day, one worth reading most days. I’ve been known to mutter to the Muse, “You know I have to leave in ten minutes. Let’s go!” She hasn’t let me down yet.

The biggest gift of the poem-a-day practice is the release of perfectionist pressure. No one poem has to prove my skill. I no longer hoard phrases.

I think most writers have a perfect metaphor, plot or image socked away in a journal or file. We visit them like heirloom jewels, afraid to waste them in a piece that is not equally brilliant. At this point, I don’t hesitate to set a diamond in pewter.

An image or opening line that sets me on fire is likely to inspire another; if not today, then tomorrow. I’m often astonished at what I produce, at the absolute reality of the voices and characters that emerge. I’ve used words whose definitions I had to look up after the rush of writing and found, every time, that I’ve used them correctly.

Having a daily expectation and time limit forces me to access every part of my brain and vocabulary.

For those who would like to start a daily poetry practice here’s what works for me:

• Begin by using outside prompts. You can find these at readwritepoem.org, here at writer-friendly.com, or almost any writing website or how-to book. Outside prompts are training wheels to help your poetry muscles develop. Once you’re in the habit of writing every day, you’ll find yourself looking at the world as a prompt machine.
• Write at the same time each day, if possible. Even on weekends, I find it useful to write first thing in the morning, before my head is full of to-do lists and conversations.
• Don’t save images or phrases for your “real” poems. Here’s the truth: The more fearlessly and regularly you write, the more images and phrases you’ll produce. I once wrote ten poems in a day and the next found me grinning at my latest creation at six a.m. Writing feeds writing.
• Don’t try to polish coal. Save your editing and rewriting time for the poems that shine in first drafts.
• Share your poems with a carefully chosen group of friends or writers. I’ve been amazed at the impact some of my poems have had on the lives (and writing) of others. I’ve also been dismayed when poems I’ve thought of as particularly clever fall flat. Which brings me to two pieces of general poetry advice:
• Don’t be clever, and
• Don’t always know where you’re going

Clever, predestined poems will never have the impact of poems that are allowed to grow organically, syllable by syllable, image by image, those that surprise you.

I’m looking forward to this year’s NaPoWriMo. Want to join me?

NOTE: Ti has graciously invited us to watch the action as she continues to write a poem a day through April.   All you need to do is Friend her on Facebook.  Be sure and include a message in your Friend request to let her know that you were directed to her from Writer Friendly, so she’ll welcome you with open arms.

Attention Writers!

Let your rejection letters work for you by entering the Bo’s Cafe Life Rejection Letter Challenge.

You could get a FREE evaluation by former Writer’s Digest Editor Melanie Rigney.

For details, visit Bo’s Cafe Life. Deadline April 9th.

The view from Mount St. Mary’s College in L.A. on a recent Saturday, to inspire you.

Invitation to the Dance #2

Poetry Exercise for NaPoWriMo

by Bryn Donovan

April is National Poetry Month, and some writers do NaPoWriMo, where you write a poem a day.

A poem a day is a lot, so here are a few workshop-tested ways to get going.

1. Sometimes in poetry it can be easy to focus on the visual and sort of forget you have four other senses. Write down something you can hear, something you can touch or feel, something you can smell, and something you can taste. Then write a little bit about each one of those…memories they invoke, other things they make you think of, etc. See where it takes you.

2. Make a playlist of three or four songs or pieces of music with very different moods. Some people can write while listening to songs with lyrics, but if words distract you, stick to instrumentals. My recent workshop used a movement from a Beethoven sonata, a Sonny Rollins piece, and a song by Sigur Ros (which actually did have lyrics, but they didn’t distract anyone because none of us spoke Icelandic.)

Freewrite as you listen to your songs. Just keep your pen (or your fingers on the keyboard, if that’s how you roll) moving constantly, letting the mood of the music conjure up images, themes, and narratives.

3. Take a little time to make one or two lists of a bunch of alliterative words (i.e. murmur, moment, mar, memory…or wiseass, winsome, woozy, waste…whatever.) Then make some of them into phrases and/or lines, and see where that leads you.

4. List five very physical experiences: holding a baby, getting a tattoo, running, falling on your butt on the ice, whatever.

Now just write a little bit about one or two of those. Describe the physical sensations in detail. Describe the emotional state as well. Maybe a narrative will grow out of your description.

5. Here’s a metaphor exercise. Write down ten concrete objects. I’m sitting here at my desk as I type this, and I could just use the things in plain sight: a globe, a tape dispenser, a travel mug, etc. Any random list of stuff will do.

Then write “like a” in front of each one of those things, and make it into a metaphor, like this: “The child spun like a globe.” “Like a tape dispenser, she gave and gave, until she had nothing left.”  Ha.

Hope one or two of these work for you. If you’ve got other advice for getting into a poetry-writing frame of mind, please share!

Check out the lucky winner of the March Giveaway, a copy of Poetry for Dummies.  Also get a sneak peek of the  Writer Friendly April Giveaway!

The deadline to enter for the Writer Friendly April Giveaway is April 16!

Thanks for playing!