By D. Avery
If you haven’t stopped by the Annecdotist’s blog lately you should. In addition to thoughtfully thorough book reviews, Anne Goodwin will also treat you to her thinking on matters related to writing, recently on how to deal with “writerly disappointments”, to, as she says, “feel the disappointment without wallowing in despair”. Anne notes in this post that the cure for disappointment is success and says that, “alongside mourning lost dreams, a writer must work to celebrate any success, however small”. She has promised a post on celebrating success and I am looking forward to it; the discussion has already begun in her comments. Initially I’m thinking it might be a greater challenge for most to celebrate our own successes than to admit our failures even. Writers have to balance the seesaw of setbacks and successes, walk the beam between self-indulgence and self-promotion, all the while wondering where to set the ego down or how to carry it unobtrusively. At least with this blogging thing we have each other through it all. Charli Mills of Carrot Ranch says, “As for success, it’s great to receive recognition from peers. I think success is the result of a willingness to be vulnerable, to put yourself out there, to show up to a group and participate.” Hmm.
A Floating Life; the Adventures of Li Po, by Simon Elegant, a fictionalized telling of the 8th century Chinese poet’s life, had me thinking about this. Li Po lived at a time when poets traveled far and wide not just for an audience but also for mentors and competitors. Now with the Internet we are able to find writing groups to participate in and fellow poets and writers to learn from without limitations of time and distance. We might even find an audience. While not the Emperor’s court, we might find some small successes in the blogosphere, and might even celebrate them here. Maybe Anne is right and celebrating small successes will help one through the rough patches of self-doubt and other discouragements. But maybe it will seem like shameless self-promotion, that other writerly scourge. I did have a gratifying week recently, receiving some writerly recognitions. These acknowledgements felt good but who really cares? How does one quietly shout from one’s rooftop? Should one shout? How does one speak of one’s small forward steps without sounding like a braggart? I don’t know. I will wait on wise Anne to unravel these conundrums.
In the meantime I want to recognize the many blogs that encourage and support fellow readers and writers of poetry and prose, to celebrate all who host and manage these sites, as well as all who contribute and participate. I thank you all for these promptings and opportunities to practice and hone my craft and to learn and grow with you.
This is not an exhaustive list of sites offering prompts and challenges, but are ones that I have participated in. I hope I have left no one out and apologize if I mess up or confuse names.
Anne Goodwin Carrot Ranch Coleen Chesebro chevrefeuillescarpediem Sammi Cox dVerse Poets’ Pub https://dailyjewelsbyjules.wordpress.com Freya Pickard @ Pure Haiku Haiku Horizons Irene Waters Kat Myrman Kiwinana https://ramblingsofawriter2016.com Mindlovesmiserymangerie Norah Colvin Ronovan Writes Sally Cronin Six Sentence Stories Sue Vincent https://amaviedecoeurentier.wordpress.com http://withrealtoads.blogspot.com Drabble SeriousFlashFiction The WriteStuff
Thank you all for your support!
balance, keep going
rushing stream bridged with each stone
reach out, step across
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It’s funny because it’s true. If you agree it’s because you know.
On the left is the gift that keeps on giving. (On the right is a freeloader) 
Over a week ago I admitted to being a writer, provided as evidence the reveal of a shiny new book cover that is to contain a collection of short fiction. The update is that I continued to struggle with formatting issues, in my ineptitude too ridiculous to discuss. Now I am somewhat less inept. I also found more editing and revising to do, the net result being further delay to completion of the publication of this collection. So still I wait.
The Write Stuff 