Tammy and I have been busy preparing for Baby Will (due between now and 12/19--Tammy's scheduled C-section date). In addition, I've been putting in overtime on www.WritersMarket.com related stuff, teaching poetry courses at www.WritersOnlineWorkshops.com, and even helping out with some poetry-related issues on www.WritersDigest.com. While things have definitely been hectic, I've still been finding time to write and even made a new submission over the weekend. After all, poets don't make excuses; they write, right?

Anyway, I've talked with many writers over the years who say they don't "have time" to write. Or they're stuck on a line and can't seem to move ahead. Of course, they've often not written down that line that's got them blocked, which is a problem in and of itself.

So, here are some of my poet survival tips:

1. Always carry two pens. Pens are to poets as six-shooters are to cowboys. You need them to survive. Why two? Because if you're using your pens, one is sure to run out of ink at some point, which is when you pull out the back up writing utensil.

2. Always carry paper. I fold up one or two pieces of paper to carry with me at all times. Paper fits easily in pockets when folded. By following rules #1 and #2, you should be ready to write regardless of when inspiration strikes. If you can only carry pens or paper, always carry the pens.

3. Keep receipts--if you're without paper. While I almost never forget my pens, I do sometimes forget the paper. And receipts come in handy for overcoming my forgetfulness. I've actually written whole first drafts of poems on the back of receipts from the grocery, fast food, etc. Of course, a poet always has to be resourceful in this area--other surfaces that work are paper placemats, napkins, flyers, and, of course, even your own body.

4. Text yourself. If all else fails, you can always use your cell phone (if you have one with texting capabilities) to send lines to your e-mail account. Or you can save as drafts on your actual phone, though you'll want to make sure you have plenty of memory on your phone before doing this.

5. Keep paper pads or Post-It notes at your desk. Preferably, you'll have both. Whenever images or lines hit me, I scrawl them onto Post-Its. At lunch (or over the weekend), I can then look the lines and images over and see if I have the makings of a poem.

Bonus (and maybe most important) Tip:

Take it one line (or image) at a time. When an idea hits you, don't hold onto it and wait for more to arrive before getting it down on paper. Record that line or image immediately. If there's more on the verge of coming, it will come then. If not, you've just freed your mind to think of new related or un-related images and lines. If you want to get into the habit of always writing, this is the most sure fire way to get there.

As many of you know, I've had the pleasure of interviewing several poets over the past year. To make it easier to check them out, here they are (listed in alphabetical order):

Bill Abbott
Nin Andrews
Julianna Baggott
Sandra Beasley
Helene Cardona
John M. Fitzgerald
Sheema Kalbasi
John Korn
Dorianne Laux
Diane Lockward
Tom Lombardo
Denise Low
Joseph Mills
Valerie Nieman
Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Kevin Pilkington
Martha Silano
Anne Tardos
Jillian Weise

Figure we'll just start up where we left off on the ol' Wednesday Poetry Prompts. If you like your poetry prompts on Wednesday, then you're visiting the right blog.

This week's prompt is to write a night poem. You must incorporate the night in some way. (Of course, those with a sense of humor are already thinking, "A knight poem?") The evening doesn't have to play a major role in the poem, but you must work it into the poem one way or another.

Here's my attempt:

"Overthrowing the fat princess"

"No one likes a fat princess."
-Collin Kelley

They came at midnight
beneath the full moon's light
with their torches burning,
their pitchforks raised
like their voices shouting,
"She weighs a ton;
her rule is done."
But there was a problem
with the villagers' complaint,
because contained in an ancient text
written in the blood of the creatures
that lurk in the night
is a passage that reads,
"Once mankind is ruled by beauty alone,
evil will ascend to the highest throne."
Which is why literacy
is as important in a monarchy
as it is in a democracy.

If you're already Twittering, you can now follow me at http://twitter.com/robertleebrewer.

If you're not already Twittering, you can go check it out at http://twitter.com. Blogging poets should definitely look into this interesting (and free) online tool that allows people to concisely post updates, links, etc., to their "followers." Once you set up an account, definitely feel encouraged to follow me.

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If you want to see how this relates to you as a poet, then check out this link from the World Class Poetry Blog at http://www.worldclasspoetryblog.com/23-things-poets-can-do-with-twitter/11/21/2008/. This post compiles 23 things poets can do with Twitter.

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And if you want other poets to follow you, feel free to share your Twitter profile URLs below in the comments.

I just checked my gmail this evening and saw that the most recent edition of DMQ Review is out, including a poem by yours truly. Just go to http://www.dmqreview.com/.

In addition to my poem, there is work by Chad Sweeney, Lana Hechtman Ayers, Claudia Burbank, Arlene Ang, Joan Fiset, Ellen Elder, Paul Fisher, Virginia Konchan, Fritz Ward, Robert McDonald, Rebecca Morgan Frank, and Mary Wang. Plus, the featured poet is Ellen Bass.

Cool stuff.

I'm so excited about Day 30 of our November PAD Chapbook Challenge that I'm going to go ahead and post now, instead of waiting until later this morning. It's November 30th in the ATL, so here we go.

For today's prompt, I want you to write a resolution (or lack of resolution) poem. This is the poem that puts THE END on your collection. Maybe you can wrap it up with a pretty bow, or maybe it's open-ended. But today is definitely Day 30 of the challenge--and your last poem of November. Great job!

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Missing"

His body is always missing,
whether we burn him in a house
or throw him under a train;

when we check for his remains,
all that remains is a mystery--
no blood, no head, nothing

but a vacuum sucking
the edges of our rib cages,
leaving behind nothing

but fear.

Wow! I can't believe tomorrow is actually the last day of this challenge. Isn't that crazy?!? I haven't even really been keeping too close of an eye on the poems I've been crafting each day, so I'll be really interested in seeing what I have during December.

For today's prompt, I want you to write an outsider poem. That is, write a poem from the perspective of someone or something outside of your theme looking in. For instance, if you're writing a bunch of punk rock poems, have a country western fan look in on punk rock. If you're writing a series of vegan poems, have a big game hunter interact with veganism. You get the idea, right?

Here's my attempt for the day:

"Parents"

We always seem to be gone for the weekend
when these things happen. A man in a mask
with a sharp knife or a meathook terrorizing
the quiet town where nothing ever happens
until we leave. On our cruise, we shuffle along
the shuffleboard; we buy souvenirs when we
make port. Our lives are so perfect that coming
back sometimes leaves our minds, but we always
do, and that's when we learn what happens
when we leave: The world quickly falls apart.
Five dead, one traumatized--killer still at large.

Okay, with 3 days left, it's time to write a top-of-the-world or celebration poem. Even if your overall collection is a downer, try to find something related to your theme to celebrate. After all, you have 2 more days to get back to your overall mood.

Here's my attempt for the day:

"He's dead"

The monster is dead,
we chopped off his head;

the vampire is gone,
sun burned him at dawn;

the mummy's kaput,
unwrapped head to foot;

the werewolf done died,
and nobody cried.