Official DU NaPoWriMo 2020 Discussion Thread
Eerie said:
I’ve been writing everything on the day as well. I tried to plan an epic or something a little more theme based but was coming up dry so I decided to wing it each day and write about whatever was happening or whatever I happened to be thinking about the most. I am like you in that I find it easier to write when in a particular state of mind. I have mostly not been able to get away from that.
At this point, I’m just impressed that I’ve been able to produce seven days in a row. It’s been a good challenge!
Because this is such an interesting discussion, I've decided to share what I consider my own unique approach. I follow two particular protocols in my schemata:
1) to involve my wife so she does not become frustrated with my daily application and preoccupation with my computer in the night, I'm including her name in all 30 piems. Now that I've told her about this, she asks me almost daily whether I have already written my poem and could she read it. Now I have a supporter rather than a jealous opposer;
2) all 30 poems will focus on April-related themes, have the same number of lines, follow a common linear structure, and maintain an unchanging rhyme scheme.
This makes my daily work easy: all I have to do is look at April from another angle, find a connecting line for my wife (which is always reflected in the title), type into the fixed linear structure, and maintain my fixed rhyme scheme. I also use three online word counters just to triangulate, lest I fall below the minimum count.
I’ve been writing everything on the day as well. I tried to plan an epic or something a little more theme based but was coming up dry so I decided to wing it each day and write about whatever was happening or whatever I happened to be thinking about the most. I am like you in that I find it easier to write when in a particular state of mind. I have mostly not been able to get away from that.
At this point, I’m just impressed that I’ve been able to produce seven days in a row. It’s been a good challenge!
Because this is such an interesting discussion, I've decided to share what I consider my own unique approach. I follow two particular protocols in my schemata:
1) to involve my wife so she does not become frustrated with my daily application and preoccupation with my computer in the night, I'm including her name in all 30 piems. Now that I've told her about this, she asks me almost daily whether I have already written my poem and could she read it. Now I have a supporter rather than a jealous opposer;
2) all 30 poems will focus on April-related themes, have the same number of lines, follow a common linear structure, and maintain an unchanging rhyme scheme.
This makes my daily work easy: all I have to do is look at April from another angle, find a connecting line for my wife (which is always reflected in the title), type into the fixed linear structure, and maintain my fixed rhyme scheme. I also use three online word counters just to triangulate, lest I fall below the minimum count.
DaisyGrace said:
i heard someone say once "write from the scar, not the wound." that has stuck with me and i try to heed that advice. while it is quite therapeutic to write in the midst of the 'wound' and i would never discourage someone from writing while depressed, or going through trauma, i've found i can be more objective and mine for even deeper emotions when i'm away from the wound. and that leads to better, more universally relatable, poetry.
Hmm, this makes a lot of sense. When I write in the midst of emotional turmoil, it feels really good to spill, and I can come out with some good intensity, but I can't look at it objectively and learn. Writing after the fact feels more purposeful.
I have had a few terrifying nights with no ideas at all until 11pm... I'd like to find some quiet time to at least launch an idea in my mind in the morning that I can play with all day. But it's tough when everyone is always here!!! There's no alone space in this quarantined life....
i heard someone say once "write from the scar, not the wound." that has stuck with me and i try to heed that advice. while it is quite therapeutic to write in the midst of the 'wound' and i would never discourage someone from writing while depressed, or going through trauma, i've found i can be more objective and mine for even deeper emotions when i'm away from the wound. and that leads to better, more universally relatable, poetry.
Hmm, this makes a lot of sense. When I write in the midst of emotional turmoil, it feels really good to spill, and I can come out with some good intensity, but I can't look at it objectively and learn. Writing after the fact feels more purposeful.
I have had a few terrifying nights with no ideas at all until 11pm... I'd like to find some quiet time to at least launch an idea in my mind in the morning that I can play with all day. But it's tough when everyone is always here!!! There's no alone space in this quarantined life....
EPISODE 9/30
"Captain's Log, Stardate April 9th, 2020
I'm not even sure why I am bothering with this. The power has been out for nearly twenty-four hours now ever since T'PoetsRevenge disabled the entire starship with the Electromagnetic Ellipsis. I might as well be talking into my finger.
Anyhoo, the Vulcaness's quick thinking had saved us from sliding through Typer Space, but now the Stanza is drifting aimlessly through . . ."
THUD
". . . Normal Space."
DUG squinted through a porthole on the starboard side and said, "It appears we have encountered a giant metal object."
The eyes of Bones McTallen became so big, they almost popped out of his skull. "It's an industrial sized tin of Bacon Flavored SPAM! HOORAY! We won't EVER starve! These scrumptious things have no expiration dates!"
True, but only because it was not real food.
McTallen refused to listen to anything other than his stomach. He recruited rowantree and hepcat into a spacewalk for the purpose of retrieving it. Due to the power outage, Kinkpoet performed a manual override of the Caps Lock, allowing them to exit the ship.
Once outside the Stanza, it was discovered that the giant can was blocking everyone's view of a an even greater object.
"My goodness!" Poppykat Janeway cried out. "That's no moon! It's the Smorgas Borg!"
They all witnessed the gargantuan cube pulsing with lights rapidly approaching.
"It's a trap!" Warfyroo exclaimed ... but it was difficult to take him seriously, because that line was even more blatantly ripped off from Star Wars than the previous.
It was hopeless; everything and everyone was caught up in the tractor beam of the Smorgas Borg, slowly being pulled into its Cornucopia!
JohnnyBlaze said:EPISODE 9/30
"Captain's Log, Stardate April 9th, 2020
I'm not even sure why I am bothering with this. The power has been out for nearly twenty-four hours now ever since T'PoetsRevenge disabled the entire starship with the Electromagnetic Ellipsis. I might as well be talking into my finger.
Anyhoo, the Vulcaness's quick thinking had saved us from sliding through Typer Space, but now the Stanza is drifting aimlessly through . . ."
THUD
". . . Normal Space."
DUG squinted through a porthole on the starboard side and said, "It appears we have encountered a giant metal object."
The eyes of Bones McTallen became so big, they almost popped out of his skull. "It's an industrial sized tin of Bacon Flavored SPAM! HOORAY! We won't EVER starve! These scrumptious things have no expiration dates!"
True, but only because it was not real food.
McTallen refused to listen to anything other than his stomach. He recruited rowantree and hepcat into a spacewalk for the purpose of retrieving it. Due to the power outage, Kinkpoet performed a manual override of the Caps Lock, allowing them to exit the ship.
Once outside the Stanza, it was discovered that the giant can was blocking everyone's view of a an even greater object.
"My goodness!" Poppykat Janeway cried out. "That's no moon! It's the Smorgas Borg!"
They all witnessed the gargantuan cube pulsing with lights rapidly approaching.
"It's a trap!" Warfyroo exclaimed ... but it was difficult to take him seriously, because that line was even more blatantly ripped off from Star Wars than the previous.
It was hopeless; everything and everyone was caught up in the tractor beam of the Smorgas Borg, slowly being pulled into its Cornucopia!
SUPER creative!! & i ain't just saying this because You've included SPAM (Food) in the write
"Captain's Log, Stardate April 9th, 2020
I'm not even sure why I am bothering with this. The power has been out for nearly twenty-four hours now ever since T'PoetsRevenge disabled the entire starship with the Electromagnetic Ellipsis. I might as well be talking into my finger.
Anyhoo, the Vulcaness's quick thinking had saved us from sliding through Typer Space, but now the Stanza is drifting aimlessly through . . ."
THUD
". . . Normal Space."
DUG squinted through a porthole on the starboard side and said, "It appears we have encountered a giant metal object."
The eyes of Bones McTallen became so big, they almost popped out of his skull. "It's an industrial sized tin of Bacon Flavored SPAM! HOORAY! We won't EVER starve! These scrumptious things have no expiration dates!"
True, but only because it was not real food.
McTallen refused to listen to anything other than his stomach. He recruited rowantree and hepcat into a spacewalk for the purpose of retrieving it. Due to the power outage, Kinkpoet performed a manual override of the Caps Lock, allowing them to exit the ship.
Once outside the Stanza, it was discovered that the giant can was blocking everyone's view of a an even greater object.
"My goodness!" Poppykat Janeway cried out. "That's no moon! It's the Smorgas Borg!"
They all witnessed the gargantuan cube pulsing with lights rapidly approaching.
"It's a trap!" Warfyroo exclaimed ... but it was difficult to take him seriously, because that line was even more blatantly ripped off from Star Wars than the previous.
It was hopeless; everything and everyone was caught up in the tractor beam of the Smorgas Borg, slowly being pulled into its Cornucopia!
SUPER creative!! & i ain't just saying this because You've included SPAM (Food) in the write
cabcool said:
Because this is such an interesting discussion, I've decided to share what I consider my own unique approach. I follow two particular protocols in my schemata:
1) to involve my wife so she does not become frustrated with my daily application and preoccupation with my computer in the night, I'm including her name in all 30 piems. Now that I've told her about this, she asks me almost daily whether I have already written my poem and could she read it. Now I have a supporter rather than a jealous opposer;
Brilliant. Spouses can get jealous of time spent focusing on something outside the relationship if they don't feel included. Exclusion could lead to wild imagination and miscommunication. Including them builds trust by letting them know their voice is important to something important to you.
2) all 30 poems will focus on April-related themes, have the same number of lines, follow a common linear structure, and maintain an unchanging rhyme scheme.
This makes my daily work easy: all I have to do is look at April from another angle, find a connecting line for my wife (which is always reflected in the title), type into the fixed linear structure, and maintain my fixed rhyme scheme. I also use three online word counters just to triangulate, lest I fall below the minimum count.
This is akin to a long-distance runner vs a sprinter. I used to run the mile in highschool and college. I would win it by resisting the urge to start out strong whenever competitors pulled ahead of me. Instead I paced myself and by the second-third lap I was overtaking them, their energy having been spent. But, the best part was the final lap, when I could release all that pent-up excitement and desire to break free, and thus sprint the last half across the finish line.
Your plan is a solid way of keeping pace throughout the challenge. You had a subject, i.e. -
April, and a format to deliver that subject poetically. Well done and thank you for sharing.
Because this is such an interesting discussion, I've decided to share what I consider my own unique approach. I follow two particular protocols in my schemata:
1) to involve my wife so she does not become frustrated with my daily application and preoccupation with my computer in the night, I'm including her name in all 30 piems. Now that I've told her about this, she asks me almost daily whether I have already written my poem and could she read it. Now I have a supporter rather than a jealous opposer;
Brilliant. Spouses can get jealous of time spent focusing on something outside the relationship if they don't feel included. Exclusion could lead to wild imagination and miscommunication. Including them builds trust by letting them know their voice is important to something important to you.
2) all 30 poems will focus on April-related themes, have the same number of lines, follow a common linear structure, and maintain an unchanging rhyme scheme.
This makes my daily work easy: all I have to do is look at April from another angle, find a connecting line for my wife (which is always reflected in the title), type into the fixed linear structure, and maintain my fixed rhyme scheme. I also use three online word counters just to triangulate, lest I fall below the minimum count.
This is akin to a long-distance runner vs a sprinter. I used to run the mile in highschool and college. I would win it by resisting the urge to start out strong whenever competitors pulled ahead of me. Instead I paced myself and by the second-third lap I was overtaking them, their energy having been spent. But, the best part was the final lap, when I could release all that pent-up excitement and desire to break free, and thus sprint the last half across the finish line.
Your plan is a solid way of keeping pace throughout the challenge. You had a subject, i.e. -
April, and a format to deliver that subject poetically. Well done and thank you for sharing.
As for the rest of you, April can be the cruelest month, particularly in the second week, when the excitement is gone and the hill is steep ( those who heard me refer to that on the podcast should've been expecting this ). But, once you hit that halfway mark ( in less than a week! ), your energy will renew because it's downhill from there.
This challenge teaches you that there is poetry in everything from a cup of black coffee to a leaf on the sidewalk. April is the month most things spring come to life and inspire. And while this April seems a bit crueller with Covid-19 lurking about, nature hasn't changed; in fact, she's gotten more beautiful, particularly in certain places.
Did you know photographers in India are shooting the himalayan mountains for the first time in decades because of the pollution decrease. Venice's famous canals have never been cleaner! Virtual bird watching is officially a thing! But, most importantly, we have time. And time is one of the most important gifts we could ever be given, any grieving family member during this time will confirm that.
In essence, there are so many things to write about that you probably hadn't considered writing about. My personal tip? Read and research. Does it for me never-fails every single time. Anyone who loves knowledge and words will be inspired by something they read and research.
It's a given.
A few more things:
In reference to writing from the scar and not the wound. . .it doesn't apply during NaPo! I posted a quote recently that stressed that you can edit a written page, but not a blank one. If you are feeling inspired or the need to write, WRITE. You can always edit later, once you've gotten it out.
Also, while writing on the day of the challenge is a part of NaPo, so is editing. if you are feeling inspired to write, by gosh, WRITE. You would deny a poem birth because you feel you need to wait until tomorrow to write it? You've very well missed out on an inspired poem once the inspiration passes.
You can always edit and revise the next day. You ARE writing every day, if you write every day—inspired or not. Just because you may write five poems in one day doesn't mean they'll all be posted; however, at least you'll have five poems to review and edit later.
Hang tough, Cadets, you can do this!
This challenge teaches you that there is poetry in everything from a cup of black coffee to a leaf on the sidewalk. April is the month most things spring come to life and inspire. And while this April seems a bit crueller with Covid-19 lurking about, nature hasn't changed; in fact, she's gotten more beautiful, particularly in certain places.
Did you know photographers in India are shooting the himalayan mountains for the first time in decades because of the pollution decrease. Venice's famous canals have never been cleaner! Virtual bird watching is officially a thing! But, most importantly, we have time. And time is one of the most important gifts we could ever be given, any grieving family member during this time will confirm that.
In essence, there are so many things to write about that you probably hadn't considered writing about. My personal tip? Read and research. Does it for me never-fails every single time. Anyone who loves knowledge and words will be inspired by something they read and research.
It's a given.
A few more things:
In reference to writing from the scar and not the wound. . .it doesn't apply during NaPo! I posted a quote recently that stressed that you can edit a written page, but not a blank one. If you are feeling inspired or the need to write, WRITE. You can always edit later, once you've gotten it out.
Also, while writing on the day of the challenge is a part of NaPo, so is editing. if you are feeling inspired to write, by gosh, WRITE. You would deny a poem birth because you feel you need to wait until tomorrow to write it? You've very well missed out on an inspired poem once the inspiration passes.
You can always edit and revise the next day. You ARE writing every day, if you write every day—inspired or not. Just because you may write five poems in one day doesn't mean they'll all be posted; however, at least you'll have five poems to review and edit later.
Hang tough, Cadets, you can do this!
