creating light with words

Today I'm thinking about the many kinds of writing I'm involved with on a daily basis. There's the occasional note card, emails, committee meeting minutes, editing, and biographical research notes. I try to fit in revisions for my Hildegard novel, short stories and picture books. I enjoy all this work, yet find it difficult to start fresh work.

Is there a name for this type of writer? I feel like I'm dabbling, like my focus keeps shifting and I never have a large enough block of time to attempt something new. Actually, I don't need to write new material since my files are full of manuscripts that would benefit from revision. Or is there a point when a writer just scraps everything and starts anew?

Today I received a gift - an invitation to become poetry critique partners with a writer friend! It is a gift because this practice will lift me out of my the daily writing pattern I feel stuck in. I will produce at least new poems because I know someone will be waiting to hear them! I want to create poems that process my summer memories of Japan and write playful children's poems.

I'm going to try to participate in Poetry Fridays, too, once I figure out how to do it! The long dark season is upon us now here in New England. We have to light up our surroundings with our words.