On June 26, 2021, I woke up extra early to start writing poetry alongside people from all over the world as part of the annual Poetry Marathon. This was a special challenge in which each person writes a poem an hour for 12 hours (for the half-marathon) or 24 hours (for the full marathon) straight. I was not that ambitious plus I still have to take care of my young daughter, so I signed up for the half-marathon. From 6AM to 6PM local time, I wrote poetry. Even when I was out getting groceries or preparing my daughter’s meals, I wrote poetry. Thankfully, my husband helped out a ton, so I could focus more than usual, but it was super difficult sometimes to keep to the schedule. But, in the end, I succeeded in churning out 12 new poems, even if a few were short (I wrote a haiku and a tanka poem). It was so inspiring, and all the participants were very encouraging throughout the challenge.
Therefore, in a similar spirit, I wanted to challenge myself to keep writing poetry. I have so many ideas for new poems, but little motivation to carve out space in my daily life in which to focus on them. So, instead of doing Nanowrimo, which I had tried and failed over multiple years, I’ve decided to do my own challenge where I write one poem a day for the month of November. I know that Writer’s Digest has a similar challenge, but I’ve created a list of my own prompts and ideas. If even half the poems turn out decent after some editing, I will actually have enough poetry to create my own small chapbook. This would be an amazing accomplishment for me this year, and a goal I want to actively pursue.
I’ve written my first poem today. Wish me luck for the rest of the month! I will update you at the end of the month as to whether I was able to complete this challenge, so stay tuned!