Unless stated otherwise, all poetry on Swimming in Lines of Haiku is Copyright Kirsten Cliff and may not be reprinted in any form without written permission from the author. kirsten(DOT)cliff(AT)gmail(DOT)com

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Goals Or Poetic Leanings?

I'm loathe to make any solid goals poetry-wise this year. I wore myself out in 2011 with my personal challenge "to submit poetry to a publication or competition every week for the whole year". I'm going to write an article about it for the New Zealand Poetry Society magazine, a fine line, so that others might learn from my madness. I think I'll call it: My Year of Submission :)

This year I'm more about leaning in certain directions with my poetry. I want to experiment more, play more with the writing, with the poetry and it's different and wonderful forms. Not that 2011 didn't see me do the most amount of poetry writing I'd ever done in one year. Just the four PAD (poetry-a-day) challenges I participated in alone (all for the first time) produced many haiku, tanka, small stones and longer poems, many of which have since found homes outside of my computer, and my head!

But I definitely need to deal less with submitting in 2012, and so far I've done just one submission a month, letting several "deadlines" pass me by. I'm just not that into it this year. Call it submitter's burn out. And a "so-slow-that-it-might-as-well-be-going-backwards" Internet connection :(

So here's my poetic leanings (not goals!) for 2012, and beyond:
  • To make haiku and tanka more a part of my everyday life by putting poems in cards, for example: I've done this in hubby's Christmas and birthday cards, and my parents wedding anniversary card, so far. As I enjoy making my own cards, this practice just adds to the uniqueness of the gift and is always appreciated by those who receive them.
  • To write more linked haiku and tanka verses: I did my first solo linked haiku verse as part of hubby's Christmas present, which I framed for the wall. I've also written three tanka sonnets this year, which I really enjoyed and will send off for hopeful publication at some stage. The tanka sonnets in particular really sparked my imagination, and I know I will write more soon.
  • To write more haibun and tanka prose: I've written a few of these over the past few years but really want to write more seriously in this area (as I keep promising myself I will!). You see, I have an idea for a poetic memior, which I would write as my thesis for a Master's in Creative Writing. I figure I have a few years to get really good at haibun, or kiss that little "goal" goodbye. I'll be taking two haibun workshops at the Haiku Festival Aotearoa in June, which will give me the inspirational boost that I'm bound to need mid-year.
That's all I've got for now. Feel free to lean along with me...

6 comments:

  1. I love your idea of "leanings" instead of goals, Kirsten. I still haven't set New Year's resolutions and I think it's because I'm not quite sure where I want my writing to go. So I think, like you, I will just be trying different things this year and seeing how it all shapes up. I've been dabbling in tanka and haibun recently, and want to do more of that.I also wrote my first internet rengay and renray with others. If you're ever interested in doing that, let me know-- it's been a lot of fun writing collaborative verse!

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  2. Whatever you do, Kirsten, you'll do it well . . . and with heart!

    Cheers!

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  3. Thanks, Cara :) I look forward to reading more of your tanka and haibun.
    Yes, I'd love to be part of writing rengay and renray via the Internet! Thank you for asking me :) Is it via email? You've got my address, let me know.
    (((hugs))) Kirsten

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  4. Aw, thank you, miss maggie :)
    Blessings to you!
    KC x

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  5. Love this, Kirsten - every inch of it.
    You are really very cool.

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  6. Thanks, Tamara!
    Hope you're doing well :)
    Best,
    Kirsten x

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