Slice of Life Post for March 3, 2025, 6:04-6:35 by Barb Edler

I’m often at the computer composing early in the morning. Today I did not begin at 6:04, but I thought a lot about my writing. I’m often rehearsing lines and ideas in my head and that’s exactly what I was doing today as I lay in bed, wondering how in the world all the slicers at Two Writing Teachers continually compose interesting and engaging posts.

Last week I spent hours writing. I had written a post for a blog series Ethical ELA is hosting, but I did not like my original one, so I wrote another. Then I had a writing prompt to compose for Verse Love. Needless to say, when I know there’s an audience, it’s more stressful. Hopefully, someone will appreciate the post and be able to take an idea or two from them.

I also spent quite a bit of time writing and revising poems for Lyrical Iowa, a yearly contest hosted by the Iowa Poetry Association. I’m the secretary for this group so I did push myself to submit poems: two haiku, a world event, a free verse for Lucille Wilson, and a Grant Wood poem that was inspired by his painting New Road. Plus, I am also writing poetry for the Stafford Challenge. So far, so good:)

Recently, I signed up for a Guided Autobiography class through River Heron. This week we are writing about money and how it has impacted our lives. I really appreciate several of the forms Julie, the instructor, has shared. We meet on Tuesday afternoons and I still need to write my draft. I’ve been rehearsing those lines for a week.

I’ll close with a haiku draft that is part of a haibun I wrote about my brother Dave who passed away in 2007.

winter’s heart breaks,
              in a blizzard
                        of goodbyes