National Poetry Month isn’t until April and NaNoWriMo is in November. But, I’ve been searching for some small, yet still rich, writing I can do to get me back into the swing of things a bit more. I write every day on the job, but it’s rarely the type of creative work that I pursue in my spare time writing fiction (the business world just doesn’t work that way 🙂 ) I’m craving something, but not really ready to write a new story yet. How about we use the proverbial stone and hit several birds at once? I’ll do a poetry writing month!

So here’s the plan. Throughout the month of February, I will be writing poems. I’ve never been a great poet, though I used to love writing poetry when I was a teenager and early on in college. I got out of the habit during undergraduate study though when circumstances led me to become a bit discouraged with the poetry writing thing. From then on, I became solely a fiction writer.

But, that ends today. I will be a poet (of sorts) starting now! It’ll be a little bit like keeping a journal, I suppose and it will get me back into the habit of writing creatively every day. The poems won’t be Pulitzer winners. But, they’ll get me thinking and moving in the right space. Here are the rules: Write something every day, even if it’s just a stanza or a thought. Just write something. Don’t worry about whether it’s good or bad, just do (kind of like NaNoWriMo). Throughout the month, if I’m not totally embarrassed by what I write, I’ll share with you. I’ll be posting some of the results on my Facebook author page (find me on Facebook: @sarakincaidauthor).

I’ve used poetry before to create and grow characters – back when I was creating my Sappho character. What better way to get to know your poet/character than writing poetry? It worked really well, too. I don’t think Sappho is the right project for me right now, though I desperately want to get back to a place where I can finally do this story justice. I do, however, have a new fantasy character who has slowly become a bit clearer in my head and I am quite excited about her. I thought I might use poetry as a way to connect with her and learn who she is a bit better. The poetry writing could also be more personal as well. It will just depend on what the day brings to me.

All that’s left is to start. Every journey begins with one step, right?

Wish me luck! And if you’d like to join in on the fun, please do and let me know that you’re writing poems too! You can post your poems/thoughts here in the comments, contact me via my contact form (I promise to email you back!), or post them on my Facebook author page (find it on Facebook with @sarakincaidauthor). I’d love to see what you all are creating if you’re willing to share!