[stylist] The Poet Biz

[Lynda Lambert]

Kudos to you for writing over 100 poems this year! That is one ambitious 
undertaking.

There are a number of others here who get published regularly and I am 
certain each of them can give you good information in whatever direction you 
choose to go.

My suggestions are:
     Plan out where you want to go with your writing. Ask a few questions 
and then you can get a better idea of what will fit for your intentions.
    Once you know where you want to be in you publishing life, then you can 
develop a realistic plan for getting to the goal you have set.
    You threw out a number of ideas and they are all different. Look over 
your list and choose what stands out to you at the place to begin.

Publishing a body of work is not a "wild idea" but a manageable project once 
you decide to begin and outline your steps to get it done.

Do you want to develop and maintain a blog site? Do you want to put together 
a cohesive body of work for a poetry chapbook?
Do you want to develop a full length poetry book that would be about 80 - 
100 pages?
Regardless of size, it has to hold together with a theme you choose for the 
book/chapbook.

I would say to go for whatever path is comfortable for you - you know your 
own personality and what fits with your personality.
For instance, doing an "open mike" would be something completely foreign to 
my personality.  My work is introspective and  meditative, reflecting a 
personality who looks at an object and lifts it to the light to examine its 
core.  My audience would be quite different than the audience of
the performer at a coffee shop or poetry slam.  For another person who might 
be a theatrical, dramatic and flamboyant person, that might be something he 
would relish.

My writing grows out from my academic roots in higher education so my 
publishing opportunities are different than writers from different roots.
Determine your strengths and opportunities -then develop them.
You will find your niche and that will be located in what interests you most 
and what you choose to write about.
Ask, "What do I love?" The important thing is that you are writing about 
what you love enough to spend your creative life working on. Mine is found 
in the visual arts, nature, mythology and philosophy 0 so that is where my 
work centers and the people who read it and enjoy it are people well versed 
in those things I embrace. I know who my audience is and who it is not and 
that is what we all need to be aware of when pursuing opportunities.

You sure did ask a great question and I imagine you will get a variety of 
responses to sift through in helping you find your own path. Lynda




















-- 


"Oh, Sophie!  Whyfore have you eated all de cheeldren?"


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