A POET'S ADVICE ON WRITING

I recently came upon some astute advice from a poet about writing habits.

On writing, Merwin insists on regular practice. He said:
“I’ve found that the best thing for me is to insist that some part of the day — and for me, it’s the morning until about two in the afternoon — be dedicated to writing. I go into my room and shut the door, and that’s that. You have to make exceptions, of course, but you just stick to it, and then it becomes a habit, and I think it’s a valuable one. If you’re waiting for lightning to strike a stump, you’re going to sit there for the rest of your life.”

I don't wait for lightning to strike,  I DO WRITE DAILY
even if it is  just a blog entry. Sometimes I  choose not to publish the entry, but  keep it as a draft and then come back to add to it as new ideas strike.  

One of the results of my recent Septic Shock experience:
I find that my concentration is not as focused as it once was.   I  write and publish poetry on a regular basis, but even there I am not satisfied with my  drafts and find that I want and need to revise.

What is my creative process?
I usually begin  a poem with just a phrase and for that I use a pen and write it in a notebook.
If I find myself  going back too the phrase or thinking about it, I add more notes and sometimes begin to put it into the computer.

 These days when inspiration seems sparse  I look for other creative outlets.
Lately I have been keeping myself occupied  by  gathering together two collections of my poems. One is a collection of Contemporary Ghazals  most of which have been published . I published the collection using Kindle on Amazon under the title :
ONLY GOSSAMER MY GHAZALS.

 Most recently I collected poems of recent grief and loss  that I have written using traditional Western forms like the sonnet and sestina and I have published them on Amazon under the title:  SAILING TO TARSHISH.

Now I hope that the cistern is gradually filling as my recovery progresses and that new work comes to me.