So It Begins -- My Summer Vacation
Ah, yes...
It's about that time of the year when my world slows to a halt, when the craziness of busy schedules, to-do lists, and responsibilities go away, and I'm left with no more excuses not to write.
It's summer.
Today was my first official day of vacation, my first full day. I'm off, for sure, from now until the middle of July, and if my classes summer classes don't make, until the end of August. It's an interesting feeling -- the pressure of work and teaching falls away, but the pressure to write, to produce, to make the most of my time of rest builds up. I can't waste a perfectly good two/three months of writing time, of me time.
Last week, I eased into my new writing routine, and it's actually been going pretty well. I'm writing in the mornings and then doing other writer-related business in the afternoons, like editing, submitting, and blogging. It's a pretty good system.
So what are my goals for this summer?
I don't think they're necessarily very tangible, and that scares me a bit to be honest. I'd like to say, "I'm going to finish manuscript X by the time I return to work" or maybe be halfway done with it, but I don't know what "it" is just yet. It's all very nebulous at the moment. I know that my next project is a book of poems (duh). I know that the book is centered around narratives of the body. But beyond that, I'm not totally sure where I'm going with this.
Anyway, I need some goals, so here they are:
1. Have a solid concept of your next manuscript before returning to work
2. Write everyday. No excuses. You don't have an excuse anymore.
3. Be productive with your writing time. Make each session fruitful, even if that fruit is a page of jibberish. Make headway everyday.
4. In terms of a number of poems, one a week is too few. One a day is too many. So, be somewhere in between.
5. Create at least one new prose piece before the summer ends
6. Maintain a healthy submission schedule of one at least two submissions per week
7. Blog. At least one per week.
8. Participate in the poetry community! Online AND in person. Workshop weekly. Read in public/sign books monthly
9. Revamp your creative writing syllabus for the fall, but do this towards the end of the summer of course :-)
10. Be healthy, of body and mind.
Ten's a nice round number, isn't it?
Those summer goals are doable. I can do this. I can have a productive, fun, and relaxing summer. I can breathe a little. I can enjoy myself.
My summer is already starting to come together, looks like! I've got a few events lined up, too, which will keep me busy, active, and overall, happy. I'll be reading at a Poetry Pasta and Vino May 30th, at El Hueso del Fraile on June 5th, and signing books at Boots, Books, and Brew on June 20th.
I'm also running a 10k next month. Yep, you read that right. F off, spinal stenosis! :-D
It's about that time of the year when my world slows to a halt, when the craziness of busy schedules, to-do lists, and responsibilities go away, and I'm left with no more excuses not to write.
It's summer.
Today was my first official day of vacation, my first full day. I'm off, for sure, from now until the middle of July, and if my classes summer classes don't make, until the end of August. It's an interesting feeling -- the pressure of work and teaching falls away, but the pressure to write, to produce, to make the most of my time of rest builds up. I can't waste a perfectly good two/three months of writing time, of me time.
Last week, I eased into my new writing routine, and it's actually been going pretty well. I'm writing in the mornings and then doing other writer-related business in the afternoons, like editing, submitting, and blogging. It's a pretty good system.
So what are my goals for this summer?
I don't think they're necessarily very tangible, and that scares me a bit to be honest. I'd like to say, "I'm going to finish manuscript X by the time I return to work" or maybe be halfway done with it, but I don't know what "it" is just yet. It's all very nebulous at the moment. I know that my next project is a book of poems (duh). I know that the book is centered around narratives of the body. But beyond that, I'm not totally sure where I'm going with this.
Anyway, I need some goals, so here they are:
1. Have a solid concept of your next manuscript before returning to work
2. Write everyday. No excuses. You don't have an excuse anymore.
3. Be productive with your writing time. Make each session fruitful, even if that fruit is a page of jibberish. Make headway everyday.
4. In terms of a number of poems, one a week is too few. One a day is too many. So, be somewhere in between.
5. Create at least one new prose piece before the summer ends
6. Maintain a healthy submission schedule of one at least two submissions per week
7. Blog. At least one per week.
8. Participate in the poetry community! Online AND in person. Workshop weekly. Read in public/sign books monthly
9. Revamp your creative writing syllabus for the fall, but do this towards the end of the summer of course :-)
10. Be healthy, of body and mind.
Ten's a nice round number, isn't it?
Those summer goals are doable. I can do this. I can have a productive, fun, and relaxing summer. I can breathe a little. I can enjoy myself.
My summer is already starting to come together, looks like! I've got a few events lined up, too, which will keep me busy, active, and overall, happy. I'll be reading at a Poetry Pasta and Vino May 30th, at El Hueso del Fraile on June 5th, and signing books at Boots, Books, and Brew on June 20th.
I'm also running a 10k next month. Yep, you read that right. F off, spinal stenosis! :-D
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