Stuck on a poem or phrase? Want help? What are you waiting for?

Sometimes, when the stars align and everything is going perfectly...lol, just kidding, when does THAT ever happen? Pretty much never. 

That's why professional writers depend on processes to write on a regular basis. Maybe that looks like a routine (sitting at their desk from X:XX a.m. to X:XX p.m. or going for a walk, etc.), or a *do this, then that* meticulous kinda thing. 

Since poetry is my jam, that's what we're going to focus on now. 

That's also why we're taking a closer look at the process of writing poetry and what's involved.

This process often involves automatic writing, or "word vomit" as a lot of people like to call it for some reason.

Even though it sounds easy peasy, there's a specific technique used to get your existing thoughts out on paper (the crinkle kind or digital). 

The guidelines involve writing for a certain period of time, working through your perfectionism and leaving all the misspellings and mistakes in - for now, and then carrying over the "gems" that are working. 

You'll end up leaving everything behind that isn't working, so you're starting with a better (but still terrible) first draft. Why, terrible? Because everyone's first drafts are terrible, even professional writers like me. That's just how it goes. If you have a perfect first draft, then that's a problem in and of itself. A discussion for another day.

Circling the "gems" is another way to say: hey, let's use what's working and discard what's not working. 

That way, you're using the most interesting parts of you writing and giving yourself room to expand upon them later. This is a gift that's easy to overlook. 

But the fact is, there's almost always something that's already working in your piece of writing and that's where the real work begins.

Yep, just like you thought. Now, we're going to rewrite the thing we were writing, in order to write what we're *actually* writing. lol. 

Seriously though, most people don't know this, but writing is mostly research and editing. That's it. 

You get good at writing and editing by reading a lot. Like, A LOT. That's the key and that's something that will help you become a better writer. 

Then edit some more.

You may think I'm joking, except I'm not. Like I said, writing well is really all about the editing. Editing for *this*, then editing for *that*, repeat. 

You may find it helpful to find "a second pair of eyes" to give your piece a once-over. Because sometimes we're too close to our own writing to do it justice.

Of course, there's other steps you can take. Like publishing your work in literary journals or as an ebook, or writing query letters, that sort of thing. But not everyone's at that stage. And that's okay. 

I'm flexible, so I'm willing to meet you where you're at. 

We'll collaborate on crafting your poem(s) and go from there. Fill out this brief form, so we can get in touch!

You're dedicated to your writing and would do anything to have a fully finished poem that's ready to publish in literary journals. 

Let's make it happen! Limited to two pages, 12 point font, with maximum 1.5 inch line spacing.

You're a writer and you want to get better. Let's work together to edit your poem, where I'll answer your questions, give you feedback you can use to improve your writing, and add comments you can refer back to later.

Includes the personalized writing prompt with a live 30-minute Zoom session. The point of doing this live? To make time for your writing. 

Also includes a discussion of what's working in your writing prompt vs. what's not and how you might proceed with what's next.