Location Writing and April is Poetry Month!

So I tried the whole writing in a new location thing but it only happened once. Turns out not that many places in my area are open after 10pm, which was the only time I was able to carve out to go somewhere else and write. (I was able to write plenty in places I had already made convenient for me to write at however.)

So I ended up at a coffee shop I had never written at before, a half hour before they closed. I got some tea, I sat down, and I banged out a ton of words. I feel very proud of myself for not getting distracted.

My conclusion about the location writing experiment:

Writing in a new location is great for writers. But it's something that will only happen now and then. Writers should be open to being purposeful about writing whenever they find themselves in a new place. But seeking out a new place every day is not helpful.

I will, however, always remember the scene I wrote when I visit that coffee shop. The place now has a pleasant memory for me of being swept up in writing.

Now, onto my soap box.

APRIL IS POETRY MONTH! And I'm looking forward to it. Robert Brewer at the Poetic Asides blog challenges writers to write a poem a day. I did this last year and I don't regret a single bit of it. It was fun, enriching, and very healthy for my writing.

Anyone want to join me? Post in the comments if you'd like to write a poem a day with me. I will (hopefully) post each day what my poem is and invite you to post your poems as well in the comments if you so desire.

Betsy posted about one of the many things poetry has to offer fiction writers.

I may not ever get my poems published, but I may never get my fiction published if I don't write completely unrelated and voraciously genred poems.

Writing poetry makes you think of all kinds of things one would never think of while writing strictly fiction. New and brilliant metaphors pop out. Deliciously aesthetic syllables come together.

It's kind of like how I read Pride and Prejudice and suddenly my writing had much to recommend itself to others and sounds very proper.

At least to me.