(Hash)Tag It!

Just a few more days! Is your blog as ready as you are? 

So we're doing a good bit of writing here, the next step would be to share it. One of the easiest ways to make sure we're sharing work is to make sure you've got proper tags on your blog posts! 

There's the obvious ones #Poetry #OctPoWriMo 

Then there are some that are popular in a lot of the online writer communities: #SpilledInk (Often accompanying a photo of a handwritten poem) #SpilledWords #SoulKissing #Wordsmith (Usually used for briefer poems) 

You can also go subject specific #LovePoetry #NaturePoetry #WrittenOnAMountaintop, #WordsOnMyHeart, and even more subject specific #PoemAboutHer #WhiskeyedWords 

To connect with other writers and the local community ,the most popular tags are #AmWriting #WordCount #WriterWednesday 

If you've got a strong following and several sites, you can use a personal hashtag such as #BeverlyTanPoetry or a blog name if you don't share with someone. 

There is a note that on different platforms, there is a difference between putting a space between words in a hashtag and not. Instagram has no spaces, Tumblr allows spaces but it's more popular without because of Instagram integration. Blogger and WordPress tend to lean towards the spaces. 

Another thing to keep in mind with hashtags is who else uses. Do a quick search if you're not sure. My favorite story is my friend who grows her own vegetables started using the Instagram hashtag along the lines #FromGardenToPot #Homegrowing and to her surprise, it wasn't about her veggie garden or herb collection, it was actually a cannabis community. 

With all these options, it'll become very trial and error to figure out how to tag your style. I recommend evaluating what is and isn't working every couple months. Choose your tags with style and have some variety between types. 

What's YOUR hashtag? 

What is the role of poetry?

What do you think is the role of poetry in today's society? Is poetry just an archaic throwback? Is it a living and breathing part of our current reality? What roles do poets play in a world full of Internet, phones that can do everything but bake a cake, and cars that are "smart?" How can poets bring value to this modern age?

This is question that is long debated. And everyone seems to have a different idea. I come in on the John Lennon side of things:

Photo: John Lennon. Text: "My role in society, or any artist or poet’s role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all." – John Lennon


I think the role of the poet is to be a mirror to society. To allow people to see what is happening. Giving observations, moving through the trickery of language to shake out meaning in what can sometimes feel like a meaningless world.

If you want to.

If that goal is comfortable for you.

 I can't tell you what to do with your poetry. I can only give you a suggestion or an idea. If during this next month's challenge, you're feeling stuck, look to the news. Look to your neighbor. Look to inside of you. Let your words be that mirror.

I thought about leaving a social commentary poem here for you to think about, but songs are just poetry with a beat. And Marvin Gaye's lament asking what's going on still feels apt today.

Let me know in the comments, what do you think is the role of the poet?

***

Tamara Woods was raised (fairly happily) in West Virginia, where she began writing poetry at the age of 12. She published her first poetry collection, The Shaping of an “Angry” Black Woman in 2014 and is working on her first fiction novel due out in winter 2016. She is the Editor of The Reverie Journal, a poetry publication. She also moderates #writestuff a weekly writing Twitter chat. You can find her on Twitter here. She works as a full-time freelance writer and doesn’t post nearly enough her blog PenPaperPad. She creates videos about books and writing on her YouTube channel. She is a hillbilly hermit in Honolulu living with her Mathemagician.

Your Story Matters

Hello poetic friends!

I'm getting really excited about OctPoWriMo 2017! Last year did NOT go as planned for me and I am ready for a writing reboot. I am SO glad that Morgan has invited me to be a part of this again and am looking forward to sharing prompts and poems with you throughout October.

During our month long challenge last year, we were hit by Hurricane Matthew and our apartment flooded. I was also enrolled in art school (and taking a creative writing class) at the time and was completely overwhelmed as my life seemed to be spinning out of control. I hung in there with sharing prompts, but didn't get to read as many of your poems as I wanted. I also seemed to lose my own writing "mojo", so much so that for the first time in many years I didn't even participate in National Poetry Writing Month back in April.

This past Thursday, I attended an amazing show at the Chrysler Glass Studio in Norfolk, Va. My husband's niece Heather Sutherland and her fiance' Tyler Gordon were the featured glass artists, but the show concluded with a young poet performing two original works. (I will have to find his name and share it, but it escapes me at the moment.) Friends, his spoken word performance had me weeping. This teenage boy reminded me just how important our words are, how critical it is that we share our stories through our poems. I spoke to him afterwards and thanked him for affecting me and for demonstrating the power of words.

The lesson in this for me is that sometimes life happens. When it does, it can distract us from our writing, keeping us from sharing our stories and shattering the silence. However, the muse is never silenced forever. There are new stories to tell, new poems that need to be written.

I am committed to this project. Will you commit to it with us? A poem a day for 31 days can sound overwhelming, but you are not in this alone. We will be here cheering you on and encouraging you.

Because your story matters.

Amy McGrath

For Writers & Readers Alike

Poetry is often painting images with words into the minds of the readers. Sometimes, I wish that there was music in the background for all my readers. Webtoons.com has been doing a great job with music behind comics. Sometimes, I wish for pictures and I've found that! 

Today I'm sharing a fun tool for writers and readers alike to share in more poetry. It was maybe 5 months ago when I was browsing Tumblr and I found a really cool site called Commaful. I ended up chatting with the CEO a few weeks later (Turns out they're based in Denver, where I live part time) and soon became part of the top percentile of read poets. That was really cool and actually really unexpected. Anyways, Sidney from Commaful really gave me a great introduction to the site. 

I can take pictures from a pretty decent stock photo collection as well as upload my own and put my words in front of it. The site creates and hosts a slide show. One of my favorite features is the fact that it autoplays so I can really put in some solid line breaks. The pacing has worked out really well for me so far. 

I'd compare the tagging system similar to Tumblr, though the newness of the site makes most tags fair game. I tend to go with rather generalized tags. I'm reminded of photography site Viewbug when it comes to categorizing. It's quite interesting that "thoughts" and "poetry" are separated out which is really nice because there are many people on the internet that write sad rants about their feelings and call it poetry without much thought to the artistry of their words. 

There's also a themed challenge for when I have writer's block as well as a contests page. The contests seem to be underutilized so far, but it's a growing site. 

But really, my favorite part is that it's super sharable to other platforms. The Tumblr preview of it translates beautifully and it looks nice in a tweet. Being a full time writer and artist, social media is a HUGE deal for me so I'm always glad for a platform that fits my aesthetic and connects me to other writers.  

Oh and if you'd like to follow me on Commaful, you can find me at BeverlyTanFilm 

Cheers!
Beverly 

Connecting to Your Higher Self for Inspiration

Ideas for your poetry can come from anywhere but what about your higher self? That part of you that whispers softly that you may not hear. How can you connect to your higher self and write poetry from that place?

For me it depends on the day.

Sometimes I use dance to connect in and open myself up to be able to hear that small voice inside to allow the words to flow onto the page.

Sometimes I use energy work such as Reiki to connect in.

You may decide to use prayer, meditation, or even yoga.

You can use anything that helps you to connect and open to your higher self to write from that place.

This poetry challenge will begin in 10 days. No matter where you get your inspiration from to write your daily poetry, I hope you will come back and share your words with us by linking up and visiting other poets on this incredible journey of writing 31 poems in 31 days.

*Reposted from OctPoWriMo 2013

Now it's time for the Indie Ebook:

The Day I Stopped Waiting For You by Charley Wilde


Hop on over and Link Up to join in the poetry adventure!

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. Discover what else she's up to on her website, Wild Woman Writer.

Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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Indie Feature & Chapter Thoughts

I for one absolutely love indie authors, maybe part of that is because I am one myself. I came across "Travelling Light" by Vickie Johnstone yesterday while browsing a free promo on Amazon. "Travelling Light" sure does deserve it's top spot today with some great poems from her works over the years. 

I'm inspired by Vickie's style because it's quite similar to my own with it's free verse tendencies, that fall into their own patterns. 

Favorite poem? "Dreamers" because of all the mystical references and vivid imagery. It's no secret I really love unicorns and mythical birds. 

So, part of Vicki's author's bio on Amazon mentions that she had another book divided into chapters. Chapter themes are something that I find is a struggle in publishing. As a writer, I simply write, and I write, and I write some more. Then the hard part is the editing. But there's an easily ignored step right in the middle. Like any great music album or stage play, the scenes must be put in order. The tracklist must be made because while each piece might hold a story, the work as a collection must also tell a story. 

In my first book, I purposefully left the middle chapter perfectly empty. That title page with nothing after it became a poem in itself. I've seen great chapters such as Rupi Kuar's "Milk And Honey" chapters, which are all steps in a relationship. Another example is chapter 43 of one of my favorite novels "The Daughter of Smoke & Bone" by Laini Taylor. It's titled "Snap" and reads ""Such a little thing, and brittle, and the sound it made: a sharp, clean snap" " That is the entire chapter. So simple. So meaningful. 

For the day, think of some of your favorite chapters and check out a new book! 

Do YOU have a theme for your challanges yet? 

Stretch Your Goals

Photo Courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net
By Gerd Altmann

Alright, I'm stretching my post writing muscles for my return to OctPoWriMo and warming up for a good deal of writing!  Gear up for some style, some freeform, and many interesting words. 

You should be too! Warming up that is. During the pre-writes, I'll be sharing cool tools I use to write and some pretty sweet resources. Also, I'll be taking topic requests. 

Now, the single hardest challenge I face is consistency. Say it again: CONSISTENCY. Now there are many people who call me a nerd, they're absolutely right. I have to make everything a game, including my writing. 

How do I do it?
Well there's a little web-app I use and absolutely adore. I stumbled upon it while gearing up for NaNoWriMo last year. This is an app that lets you battle monsters with your words as well as tracks how many you write and how much time you spend writing. 

What is it? This wonderful site called 4TheWords!

How this works is that you'll pick a monster to battle based on how many words in what time limit. You'll write and you'll write because words are how you "attack" the monster. When you defeat it you get quest items, upgrade items, and experience points. That's IF you defeat it. How do you lose? Simply by not typing what you said you'll type in the time limit. Don't worry there are enough options for most writers, at least if you're not George R. R. Martin. 

Why do I love it? I really love watching numbers and bars move. This makes it a game and my character has a nice little goal now. There are a ton of events to unlock wardrobe items (which is purely superficial but awesome) and it always comes down to "I just gotta fight one more" and that'll keep me writing. The best part is I started becoming a lot more aware of how much I was writing per hour, which is a big deal for me considering I'm a full-time writer that writes fiction and screenplays for other clients. It gives me a loose idea of what I'm getting per hour. 

Oh oh oh! It AUTOSAVES! On the downside, it autosaves, so be careful if you delete stuff because you WILL lose it if you close out of the window. You can easily duplicate a copy though. 

Also another notable feature is the project organization. I love it. 

Sure, it's super easy to cheat, you can always copy and paste already written words for your quota, but let's be real you're playing against yourself at that point. 

How much is it? The first month is free but it's only $5/month, which is me drinking one less beer. I get a 3-month subscription for the price of a whiskey which is pretty cool. 

Okay Bev, you love it, do you work for them? Actually, I don't, I'm not that cool. 

However, I DO have a referral code to get free months. OGNWL83348  Obviously I'd appreciate it greatly if you use it, even just to try it out and it's fun to have friends around.   

Yes, I totally am writing my posts here, fighting some Lorsas which are 575 words in 50 minutes.

Time for the Indie Ebook:

Autumn Poetry by Jan Darrow

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Have You Ever Watched Spoken Word Poetry and Cried?

I watched the Odyssey poetry video I shared on yesterday's post today. It had been over a year and I thought if I was going to ask you to watch it I should refresh my memory. It is as I remember it, bold and powerful with slices of divinity woven in between the lines that are seductively spoken. Oh how I love spoken word poetry.

Of course after that I had to go on Youtube and see what other spoken word poetry I could find. After the second video I was in tears, the third had me sobbing. There is such pain in the world right now and there are many using their voices, their essence, their souls, to express what can only be expressed through poetry.

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net
by Linnaea Mallette

I decided to share this poet, Blythe Baird and her poem, Girl Code.

It spoke to me and
the things we learn as young girls and
follow us into adulthood that
we hope as mothers we can change but
life just keeps repeating the same stories
that get into our bones.

For all the little girls that just want to play and laugh, and have a good time without worrying what someone else is going to insinuate because of what they are wearing or saying or doing.


Head over to Youtube and explore the many videos of spoken word poetry, maybe it will inspire you to write a poem and Link Up for OctPoWriMo.

Time for the next Indie Ebook:

Beautiful Broken Mess by Nikki Erin

Have you Linked Up for OctPoWriMo, we believe everyone can write poetry, you just have to play with your words until you breathe life into them.

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You discover what else she's up to on her website, Wild Woman Writer.

Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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Have You Ever Watched Poetry and Felt it in Your Gut?

I watched the video Graffiti Verite 6: The Odyssey: Poets, Passion, and  Poetry on Netflix back in 2012 and was transfixed to the screen. 31 poets speaking their truth of their passion, their poetry. My stomach tightened as I felt a familiarity with these poets that was out of time. My blood pulsed in my veins as I listened and felt their heat. My creative juices began to move and flow.

Wanda Coleman chants her poetry with such vigor that I feel it in my heart. FrancEye speaks into why she writes her poetry to discover who she is. Who am I? Do you know who you are?

Shahe Mankerian shares his passion with his students. He believes a red pen to poetry is like the page bleeding to which no band-aid can fix. No more red pens to poetry.

Take time to watch this fascinating documentary that is like no other and then make notes of what comes up for you; what begs to come through you in your own poetry. This is available on Amazon to rent or buy.

Honestly, I will most likely rent this myself because it has been so long since I watched this.

Grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine, sit back and see what world this video opens for you. 

Have you signed up to participate in this Poetry Challenge? The time is drawing near, sign up and join us in this wonderful adventure into words.

------------------------------------*Above Reblogged from OctPoWriMo 2012.

Time for today's Indie Ebook!

I Love You In Paris by Juliette Sobanet

Life has been a little out of wack lately including this morning my granddaughter had to have eye surgery. But isn't that the way life usually is, something is always standing in the road waiting to block our path. It is up to you and me to keep our foot on the gas pedal (or hybrid pedal) and keep on moving forward. Here is to you and me moving forward, writing poetry, and expressing in words what isn't always easy expressing in life.

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You can find more about her on her website, Read, Dance, Write.
Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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Do You Love Writing Poetry?

If you aren't even trying to be happy, what is the point in life?

What I mean by this is if you aren't doing what you love, writing poetry, then what are you doing? Playing video games? Surfing social media?

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net
By Linnaea Mallette

Are you worried your words won't be good enough? Or are you worried about other things because it distracts you from the fact that you aren't writing poetry?

Have you given yourself permission to write?

What?

Maybe you haven't thought of it quite like that. Maybe you dabble but you don't think you're good enough to compile your poetry into a book. Or, you don't think your poetry is good enough for anyone to read. I have at least one friend like that. She thinks her poetry is too dark and no one will want to read it, that it is better left inside her mind.

Never.

Our words are scratching at us, wanting to be written. We can numb ourselves out but the scratching is still there, numb a little more and maybe you won't feel anything at all.

But what kind of life is that?

You know you want more, you want to see your poetry, your words, to see the light of day. I know you can do it. The time is now, not yesterday, not tomorrow but now.

If you can't find your happy place, embrace the dark, I do. Nothing ever stays the same, dark moves to light and light to dark.

If you don't let the dark out, the light can't shine.

Time for the Indie ebook!

All The Things I Never Said by Mae Krell and Tiffany Tremaine


Take the challenge, write 31 poems in 31 days - Link Up and join the adventure!

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her on her website, Read, Dance, Write.
Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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How to Find a Writing Partner

Rose asked a question in her comment on, OctPoWriMo Link Up, about how to find a writing partner. By the time I was done responding I realized I had basically written a post so I decided to share it here in hopes it will help you as well.

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net
by Kevin Phillips

I've been looking for another writing partner for years and finally found an online writing buddy. I'd prefer to have someone to write with in person but meeting with someone online is great too. I just kept putting it out there that I was looking for someone to write with.

I attend Twitter chats, online writing groups, in person writing groups, etc. I would let people know every where I went, where there were other writers, that I was looking for someone to meet up and write with. Not on the same piece, just together.

If you are on Twitter, use the hashtag, #wordmongering , when people are using that hashtag to write they start at the top of the hour :00 and end at the :30. Using the hashtag you ask if anyone is up for #wordmongering at the :00 and see if anyone responds. If they do, you then write after checking in and then check in at the :30 to see how you both did. I often used that when I very first started writing and I'm back to using it again with my new writing buddy. Definitely helps with the loneliness.

 You can also join us on Thursday nights, 8 pm EST, for #StoryDam Twitter chat. We talk about all things writing. Tamara now has a Twitter chat on Tuesday nights, #WriteStuff at 9 pm EST. I've been visiting that chat as well, I'm meeting a lot of other writers and it's a lot of fun.

Do you have a writing partner? If you do, share with us in the comments how you found them.

Time for the Indie Ebook!

Colour Me by Roxanne Simone Ricketts  I must say that the color and the dancing/moving bodies on this cover really got my attention.


Have you Linked Up to join in the fun at OctPoWriMo?

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her and how she can help you "move your body, move your words" on her website, Read, Dance, Write.
Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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Move Your Body, Move Your Words

Tonight I put on some good, fast paced music and got up and danced. I wanted to loosen up my body and my words as I had a preassigned appointment with a writing friend. We planned a meet up on Twitter so that we could write for 30 minutes, check in, write for 30 more and check in again. Have you paired up with a writing buddy before? I have to tell you it can add hundreds if not thousands of words more every time you meet up to write. I wrote over 2200 words in an hour.

Image and quote by MDragonwillow.

Now you may think you can't do that with poetry, I beg to differ. Most of those words were writing poetry from prompts. I had a whole list posted next to me so that I could look up the next one as I finished one poem so I could move right into the next poem. Not all of them are great poems, though I think I have some gold in within the words, but I have poems I can go back over, play with some more, until I feel they are ready.

I challenge you to find one person, just one, that you can meet online at a specified time and write for at least 30 minutes. See how many more words fly to the page.

Time for the Indie ebook:

Letting Go is an Acquired Taste by Christina Hart


OctPoWriMo is 20 days away, have you Linked Up yet?

Put on some music, dance, and then sit down to write, you never know where your words will lead you.

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her and how she can help you "move your body, move your words" on her website, Read, Dance, Write.
Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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Following the Smoke - OctPoWriMo Countdown

“...something was starting to take shape, out of magic and will. Smoke and bone.” ― Laini Taylor, Daughter of Smoke & Bone 

We are a third of the way through September. 20 days left until OctPoWriMo: 31 Poems in 31 Days. Can you feel the excitement in the air?  I decided to hop on over to PublicDomainPictures.net to see what would inspire me tonight and I found smoke. Of course, wherever you find smoke, there's fire. Is that cliche or too dated or will that always be a saying?

Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net
by Paduret Dan Cristian

See how the smoke twists and turns, flowing this way and that way. You don't know where the smoke is going or how it will look in the next moment. Kind of like poetry. But even though you don't know where it is going it is beautiful just as it is, just as it will be as it floats out into the world.

Today's Indie ebook is:



Love and Ink by Kiana Donae


Have you Linked up to join in the OctPoWriMo fun yet? Poet or not, you will find inspiration here.

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her and how she can help you "move your body, move your words" on her website, Read, Dance, Write.
Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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Find a Thread and Pull it into a Poem

Fear, it stands up and blows hot air in your face. You want to move past it but, fear. What do you do?

Write through it. Write about anything. The sky is dark because it is night outside, I can hear an engine as a truck passes on the street, I hear water softly falling into the aquarium behind me.

Photo by MDragonwillowI love playing with abstract photography.
Part of my creative process.

And you keep writing until something clicks, until suddenly:

black
black of the sky presses down
down into the marrow of my bones
bones turning brittle from age
age falling foward never back
back into a childhood better forgotten
forgotten memories turned to dust
dust sprinkled on the dresser, never clean
clean is a state of mind best left behind
behind closed doors, the sound of whispers
whispers softly spoken of love
love can change everything in a moment
moment of laughter on the tongue
tongue twisting words floating in the air
air light and sweet like cinnamon
cinnamon brings me into morning
morning chai tea fills me with joy
joy of misty sunrises on the lake
lake lapping at the shore
shore up your heart or break it open
Open

Write through it and see what happens, you just never know where your words will take you. Mysteries waiting for you between the spaces of now and forever. Take a moment and see where your words lead you in the comments below, see if you can find a thread and pull it into a poem.

Time for the Indie ebook:

Dead Starships by Wendy Rathbone

Have you Linked Up for OctPoWriMo? Come on over and join in the fun!

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her and how she can help you "move your body, move your words" on her website, Read, Dance, Write.
Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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Break Free and Write What's Important to You!

Everyone is talking about having a voice as a writer, that you have to write and write and write to find your voice. I just want to break free with my words, don't you?

Magical worlds of inspiration for your words.
Photo courtesy of PublicDomainPictures.net
 by Anthony Poynton

When you write poetry, is it difficult to allow yourself to write what you really want to write? Do you censor your words? I know I do. I rarely say what I really want to say. Not that I want to be mean or anything like that, I just can't seem to allow myself to write freely, not truly. Sometimes I think I come close. I am going to set that as my one and main intention for OctPoWriMo.

How about you? are you going to break free with your words? Are you going to allow your words free rein on the page?

What does that look like, I wonder?

I had an epiphany last night and wrote this:

When you suddenly realize
it just doesn't matter
and you write
whatever the hell
you want to write.

I believe that poetry can be anything, that isn't the problem. It is actually saying what we want to say. The thing is, do you even know what it is that you aren't saying? We just might have to figure it out together.

Do you have an intention for your poetry during OctPoWriMo or are you just going to go where the words lead you?

Indie ebook for today:

Love Notes from Humanity by Feminine Collective Media

This looks promising.

Have you LINKED UP yet, hop on over now!

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her and how she can help you "move your body, move your words" on her website, Read, Dance, Write.
Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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Need a Place to Blog Your Poetry for OctPoWriMo?

Yes, that is a long title. I was chatting with one of our OctPoWriMo participants and discovered she couldn't use her blog for OctPoWriMo. I thought, why not let her use, A Writer's Universe? So, For anyone out there that wants to blog their poetry during OctPoWriMo that doesn't have a blog they can post their poetry, email me at morgan underscore dragonwillow at hotmail dot com with your gmail email and I will use that email address to invite you to my poetry blog. We can write as a team. Oh, and make sure to put OctPoWriMo in the title.

Three of my favorite websites during OctPoWriMo:

1. Shadow Poetry - absolutely the best place to learn all about different types/forms of poetry. I found this website the first year I started OctPoWriMo and they were going to be closing down their website for good that September before OctPoWriMo. I emailed them and practically begged them not to. I told them they were a great resource for poets and we needed them. They decided to keep it as a static site instead of the blog and community they were before. I was so relieved.
2. Rhymezone - Quick and easy to find that rhyming word you're having trouble with.
3. Public Domain Pictures - I use this twofold - sometimes when I'm needing some inspiration I'll hop over there and look through the photos and when I don't have just the right photo of my own for my poetry, I find a lovely one from them. Just remember to give attribution and link back to them. Thank you.

He was just too cute to pass up. Photo courtesy of
PublicDomainPictures.net by Sheila Brown.

Now for today's indie ebook, drum roll please...

Magic With Skin On by Morgan Nikola-Wren

This is an unusual one as it is a story and poetry but the reviews just rave about it. I can't wait to read it myself. Oh and if you didn't know, I'm posting whatever indie ebook takes my fancy, I haven't read them yet. There just isn't anyway I'd have time to read them all before I posted them. So I decided I wouldn't read any of them until after I post them. I just think we need to support our Indie poets as much as possible. 

A lot of these books are also either free or I get them from Kindle Unlimited. If you get any of these books free, please make sure you write a review for them. Even if it is just, "I enjoyed the book." I know some people have a hard time writing reviews but reviews are the bread and butter to an indie author, especially poets.

Head over and LINK UP for OctPoWriMo now! You know you want to, it's going to be a journey you will never forget.

And if you need a place for your poetry to land, check out my blog at, A Writer's Universe.

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo & #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her and how she can help you "move your body, move your words" on her website, Read, Dance, Write.
Yes, she is on Google+ too!

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OctPoWriMo Kickoff Party!

Photo by MDragonwillow

After reading Bev Tan's post, that I listed on yesterdays top 6 tips post, I decided to have an OctPoWriMo Kickoff Party! We are going to kickoff OctPoWriMo on September 30th into October 1st, both online and an in person party for those that live in the Marietta, Ga. area.

I've created an event on Facebook where everyone can celebrate the beginning of OctPoWriMo whether you are going to the in person party or will be sharing with us online. We will have prompts, music, videos from the party, and a giveaway at midnight EST!

You can also set up your own OctPoWriMo Kickoff Party in your own area. Invite friends over for food, writing, wine, writing, chocolate, writing, dance, writing, you get the idea. As we post the prompts on the event page you can share them with your party goers.

Your party can be anything from a whole group of people to just your best friend getting together to celebrate and write for OctPoWriMo. And of course, chocolate.

If you'd like to sign up for the party (online or in person) go to the Facebook event page. If you'd like to join in the giveaway, there is a pinned post in the event on Facebook with all the info and on my Instagram, @MDragonwillow.

Hope to celebrate with you on Saturday night, September 30th at 9 p.m. EST!

Today's indie ebook is, Jump by Annie Louise Twitchell.

Help me make one of OctPoWriMo goals a reality!
This year we'd like to take OctPoWriMo onto an online radio show talking about how it was started, the contributors, our philosophy about poetry and the special community of poets like you, that we've supported and encouraged over the years. If you know of someone that can help us make that happen please send them our way. Thanks!

Head over and sign up for OctPoWriMo now!

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her and how she can help you "move your body and move your words" on her website, Read, Dance, Write.

Yes, she is on Google+ too!

Make sure you sign up to receive our updates, tips and prompts to share in all the poetry fun!

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Top 6 OctPoWriMo Poetry Tips

Over the last six years OctPoWriMo has had some great contributors with fantastic poetry tips. I've decided today to share some of my favorites. The list is in no specific order.

Top 6 OctPoWriMo Poetry Tips:

OctPoWriMo 2012: Poetry Writing Tip #23 - Someone Special is Waiting to Read Your Poems

OctPoWriMo 2012: Writing Poetry Tip 19 - Dance to Stir Your Creativity

OctPoWriMo 2013: What Poetry Tools do You Have - Tip One

OctPoWriMo 2015: Do it like a twosome

OctPoWriMo 2016: Countdown - Writing Dangerously

OctPoWriMo 2015: Ready for Liftoff!

There you have it, 6 of my favorites, at least this year. Yesterday I forgot to add the Indie Ebook for the day so here are two.

Water in a Glass by our very own Beverly Tan

I am Miss Swift

We have all different types of people that join us year after year to write 31 Poems in 31 Days. Are you going to be one of them this year? Sign up and don't miss a single moment of OctPoWriMo!

Morgan Dragonwillow, author of Wild Woman Waking & Dancing within Shadow, is a Bodywork transformer, dancing poet, motivator of words, magical instigator and creatrix of #OctPoWriMo #PoetsonthePage. You can find out more about her and how she can help you "move your body and move your words" on her website, Read, Dance, Write.

Yes, she is on Google+ too!

Make sure you sign up to receive our updates, tips and prompts to share in all the poetry fun!
P.S. This isn't the sign up for the poetry challenge, OctPoWriMo. You can sign up here.

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