I've been sharing some poems recently

and it's made me ponder...

I’ve been sharing some poetry on Instagram recently. Some of these poems have been sitting in my computer for years, gathering computer dust (what would be the equivalent of dust in computer terms?). I was doing a clear out of my files and I found them and thought, why am I just sitting on these poems, let me share them. So, I am.  After all, my word for the year is visibility. And, people have really responded to these sharings in a beautiful way that I wasn’t expecting.

The interesting thing is, I don’t consider myself a poet, so they feel easier to share somehow, like there is less at stake. I am not a poet, so if no-one likes them that’s no bother.

I am pondering that and what that might mean for my other work for which I do consider myself a writer. And I am pondering why I don’t consider myself a poet if sometimes I express myself through poems… And I am pondering why certain ways of sharing/publishing work feel legitimate/important and others less so, when writing is simply about connecting.

I’m pondering these things, I don’t have the answers, just the questions and I’d love to hear your thoughts.

“Take art seriously without going about it in a serious way,” Rick Rubin says.

Maybe that applies to how we share it too.

In the meantime, if you would like to read some of my poetry, or have it read to you by me, head over to my Instagram.

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Mentoring ✨

I have a couple of spots opening up in May. If you’d like some help starting a writing project, finding your way back to one that feels distant or finally moving a project over the finish line, I would love to support you. I work with novelists, short story writers, memoirists and journalists, both burgeoning and established. Writing is my very favourite subject…let’s talk about it!

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Recommendations

A few things I have enjoyed recently…

Titles: I found this musing on the importance of giving your work-in-progress a title really interesting. My second novel On Solid Ground was called ‘New Novel’ the whole time I was writing it, but I love the idea of a title making a project feel more like home.

It’s Good to Talk: Not strictly writing related but I found this podcast about the importance of conversations to be really insightful and moving.

Taking ourselves seriously: Since it’s on theme, I am sharing this newsletter from late 2022 that really struck a chord. In defence of taking yourself seriously: Why Imposter Syndrome is so Passé

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