Spinning Plates

Many of them

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

I don’t know about you, but the beginning of a new year makes me happy—giddy even. I make a list of all my projects and start plugging them into my calendar.

I have my plate full. In fact, I have several plates full, and they’re on poles, and they’re spinning! It’s a circus act! I hope that some of the stuff on these plates gets eaten, so to speak, bite-sized, you know, like how to eat an elephant.

I’ve had a few years of emotional and physical turmoil, so these plates have remained in the air, so to speak. Multiple projects on plates, spinning, kept me feeling anxious about finishing anything.

In 2023, I self-published eight poetry eBooks, so I know I am capable. Just had to put that out there as a reminder to myself when I feel discouraged.

So, hopefully, God willing, and me fighting procrastination, I will accomplish at least one plateful this year.

What’s on my spinning plates? Glad you asked. :)

1. Read through the Bible in a Year (2025 was year 14.)
2. Write a poem a day. (A five-year practice as of now. So far so good.)
3. Submit poetry for anthologies. (Have already submitted three, and two were accepted.) Yay!
4. Submit poetry for chapbook challenges. (Already submitted two.)
5. Submit poetry for contests or eZines. (Submitted for one contest. Have two poems from a submission late last year in the queue for publication in Edge of Humanity. One more submission due to The Dazed Starling Unbound before the end of the month. I’m looking for more!) The Dazed Starling is a publication for my alma mater.
6. Write one short story each month for Deadlines for Writers.
7. Write one poem each month for Deadlines for Writers.
8. Chapbook Challenges from Local Gems Press (not submissions). I have already finished one; another one starts before the end of the month. They are thematic and usually involve writing fifteen poems in ten days.
9. Finish my first novel (I know, I have said this for three years. Ugh!) It’s nearly done. Just need to wrap it up.
10. I have mentioned Deadlines for Writers. Well, I have started several stories there, which I would like to develop into novels. I have written nine scenes for one of these for this writing group. I love the storyline.
11. Yes, there is more. Put together at least one new poetry eBook. I have several in the queue. All my books, so far, are illustrated. That part takes a little longer to decide the kind of illustrations I want to use.
12. Poetry workbooks. I have twelve that I am writing. I know. I’m a glutton for punishment. Actually, I love these. They are taking longer than I thought they would, but with everything else, these keep spinning. I work on them at least once a month.
13. Let’s make it a baker’s dozen, shall we? Okay, this gets the rest. Blogging. Marketing. Social Media. Vocal Warmups. Piano Practice. Guitar Practice. Record Music. (Keeping up with emails. I get about 500 a day. It’s cray cray!) Learning how to navigate Substack. Church (Never last on the list. Besides, playing and singing for prayer time before services twice a month, and praise team when I am on the schedule, we started a new class Wednesday night, January 21, that adds thirty minutes to my day.) And the list continues.

Pray for me, and consider visiting my website and buying me coffee. I need it!

Did I mention that I do all this work for free? Haha! Calgon, take me away! Okay, if you don’t know what Calgon is, I’m old.

I pray you are all well and have a wonderful list of things you would like to accomplish this year.

Check out my eBooks here.