Past two months I was in a weird limbo, hunkered down in the transitional space between the poetry collection that has found a home and the new collection percolating in my head. This space was not comfortable and felt like a demilitarized No Man’s Land of in-between-ness. In this uncharted void, I came to realize certain errors in my approach to writing and one rather obvious learning:
Error 1
Prior Collection Must Be Accepted Before I Start New One
I like to wrap up loose ends, put projects to bed before moving on to the next thing that will consume me. I tend to be a tad obsessive about intentions I have set and goals l need to see through because I hate the feeling of unfinished business knocking at the back of my mind. The upside of wanting to complete one thing before I start another means that I pursued the creation, structuring and submission process for my first collection with a single-minded zeal that would do the Unsullied proud. The downside is that it’s all I worked on for extended periods of time without generating any new writing. I could have been capturing other ideas squirming in my head that I consciously did not because I felt I had to see this through first.
So if this manuscript hadn’t been accepted at what point would I have unclenched my death grip on it and let myself produce another collection? We’ll never know.
Error 2
What Should Be My Next Collection’s Theme?
I have wasted time thinking about what should be the theme of my next collection. I have come to realize, that at this stage, it is unnecessary and premature. In trying to identify themes, I am boxing myself in and limiting the free flow of ideas. While this thematically-structured approach may be useful in writing prose, for starting a collection of poetry, the initial work needs to be more exploratory and organic.
Error 3
Allocating Time Between Author Platform and Writing
The work on a collection doesn’t stop after it is accepted for publication. The writer shifts into a different phase, engaging in the production and business side of writing. While the press uses its networks to publicize your book, these days a lot of marketing responsibilities also fall to the writer. All publishers, from the biggest houses to the smallest presses, expect the writer to do their own promotion in addition to what the press does for them.
All I want to do is start work on the next collection. I’m happiest when I’m wrestling with a poem. But I also understand the demands and prevailing practice in the publishing industry. Mapping the best way forward for my book has come at the cost of not allocating time for new work. I have realized I need to balance this better.
The Learning
Writing Comes First, Everything Else is Secondary
The past few months I had lost sight of this. Rain or shine, wind or hail, I MUST make time to write. Even if it’s just 10 – 15 minutes in a day, I have to bring myself to the page. Rather than think about writing a second collection, I need to produce work from which, hopefully in the future, a second collection may be distilled. No sense putting the cart before the horse. I just have to keep writing poems and tell my stories, like I always have.
I have now corrected course, brought balance to my author platform commitments and writing, and have never felt more relieved. Back on track!
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