Desperate Writer

His brain became mush
as he tried to rush
to get good words on the paper.

He went for a drink
then to the mirror
in search of the squishing culprit.

The more he drank
the longer he looked
until he passed out on the carpet.

Fours hours and a shower later
it occurred to him
a short nap would’ve worked faster and safer.

©2009 by Shari Lynne Smothers

Write something positive and/or negative. I chose to cover both. This is my poem for Day 3 of the 2009 November PAD Chapbook Challenge.

NaNoWriMo: Day 3

It’s three days into the writing projects and I’ve learned some useful stuff that will help me to get through. Being flexible is helpful because the effort is so new to me. Tell me what you think.

The 6 characters I met on the first day, must have been waiting in the wings, because they were not on my first list. One of those new characters emerged as a possible transformation subject, which would make her a major player. Needless to say, it was really nice to meet her. She was very round right off the bat so I’ll definitely let her do her thing.

Day 2 revealed more about the plot and the big news and big secret (yet to be revealed to me).

Day 3 is working out to be a transition day. I’ve learned useful things about my writing process. Some of them I won’t be able to use until tomorrow:

  1. Writing for hours, chasing my imagination across the page is fun
  2. It’s easy to let other important tasks get my attention, (case in point, yesterday’s short progress – only 1,024 words)
  3. It helps to de-claw my inner critic by saying I know this will suck but I’m moving forward anyway
  4. Writing before work requires early rising that I’m still struggling with (should’ve practiced that in October)
  5. I still get distracted by a good Saints football game, (gotta be on guard for that)

I’ve got more work assignments to complete, then get a late lunch before I get to writing. I definitely want to flip this order for tomorrow. When do you do your first writing of the day?

Go back to top