This is not really a post, just an exercise in procrastination. I started writing it last night and left it for completion but had an idea for another post before returning to it. I should be writing some haibun at the moment, but that isn’t going well. I started writing but wandered off to search Gray’s Elegy for a title, and ended up reading Lowell’s For the Union Dead, which is a fine poem but isn’t going to move my haibun forward. On the other hand, twenty minutes of staring into space and chewing a pen didn’t move it forward either.
I am now going to complete the post so that I don’t need to think about actually writing poetry.
It is now twelve months since I decided to take poetry seriously and I am in a position to discuss my 12 month rolling average.
Fifty six submissions made. Twenty eight have been successful, twenty one have been rejected and seven are awaiting a decision. Three of those have very little chance but I have a reasonable chance with the others. Even if none of them are accepted I am still on 50%, which everyone tells me is a good proportion.
This year it’s safe to say that I have written more, managed a publishable standard and have moved slightly out of my comfort zone by venturing into ordinary poetry and tanka, whilst trying a few new magazines.
In truth, I’ve done a little ordinary poetry before, though I did aim reasonably high with my choice of magazine, so I’m happy there. The tanka seem quite successful too, so I need anew challenge. This year I will consolidate what I am doing (no need to get over-confident) then look for new challenges.
I also have to work on becoming more productive, but for the moment I am off to read about writing better tanka. It beats bashing away at haibun that won’t come, but is all about self-improvement so doesn’t count at procrastination.
Those are very good numbers, Quercus! Congratulations! You sound quite productive to me!
It’s going OK,and the procrastination is going really well . . .
That’s a great percentage of submissions. Excellent
Thank you. It will get worse this year, I expect, as I expand the range of places I submit to. 🙂
For a first year, I’d say that was pretty darned good – I thought of Laurie when I wrote that, then looked up and saw what she had written!!
🙂 Are you finally getting the accent to go with the Colonel Sanders whiskers?
🙂 Never – and I don’t even eat chicken with my fingers
🙂
I am very impressed by your hit rate. Obviously procrastination is the way to go. I must try it when I have got some time to spare.
It’s a bit like Mark Twain apologising for a long letter because he didn’t have time to write a short one – procrastination, when done properly, is very time consuming and, as a busy man, you may struggle to fit it in.
I’ll bear that in mind.
🙂
Those numbers are incredible! To think that half the things you write get published is just astounding to me. Bravo you! I applaud you on your year of hard work, and am SO impressed to hear the results. Keep it up!
Thank you. It does seem to be paying off 🙂
Sounds pretty darned good to me! Well done, Quercus.
Thank you Laurie. The only problem is that I feel committed to doing better in the next twelve months. 🙂
A goal for most writers, I think.
🙂