Elizabeth Joy Levinson

Yesterday was my first official day of summer vacation.  But what that really means is that instead of teaching full-time & writing part-time, I will try to focus as much of my energy on writing, so that it becomes my full-time gig.  I am trying to set aside four hours a day for reading & writing and this time will not include any reading and writing I do for this blog, on facebook, for submission purposes, etc.  For this week, I plan to spend time reviewing The Poet’s Companion and The Poetry Handbook, and I also hope to make my way further into A Natural History of the Chicago Region.

On day two, I’m finding it is already difficult to stay focused.  Yesterday, I spent about four hours working in my gardens, only an hour and a half on writing and reading.  But I know this about myself — when I have too much time, I take it for granted.  During the school year, I use every pocket available because I know that time is limited.  I would like to defend myself by saying that it is in those manual chores that I work out problems with old poems & find new ideas, but we all know that there is nothing that leads to productivity more than simply devoting the time to the craft.