Rumi for Writers

There are times, as writers, when we feel stuck.

That's one of the reasons why National Novel Writing Month is such a good exercise. Focusing on a daily word count, rather than dreaming of book deals and prizes, means we're willing to explore wild tangents, follow characters who appear out of nowhere -- anything to get more words on the page.

I've been feeling stuck this week. A poem for my daughter, "Pomegranate," is in the pre-thinking stage. I'm not ready to write, but can't explain why not.

An old PBS program on the Sufi poet Rumi sent me searching my shelves for my copy of The Essential Rumi (Castle Books, 1995), with poems translated by Coleman Barks.

This afternoon, I let the book open in my hands, to see what might appear. Here is a gift, indeed, for anyone who is feeling stuck.

The Gift of Water

Rumi

Translation by Coleman Barks, with John Moyne

Someone who doesn't know the Tigris River exists

brings the caliph who lives near the river
a jar of fresh water. The caliph accepts, thanks him,
and gives in return a jar filled with gold coins.

"Since this man has come through the desert,
he should return by water." Taken out by another door,
the man steps into a waiting boat

and sees the wide freshwater of the Tigris.

He bows his head, "What wonderful kindness 

that he took my gift."

Every object and being in the universe is

a jar overfilled with wisdom and beauty,

a drop of the Tigris that cannot be contained

by any skin. Every jarful spills and makes the earth

more shining, as though covered in satin.
If the man had seen even a tributary

of the great river, he would not have brought

the innocence of his gift.

...

You knock at the door of reality,

shake your thought-wings, loosen

your shoulders,

                        and open.

This version of the poem is not available online -- at least not with Barks' permission -- so I've excerpted it here. You can find the entire poem in The Essential Rumi.

 

 

We are told so often to write what we know. What I love in "The Gift of Water" is this: what we don't know is a gift. Not knowing helps us shake those thought-wings loose.

If you'd like more guidance on getting past feeling "stuck," Pema Chodron has an audio lecture on the topic.

Random Writing Prompt for NaNoWriMo

I'm not doing NaNoWriMo this year. I "won" a few years ago. Still haven't finished revising that novel.

One of the best parts of doing NaNo was participating in chats and message boards with other writers. I loved the local challenges. In Maryland, we had to work a crab into our book. When you're stuck, having to "think outside the box" -- or get out of your own  head -- and include a random object or idea can be just the trick to get the words flowing.

For all my writing-marathoner friends, here is a random writing prompt. Try working this into your novel -- either as a plot element, or just an odd detail.

Mr. Poems spotted this bell commuting on Route 95, here in Maryland, yesterday. If you use the bell, leave a comment with some details.

I'm cheering you on from the sidelines!

Writing Exercise: DIY Deadlines

Recommended for: Anyone old enough to deal with a little self-inflicted guilt Directions: 1. Set yourself a deadline. Revising 15 pages of your novel every week. One poem every morning. One page of writing -- any kind of writing -- a day. Participate in NaNoWriMo for the first time. 2. Stop complaining about your kids' sports practices, your job or your homework. Writing comes first. Be like poet William Stafford or Newbery Honoree Cynthia Lord and get up early to write. 3. Stick to it. 4. Need some external motivation via negative reinforcement? Visit: http://lab.drwicked.com/writeordie.html

Amok in Announcements (Again)

News! My family adventure article is finally up at Baltimore's Child online. http://www.baltimoreschild.com/articles/index.cfm?fuse1=detail&ArticleID=1024 Look for a "shout out" to Lloyd Alexander's Chronicles of Prydain series.

Just got news my children's poem "Alphabet Soup" sold to Shoofly Audio magazine. It should be published in 2009-2010. I love this magazine's concept. No print copies -- you get an MP3 file or a CD. A great option for LD kids or those with sensory issues. Visit the magazine at http://www.shooflyaudio.com/ A poem I posted a few weeks ago, "Driving Home from the Poetry Festival, 1996," will be appearing in the next issue of Little Patuxent Review. The theme is "Turning Points." You still have time to submit work to this beautiful journal. The deadline for "Turning Points" in November 1. More info at http://www.littlepatuxentreview.org/. There are usually a few (wonderful) group readings when the issue is launched. Look for those announcements in a few months. Save the date: I just scheduled a group reading for 3/31/09 at Howard County's Central Library. A group of contributors from the Maryland Writers Association anthology, "New Lines from the Old Line State" will do a short reading and panel discussion. We'll also be selling the book. If you can't get to the reading, you can buy the book here: http://marylandwriters.org/publications.html. Two of my poems are among the entries. Last, a great writing opportunity for kids. Last November, I participated in my first NaNoWriMo (that's National Novel Writing Month, an annual event). I crossed the finish line with my YA suspense novel clocking in at 50,000 words -- about 75% of a complete draft. Woohoo! It felt like a real accomplishment. NaNoWriMo has an awesome program for young writers. Less focus on word count, more on, "Just write it!" Here's a blurb from the very kid-friendly website: "The Young Writers Program of National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a novel by midnight, November 30. The word-count goal for our adult program is 50,000 words, but our Young Writers Program allows participants who are 17 years old and younger to set reasonable, yet challenging, word-count goals. The only thing that matters in NaNoWriMo is output. It's all about quantity, not quality. The kamikaze approach forces you to lower your expectations, take risks, and write on the fly." This is a great idea for kids who love to read, but hate school-writing (the dreaded BCRs come to mind). There's a ton of online encouragement and support during NaNo month, November. Check it out at http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/ywp I promise to get back to the Dodge Poetry Festival soon. Festival Assistant Michael Murphy will be on the hot seat, giving us a behind-the-scenes view of the event.