I have been living the writing life for almost 12 months. My time to return from my sabbatical as a high school English teachers draws nigh. Like many things I do, this year has been an experiment.
Can I work all day as a writer (instead of spending it binging television)? Yes. Have I learned from workshops, conferences, and–most importantly–trial and error? Yes. Have I made some progress in publishing as well as writing? Yes. Whew. All good.
Here are some snags:
When I am writing my memoir I am reliving the days, months, years of Kent’s cancer. So I can’t always write memoir all day.
When I am writing memoir I miss writing poetry. When I do write some poetry I feel like I am cheating on the memoir behind its back!
When I look at my calendar I am bewildered at the movement of time.
When I look at what I do all day I realize I won’t have this much time come September.
When I think about time it all revolves around Jack. (More on him in a later blog.)
It’s not all snags.
I have learned many things.
-It is okay to have two desks; one for emailing and editing and sending work out, and another one for actual writing.
-It’s okay not to write every day; some days are for reading.
-I can organize all of my information at my website, HERE, like when I am doing a reading or how to buy my chapbook.
-I can collaborate with fabulous artists like Anna Gilmore to create a new environment for my work. See DINNER video below.
-Thinking is writing without commitment. 
-Voice memos on my iPhone are surprising golden nuggets when I bother to listen to them.
-Not leaving the house for a day or two (or three or four) is somehow liberating.
-Finding writing venues at which to read and finding publishers for my poetry is a different Lisa than the Lisa writing the memoir. Sometimes they hang out on the same day, sometimes not. They are going to have to get together soon, though. They have to teach September Full Time Teacher Lisa how to cope. I have every confidence in them.
I have Tweeted and Instagrammed and Facebooked about some of these things that happened, but here is a run-down of the latest.
2Elizabeths published
nine of my poems in their first anthology, Volume 1: Love and Romance.
Light: A Journal of Photography & Poetry published my poem, “Of Light and Mornings” in their Spring 2018 Issue (available in both digital and print versions).
Eyedrum Periodically published three of my poems in Issue 17: The Future.
I started a new blog for widowed people called Widows’ Words.
My updated publishing creds are on my website and here on this blog’s home page. What I am most impressed with, that aren’t listed here, are all of my r
ejections. I save them in an email folder and look at them and think, “I did that. I got that out there.”
This blog will always be about writing and poetry and random thoughts. I am enjoying the world of creative non-fiction though. When those pieces get published I will put them on the website.
Time is moving along at her own pace. I move at mine. Sometimes we meet up. The only thing I am certain of is that I am not done yet.