© 2010 Shari Lynne Smothers

My doubting voice tells me that there are things that I can’t do—even when I can do them, or worse, when I’ve already done them. So, I listen to that voice (in case it has anything pertinent to say), quickly work through its offerings, and then I follow my plan. Acknowledging my doubt is all part of the process to reaching my goals.

Before you ask, I’m not the follow-through daemon that I would like to be, but I’m on my way. And that’s enough for me because there was a time when I didn’t follow up on anything…ever. It was out of fear and self-doubt that I put off actions. It even happened that I would do things successfully. Still, before my next effort, I would decide that it was a fluke that it succeeded on previous occasions. Go figure that process.

2009

Let’s see what this practice has gotten me through. I manage to finish the last 12 days of National Poetry Month, April with a poem a day. (And that was more than the year before; National Poetry Month page shows the lists.) That was an independent endeavor. By the end of the year, I was actively seeking my online connection to the world of poetry and I found great stuff.

Nearly the end of October, I heard of the November PAD Chapbook Challenge from Poetic Asides. I did the very ambitious thing and participated in writing a poem a day, (or the equivalent anyway), for the month of November. The other part of the challenge is to edit and submit the poems. I’m almost finished that part too.

Participation in the Robert Lee Brewer’s challenge exposed me to some really great writers and to other connections via their blogrolls and their communities.

It was a year of deadlines and cyber-space connections for me  in 2009. Deadlines have helped me in my personal writing, just as in my work writing. Deadlines compel me to produce the first draft quickly, before my hesitations have a chance to hang me up. Once I get that far, finishing is just the obvious next step. And I have it to do, and I blame it on the deadline, (as though it’s not something I set myself). It’s not 100% hardwired into my brain, but it is more than half the time that I follow through. I’ll take improvement over stagnation any day.

2010

So, this year, I’m finishing up my 2009 obligations to complete editing and submit my chapbook collection. Then I’m just going to grow in a few areas:

1. poetry skills sharpened
2. participating more in group projects for writing
3. researching publications to submit my work

It’s all a process. We continue, until we die. I don’t need to write the best (thank goodness) or compete the hardest. How I choose to continue is to do my best with the poetry that I find in me, and enjoy the poets and writers communities I discover online. Solid goals will come as I see development in the three areas above. And I am fine with that for 2010: my cyber-space odyssey.

It should be quite interesting, I think. What do you think? Are you vigilant about developing the processes you follow to reach your goals?

Related posts:

• Early Rising
• The Work of Forward Motion

My head’s been spinning
and it seems focusing is lost to me.
Can’t figure out if it’s my head aching
or that I just don’t want
to do what I ought to be doing.

Editing is at the top of my list
but I want to keep writing
and not correcting the words
that came to me only weeks ago.

I’ve reviewed tips and books
on poetry tweaking, and such
should be committed to memory
and applied to the task at hand.
It’s the deadlines that are killing me
I think because I’m ready
to be free of set schedules for a time.

Okay. I just had to
write that out of my system,
relax to get rid of my headache, and remember
how much I like editing.
Time now to do what I know I can.

©2009 Shari Lynne Smothers