Daily Writing (with an occasional day off)

Here's what happened in my first two weeks of writing every day, and opportunity for you to try it for 3 days, too.

Last week, in my other newsletter, I announced my plan to write every day in January. I made that public declaration on purpose.

That’s because when I share my intentions out loud it helps me stick to them.

My friends, you have become my accountability partners.

So here’s a brief accounting of what happened (and what didn’t) since Jan. 1 when I began spending at least an hour a day working on my manuscript:

• I’ve read through, collected, and revised the poems for my book-in-progress, The Life of H: Sarah, Reimagined.

• As of today, that manuscript contains 54 poems.

• In total, there are now 86 pages (yeah, wow!) including some short essays.

And here’s what didn’t happen:

In these 12 days, I’ve missed one day of writing.

It was a Sunday.

I reserve the right to take an occasional Sunday off.

Maybe I should have mentioned this at the outset: I’ve never been able to stick to anything that requires daily compliance, except for brushing my teeth.

Honestly, I don’t even think it’s healthy for me to stick to anything every day without fail. That’s for machines and heartbeats. Not poets. Poets need to rest now and then.

That said, I do plan to make up for that missed hour this weekend. I’ll report back next week and let you know how it goes.

And now for Poem #55, revised on Day 12

Today’s poem, “Her Name Means,” was revised during today’s hour of writing.

This poem amplifies the theme of naming and renaming that is prominent in The Life of H.

To review: When he calls them to their spiritual destiny, God renames Sarai and Abram, so they become Sarah and Abraham.

When I was a teenager, I decided that I needed a new name, too. I wasn’t thinking lofty thoughts about destiny. Or maybe, somewhere deep down, I was.

In choosing my new name, I was reclaiming an old name. That is, I replaced the American name my parents gave me when I was 10 days old, with the Hebrew name that my grandmother had given me the day I was born.

It’s common for Jewish infants to be given a Hebrew name by their parents or grandparents. But for most, that name remains hidden behind their official, American name.

I take this fact for granted, but writing this poem, and especially spending time revising it, brought this tradition into focus —

along with my decision, decades ago, to reverse it.

Listen to the poem, “Her Name Means”

“Her Name Means,” ©️Copyright Tzivia Gover, Third House Moon LLC, All Rights Reserved.

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Try daily writing…for three days!

If you want to try writing every day, rededicate yourself to your writing practice, or if you just want some free time to write and refresh your creative spirit, join us for a virtual writing retreat the weekend of Fri.-Sun., Jan. 19-22. Learn more here.

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One last thing before I sign off:

Dedicating an hour a day to writing my manuscript means that I have less time for other things—including revising this post. So please forgive any typos or lapses in logic. There’s a tradeoff for everything!

Have a great week,

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