I was going to write a poem about dinner last night,
But my brain is tired, and the first line was a fright.
I wanted to pay homage to a succulent meal,
A starter, a main, a dessert so surreal.
But how to describe in rhyming verse,
And keeping in mind it has to be terse -
Baby greens with fried eggplant and celery root,
A soft vinigrette flavored with fruit.
Sweet potato gnocchi in a red pepper sauce,
And velvety ravioli with parmesan tossed.
Chocolate orange cake with strawberry glaze,
Pistachio gelato; the fusion amazed.
So I'll just have to say, in my own special way,
The food was amazing, wonderfully arrayed.
My taste buds rejoiced with the very first bite,
And every bite after was filled with delight.
My tribute is over, and I've managed to rhyme,
I'll leave you with this - the meal was sublime.
Oh. My. God. That was way too hard this morning - and now I'm late getting this post up! Serves me right for trying to write a poem so early in the morning. For a look at how my mornings are usually spent, check out Prairie Chicks Write Romance today - I'm talking about a writer's 'magic hour', the best time for creative output.
And for anyone keeping score - I squeaked out 1004 (wasn't going to bed without getting past the 1000 mark) yesterday. Way below my goal, but I'm now sitting at a total word count for the week of 14,517. Today, hopefully, will be more productive, if I can recover from this poetry business.
Feel free to discuss whatever in the comments - your memories of a great meal, your attempts at poetry, when you function best (creatively speaking), whatever. I'm going to find some more coffee :)
Well, all I can say is, you rocked that poem! Well done!! Any chance you took a doggy-bag home? Your supper sounded divine.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the word count! And good job sticking with it until you made 1K. After a meal like that I would have been comatose on the couch, but in a good way.
I've finally gotten started on my WIP this morning, after being stuck for a few days. Just didn't quite know how to get started. So I just got started LOL and have managed 5 pages so far. But then #1 son called for a ride from school, just finished mid-term exams. So I used that excuse to top up my coffee and check a few blogs. Sort of a mental stretch break hehe. At least that's what I tell myself.
I'm just finishing an online course taught by Margie Lawson, titled "Defeat Self-defeating Behaviors" and it's friggin mind-blowing. In a good, but scary, way. One of her nuggets of wisdom is "do it first". So I've tried that the last couple of weeks, "it" being writing. I get the boys out of the house and sit my butt in my chair until noon. Everything else has to wait - laundry, cleaning, shopping, etc. That's all done after noon. Having those 3-4 hours is amazing. Before I'd do the other stuff first, you know, to get it out of the way. And there were some - many - days when I never got to the writing. This new way, I ALWAYS get to the writing. So far it's working great. I'll keep you posted LOL.
Okay, enough blathering, back to work. Hope your day is successful!!
Hugs
Lu
Hey, Lu, doing it first is exactly what Helena was talking about in her comment over at Prairie Chicks. Keep the distractions at bay, and make time for the priority activity. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteEnvy the meal you had, Janet, and love the poem.
Now I must get my 'butt in chair' and start banging the keys!
Not a crumb left on my plate, Lu, sorry. Glad you liked the poem!
ReplyDeleteA huge thanks for the info from Margie Lawson's course (anyone interested in some fabulous on-line workshops - Lu has recommended them often and one of these days I'll get around to signing up Margie Lawson's website). Making writing a priority makes perfect sense - and as I said over on The Prairies, I think I may have to approach my day that way. Seems to working for you :)
And congrats on the breakthrough. It's amazing what we can do if we just plunk ourselves down in the chair and do it!
Off to check out Margie's upcoming courses. Thanks for stopping by, Lu!
Hello, Hazel. Yes, the meal really was amazing and I'm glad you liked my attempt at poetry!
ReplyDeleteLike I said to Lu, I'm going to have do some soul searching this week and rearrange my day (man, the treatise over in the comment section as I answered Karyn's comment - talk about stream of consciousness writing) to accommodate my natural creative time AND to make writing a priority. Although, I don't know if I can give up my morning blogposts - they really get my day going!
Good luck on this, the final day of BIAW, Hazel ;)
Hi Janet,
ReplyDeleteI've taken the same Margie Lawson course that Lu is taking now. She's a fabulous teacher. Putting writing first is the best advice a writer can ever take. Like Lu, I used to do all my other tasks first, and then if there was time, I wrote. But many times there was nothing left for writing.
I won't say I stick to this rule every day, but I'm far better then I used to be. Writing first involves a change in attitude and priority. Like Helena said on Prairie Chicks today, it's the difference between writing being a career or a hobby.
Well done on your BIAW output Janet. And super poem. You're making me hungry!
Jana
Definitely going to look into taking a course with Margie Lawson. And definitely going to try the "writing first" philosophy! Thanks, Jana.
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for the kudos on BIAW and poem. When I say the food was delish - I meant it. Ambrosia!