This was such a fun interview! I recently spoke with Rachael Dubinsky on her Wicked Writers podcast, which features a wide range of Massachusetts-based writers and explores why they love what they do. We talked about poetry, my work as an editor and writing coach, and the importance of finding inspiration everywhere. Plus, I share one of my favorite tips for writers and read “Origin Story,” one of my poems.
Click here to listen to my interview on Wicked Writers. Hope you enjoy it!
Oh, are you in store for a treat today! š
Iām thrilled to share that my poem āNo Darkness Here (An Ode to Metal Music)ā is featured in the latest issue of Golden Walkman Magazine. However, you wonāt be able to read a printed version of the poem. You see, Golden Walkman is a podcast-style literary journal that, in their own words, āaims at giving the written word a voice.ā So all of the work they publish is in audio format only ā which means youāll be able to listen to me read the poem!
(Read more after the jump.)
When my previous DIY MFA post went live, I might have mentioned it was the first of two posts Iād write about literary themes and poetry. š So todayās post is the unofficial part two! Itās about identifying themes in the poetry you write using the original source of the poemās inspiration (or, rather, what the poemās about), your reasons for writing it in the first place, and the emotions you were feeling that influenced the poemās tone. I also share examples from my own poetry to explain this process, then end the post with a thoughtful question: Why is it important for a poet to know the themes they cover in their work?
When I was preparing my final poetry submission of 2018 during the last week of December, a surprising question popped into my head: āHow many submissions did I send out this year?ā
You see, I donāt set goals for a certain number of submissions each month or year, especially since poetry is still a part-time endeavor for me. Instead, I continually write and revise my poems, read various journals, and submit to places that I think would be a good fit for my work. And while I track my submissions, itās mainly to remind myself of the facts, like which publications Iām waiting to hear from and which poems are currently out on submission.
So, for those reasons, I really had NO idea how many submissions Iād sent out in 2018. (*lol*) And not knowing that number made me curious. So I reviewed my tracking sheet, did some math, and decided to blog about what I found, with some relevant tips to boot.
Every Monday evening, instead of writing for 60 to 90 minutes at my laptop, I spend that time on my yoga mat. Itās a habit Iāve consistently maintained for 2 years, though I was first introduced to yoga about 5 years ago. Sometimes itās with a class, led by a teacher who has become both mentor and cheerleader to me.** Other times itās at home, thanks to the TV awesomeness known as YouTube OnDemand. Regardless, yoga has become an essential part of my life, much the same way that writing has.
Maybe that explains why I came to this conclusion recently: Yoga and writing sessions have a lot in common.
Iām sure some of you might be thinking, āUmā¦ OKā¦. But how?ā Thatās what todayās blog post is all about. š Here are five ways in which yoga and writing are similar, and how Iāve benefited from having both in my life.
I had an idea while preparing the Favorite Fiction Reads of Summer 2018 post recently. Even though I read nonfiction (mainly on writing and creativity) and poetry as well as fiction, I only ever blog about fiction. But Iām not just a reader. Iām also a poet, a dabbler in speculative fiction, and a perpetual student of the craft of writing. So why not blog about the other kinds of books I read, since theyāre just as important to my literary life?
Hence this weekās experiment. This round-up shares mini-reviews of five poetry books and four āwriterlyā nonfiction books Iāve read over the past few months. If any of them pique your interest, you can check out more information on Goodreads via the link in each title. Most importantly, if this kind of post is something youād like to see again (maybe every 3 or 4 months), let me know in your comments. Thatās the best way for me to know whether this is worth continuing as a blog series.
I havenāt touched my novel-in-progress since the second week of July.
Yeah. Thereās no way of sugarcoating the truth. The good news is, I havenāt stopped writing altogether. But the first draft of the manuscript Iāve been working on for the past year? The desire to open the Word file isnāt there right now. In fact, I think it had been gone for a while, but it took me several weeks to realize it.
Maybe this has happened to you. At some point during a writing project, despite the passion you felt early on, the fire goes out. You might not know the reason why right away. You might not even recognize what the feeling is at first, so you keep pushing on. But once you doā¦ well, depending on your personality, you might have a hard time accepting it.
Today, Iām here to tell you something important: Itās OK. Youāre not alone in this, and maybe something in this post might help you get through it and figure out what to do next.
Recently I was interviewed by Jennifer Sparkman for her online magazine The Articles of Antiquity. And what did we talk about? Writing, of course! š Poetry, DIY MFA, all-time favorite writers, sources of inspiration, and a few other topics. I had fun answering Jenās questions, and I hope youāll enjoy reading the end result.
Hereās a question for any writers who are reading this: At what point in the writing process do you start paying attention to your story’s themes? Does theme even cross your mind as youāre brainstorming, drafting, or revising a story? If you answered ānoā ā donāt worry, your story probably still contains themes . However, it always helps to have a strong awareness of themes. So in my latest DIY MFA article, we explore ways in which you can develop that awareness at each stage of the process, and how that awareness can improve more than just the story.
Also, a fun fact for you: The conversation I mention during the articleās introduction eventually inspired me to pitch the Theme: A Storyās Soul column to DIY MFA. š
First things first: I miscalculated how old the blog is. Weāre celebrating its ninth birthday today, not its tenth. (*face turns red*) Sorry about that!
Regardless, a ninth blogoversary is impressive. I launched this site in 2009 mostly because blogging seemed like fun. (Not to mention I was always happy to find a new outlet for writing.) Since then, Iāve grown so much as a writer and as a person, and the blog has evolved as well. So, from a perspective of reflection, itās appropriate that this yearās blogoversary post centers on all-time favorite writing advice. (Thank you for the suggestion, Zezee!)
It was challenging, but I narrowed it down to nine favorites to coincide with nine years of blogging. I hope you find these tips as motivating and inspiring as I did when I first came upon them.
Sara Letourneau 