I spent most of last week preparing my application for Breadloaf, the big writers conference in Middlebury, VT. Actually, I should say that I spent a very sleepless last week sorting through poems, editing poems, rejecting poems, hating poems, loving poems, reordering them again and again, and filling out the application about 5 times because I was so tired I kept making typos and not making sense in the mini-essay. Between my day job and teaching, I just didn't have time for the application, but I did it anyway. Why? Because, whether or not I'm accepted to Breadloaf, I know what a deadline can do for my writing.
In a nutshell: it cuts through the bullshit.
With a deadline looming over you, you don't have time to stare dreamily out of windows, spend hours thumbing through a thesaurus, calling your poet friends to dissect every line of a poem, or to sit sulking about what a great undiscovered writer you are (if you only had the time or the money or...)
There's no time for that - every moment counts! Suddenly, you have special powers you didn't have before--you can see your poems with new eyes, which means you're able to delete those darlings (your favorite lines, words, and metaphors) without shedding a tear or batting an eye; you're able to see where a poem should go and doesn't; you can hear the music in your lines, or lack thereof, and know where to add it. You know what poems are worth something and what poems aren't. The ones that are you bring back to life with new energy. The veil is lifted and romance is replaced by reality.
This is the beauty and value of a deadline. Whether it's for a class or a contest or a conference. If you're not in the habit of applying for things - START. Get the blood going; get your brain zinging. Having all the time in the world to write something doesn't always mean good writing. Adrenaline can be a powerful muse.
Here are 3 more good reasons:
1) Taking a class, or submitting to contests and conferences, as well as literary magazines, makes you part of the writing community. It connects you to the Great Big World of Writing out there.
2) It's very satisfying to 'finish' old pieces you thought were hopeless, and discover how good they are. It reminds you that you are a real writer.
3) You might win something!
Now get out there. Go!
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