I Wrote 30 New Poems and Submitted Over 30 Poems in April 2020 for National Poetry Writing Month
Well, here's entry number 19 for NaPoWriMo but the date when I'm writing this is actually April 30 (don't let the publishing date fool you; these post were all pre-made on March 31 as a means of helping me keep things organized and keep me motivated!), so clearly I didn't get to my goal of writing a post a day about NaPoWriMo for the month of April. However, from the very beginning I knew that my Ultra Mega Super Duper Extra Long to do list of 150 items for NaPoWriMo would spill into May. And now we have official plans for it! More about that in a coming post. For now, though, it's time to celebrate what I did accomplish, which is...
I wrote 30 new poems
during the month of April 2020
Sure, this month has sucked giant salty balls of grossness, with a global, national, and regional crisis, but that makes it even more important to celebrate any of the good things that may have happened. Including also...
I submitted over 30 poems for publishing
during the month of April 2020
Which, for me, is a HUGE deal. I mean, huge. I have mentioned it throughout this NaPoWriMo experience, but I am usually very very reticent to publish. I think this month has helped a lot in getting over this major hang up in my life. For that, I am very grateful.
By over 30 poems, I mean that I submitted 23 individual poems to seven publications, and then I submitted two separate whole manuscripts (54 page and 106 page, respectively) to presses. To steal a quote from the presumptive Democratic nominee, "This is a big f*cking deal."
Additionally, of the 150 tasks I set for myself for April 2020 National Poetry Month...
I finished 96 before midnight on April 30
Not bad! I have certainly made use of the extra three hours of free time I have at home, not having to commute and having a lunch break at home! And though it is difficult staying home and not seeing loved ones, this has been a good way to pass the time.
Thus we are at the technical end of NaPoWriMo, though obviously not the end on the blog, as I have ten more posts to write for the month. And I certainly do have a lot to write about. Upcoming posts:
- The next installment of the two Covid-19 poems I wrote to go along with my friend's middle-school-aged daughter's assignment
- The official plan, and name, for May's work
- Another publishing announcement
- Discussion of where I sent work and how I found those places
- And 6 more entries, to be determined!