Library: Sorted

It seems that I always find cleaning projects to do when I am trying to avoid other work, like correcting a stack of papers or actually putting my new story into words.

A few weeks ago, this happened.

And now my library is lighter by four grocery bags and a box full of books. The young reader books have been alphabetized for the first time. The old printer is gone. Stephen King's work is not only arranged by publication date but also fits well in its designated space. All the pretentious books I thought I would read (but never will) are gone. The graphic novel section has expanded. There is space on the "display shelf" for something new. And anything I want to read has been moved to the entry shelf unit.

I just looked to my left to find a sticky note, and I remembered that I also reorganized the "office" area of my bookshelves.

It was a delight to see supplies so neatly arranged.

I have no more excuses.

Poetic Forms

As someone who didn't appreciate poetry until my 40s, I've never wanted to be a writer of poems.

I have a sense of creativity, but my soul doesn't cry out in words.

However, given an assigned topic and form constraints, I usually have a lot of fun building words into something one would recognize as a poem.

Each form is like a fun puzzle. A problem to solve. And that's also how I would describe the writing of my novels so far.

In SPOTD, I had to plan out a month of varied superpowers, sprinkling stupid ones amongst the useful, balancing heroic days with anticlimactic ones, and making sure to avoid time travel anomalies. Super fun puzzle.

I especially enjoyed the rereading and editing process, when I felt challenged to make each word the exact right word, each sentence the exact right sentence.

So...

After a solid month and a half of cleaning up my spaces while world building in my head, I am finally ready to find the exact words for my new story.

Step one is to reread what I already have.

Done.

And I like what I have.

I remember enjoying the writing process last February and March. Here's my guess as to why:

For this new story, at least so far, I constrained each chapter to one page of single spaced 12 pt font. I used 3rd person POV, switching the limited perspective with each chapter. And so far, each POV switch moved from the central character of the chapter to another character who was present during that chapter, like a relay runner passing the baton. Time jumped. Locations changed.

These constraints gave form to my storytelling the same way an expected rhyme scheme or particular rhythm gives poetic forms their shape.

The question is, should I stick to the strict format I established?

We'll see.