Well Done Alana

Well done to Alana - a fellow poet and member of the Lindum Scribes.  She is also the person who introduced me to the Pimento Poets for which I am very grateful (and I hope to make the next meeting!)

She sent all the Pimento Poets the following email this morning: Thanks for the good feedback you gave me with this poem. I had such trouble with it I remember.  Anyway it's just been shortlisted for the Judith Wright comp in Australia so I thought I'd give you the link.

http://overland.org.au/blogs/description/2012/09/overland-emerging-poets-series-alana-kelsall/   Its a very beautiful poem and as I said to Alana, since becoming a mother I seem to be touched more by poetry such as this....   Well Done Alana!

I don't know how we do it!

The latest issue of Mslexia (SEP/OCT/NOV12) www.mslexia.co.uk is in part devoted to the relationship between motherhood and creativity.

In the article from Danuta Kean - I don't know how we do it! - she highlights the benefits of multi tasking.  Dr Kamal Birdi of Sheffield University says; 'There is a phenomenon called "incubation", where you leave a problem you have been working on for a long time and then come back to it, finding a solution suddenly pops into your head.'  Ironically, then, our other responsibilities can actually help with problems such as writers block.  'By going off and doing something else, you get a new insight on how to deal with your original problem,' he adds.

Later in the article Danuta discusses the importance of time to think.  She quotes Rachel Hore who has written 5 novels, who says; 'The challenge for anyone doing any writing is to make enough mental space for deep thought.  It's not just about creativity; its mulling over what you're doing and being able to concentrate.'  Danuta also quotes occupational psychologist Angela Carter who says; 'Start the day with writing and when you have achieved something you are happy with, then have a look at your emails.'

Danuta sums up her article with the words of Louisa Young, whose novel was chosen for this years Richard and Judy Book Club, 'I don't see male writers saying, "Oh my god, I'm not going to finish my great work of art on time!" Women writers need to be less hard on themselves.'

She's right says Danuta, I have never heard a man apologise for the state of his house or for not being perfect.  But I hear women writers doing this all the time.  So right now stop and celebrate how much we achieve, including short stories, poems, plays, blogs and books.  I look at that and think we are miracle workers.  So do as (JoJo) Moyes says; 'We should all take a step back and give ourselves a big pat on the back.'

Achieving Happiness

I recently saw an article by Shawn Achor, author of The Happiness Advantage, called Achieving Happiness Despite Everyday Challenges, see: 

www.huffingtonpost.com/shawn-achor/happiness-tips-research-chronic-illness_b_1798183.html

Part of the article was entitled: Never Give Up On the Good Times and I thought it was brilliant as it gave me another reason to write everyday.  He says:

Take two minutes every day to write down every detail you can remember about one positive experience that occurred over the past 24 hours.  As our brains can't tell much difference between visualization and actual experience, by rehashing a high point in the day you double the effect of that positive experience.  Overall, this leads to greater life satisfaction and meaning.  Studies have shown that women who wrote about positive experiences were 40 percent more likely to live to age 94 than their negative peers.

Writing Muscle....

Loved a piece written by Diana Cambridge  www.dianacambridge.co.uk  in October's Writing Magazine.  This was written in response to a readers query with regards to keeping a writers diary.  She says:

If you are just thinking of ideas for your writing, you're merely day dreaming.  Once you actually write things down, you are building up that writing muscle.  Your writing improves all the time because you are practising....a bit like music.  Writing's a craft that has to be practised - the writers notebook is your practice.

Apologies (again)

Once again I feel really bad as I had to send apologies to the Pimento Poets who met this morning. Mondays and Tuesdays are my day with Jamie and although daddy works shifts, so every other week I can (theoretically) have a morning to myself, this proves quite difficult in practise as these are also the days when we can get things done!  This morning it was cousin Noah's birthday and so I felt really guilty even contemplating not visiting him with Jamie on his birthday.  We did have a 'creative' morning, but it just wasn't poetry!!

I really enjoyed the first meeting of the Pimento Poets I attended and had hoped to become a permanent part of the group, so I hope they understand.  I did send an email to try to explain about 'The Pram In the Hallway' and I attached a copy of my poem - A Mothers Lament, see: http://grumpymumtobe.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/mothers-lament.html which I hope will help to explain my predicament, but also highlight that even through the fog of motherhood I am still serious about my poetry!

Believe In Yourself!!

In the Writing Magazine Competition Special (October 2012) there is plenty of information - as well as competitions - to get my teeth into and juices flowing!!    In an article by Linda Dunscombe www.linda-dunscombe.co.uk/ entitled 'Competition  Challenge' she discusses the challenge of entering a writing competition every month.

In her 'Tips to make 2013 a winning year for your writing' she concludes; Being a writer means we live through the joys and traumas of our character's.  It's a life often littered with rejection but its also a life that's rich with adventure.

Believe in Yourself (she says) Writers seem to be particularly prone to the demons of negativity.  Banish them!   Have faith and belief in yourself.  The best way to build confidence and destroy the demons is to be productive.  Work hard, learn the craft, and write or be creative every day.