loose leaf and spiral bound

Yup. I did it again. I put my poetry in the UNL Staff Art Show. AGAIN. I know that last year I was a nervous wreck at the First Friday reception for the university staff art show, and this year wasn't any easier. It was almost worse because I knew what to expect this time. I knew there would be a guest book where strangers could leave notes about the pieces on display and there was no way I could not look at the book. Like a moth to a flame I started flipping through the pages to see if anyone had anything to say about my stuff. Well, they did. AND IT WAS LOVELY!! I was beyond elated. These two folks took the time to jot down their thoughts and it made me feel so good inside. Totally worth the nausea and sweaty palms. There is no need to reiterate to you all that I am by no means an artist by definition. Sure, I like to make things and try new artsy stuff that I see on DIY blogs - - but I am a writer. That's my sweet spot. Sometimes I like to display my writi...

...unless you are going to say something negative about me. Then you can just keep it to yourself. No, no. Seriously. I need to be honest here. I have not submitted a single piece of writing since June. There, I said it. It seems like I have been writing some new stuff and editing some existing pieces, but I have simply been too lazy to submit. That is all there is to it. I am not nervous about submission and am not anxious about rejection letters - I am just being lazy. This is a seriously sad state of affairs because I will certainly never get published if I don't submit. I recognize this vicious circle and have instead opted to watch episodes of Weeds on Netflix. Well, no time like the present to make some changes. Guess I'll go look at my submission spreadsheet (Yes, spreadsheet. Don't judge me.) and get my ass in gear. Here is my dog Jasper being as lazy as I feel. It is possible that his reluctance to help me fold laundry is due to his lack of opposable th...

Well holy shit!  Can you believe that it has already been one entire year since I started this little blog?  That's right, on May 31, 2011 I decided that I needed a little accountability in my writing world and "loose leaf and spiral bound" was born... So, I'm sure you're wondering if it worked, right?  As of today, I am happy to report that I have in fact kept the promise I made to myself and have sent out poems each and every-single-frickin' month.  BAM!  That's right folks, I have submitted to eleven different literary journals and magazines and will be mailing number twelve tomorrow (because why wouldn't I procrastinate until the very last minute of the very last day of the month). Again I say to you, and with borderline excessive enthusiasm, BAM ! In all honesty, I am very proud of my meager success.  No, I haven't been picked up for publishing yet (suck) but I have managed to set a goal and keep it (yay). Along the way I have attracted ...

Okay, I really did slack off during the month of February in terms of having "submission-ready" pieces, well, ready to submit. Sorry. I suck. It happens and I've already moved on from my guilt. HOWEVER, what I did do was put out a few good writing exercises, asked a friend to read over some of my work for the first time, and met with one of my former college professors. Both of these things were time well spent and are currently helping me get on track to submit for March.  Perhaps I will take the advice given to me and begin doing multiple submissions. The more pieces I get out there to more places should only increase my chances of getting a "yes", right? Seems logical. Like I said, maybe not so productive in one area (ahem...cough *submitting* cough), but totally nailed it in others. This trying to get published business is not all frivolity, lattes, and quite moments of epic pondering. It's work...but worth it.