I spent November in a world of sonnets. I loved working on the Poem a Day challenge by Writer’s Digest. I pushed myself more than I have with poetry before. I could not keep up with writing a sonnet a day. It took me usually two days to write one, and some prompts left me going, ‘Oh boy.’ I struggled with ideas, and I ended up with a lot of sonnets that were winter inspired or sadness inspired. Hence my manuscript title of Midwinter & Melancholy. I ended up with 13 really good sonnets that I just submitted last night.
Right now I’m sitting here going, oh did I do enough? Did I write enough? I could only send in between 10-20 sonnets. And I picked my best ones. I had a couple other silly ones that did not get into the chapbook manuscript. I wrote one about White Christmas, the film, and then a vampire-y one. I had two about the holiday season. I had my silly Once Upon A Time one. I wanted to write a Once Upon a Winter’s Night sonnet, but then forgot. Oops. It would have worked perfectly with what I had typed up. Oh well. It’s too late now because the file is out of my hands and now in Mr. Brewer’s.
So now comes the waiting process. Until March. I hate this feeling of sending in a manuscript. I hate the waiting. I hate the feeling that I forgot something. Nerves. Paranoia. Will I ever get over sending in manuscripts? I sent in a short story in January to three literary magazines. Now I have to find more to send in to. I have found two. But I’m panicking. I panic a lot when it comes to writing. That inferiority complex. The “I’m not good enough to get published…..” The “Dammit! I’m good enough I’m gonna send it in…..oh God, my work is crap what was I thinking?!!!” Feeling.
Do all writers feel like this? Do you feel like this? Will it ever go away? Sigh. Le sigh. I guess if I want to be published, this is part of the process. Pardon me while I go curl up in a ball and rock back and forth in terror. No, just kidding.
So….. There you have it. I am glad I did this poetry challenge. I love writing sonnets now and I have kept it up. My new prompt of the week is Whispers from the guy who’s giving me word prompts. I love these prompts. I need something to keep me focused. This is certainly doing it.
So. There you have my PAD followup.
Kate
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