Website and blog updates

A new issue of Dark Metre is now available. This months horror poetry by Christian Carter-Stephenson and J.J. Steinfeld.

Also updated:

Writing credits
Poets
Writing Prompts

Recent blog posts:
An Age Old Meeting

It seems that Spring is finally creeping across the land.

An Age Old Meeting

My short story An Age Old Meeting is on display at the OCA Student Association website.

Website updates

The arrival of March has brought the following updates to the main website:

Dark Metre issue 20 now online
Horror poets updated
Writing Prompts updated

Expect an overhaul of the site during the summer once I've got my next assessment period out of the way. I'm so looking forward to taking a brief break in my studies.

Website updates

Please see below for the latest updates to the main website and it is well over due a makeover. Once my next assessment is out of the way, I'm hoping to make some changes and decide what direction this blog will take.

Issue 19 of Dark Metre is now online.

Writing prompts updated.

Website and Blog Updates

New issue of Dark Metre online.

Recent blog posts you may have missed:

Row80 - Check in 6
ROW80 - Check in 5
ROW80 - Check in 4
ROW80 - Check in 3

Stitched Up on Tuesdays - Week 3

ROW80 - Check in 2

ROW80 - Check in 6

Progress, progress, why do you avoid me so.

I'm still hit and miss with my goals. Sunday was taken up by knitting class so was fairly tired when I got home in the evening. Poetry goals went out the window on Monday after I decided to do my knitting homework instead and started stitching up a journal cover.

Last night, I managed about 40 minutes of studying and think that this current section is going to hurt. I hit a rut with the research which I'm rolling back to Saturday as I'll be able to spend a good few hours online and digging through my reference books for comparison.

Also got about half way through the current exercise but the focus is on building character through dialogue and I hardly write dialogue normally. I'm also not entirely sure who these people are as I kind of plucked them out of thin air for a previous exercise. Decided to skip to the next exercise and that curled my toes even more.

Although I did start adding dividers to my course folder so I can refer to earlier sections more easily.

Reading has fallen by the wayside so I'll make that my lunch break activity for the next few days at least. It's only a short novel so I should get a good chunk of it read and then get back to reading some horror.

Hope everyone is doing well.

ROW80 - Check in 5

I neglected to check in on Wednesday, made a little progress since then:

began first drafting a new poem and made some editing notes after it needed to change direction slightly. Even worked out how and why I would want to use the "comments" function in my word processor.

Sent another crit to my poetry group although I need to get this up to 2 a week but as a newbie I'm still in my grace period. It's forcing me to actively think about what I read which is a good thing, it's easy to get passive rather than active. And I'm discovering new poetic forms as well. The simpler ones I may try myself. I still shy away from attempting to write in syllabic metre or using a heavy rhyme scheme as it feels restrictive.

Studying hasn't come along as much as I would have liked, typed up some more notes and read another chapter of my recommended reading. I did sign up for the study day my college are holding at Cambridge which is later next month. That should prove inspiring.

Still fighting a lack of energy which I'm putting down to the recent greyness and have realised I need to get exercise back on to my goals as yoga counteracted winter last year.

Hope everyone is well

ROW80 - Check in 4

Heehee, I'm starting to get somewhere. A quick flick through the current part of my course tells me I should be completing part 3 in around 3 weeks. At which point I'll sign up for an online course on English Literature as I honestly don't think my analytic skills and engagement with reading are high enough to tackle level 2 of my degree or at least not to a point to get decent grades. Also, as I need to choose my own subject at level 3 it might give me a better idea for my research paper  .

Goal: 1.5 hours studying on Thursday night.

Achievement: zilch on studying, I was a bit brain dead that night, my energy levels seem to be bouncing up and down all over the place this week. Although, I did send a critique through my poetry group and my poetry muse is starting to feel half starved to death due to lack of poeming. Which is a good sign, in a way.

Goal: Friday night off

Achievement: I met this one somewhat guiltily after skipping things on Thursday.

Goal: 3 hours of Studying on Saturday

Achievement: Around 2 - 2.5 hours studying. I created a new character to play with, typed up more notes, journalled and read a chapter of Muriel Sparks Loitering With Intent which I'm in two minds about. Also updated the learning log. Felt good to actually write something. So why so much difficulty staying on track?

Today's goals won't be met as I'm heading off to a suitably dark art exhibition. Perhaps study for an hour later depending on what time I get back and whether or not family are still visiting when I do get back.

Have fun.