WordPress stats informs me that I have published eighty-nine posts here on generationKathy. Not surprisingly, at least sixty of those posts have been about my attempts at writing.

During February I alternately chirped with delight and whined like an irritable toddler about compiling my first poetry collection intended for submission. During March I mostly bitched and whined about the difficulties of trying to carry out the goal of revising old short stories with the intention to put them all into a collection — the former has been shortlisted for an award, the latter has been returned to the old slush pile.

Nowadays my early morning hours are spent shuffling feverishly through job listings and sending off copies of my recently revised resume rather than working diligently at writing (as I did throughout February).  Almost three months of unemployment have allowed me the luxury of dedicating upwards of thirty hours a week to writing. As I’m counting my blessings, I’m also noticing there are less and less zeros in the bank account. I need a job.

Even so, now that I’ve finished my coffee and breakfast, and applied for two more jobs (that’s six since last Thursday), I can’t help but think it would be silly to waste anymore time on NOT WRITING. Until I start getting interview offers, I need to make use of this time. Right? Right. So, it’s time to start brainstorming for new projects. Three, in fact.

1. Submit individual and small groups of poems to at least three online publications.

2. Begin organizing a new chapbook for submission by July.

3. Choose a theme (or interrelated themes) for a framework on which to build a collection of cento poetry.

Each of these goals present problems, but the most  prevalent (at the moment) is my complete lack of knowledge in submitting cento poetry for publication. I would think that it would be required to make an official request to include a previously published author’s work in my own, but I’ve no idea how to proceed. Although many cento collections are mentioned online, I cannot find any solid information on exactly what procedure the publisher followed in order to not infringe upon original rights. Am I on the wrong track here? Where can I find answers?

Since the need to create such a collection is absolutely crawling beneath my skin, I can only trust (for now) that answers to all my questions will arise. I’ve got to get to work on this thing! It’s a must. Possible themes include the usual suspects: poetry, literary history, personal history, nature, relationships, and so on.  I am, however, hoping that inspiration will strike and light me up with more vibrant thematic ideas. Meanwhile, just the thought of conducting research through piles of poetry books gives me happy shivers.

As for #2 on my list, July is not set in stone, but I would be seriously devastated if another chapbook isn’t completed and submitted by year’s end.

So, there’s my tangled thoughts, unwound and splayed on the page for now. Care to discuss your own organization process when putting together a new project? Or three?