I became aware of National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) only in the past few years. I committed to participate last year, writing a new poem a day for the month of April, 2013. I thought, “Piece of Cake! I can easily do that.” Be careful what you think, when you have not yet participated. Writing a poem, good or bad, each day is work, requiring thought, editing, rewriting, sleeping with words and eating with revisions in your head. You will become obsessed, possessed, and ultimately assessed by what you write. You may set a theme, but I predict life will interject, and you will most likely find yourself veering to address the personal or political event of the day versus the pre-chosen topic. Last year, on April 12th, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and so THAT became an unexpected focus. Participating in NaPoWriMo helped me pare the experience down to its essence. I started each day for weeks and weeks with long, exhausting analysis and introspection, then cut and cut and cut until the bottom line appeared on the page.
Whatever your theme or plan, outline or free association, it is an exciting experience in the discipline of writing every day. Feel free to join me while I weave my NaPoWriMo, 2014!
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rJoHerman 
I Believe in NaPoWriMo
I became aware of National Poetry Writing Month (NaPoWriMo) only in the past few years. I committed to participate last year, writing a new poem a day for the month of April, 2013. I thought, “Piece of Cake! I can easily do that.” Be careful what you think, when you have not yet participated. Writing a poem, good or bad, each day is work, requiring thought, editing, rewriting, sleeping with words and eating with revisions in your head. You will become obsessed, possessed, and ultimately assessed by what you write. You may set a theme, but I predict life will interject, and you will most likely find yourself veering to address the personal or political event of the day versus the pre-chosen topic. Last year, on April 12th, I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and so THAT became an unexpected focus. Participating in NaPoWriMo helped me pare the experience down to its essence. I started each day for weeks and weeks with long, exhausting analysis and introspection, then cut and cut and cut until the bottom line appeared on the page.
Whatever your theme or plan, outline or free association, it is an exciting experience in the discipline of writing every day. Feel free to join me while I weave my NaPoWriMo, 2014!
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