“The doorway of a poem, it’s the sound it makes!”

“The doorway of a poem, it’s the sound it makes!”

June 25, 2017 / No Comments

Donald Hall, former poet laureate of the United States and the state of New Hampshire, no longer writes poetry. At 88, he believes writing poetry is a “a young man’s game” which takes “too much testosterone.”

This is completely understandable when you discover how Hall wrote. On average, he would pen 80 to 100 drafts of each poem. For the poem, “Another Elegy,” he revised it 400 times. Now imagine how many words he’s written for the 50 books of poetry, essays and plays he’s published.

That’s dedication.

To learn about Hall’s writing method, click here to listen to an interview with NHPR’s “10 Minute Writer’s Workshop.”

–Photo by Palto
Do your worst

April 1, 2017 / No Comments

Everyone has bad writing days. The blank screen blinds you with its whiteness. The keys on the keyboard remain silent, waiting for fingers to kidnap errant stories out of thin air and pound them into submission. Though filled to the brim with ink, the pen fails to scratch the page. The muse takes a long vacation.

But sometimes, one makes an effort to purposely write poorly. And the results can be hilarious. Enjoy:

(h/t Patrick Rothfuss)
2016: The Year In Review

December 21, 2016 / 1 Comment

At the end of each year, I always take a moment to examine the ups and downs I experienced. What follows is my personal and professional review of 2016. I:

* Produced hundreds of breaking news stories about the worldwide refugee crisis, the slaughter in Syria, the 2016 Rio Olympics, the Brexit referendum, the Black Lives Matter movement, the Orlando nightclub massacre, the spread of the Zika virus, the Panama Papers leak, the North Korea nuclear tests, dozens of terror attacks, the Juno probe’s arrival in Jupiter’s orbit, the impeachment of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the 2016 election and countless celebrity deaths.

* Passed the 45,000th tweet mark on my personal Twitter account (@jadewalker).

* Entered an essay contest to win a house in Maine.

* Penned 68 journal entries.

* Wrote 2 poems.

* Worked on my novel.

* Interviewed by Vanessa Lowe for the Nocturne podcast.

* Walked over 1.06 million steps (more than 445 miles) and climbed over 1,060 floors.

* Read 50 books and numerous magazines.

* Watched 39 films and dozens of TV programs.

* Updated The Written Word and The 10th Muse mailing lists.

* Participated in the The Society of Professional Obituary Writers, the New York City Writers Group, the South Florida Freelancers Group, the Journalism & Women Symposium and the Author’s Guild.

* Launched the New Hampshire Writers Guild.

* Traveled to Maine.

* Twice hosted vacationing friends.

* Completed three escape room adventures (and died twice).

* Crossed off an item from my bucket list (was locked inside a bookstore late at night).

* Participated in National Readathon Day.

* Saw Henry Rollins in concert.

* Attended two plays: “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “The Stone Witch.”

* Shot off a large cache of fireworks.

* Completed the Zombies, Run! 5K Virtual Race.

* Suffered from at least 23 migraines.

* Spent nine months caring for my youngest cat Sera, who had terminal cancer, then mourned when she died.

* Celebrated my 7th wedding anniversary.

* Helped my husband find a new job after he was laid off.

* Lived separately from M for months once he landed a great position at a university in Massachusetts.

* Revealed my entire financial background to various firms to qualify for a mortgage.

* Viewed dozens of houses in three states, trying to find one we could afford.

* Bought our first home.

* Turned 43.

Goals for 2017

* Finish unpacking.

* Work on my fiction.

* Write more obits.

* Read at least 50 books.

* Win the lottery.
My life, at the moment, in numbers

November 22, 2016 / No Comments

Steve Glassman, the writer behind the wonderful Sunshine. Whimsy. Tacos. blog and a long-time friend, recently posted an entry about the current state of his life, via numbers. Since he encouraged others to share their stats, I went ahead and broke down my next 30 days.

From today, it will be:

1 day until my 43rd birthday.

2 days until Thanksgiving. Somewhere in between these two numbers, I must continue packing and make a feast.

9 days until the Boston Common Tree Lighting ceremony, an event I’m attending to boost my holiday spirits and as research for my latest novel.

13 days until the closing on the new house. Yikes!

14 days until the movers arrive at the rental to pick up our belongings. Everything must be packed, or else.

15 days until the movers drop off our belongings at the new house. Then, the massive job of unpacking begins.

18 days until I take a break from unpacking and return to working on my book.

25 days until I have to attack the thousands of emails that will have piled up during my less-than-relaxing vacation.

26 days until I return to work.

30+ days until Christmas Eve. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Manchester, N.H., looks like during the holidays. Will there be lots of light displays?

–Photo by Humusak2
What do you wanna know?

October 18, 2016 / 1 Comment

I frequently use social media to ask questions of my friends and readers. Their answers give me insights and inspiration as well as sate my curiosity about the world. Last week, I offered myself up for an “Ask Me Anything” session. Here are the fun queries I received:

WHAT MOVIES HAVE ROCKED YOUR WORLD LATELY?

“Sully,” “I’ll See You In My Dreams,” “Money Monster” and “Age of Adeline.”

DID YOU ORDER THE CODE RED?

If you’ve seen the movie “A Few Good Men,” you know the only answer to this one is: “You’re goddamn right I did!”

FAVORITE PLACE YOU’VE LIVED SO FAR AND WHERE DO YOU WANT TO LIVE?

Top place I’ve lived? New York City. As for where I want to live… ultimately, I’d like to live in Scotland. I’d also like to reside in Canada, London and New Zealand. At the moment, we’re trying to move to the Manchester/Nashua area.

WHAT’S SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I really enjoy receiving mail.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY?

Kittens. A winning lottery ticket. An accepted bid and quick closing. Anything on my wish list.

WHAT’S YOUR NEXT QUERY?

What are you going to be for Halloween?

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE FOR HALLOWEEN?

Due to our current circumstances, I’m not dressing up this year.

DO YOU CRY EASILY?

I never used to. Now I cry at the drop of a hat.

WOULD YOU RATHER BE HATED OR FORGOTTEN?

Forgotten.

WHO WILL YOU VOTE FOR?

I vote for leaving the country and becoming an expat.

WHAT’S THE BEST ADVICE YOU’VE RECEIVED LATELY?

Over the summer, M and I saw Judd Hirsch star in the play “The Stone Witch.” His character, an aging children’s book writer and illustrator, urged his young protege to always “value your work.” At that exact moment, I needed to hear it, too.