Scene Break
February 2, 2024
WHAT'S NEW IN POETRY
46. That's how many poems I'm sending to the National Federation of State Poetry Societies. I am entering 43 of the 50 categories. I went through my entire spreadsheet and all my poetry to find any poems not tied up elsewhere. I found 16 and I used 14 for the National contest. That means I wrote 32 new poems. They are due by March 15. I like to have several people who I trust read my poems after I write them so that's what's happening between now and March. Then I'll submit this document around March 1. The top prize for one category is $1000.
Believe it or not, I've written a couple more poems beyond those. I've also been reading at open mikes locally. I should list the readings in my events.
One thing I've found I enjoy doing is writing a viator poem using tarot. The first card I draw is the repeating line. After that, I draw a card for each line. I've written two viator poems in that fashion. It's a lot of fun.
PROGRESS ON THE NOVEL
I'm basically finished writing UNDER THE BUBBLE, my science fantasy novel with women's fiction elements. My last step is listening to Microsoft Word read it to me. I've found that is the best way to eliminate small mistakes. No matter how many times I read a page aloud, my brain fills in a missing word or ignores the misspelling, but the computer doesn't. Once I hear the entire book and make minor corrections, I will send it to my 6 beta readers for a month or so. I'll need to know if they lose interest anywhere if I repeat myself; things like that. The deadly synopsis is next before querying agents.
WHAT I'M READING
I'm kinda still reading what I've said before: the Le Guin poetry collection, the Mohammed Noor book. I also read other stuff all the time like the latest Writer's Digest and the other day I got the Authors Guild Bulletin. Needless to say, I have way, way, too much stuff to read. I don't have a TBR pile, I have a TBR shelf. So, I bought this new poetry book I found online from Jackleg Press. I barely started it today but so far, it's fabulous. The title is Solastalgia, and the author is Brittney Corrigan. It's about devastation of species. I don't dedicate much time to reading like I should, but I believe I'll read this!
PUBLICATIONS SINCE LAST SCENE BREAK
1. 'Dislocated' https://www.journalofexpressivewriting.com/post/dislocated
2. 'For Larue,' 'Waning Days,' 'Merry Christmas' https://inparentheses.art/2024/01/21/harvest-and-other-works-by-m-mehas/
3. 'In a Sylvan Wood,' https://campliterary.wordpress.com/sylvan/
4. 'With the Banned https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CS3R6F3Y/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0
5. 'Tarantula,' 'When Dogs Howl at Two AM' https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRPGQK45
JOSE
I don't think I could have asked for a more perfect dog for me. He listens to me and does what I say 99% of the time. Jose was neutered on 1/31 so he is officially mine now. He's still deathly afraid of cars so neighbor Kevin had to lift him in going to Humane Society in the AM and home from Humane Society in the PM. He gets 2 pain pills a day in a hot dog bite and seems to be doing fine.
By the way, our Hamilton County Humane Society (Indiana) is not affiliated with the national. They get no money from them but exist on donations alone. The building and grounds they're in now were (mostly) donated by a local benefactor. I used to volunteer there when I first moved here.
WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR
This section is about what I've learned concerning writing or submitting. I have a third poetry book I'm trying to get published on this side of the pond. I sent it to a publisher that said they were mostly hybrid. So sometimes they would accept books and not require money upfront from the author. That is the reason I sent them my manuscript. I got a contract offer today but for hybrid. I responded by saying I live on a fixed income and can't pay anything up-front. We'll say if I hear back from them. I guess the lesson here is don't fall for the first one to offer. Keep your head on your shoulders. I learned that mostly from being in the Manuscript Academy for 2 years.
STAR TREK
I've been rewatching Lower Decks. Some people say it's their favorite Trek, probably because it's a little bawdy, and it's funny sometimes. It's not my favorite but I love the easter eggs in the episodes. This is my first time rewatching the whole 4 seasons and I think it's better the second time around. I'm looking forward to Discovery season 5.
TODAY'S CARD
King of Pentacles from Tarot in Pandemic and Revolution by Nomadic Press.
What will I write about confidence and sharing my wealth when I live paycheck to paycheck?