Let's talk about my writing process! This is how I write all my poetry...
I hand write all my poems first. All of them. I never start writing a poem on a laptop. They all begin handwritten in one of my many journals or on scrap paper or a napkin. I once read that writing helps us process things better then typing and it's really rung true for me. Writing a poem feels so much more intimate and vulnerable to me, it's my number one "rule" and an important part of my personal process. Also, let's be realistic I have not always had access to my laptop but I could write anywhere, and often did. I have written through exploitation, jail, rehab, domestic violence, ect ect. Hand writing is cheap and accessible. I love it.
I carry a journal everywhere. I have multiple journals with various state's of different poems. If I have a thought or a word or a poem line randomly throughout the day, I write it down. I don't ignore it, I don't say oh I'll remember it later, because I often won't my memory is terrible. I have to be ready to catch my muse!
I don't write everyday. It's not possible and honestly it's classist. Most days I'm struggling to survive and keep my head above water. I make minimum wage part time, work zaps my mental and creative energy and I can go weeks without writing or thinking about a new poem.
I hand write the poem, I usually have a line or words I've written down and I go from there. I don't know what I'm going to say, I don't plan the entire poem in my head before sitting down to write, though there might be a verse or key point I'm trying to make. I know I have to trust the process. Getting those first few lines down on paper is what gets my juices flowing, and the next lines will just come to me. I don't do any editing when I'm hand writing. I will let the poem sit for a few days or weeks or even months in my journal before I type it up on my laptop. When I'm typing is when I edit or add words/lines. And honestly I don't edit a lot. I do it all in one sitting. I don't spend weeks or months editing a single poem. I trust my voice. I trust my process. I might go over it before I start submitting for publication for minor edits like punctuation, capitalization, etc. but that's it.
I submit for publication monthly or bimonthly. I decided in January 2022 I was going to get some poetry published just to see if I could. I had always wanted to be a writer since I was very young, but had no idea how and didn't think I was good enough for it. I didn't develop enough confidence in myself, my writing and my ability to handle rejection until I was 35. I searched the internet "how to get published my literary journals" and went from there. My favorite site is Submittable. I've submitted my poetry 144 times thus far. I've been rejected 87 times. I celebrate rejections because they get my poems one step closer to the literary home it's meant for. I don't use rejections as an excuse to belittle my work or edit it or doubt it. For each rejection I try to submit an additional 3-5 times elsewhere. Submitting for publication is a numbers game once you are confident in your work. The very first submission I sent was accepted for publication in 43 minutes. That is so rare but I took it as a sign from the universe and my ancestors to keep going on this path. Most submissions take months to get a response. I'm waiting on 30 plus responses and the moment, some submitted 5 months ago. Submit it and forget it, keep writing, keep submitting elsewhere.
With that being said, Imposter Syndrome never goes away. After every poem I still think, oh god you're a fraud you will never write another good poem again. Of course, it's not true, and I don't feed into the thought, but it's still there! Even after 13 poems published in 13 months!
Write. Even if you never want to get published, even if you never show it to anyone. Write. It's the best way to learn yourself, to feel heard, to validate yourself, to have support of the pen and paper. It's the most magical journey you can take and you can do it anywhere. Write.
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