Monday, January 01, 2007

Happy 2007

Happy 2007

I’m not one for making New Years’ Resolutions. Why? Because I’ve always (like most Americans) failed miserably at even the teeniest of self set goal. But this year I thought to set two for myself, well a third one is whispered in the deepest, most unreachable depth of my soul and is known only to me. The other two mentioned are public.

First, I want to write more poetry; 2006 was abysmal for me. I have years where I have written at least a poem a week. In 2006 I was lucky if I wrote one poem month. How could I possibly consider myself a poet on that sort of diet? Oh yes, I’ve lots, truckloads, and tons of excuses, but they are now in the past. And towards the end of the year I began blogging more. That is a positive, but I need more self–action. This week’s Writer’s Workshop topic is Beginnings, kind of apropos don’t cha think? Well okay, I set the topic each week myself so that I shouldn’t play on such a coincidence. But it is the start of a new year, a new attitude.

Second, I’m going to blog more. So I thought I’d start with January 1st, okay I meant it to be the morning, not evening of the first day of a new year, but well at least I hit the first 24 hours. See excuses already and new parameters already. I don’t plan on blogging daily, but more often. I plan on being inspired by the world and bloggers around me. Whether it’s a MeMe, or world altering events I want to blog, and get a poem in.

Speaking of MeMe’s I read a really good one already today. From Joshilyn Jackson over at Faster Than Kudzu, here’s the Booky Goodness MeMe

DIRECTIONS
1. Take five books off your bookshelf.
2. Book #1 -- first sentence
3. Book #2 -- last sentence on page fifty
4. Book #3 -- second sentence on page one hundred
5. Book #4 -- next to the last sentence on page one hundred fifty
6. Book #5 -- final sentence of the book
7. Make the five sentences into a paragraph:

Here is mine:

I was six years old the first time I had an inkling God would not always protect me. “Do you see her in the Sala showing her legs and listening to the radio?” I was torn between an ugly urge to throw them all out and glee at the idea of new clients.

“I guess we better go on in and say hey,” I said. And anguished after all that had been left undone.

My five books were…
1) Wives and Sisters – Natalie Collins (she writes a killer first sentence.)
2) Thrilled to Death – Jennifer Apodaca
3) Middlesex – Jeffrey Eugenides
4) gods in Alabama – Joshilyn Jackson
5) Rumors of War – Peggy Tibbets (didn't you think Peggy and Joss went together well?)

So join in if you dare, it wasn’t as easy as it looks (I’d originally picked Jane Austen, then another, then another looking for a second line – wow, now I’m cheating in blogdom.) So watch out for me in outer blogness, because you all know I’m a joyful blog slut.

Sith

9 comments:

Jazzy said...

That is a great challenge. I will have to try it.

I already posted one resolution of sorts on my blog. The other resolutions I have is to one draw more this year and begin writing new poetry again. I would love to write one a week, but I would be happy with one or two a month. I only have myself to blame if I don't keep these two resolutions. They are two things that I really love doing, so the resolutions should be rather easy to keep.

Cele said...

Jazzy our workshop is open to any writer. You are more than welcome. We are a small group of friends who share and critique. Some weeks no one has anything to post, but we try.

We meet at 9 Friday night (our time - Pacific) Posting and critiquing begins at 10pm. You can see some of our work posted on my website Friends and Poetry

Jazzy said...

Thanks Cele,

I have visited your site. Which chatroom do you use? I will try to make it this Friday. It sounds like fun, and I may even get inspired to write a poem.

Cele said...

Chatroom number one.

Sideon said...

You're motivating me to get off my blog-butt and write more fiction and poetry.

I'm overdue. Stuff has been percolating, but I've not let it spill out to the blogosphere yet...

YET.

I'm not making a committment - just a statement :)

Jazzy said...

I tried the challenge. It was pretty fun. Here is my paragraph.

I rarely think about the past, yet that is where our few conversations so often go, because a shared history, after all, is the only think we now have in common. Suppose that you and I were sitting in a quiet room overlooking a garden, chatting and sipping at our cups of green tea while we talked about something that happened a long while ago, and I said to you, "That afternoon when I met so-and-so...was the very best afternoon of my life, and also the very worst afternoon." You think to yourself, "She defends herself bitterly, desperately, against the possibility of comfort."

As the two walk away from each other, they could have sent smoke signals: big festa tonight, come on over. Rather than make future plans, however, they hugged and said goodbye.

The books I used:

1. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
2. The Other Woman - Jane Green
3. Chocolat - Joanne Harris
4. Under the Tuscan Sun - Frances Mayes
5. The Broker - John Grisham

I did add a few words in order to make the sentences flow better. I had a lot of fun with this exercise. I found it really inspiring. It makes me want to keep writing more.

Sister Mary Lisa said...

Great stuff, Cele. Great.

Cele said...

Jazzy I have to say your's went together quite nicely. I find it quite humerous which books go together, and which don't. The combinations can be quite surprising.

Sideon said...

Cele :)

I've belated added you to my list of links!