New Years Resolutions at 6 (ish) months....

In December, as part of my KickStart Workshop I wrote some resolutions that would take me a step nearer to becoming the writer I wanted to be (and for whom I had written a book blurb)  see:  http://theonlyconsequence.blogspot.co.uk/search?updated-min=2011-01-01T00:00:00Z&updated-max=2012-01-01T00:00:00Z&max-results=50

Ok, so I don't appear to be the Poet Laureate, but I do seem to have written quite a bit of poetry this year.  I also think that the poetry I have written is an improvement on the poetry I have written previously.   I haven't as yet started on my chick lit novel (as stated in my blurb) but I haven't ruled out starting it sometime soon. 

However, my son means the world to me and I am conscious that the time I spend with him at the moment is time that I won't have back.  I have learnt over the last year or so that it is important to fill your life with only the things that really matter; things that bring you enjoyment and pleasure!  Writing and sharing my poetry with others does give me pleasure.  It also acts as therapy! 

I feel that easing the pressure off myself to succeed as a writer has certainly helped.  Whereas previously I found myself getting more and more stressed at having not written, I do feel that now I am more likely to feel happy when I do write something and just shrug off when I don't.  This attitude actually makes writing easier!!
Although I have yet to 'Attend a Workshop on Writing Poetry' I don't feel the need so much at the moment.  I am happy writing my own style.  What I do aim to do in the second half of the year however, is to actually read more poetry.  To this aim I am glad I have become a member of the Pimento Poets, which gives me chance to hear other poetry being read aloud.

I did resolve to enter at least one competition a month in 2012.  This has not happened. I don't see this as really being an indicator of whether or not I am a good poet; rather whether or not I feel the competition is any good.  I have stuck to the resolution of taking a new piece of writing to every meeting though and have not bored members with renditions of old poems (as other members are sometimes found doing).

I did plan to 'Develop a House Style for Myself'.   This resolution remains on the 'To Do' list.  Unfortunately I am still struggling to allocate time to my writing.  Time needs to be grabbed when it can.  It's a lovely sunny afternoon outside but I know I need to spend the time while Jamie sleeps to catch up on my writing tasks and sort through the huge piles of paper that quickly accumulate, or I may go mental!!

My fifth resolution was to Everyday write something or do something that moves me towards the writer I want to be.  I continue to write both my blogs on at least a weekly basis, I try to read as much as I can - fiction, non-fiction as well as bedtime stories,  I subscribe to two writing magazines, I attend three writing groups on a regular basis, I am still inspired to write the odd Haiku and / or poem to describe my day, and I do feel that everyday I am moving towards a better writer - if only in my head.  And all of this while working part time and raising a three year old!!

John Cooper Clarke

Recently saw a fascinating documentary on BBC4 called Evidently John Cooper Clarke.  For anyone not familiar with him he has always been known as a 'Punk Poet' as he supported a lot of the punk bands in the 70's.  His poetry is full on and very fast, but it somehow works.  Following the documentary I searched for his website  www.johncooperclarke.com/ and discovered he is coming to Lincoln Drill Hall in October.   His name was brought up at the Pimento Poets and I hope I was able to enlighten them when I sent them all a link to the following poem, which was actually on the GCSE syllabus in 2000/02:

I Wanna Be Yours

I wanna be your vacuum cleaner
Breathing in your dust
I wanna be your Ford Cortina
I will never rust
If you like your coffee hot
Let me be your coffee pot
You call the shots
I wanna be yours

I wanna be your raincoat
For those frequent rainy days
I wanna be your dreamboat
When you want to sail away
Let me be your teddy bear
Take me with you anywhere
I don’t care
I wanna be yours

I wanna be your electric meter
I will not run out
I wanna be the electric heater
You’ll get cold without
I wanna be your setting lotion
Hold your hair in deep devotion
Deep as the deep Atlantic ocean
That’s how deep is my devotion

Pimento Poets

Today I went to my first meeting of the Pimento Poets who meet at the Pimento Cafe on Steep Hill in Lincoln.  As well as a stimulating meeting with some interesting people, I got a lovely cup of Strawberry tea as well! 

I was dreading a room full of familiar faces.  Those faces that are members of every writing group and yet don't actually seem to write anything new.  The talkers!   But I was pleasantly surprised that I only recognised one person (other than Alana who had suggested the group to me)  and that was because he had attended a poetry workshop that I had also been on.

The group meet in a little room at the top of the cafe.  There were 9 attendees (including me) with at least 2 missing.  I was glad to see I was not the youngest - nor the oldest!  I wondered afterwards what the other members thought of me.   Where did I fit in amongst such a group?  I gave little away in the 'introduction' other than to say I had started writing again after having my son.  Still feel a little worried that this has somehow pigeonholed me as some kind of mad mother, but I hope my poem (All The Shades of Black) spoke for itself.

The poetry shared during the couple of hours I was there, was well written and thought provoking, but the themes were many and varied!!  Passion, Relationships, Death, American Culture, War and Religion, Photographs and memories, Lighthouses, and a type of poetry (Sketchetry I think he called it) from John which required two readers.

It was nice that there was time for chat between members.  We discussed many things; including punctuation, inspiration, and the effect our physical and mental health has on our writing.  I loved the idea of 'Shock You Backs' within poems; a phrase (thank you John) I had never heard before, but now want to analyse if I have any of these within my poems and whether they might add something.

A great first meeting and I hope to be able to attend many more!

Observation, Observation, Observation

Over the past six months I have returned to my old passion of photography.  After attending a course in December I (we) purchased a Digital SLR camera.  A few weeks ago I attended another - more advanced - workshop.

I feel that photography has a lot in common with the writing process.  It's all about composition and finding something that readers will love as much as you do.  Its also about observation...

I found an article in an old edition (November 2011) of Writing Magazine (www.writers-online.co.uk) by Tarja Moles, called Take A Good Look.  She starts off with; 'Paying attention to your surroundings can help you find new ideas.  Exploring places or watching how people behave can reveal information that you can't find in books.  Sensory details, in particular, become uncovered during observation.'

She goes onto say; 'Observation is more than just looking at things.  Using all of your senses and combining sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touch can give you a deeper understanding of a place, culture and society.'

So, am off now with my notebook, pen and my camera.