Carol’s Poetry Puddles

Inching toward darkness

Carol Willette Bachofner — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 18:32:05 GMT

September. Vacations ending. School starting again. Pumpkin spice everything, everywhere (yuck!). Halloween stuff and even some Christmas decor in the stores (UGH!). Fall cleaning. Leaves turning soon. One final yard sale down the street? Chilly air.

Truth is, we are inching toward darkness. It’s already NOT LIGHT when I wake up each day. It’s also NOT LIGHT when we eat our evening meal (supper? dinner?) So what are we writers to do?

Maybe try composing a list or two of possible disciplines you might like to take on over the winter months — until time to turn off the heat and throw open the windows again.

A discipline is nothing more than a promise you make and keep for yourself. Doesn’t have to be a big something. Maybe you won’t finish (start and finish) the novel you want to write. Maybe you won’t recarpet your bedroom and paint the walls a bright new shade of sunshine-y yellow to cheer yourself up as darkness tries to overtake you. Maybe you won’t quit your job and move to Florida or California or Costa Rica. But we all can do SOMETHING.

For readers and writers, there is plenty to do, small commitments that will end up with a refreshed sense of accomplishment. Here is a partial list of 25 possibles.

Remember, you can start with something small!

NOTE: These suggestions can be starting off points; you can go bigger if you like.

Read 5+ pages of something every day (pick a specific time and stick to that).
Write one line a day (one sentence or phrase maybe). Think of doing a 7-Day poem each week until spring. (If you don’t know what this is, see below.)
Write a postcard to a far-away friend once a week and mail it. Maybe a haiku on the postcard, yours or someone else’s.
Re-read a poem you wrote previously and see if there are changes you’d like to make now. Make the changes. Keep both versions to compare later.
Sharpen your pencils, refill the ink in your fountain pen (yes, I write with a fountain pen often), check your printer for needed maintenance & do that maintenance (new ink, get more paper, etc.)
Organize your MESSY files into folders, literal or digital.
Clean out your desk drawers, shelves, and closets. Give away what you don’t need anymore. Write about doing that.
Give away a book a week from your personal stash. Donate to your local library or to a Little Free Library near you.
Start a writing group. Join a writing group.
Find a poetry pen pal and start regular correspondence (send poems or notes back and forth).
Take a workshop, in-person or online. I’m leading two in October: one online October 3rd and one in person October 17th. Ask for details.
Do a daily ten-minute free write in a notebook you like with a pen or pencil you like.
Make a series of poems or small essays, using the USA’s founding documents as feeder material. THIS will be eye-opening.
Learn 5 + new words per week. Use some of them in new writing.
Take a 30 minute nap daily. Take vitamins daily. Occasionally open a window to the cold air. It is invigorating.
Eat a favorite snack while writing. Treat yourself. You deserve it. Keep treats handy where you do your writing. I have a bag of sour gummies and a big bag of strawberry twizlers in the drawer of my desk.
Buy yourself some kind of literary Christmas present (new pencils, pens, notebook, etc. Wrap it in beautiful paper.
Send yourself positive notes or post cards in October, November, December, January, February, and March (handwritten and in the actual mail). Send to another writer too.
Learn a new (to you) poetry form. Write one of these a week and see how good you become at that form. HINT: you will become better!
Find an author you’ve never read before and read something he/she wrote. Ask friends what they are reading to get some suggestions. OR maybe re-read a favorite author’s work… all of it if you can find all of it. I will be re-reading all of the poems by Richard Wilbur. Take notes.
Subscribe to a substack or make one of your own.
Add visuals to your writing (drawings, pressed flowers —collect now while you can— and photos, etc). Create a video of you reading your poems aloud.
Or do something BIG. Submit your manuscript (the one you found when you cleaned out your drawers). Arrange your scattered poems into a manuscript (the ones you found in the files you cleaned up). Submit them somewhere, individually or as groups of poems.
Write down your discipline and post it where you can see it so you challenge yourself to actually do it!
Call yourself a writer. Because you are.

What kind of discipline would you consider? Do you think doing an ongoing (larger) discipline might help you become better at writing?

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As the darkness comes, you can be your own candle. I guarantee that, if you engage with something over the next several months of darkness, you will wrest yourself from being bored. At a minimum.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:

Do you call yourself a writer/a poet? What would it take for you to do that?

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Here is one of my 7-Day poems for your enjoyment.

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Afterlife II

Soon no one will be sitting in my chair
lady slippers and moss
make the past visible

It’s trying to come alive again,
some dark, mysterious light
from an ancient forest

It’s who I used to be.

To refresh your memory (or to show you), a 7-Day Poem is made by writing a line a day, only ONE, for 7 days. The lines are (can be/should be) pretty random, not planned to follow one after the other logically, although they seem to find a certain logic for themselves. Later you can edit to rearrange lines (if you feel the need), but I have decided not to do this and just see what happens.

The lines I use are from my notebooks of lists (random lines or phrases— another discipline I’ve been doing since February). I open my notebook and see something interesting and use it. If YOU want some lists of phrases/lines, I will share. Message me for that.

I like the idea of writing a longish first line, then 6 shorter ones, arranged in 2 three-line stanzas and a final line using a flat statement that is a bit personal or instructive or even some kind of a request. Up to you how to structure the 7 lines.

After 7 lines, find a title. Do NOT title first or you will drive the poem in a planned direction and lose magic and spontaneity.

Try one and get back to me on how it went for you. Don’t overthink this! Just flow.

This might end up being a discipline you want to do for yourself. I am doing one a week for a year, one line at a time.

I’ll have a draft “manuscript” of fifty-two 7-line poems next July (I began July 6th). So far I am in the midst of week 9. I love how free my writing is getting!

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Time for my nap! When I wake, you will have this stack in your inbox. I am joyful about that.

Writing From / Through Risk

Carol Willette Bachofner — Sat, 29 Aug 2026 16:02:15 GMT

On October 3rd, I will be leading an online workshop for Wheaton Writing Academy. (You should check it out, many interesting workshops coming up!) The director specifically asked me to do something this time with the notion of writing the hard stuff. I jumped at the chance, mainly because I like to do that in my own writing and because I think we (writers and human beings) spend a fair amount of our energy avoiding the hard stuff!

In the physical body (and in the mind), when we avoid confronting risk is that we experience jumps in cortisol (this is a real thing, people!) and higher cortisol levels lead to all kinds of physical/health problems.

But really, the biggest reason to stop avoiding our stressors and our fears is that carrying them around inside prevents us from peace and lowers our quotient of happiness. We are often willing to avoid rather than to risk. This is not healthy.

I think of that Bobby Ferrin song, Don’t worry, be happy, and it seems to me that it applies to being willing to write the tough topics, the hard experiences, the secrets we haul along with us every day. I have found Robert Bly’s book, A Little Book of the Human Shadow to be helpful in understanding what we carry around with us that stalls, even undermines, our feelings of happiness. I go back to this book sometimes when I am stuck writing about some difficult thing.

So what IS writing from / through risk?

Sometimes it involves exposing a secret or a fear, yours or someone else’s. Sometimes it is confessional (what was that thing you did in high school no one ever found out about?) What was a rule you broke as a kid? What about that guy (or girl) you dated secretly so your parents wouldn’t find out? Did you ever do some thing a little bit “off the books” that has been bothering you for a long time? Sometimes writing from risk means using language you don’t use in public or naming body parts or showing anger when you normally “stay pretty” in your speech or actions. Sometimes it means writing frankly about someone who might be “offended” to read what you have to say. Are you avoiding certain kinds of writing for fear of upsetting others? What about other people’s privacy? How much are you willing to risk in service to telling your truth? There is so much territory to cover because all of us are inherently flawed. Aw shucks! You mean I’m not perfect? Yeah, I mean that!

So why not make use of our imperfections to write?

In terms of writing about others, I do like this quote from author Anne Lamott who wrote, If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should have behaved better.

“Sensitive language” (which CAN be beautiful language) reveals so much about place, culture, and beliefs. We need to find creative approaches to successfully handling language that is visceral, emotional, and often weighted down by taboos (religious, family, community, political, etc). Are we afraid that, if we use sensitive language or write about sensitive topics, we will cause others to think less of us? Are we worried that we will think less of ourselves? Are we willing to stop being risk-averse and put it out there ON THE PAGE?

Suzan-Lori Parks says, Words are spells in our mouths. Are we nervous/afraid to use some of them?

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If you are ready to venture forth into risk writing, in a completely SAFE space, consider carving out 3 hours on October 3rd to join the Wheaton group for my workshop. The workshop will be live on ZOOM from noon- 3PM. The workshop is suitable for adults: poets, storyteller, essayists, memoirists.

There will be a nice handout provided and, as in all of my workshops, a couple of door prizes (I mail them afterward). Don’t worry about your skill level as this workshop is for all who want to learn something to apply in their writing practice.

Don’t worry about privacy. What happens in workshop stays in workshop.

Contact Nancy Wheaton: wheatonwriter@gmail.com for more information or to register for this (or any other) workshop. Cost is $50 for 3 hours.

And remember: Don’t worry. Be Happy.

August

Carol Willette Bachofner — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 19:01:32 GMT

I love August, the month (and the word).

august (adj.) worthy of respect, venerable, learned, accomplished

August is considered to be the final month of summer, but I think of it as more like a hinge between summer and autumn. Temps are cooling a bit, there are softer breezes and shiny skies are using their shine a little and holding clouds longer. Fog is a more frequent visitor in the early mornings and late afternoons. The sun is lowering his eyes. Oceans, rivers, and lakes are changing color from bright blues to a kind of blue-green or dark green and seem less translucent. Birds are calling out to one another more often, preparing for migration and for settling in. August is truly-named, deserving of respect for bravely moving us to darker colder months.

This year August is struggling to recover from what summer has laid on us: extreme heat, fires all over the world, and fiery tempers breaking our supposedly peaceful summer.

But for me (as usual) writing has helped. I just counted my active notebooks, the ones currently in use on a nearly daily basis. SEVEN. When I say seven I mean that I have notebooks for disciplines I’m doing or notebooks for free-writes, for my morning pages (to start my day), and notebooks of lists (useful phrases, word lists, etc.) These represent a LOT of writing. Not included are my mini booklets that I make (I keep a supply) for writing my pop up poems. My notebooks provide me with the material I use for writing the poems I write. My own repository of ideas and lines and vocabulary for the poems I will write.

I’m not sure how other poets do it. Do some poets just sit right down and begin a poem without preparation, materials? I have done that on occasion, but it is not normal for me. I most often need to juice up (with my materials in my notebooks) to begin. I get an idea (sometimes from one of my free writes or lists) and go to my materials for an opening line. I may write awhile and get stuck… back to the notebooks for inspiration or a kick in the pants to keep me going.

Let’s begin a discussion of what feeds our poems. I will start a chat where you can put YOUR ideas and practices.

In the meantime, for your reading pleasure, my latest 7-Day Poem:

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Writing All Night

you suddenly become sacred
a mixture of surprise and suspicion
like the beginning of everything

the seams begin to split
create a hybrid world
like running away from home

with so much poetry inside you.

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So, go outside into the august air and breathe deeply. Get out a notebook or something to write on and begin your hinge into autumn. Or lavish some praise upon what’s left of summer wherever YOU are.

Up coming:

September 7 6 PM Midcoast Poetry Journal Open Mic

Oct 3rd 9AM to noon (eastern) Online writing workshop, Wheaton Writing Academy topic: writing through risk $50

October 15-28 Belfast (Maine) Poetry Festival I will be doing a workshop. TBA

Respect authors

Carol Willette Bachofner — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 17:00:56 GMT

I do not usually rant about a situation that has upset me. I like to keep this stack positive. But today… I must discuss something that has me riled up and perhaps can serve as a warning when dealing with bookstores or other places where you may want to put your books.

A local bookstore (not any of the shops recommended at the conclusion of this article…

POP UP Schedule

Carol Willette Bachofner — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:12:22 GMT

Here are some dates and locations for a POP UP poem experience:

August 5 12:15- 1:00 PM Clan McLaren Rockland

August 12 noon to 1 PM Rock City Cafe Rockland

August 19 noon to 1 PM Fresh Off the Farm Rockport

August 22 11 AM until 3 PM Maine Authors Fair, Thomaston Library

August 29 noon to 1 PM …

Practice Makes Confidence

Carol Willette Bachofner — Mon, 03 Aug 2026 14:30:27 GMT

To restate the (hopefully) obvious, if you want to write well, you have to write. A teacher once said to his class (a quote from someone else) “we all love having written.” This is a fact. Once the last punctuation mark is in its place or the final word or line is there on the page, we sigh with relief and maybe even a bit of happiness. Finis. We did i…

Making Work New

Carol Willette Bachofner — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:02:33 GMT

Some people (the “they” who say things) insist that the hardest part of writing is to begin. Sure — After you cleanse your mind of what you wrote last.

It is easy to be bathed in the light of accomplishment and walk around with your head all happy and your heart feeling satisfied. Okay, I get it. You’ve done it! You’ve written!

But then you realize that…

New Form Part 2

Carol Willette Bachofner — Sat, 18 Jul 2026 19:01:24 GMT

The result of this adventure has led me to breaking and reconstituting other forms. But lately I have been thinking about making a poem that does something entirely different. I needed a new form.

I like to set “disciplines” for myself. I do this at least once a year. The discipline I am doing right now (since January 24th) involves making lists of inter…

Making New Forms, Part 1

Carol Willette Bachofner — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 19:01:00 GMT

I think that many (most?) writers get a bit spooked when trying to write “in form.” I know the sonnet (traditional English or Petrarchan) was a bugaboo in my writing for years (more than a few years). I like writing these now, mostly English because I do enjoy a good couplet. I enjoy the 8 lines of the triolet and a nice pantoum or villanelle makes me h…

Writing With Kids and Teens

Carol Willette Bachofner — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 16:00:55 GMT

Whether they admit it or not, most kid and teens write, or try to write. I’ll bet that there is a high percentage of teens who have some kind of journal or notebook in their backpacks or stashed under their beds. Even my almost-ten year old great granddaughter has one, her “book of big feelings.” Most kids would probably not describe themselves as “writ…

Ekphrasis

Carol Willette Bachofner — Sat, 04 Jul 2026 16:30:18 GMT

Ekphrasis.

Big word. Big concept ————> art interpreting (commenting on, responding to) another art form. For example, writing a poem in response to a painting, a piece of music, a ballet, or another person’s writing.

Ekphrasis is most commonly used to refer to writing (poems) responding to visual art. Visiting art galleries and museums offers a vast set …

Getting Out There

Carol Willette Bachofner — Sat, 27 Jun 2026 16:30:07 GMT

We work at this poetry thing. Most days we do it alone, or in silent reflection over pages of blank paper (blank screen?). We may go to our writing groups, but mostly it’s just A - L - O - N - E. We are in our heads — and that can get lonely. We isolate and ruminate. Maybe even procrastinate. We may berate ourselves for “doing nothing” of value. No poe…

4th of July

Carol Willette Bachofner — Sun, 21 Jun 2026 23:02:05 GMT

I’ve always loved holidays, pretty much all of them. But despite being patriotic, (I am) I have not been much of a fan of celebrating this particular holiday. I do love a good parade and enjoy the music of marching bands (I was drum major in my high school band). I love the ideas and ideals upon which this country was founded. I am proud of my veteran f…

Keeping on keeping on!

Carol Willette Bachofner — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 21:01:15 GMT

Good afternoon, writer peeps!

I am grateful to Maine Writers & Publishers Alliance staff for the lovely awards evening of May 28th where winners of many literary categories were announced. What a nice event! Thanks also to the judges who looked at SO many entries and came to the ultimate decisions on the winners.

My book remains a finalist, and I am prou…

Chapbooks

Carol Willette Bachofner — Tue, 26 May 2026 16:31:27 GMT

The chapbook (chapter book) is a short collection of writing, either poems or short pieces of fiction or nonfiction. Chapbooks are usually printed or handwritten “booklets” of 10 (mini-chaps) to 40 pages (usually 24-36 pages). They were very popular in early European communities, and were distributed on the street for free or for a tiny coin offering. …

Introducing...

Carol Willette Bachofner — Thu, 14 May 2026 16:30:55 GMT

I attend poetry readings whenever and wherever I can, as a listener and also as a reader.

There are many different kinds of public readings: scheduled with featured poets, open mic readings where anyone can sign up and read with a group of random poetry creators, festival readings, contest winning readings, slams, etc. All are a part of the spoken word …

How it's going

Carol Willette Bachofner — Fri, 08 May 2026 18:55:59 GMT

First, an apology for the gap between posts. So much going on I barely have time to … well … even put a poem into the computer. To whit, my Memorial Day poem for this year is still rough and in a notebook!

But my “busy” has borne some fruit.

Family wedding in Florida: grandson #3 to Brielle, such a lovely girl. We rented a big house for 18 family members…

Pop-Ups

Carol Willette Bachofner — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 16:02:53 GMT

I fully believe art should be free and artists should be paid. What a conundrum! How do I solve this for myself and my writing/art practice? In the present moment, it means finding a way to give something to the community and support myself a little.

April, being National Poetry Month, will be an experiment with the Pop-Up workshop. To that end, I will …

List it!

Carol Willette Bachofner — Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:08:15 GMT

Making use of the list, no trip to the grocery store required. Will you join me in a writing challenge?

Here is the prompt:

3 days a week or more (choose which days are best for you), make a list of 12 phrases you find from any source. Add a bonus below your list to make it a “baker’s dozen.”

At the end of the week, create a piece of writing using materia…

Are you an organized writer?

Carol Willette Bachofner — Sat, 31 Jan 2026 17:00:51 GMT

Where does (or doesn’t) your “regular” life intersect with your art/writer life? I ask myself almost daily if I am “neat” or not. Decades have flown by with no clear answer. I do feel at peace when my space is tidy. But I also feel like maybe nothing is happening, that life feels a bit static or sterile. Feel free to jump in here and comment on this dic…