One of the reasons I wasn't sure I was going to be able to post another poem today is that I needed to cover the first annual literacy night at my local middle school, when the topic was poetry.  The evening's title was "You're a Poet--Did Ya Know It?"

One of the miniworkshops was on haiku, so, here's what I did:

Alpacas in spring
fluffy stuffed animals
ready to tuck in.

--

Middle School

Students with puzzles
pencils scratching heads, paper
why not a haiku.

--

Moose on the highway
watching lightning far away
good as a stop sign.

1. It's helpful to have multiple writing projects to work on, so that when you are stuck on one, you can move to another, rather than continuing to spin your wheels. I was stuck on a poem for my summer collection yesterday and finally gave up and moved on to The Grove. But later in the day, I came back and made some progress on the same poem.

2. Setting up some physical routine helps you keep in a writing routine. This fall I'm going with: Walk on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Yoga on Tuesday. Massage Thursday. This week it was scrambled, but I got in something physical 3 of the 4 days and the writing has also been going well. Some work on summer poems, some work on The Grove.

3. The weather has a taste for what some (Alanis Morissette) might call irony. Summer vacation starts on a week in June that is cool and rainy, while the new school year opens during a spell of hot, humid weather. It happens so often, and this year is no exception.

4. In the world of the yearning to be published, agents are assuming the role of El Dorado formerly held by editors. It's perfectly understandable, with so many houses now closed to unsolicited submissions. But in each case I think we pre-published writers need to remember that while the writer-agent relationship is like looking for The Right One on both our parts, it's not so much like dating as it is like the business world. We pre-published are a small business with a product, one looking to go public, and we need an investor who gets what we are doing and will act in the best interest of that product, to both our profit. Not to dismiss the emotional aspect of the writer-agent relationship, but sometimes I think we (including me) get a bit hung up on it. 

All that's a pep talk, because I need to get back into the submissions process with SPIDER FINGERS. 

5. If we don't watch out, tomatoes will take over the world. Proof:

  This is what I picked yesterday afternoon, from a mere half-dozen plants, one of which is a cherry tomato. (The zucchini is in there because it was jealous--they're supposed to be the ones that take over the world.) That shot doesn't include the twenty or so tomatoes I still had in the house. 4 more quarts are now on the shelf for winter, and there's at least another quart in the fridge. Plus there were BLTs for supper last night, on some of the best bread ever, from Great Harvest bakery in Burlington. (If you're ever in the area, definitely try their loaves!).

I was thinking about how much I am thankful for as I was walking home this evening, and then I saw kmessner's post so:

1. The novel that is dear to my heart piqued an agents interest enough for him to request a full.
  1a. And I had the courage to get it together and send it. Because he was and is a nice guy and acknowledged it and said he'd try to get back to me sooner rather than later.

2.. I have a college-age daughter who likes to take walks with her mother.

3. I live in a community where everyone pulls together to help someone in need. Tonight was the benefit for the farm that was hit by a tornado and there was plenty of donated food and beverages, good music, a raffle. All kinds of people were there--select board, town clerk, neighbors, other farmers, people like me, the Rotary Club, people from the village store, young people, old people, middle-aged people, people who've lived in town all their lives, people who've only been here a few years, and the exchange student from Brazil who arrived two days ago. All the funds went to the farmers, who plan to use it to re-do their fencing.
    3a. And that I am a community reporter who gets to let people know about people doing things like this.

4. I made progress on another wip.

5. I have magazine editors who value my skills and view the process as a collaboration.

6. I got to hear some young dudes rockin' out with a Johnny Cash song. Wish I could remember which one.

 The League of Vermont Writers is hosting a Writers-Meet-Agents event at Champlain College this weekend. I'm on the board, so I'm involved in the organization, but I'm starting to get butterflies. Even though only one of the agents works with children's writers. I keep telling myself not to get my hopes up. But I think I am anyway.

Writing - good.
Revising - good.
Submissions - anxious making

*gulp*

Do it any way. Enjoy the social piece. Get some writing time in.

Today: halseanderson'sWFMAD - done. I will be glad when I can carve out a day to spread things out on the floor and start to look at structure. Until then, I'm keeping the pen on the paper and the fingers on the keys.

Today's goals:
Walk.
Work on profile for Vermont Magazine.
Make postponed phone calls
Write more on WIP 
Japanese beetle patrol