LJ Cohen

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• 6 words: Bespoke Poetry project

Hello Readers, Writers, and Assorted Folk,

I hope this missive finds you well. Today's program is brought to you by the letters F (for frost) and D (for darkness): Winter is most definitely coming in my corner of the world in Central Massachusetts.

We've put the garden to bed here at Starfield Farm, with the exception for some frost tolerant crops like broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts that we will be harvesting for a few more weeks.

The photo above is our root cellar with some of our storage crops. We are less of a farm then a homestead and grow food for ourselves. Being here gives me a far greater appreciation of what it takes to get vegetables and fruit to our table and I honestly never paid this much attention to the weather as a city-mouse.

I've also been 'harvesting' words: making real progress on the multiverse novel. (Still unnamed, alas!) But I've pushed past the halfway mark and have the pivotal 2nd plot point scene outlined. I'm finally happy with the structure and the stakes, plus the characters are busy talking amongst themselves as I eavesdrop.

A snippet from the story in all its 1st draft glory, including a note for myself for later editing. :)

 

I'm pleased to let you know that DERELICT, book 1 of my Halcyone Space series, has made it through the first round of cuts in this year's SPSFC (Self published science fiction contest).

From the website:

Ten book bloggers, up to 300 science fiction novels, a year of reading and reviewing. We will end up with ten finalists and one winner. Next year, we will do it all over again.

The winner gets a badge and a blaster set to “stunning.” Most importantly, they get heaps of recognition and bragging rights. All the finalists and many of the entries will naturally get more eyeballs on their books, which is what authors and eye-eating aliens crave the most.

It's November - when writers all over the world participate in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writer Month) in which writers attempt to get 50,000 words on the page in a messy first draft of a story.

I don't do NaNo, simply because my process doesn't work with that kind of wordcount pressure. However, I am doing a November challenge with poetry. I've been asking folks on IG and Twitter to offer me 6 words to craft a poem around or inspired by. You can see some of the ones I've already written here.

If you want to join in, send me 6 words, or tag me in a post on Twitter (@lisajanicecohen), or look for my #bespokepoetry posts and write your own using the same 6 words.