poetry | SnoValley Writes!

Greetings Rainy Morning, Writers:

Well, at least it’s raining at the ol’ Thrasher Studios Homestead. Maybe you have some autumn sun? At any rate, if you’re like many writers, the cooler temps and shorter days send you inside to create stories more often. That’s why on Saturday we reviewed the 7 basics of a writing education. The things you should be doing to give your literary life a good foundation.

Upcoming workshops include:

October 18: Poetry is Not a Luxury

November 15: Where to Submit your Work (Note, in our workshop, I mistakenly said November 22. That’s incorrect. The third Saturday for November is actually the 15th.)

December 20: Blog to the World

There’s been questions about whether or not we’ll keep this Saturday schedule. The answer is: Yes, for the foreseeable future.

Today’s prompt is to get you ready for our next workshop. I want you to go check your bookshelves, your e-reader, the library — wherever literary sources are available to you, and find a book of poetry. It doesn’t have to be anything specific. It doesn’t have to be sonnets. It can be anything. There’s tons out there. You could pick up McSweeneys or ZoeTrope All Story. Heck, grab your kid’s Dr. Seuss book, if need be. Do, however, go out of your comfort zone. Find something new. Find your alma mater’s literary magazine and check that out. Then read it. Study it. Really examine it. Journal about it. Find the meaning between the lines and words and the white space. Breathe it for the next month or so. Keep picking it up. Memorize it if you like. Learn it. Know it.

Now for your moment of Writing Zen:

“Poetry is an act of peace.” – Pablo Neruda

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

Casondra Brewster
Moderator/Founder
Sno Valley Writes!
Helping Writers Reach New Literary Peaks Since 2008
http://www.snovalleywrites.org
Check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SnoValleyWrites

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

Writers!

Wow! We’ve had a busy writing-centered week. Love it. Poetry on Monday. Work shop on Tuesday. And tonight is Writers Cafe at Jay Berry’s.

Congratulations on a great event on Monday! The library seemed fairly happy with the participation — both from poet and audience. Feels good!

Last night’s workshop helped our authors focus in on what to do and not to do to be a better candidate for an agent to notice: Do’s and Don’ts and things to do before you knock on the agent’s door. Now, go get ’em gang!

Our May 13th workshop will be on Finding Time for Writing. Over the past few months at workshops and cafes I keep hearing folks make a comment about writing time getting pushed down in the priority list. We’ll go over strategies to make time for writing, juggling your writing needs and family/work/community responsibilities. For some it will be a repeat, but it seems we all need it, including myself. I also have learned a few more things that I will share with you during this time as well. Oh, and we’ll also write.

There is some desire from the groups for me to repeat the “Solidifying Your Online Presence” work shop. So, I’m going to put that on the calendar for May 27th.

Our first June workshop, June 10, will be on critiquing. Be prepared to bring a few copies of one of your short stories, sample chapter, or a few poems (not more than 5 pages) to exchange with a couple of the group. Remember, we practice a creative safe zone tactics. Don’t know what that is? Then plan to be at this work shop.

Please put these dates on your calendar and be there. As always, 6 p.m. at the North Bend Library meeting Room, until about 7:30. Last night we went over a bit, but dealing with agents is kind of intense. 🙂 I’m always happy to stay later (we have the room until 8) to answer questions.

Today’s prompt is a straight-up prompt getting you to just pause and get words down.

Start your piece based upon this sentence: The janitor finds something interesting in the accountant’s waste basket.

Go.

Write.

Don’t just stare at the screen, go write. After you write you can get your Moment of Writing Zen:

“You need three things to become a successful novelist: talent, luck and discipline. Discipline is the one element of those three things that you can control, and so that is the one that you have to focus on controlling, and you just have to hope and trust in the other two.”

― Michael Chabon

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What did you Write today?
~Casz

“But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.” ~ Lord Byron

SnoValley Writes!

Helping Writers Reach Literary Peaks

Tag Archives: poetry

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