poetry

Poetry in Chantarelle’s Notebook

Published on by Sara Norja

My poem ‘October’s End’ is now online in issue 29 of Chantarelle’s Notebook: you can read it here.

On the topic of poems online, a note on my poems in Snakeskin: the website went down for a while, and they’re still updating the archives. Hence the old links to my poems there don’t work. I’ll add the new links when they’re available!

I notice I haven’t posted at all so far in December. Life has been keeping me busy. I haven’t been writing as intensely after the end of Nanowrimo, but I have been writing. Not every day, but still: writing. I’ve started editing the snail story. I’ve written a couple of poems. And I’ve been working on a short story in Finnish for a competition (deadline 31st Dec).

The Finnish short story is a new and exciting thing. Despite having done Nanowrimo in Finnish once, I’m much more unsure of any writing skills I may have when writing in Finnish. I wrote in Finnish as well as English when I was younger, but after my teenage years, I let my creative-writing Finnish get rusty. But I’m trying to relearn writing in my other native language too. There are some things that I think I could write better about in Finnish, if only I could be comfortable in the words, if only I could sink into the flow of it again. Like the story I’m trying to write now: oh, it’d be a very different story if I wrote it in English. It wouldn’t carry with it any of the personal meaning I attach to the setting and certain words.

It’s like relearning to play an instrument you haven’t touched for years. Which reminds me, I should do some fiddle practise. It’s a matter of months, not years, with my fiddle; but still, I need to find the old ways again, so that I can learn new tunes.

Huzzah! she shouted

Published on by Sara Norja

I thought today was going to be a horrendous day, because I had to get up after barely six hours of sleep (for the third or fourth time running) and there was a panda zombie staring at me in the bathroom mirror.

It’s been much better than I thought. Firstly: there is snow! Huzzah! Beautiful, soft snow, been falling all day and looks like it’ll continue to fall all night. Because I don’t have a car and currently don’t have to rely on public transport to get to work, I can concentrate all my energy on being overjoyed by the snow.

I got another really nice rejection today (poetry) – so nice to feel encouraged by rejections to send more stuff to the publication in question and to send the rejected poems elsewhere.

I had a lovely half-hour nap after work because I feel like I’ve got a cold coming on (urgh). Naps usually don’t work for me, but I think this one did. Except that I’m far too chirpy now, at midnight. *sigh* Well, the nap got me through folk dance class, anyway. At first I was totally zombified and irritated by myself, but then eventually I managed to succeed somewhat at a lift that had been totally impossible before, and that felt good. My neck and back may not be entirely busted yet. \o/

Then I came home and wrote my final words of Nanowrimo, and now am a Nano winner for the 5th time. HUZZAH! Stubborn Sara made it. Next year… I will try to be more gentle with myself.

Poetry sale to Chantarelle’s Notebook

Published on by Sara Norja

My poem ‘October’s End’ will appear in Issue #29 of Chantarelle’s Notebook. Am very pleased that this poem (written way back in Oct/Nov 2009) has found a home. I’ll post a link when it’s up!

In other writing news, I wrote 6000 words of Nano on Sunday in a (rather successful) attempt at stress relief. Thus, I am now more than back on track (46,129 words). I already got some written today during an extended cafe session, but now could go for some more writing before bed.

After Nano is over, it’ll be the first time since the start of August that I won’t be working on a novel. Weirdness.

Procrastinating with poetry

Published on by Sara Norja

Today has so far not included Nano-ing. I’m going to try to get a little bit written now, but doubt will catch up today (yesterday was not a good word count day). I hope to catch up during the weekend!

Anyway, in my defence, I’ve had rather useful ways of procrastinating from Nanowrimo today. First, I worked on some bureaucratic stuff for the folk dance group I’m in. And second, an even worthier reason to procrastinate from novelling: I submitted some poems. Haven’t done that for a while, so it felt good. Wishing my wee poems the best of luck 🙂

Now! for some writing. And then bed. Have I mentioned my difficulties with attaining a sensible sleep rhythm now that I’m working full-time? Well, er, difficulties, I can has them. And Nanowrimo, obviously, is not helping. *shakes head at self for attempting silly things during first weeks of new job*

Poetry in October Snakeskin!

Published on by Sara Norja

A lovely start to October: my poems Fragments and At Right Angles with Myself have been published in the October issue of Snakeskin (issue 190). Yay!

I’m really pleased those two poems found a home. They’re two very different states of mind; I can remember with absolute clarity what I felt when writing each of them. I hope they’ll make other people feel things, too. 🙂 Feeling: one of the most awesome things about poetry.

Poetry sale: Strange Horizons

Published on by Sara Norja

My poem ‘Wolf Daughter’ is forthcoming in Strange Horizons!

I am bouncily happy about this. Strange Horizons is a wonderful publication that I really enjoy reading, and dude, my poem is going to be part of it! Also, this is officially both a) my first speculative fiction publication, and b) the first time I will be making money of any sort with my creative writing.

People, go forth and read the awesome work on Strange Horizons. I’ll let you know when my poem goes online. 🙂

Now, buoyed by this joysome news, I shall be off to prepare for a job interview. Wish me luck!

Poetry by yours truly at Snakeskin

Published on by Sara Norja

I’m extremely pleased(*) to announce that my poem ‘Blow’ has been accepted for the September issue of the poetry webzine Snakeskin. You can read my poem here. I haven’t had time to read the rest of the issue yet, but I look forward to it.

I’m really happy that ‘Blow’ got accepted! It’s quite an old poem, dating all the way back to 2009, and is the poem that I think began to nudge my style into what it is now – thus, to me, it’s significant. It’s surprising to look at a poem written such a while ago and still feel pleased with it.

My second poetry publication! Huzzah!

(*)”Extremely pleased”, by the way, is code for “hyper as the world’s happiest chipmunk on speed”.