Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday: Pack a Bag

April 1, 2022 /

Pack a Bag

As a writer with an outside full-time job and two kids, I have always had to carve out bit and pieces of time to write. I do have a dedicated time in the morning to write before I go to work. Now that my kids are back to regular activities, I’m spending a lot more time on the go, similar to pre-pandemic times. I’m back to packing a bag of writing stuff to carry with me. I always have something in that bag to work on. Examples of things that are in my bag:

  • Craft book–A book about some aspect of writing
  • Research–I print out research and put it in the bag with highlighters.
  • Poetry Notebook–Poetry is something that is easy for me to write on the go. I’m always jotting down notes about potential poems, drafting, or revising a poem.
  • A particular project–There was a project that I kept feeling like I should work on, but it wasn’t my “main project” that I work on intensely in the mornings. I put a notebook for this project in my writing bag and it became a “car project.” When I’m waiting for my oldest to get out of practice, I pull out that project.
  • Other books–I often have another book I’m reading, sometimes it’s a nonfiction book about something I’m considering writing about. I’ve been able to capture lots of extra reading time that way.

I typically do not put things in my writing bag that have a deadline. I usually work on those things in my dedicated early morning writing time because that’s when I’m fresher and more focused. Anything I get done in the extra time is a bonus.

I also don’t typically take my laptop. Many of the places I have to wait don’t have wifi or power. I carry things I can work on in a parked car.

This is not the first time I’ve written about packing a bag. Here’s a post from 2012 (10 years ago!! I’ve been doing this for 10 years!) and I talked about it on the Chalk + Ink Podcast as well.

If you carry around your writing with you, I’d love to know what’s in your bag.

Haiku of the Week

on forest’s floor

pebbled mast of hickory

unsnatched by squirrels

–Photo and haiku by Marcie Flinchum Atkins 

What I’m Reading

I’m currently reading HOW TO LOVE THE WORLD edited by James Crews. I tend to read poetry books where all of the poems are written by the same poet. This anthology really gives me a wide range of styles to learn from. This is a book I’m reading for my 3-a-day poetry practice, and I’ve enjoyed a hopeful look at the world from different poets. 

 

Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is at Heidi’s “my juicy little universe.” It’s Poetry Month, so it’s a great time to read some poems! 

 

 

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