Possibilities? As I face the future as a writer, I wonder about posts I read online, about authors needing inspiration. I don’t have that problem. I have five or six books lined up in the future. Three or four of them are poetry books! These pieces whisper to me often in the dark of night, begging me to breathe life into them.
I also have a couple of short stories I’ve played with, and I have a delightful collection of Christmas memories.
As a self-published author, I do all the work, so I have kept busy promoting my books, especially my last two. I’ve concentrated on my book business the last couple months, wanting to expand possibilities. I recently realized I need to focus on my e-book sales online and boost that in all the different formats.
So, along that line, I just finished training to create audiobooks, so that’s my next venture. The training is Audiobooks Made Easy by Derek I bought the training last December then got busy finishing up my new book. I started the training immediately last year. I bought all the supplies suggested: specialized mike for audiobooks, sheet music stand, recording microphone stand, ear phones and pop filter. Sadly, they have gathered dust in my walk-in closet (where I plan to record) until now, but I plan to start recording this week.
My plan is to start with my shortest book, Let Me Tell You a Story, to learn the process. Then I plan to record my current book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better?. Then I plan to continue with This Tumbleweed Landed and When Will Papa Get Home? Right now, I doubt if I will record my two longer books: A Time to Grow Up and Just Another Square Dance Caller.
Future Possibilities—My Line-up of Books:
- Three or four poetry books
- Watch a Poet Grow: Where It All Began #1—my early poetry
- Watch a Poet Grow: Look at Life Look #2—my later poetry
- Watch A Poet Grow: Haikuin’ Life #3—haikus about my daily life
- Watch a Poet Grow: The Death of a Marriage #4—poetry record of my third divorce
- I Said, “Yes!”—how to write a biography or memoir
- Eye Witness to Life—a fiction I wrote in 2016 during NaNoWriMo
- This Tumbleweed Landed #2—continuation of my first poetry book
How about some Cinquains?
“The cinquain, also known as a quintain or quintet, is a poem or stanza composed of five lines.”
https://poets.org/glossary/cinquain
In 2002, I took a poetry class from the University of New Mexico’s Continuing Education, and I wrote the following cinquains. They are cinquains loosely-defined but have no rhyming pattern.
Sunshine
light playing on
my skin, a reminder
that life will go on no matter!
I shine!
Cooking
fresh food ready
green cut aroma fills
the room and the space in my heart.
Refresh!
Land where?
A tumbleweed
bounces against barbed
wire fence, gets caught for a moment!
Now gone!
My words
my life caught in
a box, limited yet
real! I want to communicate.
Let’s talk!
Music
touches the deep.
I move to the beat. My
soul reacts to the sound and moves!
How come?
Playful
childlike laughter,
like bells ringing in the
chapel — angels swinging their wings
out loud.
Life force
Sensual light
burns deeply in my heart,
ignites with any willing soul
Alive!
Of what
are my dreams made?
Fluff, a sprig of cedar,
Flesh and bone and sawdust sprinkled!
Gone soon!
As you can see, I’m not done! As I referenced yesterday, I’m a Baby Boomer with a purpose! I love having future possibilities to look forward to—that’s the only way I can live!
Finally
This week, look for poetry—a variety of it, ranging from my early poetry to some of my recent haikus. Recently, after my walks, I have recorded a couple of haikus that came to me as I enjoyed being out in nature. I believe in possibilities, and I see them everyday all around me.
What are your future projects? Do you plan ahead? Share your thoughts below!
Visit my website to find out about my new book, Coronavirus Reflections: Bitter or Better? and my other five books and three cookbooks: https://laradasbooks.com