Allyson Whipple

Category: accomplishments

  • April Accomplishments

    At the beginning of April, I didn’t quite realize just how busy I was going to be, and how much I’d struggle to take time for my writing. But I still managed to accomplish quite a bit

    Here’s what I did in April:

    • Wrote 32 poems
    • Submitted 18 poems
    • Submitted my chapbook manuscript
    • Wrote and submitted a nonfiction piece
    • Researched my NaNoWriMo 2012 project, albeit sporadically.
    • Made substantial progress on my epic poem. It’s not finished yet. There is so much revision I need to do. But I’m headed in the right direction.

    I did not

    • Finish my poetry table

    So while I wrote fewer poems this month than I did elsewhere this year, I’d say that, overall, April has been my most productive month to date. Especially since one of my goals (writing and submitting nonfiction) was not even on my list!

    My plans for May are as follows:

    • Continue with my write/revise/submit practice for poetry
    • Finish and submit one fiction piece from my in-progress list (which I took a break from in April)
    • Continue to research my NaNoWriMo project
    • Finish my poetry table
    • Perform a substantial revision of my epic poem

    I’m looking forward to this next month, and the work that emerges.

     

  • March Accomplishments

    March was a busy month! I ended up not being as productive as I would have liked, but considering how frantic I was, I’m pretty pleased with what I did pull of. Here’s what I ended up doing this month:

    • Wrote 41 poems
    • Submitted 24 poems
    • Submitted my chapbook manuscript
    • Finished the March stage of my ghostwriting project
    • Made progress on completing my unfinished short stories, as well as submitting three of them
    • Began doing research for NaNoWriMo 2012 (Yes, I know it’s months away. But my idea is going to require a lot of research, so it’s best if I start now.)

    I did not:

    • Complete a first draft of a new fiction piece
    • Do enough research on the epic poem I plan to write this month. Oh well. I’ll be writing it anyway. I can always fill in the gaps during the revision process.
    • Finish my poetry table.

    I wasn’t as productive as I would have liked, but considering how busy I was and just how many weekends were devoted to either a wedding or dance, I did pretty well for myself. April is a new month, and though I’m busy with dance stuff, it’s pretty much all local. There’s the possibility for a Dallas rehearsal at some point, but not until after the Austin competition mid-month.

    So here’s what I hope to accomplish during National Poetry Month:

    • Continue my regular write/revise/submit poetry practice
    • Finish one more in-progress fiction piece and submit it
    • Continue with my NaNoWriMo 2012 research
    • Finish my poetry table
    • Take a second stab at writing my epic poem.

    My literary year is definitely shaping up! Even though only a handful of the poems I write are ones I choose for further revision and submission (5-10), I’m well on my way to having a first draft of a full collection  by the end of the year. That, ultimately, is what I want. Not that I don’t want to be successful with fiction or my NaNoWriMo project, but poetry has always been my first love, and I feel like things are finally starting to move in the direction I want. Eyes on the prize!

  • Second Survival Day

    What do Julius Caesar and I have in common? We both had pretty bad days on the Idea of March. Of course, his involved getting stabbed to death, so it was worse. Mine (in 2010) just involved a concussion, stitches in my lip (of which I remember every single one, because the anesthetic had worn off, but they weren’t allowed to give me more because I’d already reached my dose limit), and I needed to have my two front teeth replaced (to the tune of about $3,000). But hey! I’m not dead! (Thank you, Allie Brosch, for that fantastic image. Seriously, best blog on the internet.)

    So on March 15th, I allow myself the privilege of being sanctimonious. Don’t talk on your cell phone and drive. Don’t text and drive. Because you might make an illegal turn because you’re not paying attention, and hit someone on a scooter. Or a bike. Or on foot. Seriously. Please don’t mess around with your cell phone and driving. People tend to prefer their original teeth intact.

    It’s a little bittersweet this year. Reesa was diagnosed with her first round of cancer the same week when I got hit. Last year, we celebrated a year of survival together. It’s sad, this year, to be reminded that she’s not with me. I thought we had a lot more years ahead of us.

    Even so, it’s a time for celebrating. Last year, I threw a big party. This year, between my dance partner’s wedding and a competition, I really don’t have time. But Jon and I are going out for a nice dinner, and the competition means I’ll spend the weekend doing what I love most – dancing! There’s no better way to celebrate being Not Dead.

  • January Accomplishments

    January did not go as planned, and I let myself get sidetracked. But it was a conscious decision to let things slide. As Fiona Robyn wrote earlier this week, real life sometimes interferes with your plans. And you can’t always force your mind or heart to carry those plans out. And as Kelli Russell Agodon wrote at some point recently, even if you don’t complete a goal, trying and getting something done is better than doing nothing at all.

    But here is what I did manage to accomplish, in spite of everything:

    • Wrote 49 poems, 30 of which were small stones for the River of Stones challenge
    • Submitted 18 poems
    • Submitted my chapbook to 2 competitions
    • Went out on a limb and applied for a creative writing fellowship (not part of my initial goals, but I decided to follow my heart when the opportunity came up)
    • Submitted a short story
    • Completed Kelli Russel Agodon’s Poetry Resolution Party
    • Attended one of the Wingbeats writing workshops 

    But, I let a few things slide:

    • While I did write a lot of poems, I did not sit down to write every day
    • I did not actually write 31 small stones for the River of Stones challenge
    • I did not complete any drafts of prose pieces
    • I did not complete the revisions of my epic poem

    Ultimately, though, taking a pass on January was the best thing I could have done for myself. I’m ready to start February anew. Here is what I plan to accomplish:

    • Continue my regular writing, revising, and submitting practice
    • Finish a ghostwriting project I have under contract. No, I can’t say anything else about it. I’m Casper-ing it up!
    • Complete a draft of a prose piece
    • Complete the first round of revisions of my epic poem
    • Attend at least one of the February Wingbeats workshops
    • Go through all the neglected prose drafts on my hard drive and decide which ones are worth finishing and which should be trunked indefinitely
    • Make progress on at least one of the prose drafts that I have decided to keep

  • Tracking Submissions: Another Attempt

    As I mentioned yesterday, I settled on Writer’s Database as my method for submission tracking in 2012. Although I liked Sonar 3 well enough, I did have some issues with it, namely having to manually enter every single one of my market listings. In addition, the fact that the software was hooked only to my main computer was a bit of a drawback. Not a dealbreaker,  but a bit frustrating as well. I’ve gotten way too used to being able to access my data anytime, anywhere.

    Since I wasn’t entirely settled on Sonar, I gave Writer’sDB a shot. After about two weeks of using it, I’ve decided that while it’s not perfect, it’s the best possible solution for me right now.

    I like Writer’sDB because it’s an online system, meaning I can access it at home, on the road, from my smartphone, or wherever. In addition, it’s to some degree communal. Users can add their own market listings and have them be read-only, or able to be edited by other people who have accounts. It’s also easier to distinguish contests and other listings with deadlines to journals with open submissions, which I definitely appreciate.

    The drawbacks are minimal. I’m guilty of adding a few duplicate listings to the database, because I didn’t realize that clicking “Search Markets” did not search all shared markets; you have to go to “Browse Shared Markets” for that. The duplicate listings are a bit of an annoyance; I’m clearly not the only user who has done that. I don’t like seeing the database cluttered with three entries for the same market. And aesthetically, it’s not the most pleasing site in the world. But all in all, these complaints are minor.

    Writer’sDB is elegant, useful, and doesn’t require that I redo my entire market list; many of the places I submit to are already there. I also appreciate being able to share my listings with other users. I’m really happy with it, and look forward to using this site in the coming year.

  • December Accomplishments

    Despite all of the holiday-related fun I had in December, this was a pretty good month for my my writing. Here is what I managed to accomplish:

    • Wrote 32 poems
    • Submitted 14 poems
    • Submitted my chapbook manuscript to two competitions
    • Found a new system for keeping track of my submissions (I ended up going with Writer’s Database).
    • Drafted one of my prose ideas I had bouncing around. Except it turned into an epic poem. Whoops! I’d never written an epic poem before, so I’m pretty proud of this. I’d hoped to have a draft ready to show by the new year, but revising to make sure the meter works has been a real challenge, so I’m still plowing away.

    All in all, December was a great month! I produced fewer poems than I’d been writing in the past few months, but the epic took up a lot of my time.

    I’ve set some pretty big goals for my writing in 2012. Here are some specifics for January that will help me accomplish that:

    • Continue with my regular poetry writing and submitting practice
    • Complete the River of Stones project in January (small stones do not count toward my poem-a-day goal)
    • Complete Kelli Russell Agodon’s New Year’s Poetry Resolution Party
    • Complete a draft of one prose piece
    • Complete a draft of the epic poem that I can show  beta readers for feedback

  • November Accomplishments

    November was a tough month for my writing. Between moving, having out-of-town guests, and traveling to New Orleans for Thanksgiving, it was a struggle to get things done. But I kept my regular writing habit up nonetheless.

    In terms of successes:

    • Wrote 41 poems
    • Submitted 13 poems (5 rejected; 10 pending)
    • Submitted the chapbook manuscript to two competitions
    • Continued adding potential poems to my manuscript folder
    • Managed to complete the move, despite issues with our old place and the various utility companies being completely difficult.

    In terms of failures:

    • I did not accomplish that nonfiction project, because at the last minute I decided to spend November writing my horror story idea for NaNoWriMo….
    • ….And then I dropped NaNoWriMo. Oops.

    Still, not every month can be perfect. Things happen. Sometimes life does get in the way. What matters is that I kept up my daily poetry practice, and thus managed to keep my focus on my primary creative endeavor.

    And now for my December goals:

    • Maintain my regular poetry practice, which includes writing, submitting, and working towards the development of my next collection.
    • Actually write a draft of one of three prose projects I have bouncing around in my head.
    • Develop a new system for tracking my writing submissions. The one I had worked for almost three years, but for some reason, it’s not serving me well anymore. I want to experiment with a few new methods so I start the New Year off organized.

  • October Unprocessed Wrap-Up

    As I mentioned yesterday, I successfully completed October Unprocessed. I went 31 days without a single processed food. Sometimes, it was difficult. Sometimes, it was frustrating. But it was also probably the healthiest thing I have ever done for my body.

    Mid-month, I complained about being busy, overworked, and not having energy to cook. I wished I could fall back on frozen or fast food to get me through a rough week. But then a few days after I wrote that post, I realized that being stressed and tired should give me more incentive to cook unprocessed food for myself. It’s when I’m busiest that my body needs the most nourishment. This month has been about constantly nourishing myself, because I deserve that kind of nourishment, most of all when I’m burning the candle at both ends. I’m willing to bet that my decision to only eat unprocessed food is part of why I didn’t have an immune system crash when Austin Rocks happened and I didn’t sleep for about 3 nights.

    Because this went relatively well for me, I plan to continue being unprocessed five or six days a week. Preferably six, but some weeks (like when I’m traveling for dance competitions), five will be more feasible. This will allow me to eat very healthy food, but also get to indulge in restaurant food every now and then. It was kind of a drag to be at trivia on Saturday and not be able to order any fries. The occasional indulgence is nice.

    I’m really glad I tried this challenge, and even happier that it worked out so well. It gave me back my passion for cooking and has made me more innovative in what I make. So thanks to Andrew of Eating Rules for organizing this. It changed my life.

  • October Accomplishments

    I was slightly less productive in October than I was in September, but only slightly:

    • Wrote 41 poems
    • Submitted 7 poems
    • Submitted my chapbook manuscript to two competitions
    • Started assembling a folder of potential poems for my next manuscript
    • Started a spreadsheet to keep track of writing guides and whether or not they helped me
    • Figured out a good work/life balance. Finally. That only took six months.
    • Completed October Unprocessed (I’m typing this as I eat a completely unprocessed yet utterly decadent mushroom and zucchini lasagna).
    I did not get around to developing a recording system for chapbooks/poetry collections I’ve read and liked, but I’m beginning to think that’s not necessary.
    Goals for November:
    • Continue with my regular plan of daily poetry writing, weekly poetry submissions, and biweekly chapbook submissions
    • Continue developing my folder for the new manuscript
    • Begin a long nonfiction project I’ve been thinking about since April
    • Do research for the coolest horror story ever. I can’t wait to write it. But it’s the kind of thing I want to prepare for first.
    • Survive the move to our new townhouse relatively unscathed

  • September Writing Accomplishments

    I had a busy September! Here’s a look at what I accomplished writing-wise:

    • Wrote 43 poems
    • Submitted 10 poems (3 rejected, 7 pending)
    • Received a poetry acceptance from a submission a few months ago
    • Had a poem appear at A Handful of Stones
    • Completed my chapbook manuscript, entitled We’re Smaller Than We Think We Are
    • Submitted the chapbook to two contests (1 rejected, 1 pending)
    • Started Daily Text I Like
    I’m please with what I accomplished! Especially getting the manuscript finished (with thanks to the help of the fabulous Abe Louise Young). I’ve been working toward that goal for a few years now, and it’s finally coming true.
    Here are my goals for October:
    • Continue to write at least one poem a day
    • Continue submitting individual poems and the chapbook manuscript
    • Start keeping track of the poetry collections/chapbooks I read to get a sense of what I like, which poets inspire me, and what doesn’t draw me in. I want to do this to get a better sense of my inspirations and models.
    • Start keeping track of the writing guides I use to see which are the most useful
    • And, in non-writing things, I am going to attempt October Unprocessed, in which I vow to not eat any processed foods for the entire month. This is going to get interesting.