My writing opportunities have expanded in recent months, and I need to prioritize. I have lots of ideas and too little time to pursue them. I've already reduced the number of online courses I'm taking from three to two. And I've just resigned from writing a monthly column I've been penning for 15 years.
At some point, I need to get back to my memoir. I want to write more poems and attend more open mic sessions. Earlier this month I read two poems, but I need to produce more. I'm looking into different forms of poetry, in particular, ghazals, and I'd like to write more haiku. I wrote and submitted a short horror piece to a horror competition—yes, it's that time of year! Meanwhile, I'm workshopping a magical realism story that I hope to have polished before the end of 2024.
I'm still getting published, and this past weekend, I won two awards. The first haiku I ever wrote won First Place in the 2024 SouthWest Writers annual anthology competition, and my humor prose received an Honorable Mention. As finalists, both entries appear in the anthology Mosaic Voices.
My monologue performed earlier this year as part of a larger collection of dance performances, earned me full membership status with the Dramatists Guild. It was also accepted into the Small Plates Choreography Festival in New York where, next month, choreographers and dance audiences will engage in "meaningful performance experiences." I'm also honored to have been selected as the playwright for a new choreography collaboration to be showcased next spring, pending finalization of contract negotiations.
Given the low percentage of being published, let alone receiving an award, I'm grateful for the episodic success I've had. Being recognized by my compatriots in the writing industry tells me I'm doing good work. But never fear, the critics in my writing courses continue to inform and keep me grounded.
One might say I'm a prolific writer; however, the frequency with which I submit work to magazines, anthologies, and contests leaves me ripe for receiving multiple rejection letters in my inbox, as has been the case lately. The best thing about my writing, however, is that I love what I'm doing. So, while I've decided to pare back my obligations, one thing I'm not going to abandon is this blog. See you next month!