My first job of the day was to take nourishment in the form of two slices of toast (brown seeded bread) with chunky cut marmalade. I know how to live.
I then reported for a blood test and, duly punctured, picked up a prescription from the pharmacy, had a cup of tea with friends (whilst delivering Christmas cards) and returned home for a light lunch made up of leftovers. Tea was home made soup (broccoli and cauliflower, including stalks and leaves) with a sandwich and I am now hungry as I sut and write this.
It is the price I must pay for my health. In the last three weeks I have not gained any weight, but I have not lost any either, and I need to get back into good habits. Lunch tomorrow will be more of the broccoli and cauliflower soup. Fortunately it is quite tasty, though Julia describes it, unattractively, as beige. It isn’t it’s a delicate green shade which, in certain lights, looks a little beige. But it’s definitely pale green. I would call it Eau de Nil, but I’m not sure that I want to associate my soup with the water of the River Nile.
A lot of my afternoon was spent in reviewing how my writing plans went over the last year. The plan took a bit of a knock due to me being ill and missing the best part of three months as I slowly recovered. I had a target of 63 submissions, and managed 49. Not great, but not too bad.
Of those, I had 13 Haibun and one Tanka Prose (which I’m going to count as the same thing for the sake of these figures) accepted, which is 14 against a target of 18.
Haiku target was 12, and I have had 12 acceptances (a total of 15 poems) so that is OK.
I’m also writing Tanka, which I hadn’t planned for and have had four accepted.
One thing went badly – I had planned on doing three articles but after the first one turned into a bit of a disaster (originally accepted with edits, then turned down when the editor changed his mind< I didn’t pursue that. However, it will still be in the plan for next year.
I have also submitted ordinary poetry five times during the year and had three lots accepted.
I had been feeling a little deflated about my writing, and the way the year ended, but I’m actually quite pleased by the way it’s gone when I review the figures.
However, talking of figures, I’ve just been reading a website where a poet talks of their work. They have been writing poetry for 15 months and has had over 300 published. I really need to up my game. Or I could just stop reading author websites.
Ah, never compare yourself. Set your goals and hone your craft to meet them. Glad you found you’d done better than you thought! That’s why a year end review is useful.
🙂 It also makes me sound more organised than I really am. 🙂
All things considered, I would have thought that you had exceeded your targets when they were suitably modified to fit your unexpected circumstances. I am glad that the pharmacy actually had your prescription to hand. That must have been a novelty.
The soup sounds interesting.
It has provided two meals – both tasty, and I have felt virtuous at using all the bits and pieces. Now I need an idea for next week’s soup . . .
Mrs T purchased a ham hough (hock?), simmered it with veg, kept the meat for rissoles, and made a very tasty broth with some broth mixture in the resulting stock.
Sounds excellent. I am very deficient in matters of traditional, nourishing, economical food.
Pretty darned good is right. I question the other poet’s results
Thank you Derrick. In truth I have a simple ambition – to write one good poem that sticks about for years. Something like “Do not go gentle into that good night” would do, but I’d settle for a well known Limerick if I could.
As my Yankee husband would say, you have done pretty darned good. Truly. Good that your review put things in better perspective for you.
I felt better after I looked at the way things had gone, it is true. 🙂
Your poetry is good, a pleasure to read, and you seem like you are doing well with it with all the acceptances. Keep setting your own goals, and don’t worry about keeping up with anyone else.
That feels like good advice, Thank you.