Photo of the Week
My poetry stash for National Poetry Month 2022.
General Discussion
I have an issue (you know what I mean). I’ve been reading again, but I don’t start until after my late-night writing time, which means not until around midnight.
I know all you other readers out there just cringed along with me (unless you’re retired and time has no meaning).
I’ve been staying up way too late (in some cases, way, way too late), and not getting enough sleep, which leaves me irritable (at best) and sometimes virtually non-functional (at worst) the next day. Needless to say, it isn’t sustainable. But I need to read – not only do I enjoy reading (obviously), but I need to keep refilling the creative well I draw from when I’m writing and doing other creative activities. I just…can’t open a book when I need to be in bed half an hour later. Because I lack self-control, especially when I’m tired, and there’s a lot of action going on in the story that I can’t possibly put down until I get to a good stopping point…which…might not happen for another chapter or five.
You see my problem.
I did have an idea I may well try this next week. I could put a wall timer on the lamp in my office, and set it to come on at 10pm, and go off at 12am (or a little after). When the light goes off, I go to bed. Treating myself like the rebellious child I apparently am (when it comes to bedtime, at least). I’ll let you know if it works or not.
On a brighter note, April is National Poetry Month, and as you can see by the photo above, I grabbed a stack of interesting-sounding poetry books at the bookstore last Friday to facilitate some serious poetry reading this month.
I don’t consider myself much of a poet, but I’ll be writing poetry this month, because it’s always good to stretch yourself creatively, and poetry is actually pretty fun if you don’t take yourself too seriously.
I’m also going to be working on my short story currently in progress, and replacing the old restaurant booth I currently write in with a proper desk and chair setup. More on that in a couple of weeks.
I feel like April is going to be a good, productive, and transformative month. I hope so, at least.
Currently Reading
Poetry: I’m starting with Tami Haaland’s Breath in Every Room. Tami is one of our very distinguished Montana poets – you can check out her site at httpss://www.tamihaaland.com/
Video Highlight
You might need an Instagram account for this one (sorry), but Orna Ross does a neat “1 of Mine & 1 of Yours” feature on the platform that is one of her poems, and a poem from the winner of the #indiepoetryplease contest held each week. I really enjoyed last week’s poems, so I hope you’ll go check them out as well.
httpss://www.instagram.com/tv/Cakc_BRoLQn/
Song of the Week
Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott, set to music by Loreena McKennett: httpss://youtu.be/80-kp6RDl94
Beautiful and somewhat haunting, methinks.
Pop Quiz!
What time of day is your favorite for reading?
I love to read late at night, when the world is quiet and I can really sink into the story (or poem, as it were). Comic books are the only exception – I have really weird dreams when I read comic books before bed, so I tend to prefer those earlier in the day. Weird, I know.
Post Round-up
The Writer’s Desk (last updated: April 3, 2022)
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