34 Comments

I think you *will* get better by just doing it, with or without editing, because the muscle memory kicks in and becomes a foundation for creativity. Sometimes not editing is like keeping your head down, or shaking hands with the hill you're running up, and can be a release, and then, voila! You have a new thought or a different way of thinking, and your running/reading/writing cadence is the the thing that makes you fly. 😊

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What a kind thing to say Mary B. Thank you so much. My wild mind likes to tell me otherwise. I enjoy writing and running...and yes sometimes I need to keep my head down and not compare myself to others. (joy stealer)

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You're welcome, and yes! yes! yes! to you! 😊

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Totally agree 👍

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Thank you Paolo and welcome! :) So great to have you here in Run to Write. Where are you reading/writing from?

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I love your poems!

They are a very special part of my morning.

Some things we write can be polished and improved .

Some days, you can be like "The Fonze". It's already perfect!

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Oh I love this! Thank you so much Claudette.

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I like that the little toad talked. Giving the critters a soul.

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He was such a cute little toad. I was so happy I was paying attention. :) Thank you Mom. xoxo

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Enjoyed this short poem and several others on your page so thank you, just subscribed.

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Thank you so much JFT Beach! :) Happy to have you here. Welcome. Where are you reading, writing from?

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south coast of England, where are you?

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Oh great! I'm in Central New York USA. :) Welcome

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Sometimes that brief reassurance is all we need!

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So true

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Let's keep encouraging each other! :)

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Hi Amie, I think you're right. Thank you for being here.

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Perfect illusion

Listen to your inner voice

Let creator guide

There is no right or wrong.

There is effective and ineffective maybe?

And who decides what progress is anyhow?

And I always think… Van Gogh painted the most brilliant works that went unappreciated for over a hundred years.

We cannot control what happens.

We can only control our effort.

Since I stopped daily posts, that creative time is being gobbled up by… I can’t even define. Perhaps I have opened space to be creative in other ways? I just know the decision feels right-for-me.

Beautiful poem Julie!

I saw a couple of baby snappers a few weeks ago.

So cute!

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Thank you so much for your words here Gail and the encouragement. Sometimes I wonder what I'm even doing...I'm writing. LOL. I resonate with what you wrote above. Thank you.

They are so cute. I had to hold myself back from picking it up.

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I did pick two up to move them off the bike path. :) i did not get snapped. They were so tiny!

I often wonder what I am doing, too!

It is hard to pour yourself into daily effort without tangible results? Not so much for yourself because — the inside growth is tremendous? It’s just that the outside world can’t see… and that feels… deflating?

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Gail, you are so brave in so many ways! I would love to give you a hug right now or a high five...are you a hugger? Thank you for sharing what I couldn't find the words to say. That's it...those last 3 sentences. I resonate. Thank you.

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I am a reformed non-hugger. 🤭

Yes! Perhaps one day we will meet without a screen between us and can share that hug!

I (we?) keep going with faith and trust, believing that we are taking our steps with guidance from our higher power?

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Hi Gail! I would love to meet up one of these days. :) Yes, let's take the long game and look to our higher power for guidance and wisdom.

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P.S. And my haiku has 6 syllables instead of 5 in last line. I did not get it “just” right. Does it matter. To me, it does.

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Every word matters

Deadlines are not important

As getting it just right…

Mastering a craft takes patience and practice and self compassion. Perhaps meeting every day is less important than the quality of the craft. I would miss your wonderful daily presence but I would understand if you felt the need to craft quality over quantity.

Pleasing others is less important than pleasing yourself. And you might gain more subscribers as you become the master of your craft! ♥️ Jules, please understand this is not criticism, constructive or otherwise. This is just giving you the confidence to follow your path…

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Thank you so much Clark. I appreciate your thoughts. I could spend months on a poem and never ship it. I think this is one reason I show up here every weekday to ship something and keeping writing. Yet I recognize I can change it up too. :) Have a terrific Tuesday!

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Yes, “shipping” is important. I just want you to listen to what is important to you and not necessarily the other self proclaimed “advice gurus” out in the world. You are unique and that still small voice must be your North Star. It will not lead you astray. It burns bright within you Jules.

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Thank you Clark.

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Oh, I LOVE this poem, Julie - and the thoughts that you've expressed around it.

We found a toad last week when we were moving some things in the garden - I've always had a soft spot for amphibians, and this one was gorgeous. 😊

Edited to say: it's so interesting that your poem includes both a turtle and a toad, because in German toad is 'Kröte' (toad) and turtle is 'Schildkröte' (shield toad)!

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Thank you so much for this message Rebecca and the German! :) I learn something knew from you, again. Thank you.

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Check out Raymond Carver's poetry. He's the famous short story writer, but in my opinion a much better poet, and you may be further inspired

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Oh great! I'm not familiar with Raymond Carver. Thank you for the recommendation Richard. I look forward to reading his poems.

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What a nice run that must have been! Snappers and toads with a bird song or two? To show my utter lack of poet ways, when I read “ship it” a large cargo crane at a busy port came to mind. A freight container full of “A Real Ball Buster” editions bound off to Europe? The possibility that that was not the case led to some searching of “ship it.” A few hits derived from apparently classic poems about ships, some on the bottom of the ocean?! Looking further the term is in common slang use in referencing one person with the idea that two others should be “together.” Covering the gamut from business to personal relationships.

Any references for further brain forays (mine) would be welcome! The best of days! Always!

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Ha! OH Gary you make me laugh. I love this...and just goes to show how one word can mean something totally different to another. :) I refer "ship" here as get it out in the world instead of just writing and not sending it out.

I wonder if sometimes I send it out into the world too soon (lack of edits) yet maybe that's the point in my work right now...to find my voice and the others. (worry less about perfection and more about resonating and relationship building).

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