The Napowrimo Hangover—now what?
Where’s the Tylenol?? Kidding, kind of.
Ahh, it’s been a month! Whether you dipped your toes in every day or ran out of gas on day 5, you felt the chaos in one beautiful way or another.
Agency. That’s the word I kept coming back to this month. We have complete agency over our creative journey. If you decided to write a poem a day and throw in the towel on April 29th, literally nothing stopped you. People would have gone to bed and woken up and the world would have kept spinning. (Sorry, it’s true.)
In the fat scheme of things, this makes me release a stifled sigh, Ahhhhhhh. It’s not that deep.
Challenges are fun because they push us to explore the edge of our comfort zone, tip-toe down the trail that isn’t clearly marked, and have an unexpected adventure.
It’s good to remember that it’s a choose-your-own-adventure.
“Okay Maria, but I actually really loved Napowrimo, what do I do next?”
I’m so glad you asked! If I had a fancy whiteboard on Substack, this is what I would write in pink erasable marker:
What now?
Take yourself on a poetry picnic. Bring all the poems you wrote in April. Dress them up. (Okay I just mean print them out on nice paper.) Lay them out on the picnic blanket and read them all aloud. Which ones need some
editinglove? Which ones shine as they are? Notice which poems are chatting with each other. Do any answer another poem’s question?Are they asking for a home? Maybe some want to live in a lit mag? Some may just want to stay in your notebook or on social media! Perhaps, if you listen closely, a few will whisper they are the start of a book. In my experience, most poems crave a home. Decide which ones do for you.
Commit to doing something related to your creative journey every day. It’s okay if you don’t write every day. If you’re a poet who has a monthly cycle, you may notice your ability to form abstract connections happens easier at certain times of the month. For me, I write my best poems in my luteal phase. My follicular phase is when I crush my administrative tasks. Let your particular rhythm lead the way. Hold its hand. Trust it. It’s okay to flow instead of force.
Find community. Writing in isolation isn’t as sweet as sharing creative communion with other folks who get it. This might look like connecting with your favourite writers online or joining a local book club at your library. My writing circle, Gather, is opening its doors at the end of May to new members. Our next 8-week writing table spans from June 2- July 21st. You can spend your summer writing boldly and unafraid with me and other talented writers! You can join the waitlist here to get an early invite by email.
#Gatherwrites!
Here’s a peek at what members of Gather wrote this April:
Alex Dawson wrote her poem “I wonder” for prompt #27 and was inspired during our Sunday Morning Gather on internal rhyme and rhythm.
Raquel Dionísio Abrantes wrote “Covilhã” during a Sunday morning Gather where we looked at place in poetry, and how where we grew up informs our writing.
Isabelle Correa’s poem “Portrait of a Person Who Pushes Love Away in Fear of Losing It” (also the title of her upcoming collection!) was inspired by our Gather discussion on bantu couplets.
Jillian Stacia’s poem “ONE DAY I WILL TOUCH THE SKY” beautifully wrapped up our thirty days of writing in April!
Have a browse under the hashtag #gatherwrites on Instagram to read all the wonderful poems written by the poets in Gather!
Cheers to an April! How was it for you?
Xo
Maria