By Ottavia Paluch
Here at BWO, we talk a lot about finding time to write even when you have a lot on your plate. A few weeks ago, I decided I would challenge myself to do just that. The task at hand: to write seven sonnets in seven days. I bet you’re already fearing for my safety. Why sonnets, you might be asking yourself. I wonder if she failed on day two. You’re going to have to read on to find out if I prevailed or not, but first, I’ll briefly answer your other looming questions. I wanted to stick to some kind of poetic form that was short enough to write sometime during my day, but also hard enough so that finishing it would be rewarding. Haikus were too short, and villanelles? I didn’t feel like rhyming, and it seemed complicated. Sonnets were only fourteen lines long—the perfect length. I decided I would stick to ten syllables per line, as per Shakespearean rules, as I had never paid attention to them in my work. I’m going to outline how my writing went day-by-day, and at the end of each summary, I’ll rate how difficult it was for me to write the poem and find space to write it out of ten. Day One The day I decide to test myself is also the day I begin writing these sonnets. It’s a Sunday. You’ll notice most were inspired by a lyric from a song, or a quote from an article/interview, or a line that (almost by magic) popped into my head—something that caught my eye and inspired me to put something down. It’s my “process” at this point in my non-existent career as a writer. In class that day we started our unit on optics and mirrors and light. I write a sonnet about mirrors and light. Difficulty: 6/10. Setting that syllables limit made it fun! What’s more, I wrote it on a whim fifteen minutes before I left for bed, if that tells you anything about me. Day Two It’s my first day of five where school plays a part in how much sonneting (yes, I just invented that word) I get done, and if/when I can find time to write it. Today, I get halfway through my science homework before thinking, “Why not write another sonnet?” Then I waste half an hour looking through a collection of half-finished poems and nearly-discarded couplets and other works in progress that I shoved into a folder on my Notes app. One of the older ones is from half a year ago. I remember writing it and feeling unsatisfied with it, so I put it away, believing it would never see the light of day. Difficulty: 5/10. This is the part where I stress the importance of keeping all your old WIPs. KEEP THEM! As embarrassing as they are, you might want to take a look at them when you’re creatively blocked. It came in handy today, as I had a good chunk of the poem already finished for me, so it was just a matter of making sure I followed the syllables rule and tied it all together in the last couple lines. Day Three It’s a Tuesday. On the bus ride to school in the morning, I type out precisely one (1) line in my Notes app on my phone. Later in the evening, I decide to make things interesting and start and end my next sonnet with that line. But I was still missing twelve lines—85 percent—of the sonnet and find myself unable to think of anything else. I finish up my homework and on returning to the poem, I put a song on about love—or twelve, to be exact, and then BOOM! Something just happens, and words slowly trickle out, and I manage to crank something out, determined to follow through with this challenge. Difficulty: 8.5/10. As you can tell, this one was the most difficult out of the seven to write. An Aside from Yours Truly: Over said spring break I decided to submit a couple of these sonnets to a small sampling of literary journals and the one I wrote on this day was accepted not too long ago. Wild. It wasn’t even my favourite out of the seven. Sometimes stuff like this challenge pays off! (I sent them out on a whim, even though I was planning on shoving them in a drawer to collect dust. I would recommend you do the same if you’re planning to try this challenge yourself and look over them later.) Day Four It’s a Wednesday. I have a hectic day in class and at home, and by the time I get a chance to rest, I have half an hour before I have to head to bed. I check my Notes app and find a lyric from a song that caught my eye. (Sadly, I don’t remember who said it. Maybe it was from a Fiona Apple song, but you’ll have to consult my not-so-helpful brain if you want confirmation.) Whatever song it was, I put it on loop and wrote till I couldn’t due to sleep. Difficulty: 7/10. The syllables limit makes things tougher, doesn’t it? Day Five It’s a Thursday and guess what? I HAVE TWO TESTS TOMORROW AHHH HELP. Mind you, when I wrote these sonnets, it was the last week before spring break, so I’m sure school was as hectic for you as it was for me with all your teachers trying to squeeze things in just before the break and also in time for midterms and whatnot. Yet one thing I can’t squeeze in was a sonnet. I head to bed angry. Difficulty: 10/10. Because I couldn’t and didn’t. Day Six My last day of schooling before the break. The tests go well. I come home jubilant—school’s out. My stress disappears in a flash. I bash out a sonnet in fifteen minutes, one with an optimistic ending, just because. Then it comes to my attention that I didn’t write a sonnet the night before. But it’s no big deal, because I have become more laid back than usual. I read a couple chapters of a novel and then write another one—in an old notebook I used for writing awful rhyming poems when I was twelve—that involves musical terms and lines I never knew would work together. Difficulty: 4/10.I manage to craft two sonnets I’m proud of—one being my favourite out of the bunch. Day Seven As I reach the final day, I’m inherently proud of myself for succeeding. I came in thinking I’d give up after the second day and came out a better writer. The last sonnet I write is inspired by a poem I read at eleven A.M., a few minutes after I wake up. Difficulty: 4/10. I had all day to write this one. Thank goodness for spring break.
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