I’ll be speaking this upcoming Wednesday afternoon at the Tyler Public Library’s Open Door Writing Group. We meet on the 3rd floor of the Tyler Public Library in the Makerspace from 1-3pm. I’ll be speaking about what I learned at the Poetry Society of Texas’ Annual Conference. Hope some of y’all can make it! 🙂
Category: My Own Personal Weirdness
In June, I wrote 6604 words, which wasn’t that great, but I’m pretty sure I was burnt out most of the month after all the graduation nonsense. Of those words,
- 320 were for this blog (2 short posts),
- 1258 were for my journal,
- 2854 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for East Texas Writers Guild and one for the Open Door Writing Group and one for the Tyler Public Library’s Try It Tuesday Class),
- 1033 were on various social media accounts,
- 35 were poetry (1 measly poem after last month’s record *sigh*),
- and 1104 were in short stories (5 pieces of flash fiction).
There were only 8 days that I didn’t write anything, so it seems like my count should be higher for all that. I don’t know – I guess my brain was only thinking in super short form this month.
As for reading, I read parts of:
- A Fire at the Exhibition by T. E. Kinsey (audiobook; mystery)
…and I finished reading:
- Jack Glass by Adam Roberts (hardcover; science fiction – do NOT recommend unless you like unexpectedly gory books)
- The Ghost of Marlowe House by Bobbi Holmes (audiobook; paranormal mystery)
So I have finished 29 books so far this year (and read parts of another 14, mostly for research, but also a couple of things I’ve had to mark DNF.).
In May, I wrote 7505 words, which was all right, given how few writing days existed due to lots and lots of things to attend for my graduating senior. Of those words,
- 376 were for this blog (2 short posts),
- 380 were for my journal,
- 2778 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for East Texas Writers Guild and one for the Open Door Writing Group and one for the Tyler Public Library’s Try It Tuesday Class),
- 1282 were on various social media accounts,
- 2174 were poetry (15 poems, a lifetime record most probably),
- and 515 were in short stories (3 pieces of flash fiction).
There were 11 days that I didn’t write anything, but this month included 3 awards ceremonies, a band banquet, a pinning ceremony, our annual family BBQ, Mother’s Day, teaching a crochet class at the library, a graduation party, and the graduation itself.
I also haven’t heard back from any of the submissions I’ve sent out lately, so I’m assuming they didn’t want those pieces. I haven’t had a chance to prepare any others to send out this month.
As for reading, I read parts of:
- The Carrying by Ada Limon (e-book; poetry)
- Anti-Slavery Poems by John Greenleaf Whittier (e-book; poetry)
- Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (audiobook; non-fiction)
- The Poet’s Cookbook: Details for over 50 Forms, Types of Meter, Structure, Rhyme, and Over 100 Writing Exercises by Dan Gilbert (e-book; non-fiction)
- Poetry’s Data: Digital Humanities and the History of Prodosy by Meredith Martin (e-book; non-fiction)
…and I finished reading:
- An Act of Foul Play by T.E. Kinsey (e-book; mystery)
- The Ghost of Marlow House by Bobbi Holmes (audiobook; paranormal mystery)
So I have finished 27 books so far this year (and read parts of another 15, mostly for research, but also a couple of things I’ve had to mark DNF.).
In April, I wrote 5629 words, which was pretty decent, given that I was really very sick the first 2/3 of the month. Of those words,
- 432 were for this blog (2 short posts),
- 28 were for my journal,
- 3528 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for the Open Door Writing Group and one for the Tyler Public Library’s Try It Tuesday Class),
- 1342 were on various social media accounts,
- 47 were poetry (1 poem),
- and 0 were in short stories (0 pieces of flash fiction).
There were 18 days that I didn’t write anything, but this month included so much illness and then also Easter, spring Holy Days, my son’s birthday, and my birthday. I also haven’t heard back from any of the submissions I’ve sent out lately, but I should hear back any time now.
As for reading, I read parts of:
- Sober on a Drunk Planet: Giving Up Alcohol by Sean Alexander (e-book; non-fiction)
- The Magic Words: Simple Poetry Prompts that Unlock the Creativity in Everyone by Joseph Fansano (e-book; non-fiction)
- Like Literally Dude: Arguing for the Good in Bad English by Valerie Fridland (hardcover; non-fiction)
- How to Read Poetry Like a Professor: A Quippy Guide to Sonorous Verse by Thomas C. Foster (e-book; non-fiction)
- Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries by Kory Stamper (hardcover; non-fiction)
- The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limon (e-book; poetry)
- Anti-Slavery Poems, Volume 1 by John Greenleaf Whittier (e-book; poetry)
- Babel: Around the World in Twenty Languages by Gaston Dorren (hardcover; non-fiction)
…and I finished reading:
- The Mystery at Dunvegan Castle by T.L. Huchu (e-book; fantasy)
- Legacy of Arniston House by T. L. Huchu (e-book; fantasy)
- Dearly by Margaret Atwood (hardcover AND e-book; poetry)
- Wizard of Most Wicked Ways by Charlie Holmberg (audiobook; fantasy)
- The Right to Write by Julia Cameron (re-read trade paperback; non-fiction)
- Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg (re-read trade paperback; non-fiction)
- Knit-Fix: Problem Solving for Knitters by Lisa Karths (hardcover; non-fiction)
- Japanese Knitting Stitches by Yoko Hatta (oversized paperback; non-fiction)
- Sweet Romance by Carrie Cox (beta read it twice – romance)
So I have finished 26 books so far this year (and read parts of another 12, mostly for research, but also a couple of things I’ve had to mark DNF.).
I’ll be speaking this upcoming Wednesday afternoon at the Tyler Public Library’s Open Door Writing Group. We meet on the 3rd floor of the Tyler Public Library in the Makerspace from 1-3pm. I’ll be speaking about Using Rhythm in Poetry and Prose. Hope some of y’all can make it! 🙂
I love poetry, as all of you know. Today is World Poetry Day, which is weird because National Poetry Month isn’t until April. Nevertheless, I’ll be peppering my people with poems today and I hope you will, too. 🙂
I’ll be speaking tonight at the meeting of the East Texas Writers Guild on “Sounds in Poetry” at the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce Building at 6:30pm.
Tomorrow night I’ll be leading a lesson on “Beginner Calligraphy” at the Tyler Public Library at 5:30pm.
A busy week – I’m so excited! 🙂
In February, it felt like I had written practically nothing, so it was sort of a surprise to find out that I wrote 13,543 words. Of those words,
- 353 were for this blog (three short posts),
- 3536 were for my journal,
- 7203 were for handouts, scripts, and slides for lessons (one for East Texas Writers Guild and one for the Open Door Writing Group),
- 1629 were on various social media accounts,
- 421 were poetry (one short poem and one long),
- and 401 were in short stories (two pieces of flash fiction).
There were only four days that I didn’t write anything. I was sick for a lot of the month. So, I didn’t get any poems or short stories submitted anywhere.
As for reading, I read parts of:
- Sound and Form in Modern Poetry by Harvey Gross (paperback; non-fiction)
- Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman (hardcover; poetry)
- Storyteller: 100 Poem Letters by Moran Harper Nichols (e-book; poetry)
- A Poet’s Guide to Poetry by Mary Kinzie (paperback; non-fiction)
- If Women Rose Rooted: The Power of the Celtic Woman by Sharon Blackie (audiobook; non-fiction)
- The Sounds of Poetry: A Brief Guide by Robert Pinsky (paperback; non-fiction)
I finished reading:
- The Green Man: Tales from the Mythic Forest edited by Ellen Datlow (e-book; fiction short stories)
- The Wonder Engine (Clocktaur War #2) by T. Kingfisher (audiobook; fantasy)
- Legends & Lattes (Legends & Lattes #1) by Travis Baldree (paperback; fantasy)
- On the Spectrum: Autism, Faith, and the Gifts of Neurodiversity by Daniel Bowman, Jr. (e-book; non-fiction)
PS. It is totally do-able to read Legends and Lattes #1 AFTER you’ve read Legends and Lattes #2 (Bookshelves and Bonedust) if, like me, you didn’t know it was a series.
I have been rescheduled to speak at the March meeting of the East Texas Writer’s Guild on March 10, 2025. They meet from 6:30pm-8:00pm in the Genecov Room of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce Building (aka The Blackstone Building) in downtown Tyler. I’ll be speaking on Sounds in Poetry. Hope to see some of you there!
I’ve been asked to lead a a couple of sessions of the Tyler Public Library’s “Try It Tuesday!” programs. On March 11, 2025, I’ll be teaching a beginner calligraphy lesson and on April 8, 2025, I’ll be teaching a beginner crochet lesson. Both sessions are free to the public. They run from 5:30-7:30pm in the 3rd floor Makerspace at the Tyler Public Library. Hope to see some of y’all there! 🙂
Lisa Holcomb 