some things take time

i finished my editing month--6 days early! it was tough to get through all of those poems; revising is not my favorite. but somehow it happened, and i even sent out some submissions along the way.

i also sent out to the last book contest i plan to send to for a while. i sent to about ten contests last year, the first time i've ever sent my manuscript out widely. i've gotten four rejections so far and will probably start hearing back on other contests soon.

people talk about how babies change so quickly and time passes in-a-blink during these childbearing-years, but what i was never told is how fast it changes a person. i feel like i'm changing and growing fast as zu outgrows her clothes.

which of course affects my writing, how could it not? so i'm planning on shelving my manuscript until next spring, seeing what changes happen in my writing in the meantime. the it-never-hurts-to-try part of me cringes at this idea; but my instincts are saying wait. 

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other assorted writerly updates....

~ i read a good poem and wrote about it on 32 Poems blog.
~ i had some poems accepted for publication: my poem "housework"  by storySouth, two poems by sweet, and two poems by Southern Humanities Review. yay!
~ in march i'm taking another workshop-- the fairytale poem.

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i also picked up a new book of writing prompts: Wingbeats: exercises and practice in poetry, after hearing it recommended on one of my favorite writing blogs.

i've used Practice of Poetry for years, and use it for teaching poetry now, but i'm hoping to get some new ideas (for myself and my students) from Wingbeats. i love how the back of the book has an alternate table of contents, separated by categories like "beginning writers" and "group activities." i've only read two of the exercises so far, but i think this is going to be great for teaching. and maybe i'll get a little extra inspiration myself, and meet that 20-poems-in-a-year goal!