Magnets Write Poetry Too: Camp NaNoWriMo Day 21

Camp NaNoWriMo Day 21!

Have you seen the magnetic poetry kits where you get a whole bunch of words and you move them around until they make poetry? Usually the result is somewhat silly, but you can end up with some surprisingly thought-provoking stuff, too.

I think magnetic poetry tiles are useful tools to fidget with. Maybe not so much if you know you want to say exactly “through the hazy drops of spring” and the closest magnets you can find create the phrase “though the lazy drop spring…” But if you don’t know what to say, the words are right in front of you. And they create some combinations you never would have thought of.

That’s all for today – have a magnetic haiku!

Today’s haiku:

between whispered dream s
imagine a rock garden
watch the wind wander

Everyone Should Be an English Major: Camp NaNoWriMo Day 20

Camp NaNoWriMo Day 20!

Sometimes you just need to give yourself some tough writer love. It’s one of the things I learned while getting my English degree in college.

Strangely enough, whenever I told someone I was majoring in English, their most likely initial response would be something along the lines of “Oh, so you want to be a teacher?” Their second guess would usually be “author.”

Don’t get me wrong, teachers and authors hold very impactful positions, and I’ve wanted to be both (and still do). But an English degree is a path to much more than a choice between only two careers.

Here’s my experience of what you can gain from an English degree:

  • Logic and reasoning – You’ll be able to develop complex arguments you can use in business proposals or presentations.
  • Compiling and organizing data – you’ll become an expert at researching and finding answers. Even though you’ll never know everything, you’ll know how to find out.
  • Communication – it’s one of the most valuable abilities there is – using language to positively impact people. That’s so necessary anywhere.
  • Acceptance and understanding of different viewpoints – you are exposed to so many ideas and people that are different than you. Leaders need this. People need this.
  • Creative thinking – a great chef does more than follow a recipe. English classes taught me how to use my experiences and outlooks to think outside of the box. We need to be challenged to be innovative, so that we can grow as a world.

I’m going to have days where the words don’t come and my manuscript feels like work. But these are also days when I can think back and remember why I chose to study English in the first place.

Today’s haiku:

This is how it goes
You open a blank Word doc
And fill it with words

Finding Music in Writing: Camp NaNoWriMo Days 18 & 19

Camp NaNoWriMo Days 18 & 19!

Ever thought about how typing out a short story and playing the piano are two similar activities? They even have some overlap in vocabulary.

I really do believe that my learning how to play the piano at a young age has trained my fingers to be good at typing. And when it comes down to it, when I’m in the zone and steadily tapping away at my novel, the sound of the keyboard is a soothing one. It tells me that there is beauty in routine. It tells me that progress is being made.

Today’s haiku:

I keep my own time
I weigh my words in keystrokes
Make a metronome