Septet as Memoir
Writer’s Digest|May - June 2024
Poet Wayne Lee set out on a journey to write nothing but septets for a year—not knowing it would help him grapple with one of the most emotionally challenging years of his life.
WAYNE LEE
Septet as Memoir

An old poet friend commemorated his 60th birthday by publishing a chapbook of sestets. I liked the idea, so in 2018, when I started my 70th year on this planet, I decided to write a collection of septets. I took my friend’s idea a couple steps further, though, by imposing upon myself the rather draconian discipline of writing nothing but septets for the entire year.

When I started my septetathon, there was no way I could have foreseen what a dramatic—and traumatic—12 months it would prove to be. Some things were known. I had been a caregiver for my disabled wife for 20 years, and I was burned out. Alice had a terminal, genetic, neurological condition called Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, and her health had deteriorated to the point where we had to put her in an assisted living facility in Portland, Oregon. I was renting a room in a farmhouse 23 miles away, driving back and forth to care for her. It had been a long, exhausting ordeal watching my life partner and fellow poet lose so many of her gifts and abilities. Still, I thought we had at least a few more years together.

Then, one afternoon three months into my project, the unknown happened when Alice swallowed enough pills to end her life-without telling me.

I spent the next nine months trying to cope with the shock of that loss, stumbling through my grieving process and doing my best to recreate my life as a widower. Capturing the upheaval of that year in seven-line capsules was a challenge. It forced me to crystalize my thoughts and feelings and, in the process, helped me digest them in bite-sized bits rather than choking on the enormity of it all.

Bu hikaye Writer’s Digest dergisinin May - June 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye Writer’s Digest dergisinin May - June 2024 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

WRITER’S DIGEST DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Avoiding the Dreaded Info Dump
Writer’s Digest

Avoiding the Dreaded Info Dump

Pouring too many details into a few pages is both the sign of an immature writer and an unfocused story.

time-read
4 dak  |
March/April 2025
FINDING LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS
Writer’s Digest

FINDING LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

How comic Gary Gulman effectively blends humor into his story of overcoming major depression.

time-read
8 dak  |
March/April 2025
Stephen Graham Jones
Writer’s Digest

Stephen Graham Jones

They say you should never meet your heroes. But speaking with Stephen Graham Jones is a lot like speaking with your local theater nerd about the history of Broadway, except with a lot more goosebumps and nightmares.

time-read
10+ dak  |
March/April 2025
Failure Is the Foundation
Writer’s Digest

Failure Is the Foundation

I can recall exactly where I was when I came up with the idea for my adult fantasy series, Emily Wilde.

time-read
2 dak  |
March/April 2025
Fiction Is the Lie That Tells the Truth Truer
Writer’s Digest

Fiction Is the Lie That Tells the Truth Truer

On the Legacy of Tom Spanbauer

time-read
6 dak  |
March/April 2025
What Is Your Story Question?
Writer’s Digest

What Is Your Story Question?

Revision and editing advice to take your first draft to the next level.

time-read
7 dak  |
January - February 2025
Writing for the People We Hope to Become
Writer’s Digest

Writing for the People We Hope to Become

Elisa Stone Leahy's new middle-grade novel, Mallory in Full Color, tackles the in-between moments of adolescence, when who we are and who we want to become collide.

time-read
5 dak  |
January - February 2025
Creating Community
Writer’s Digest

Creating Community

Whether hot off the presses or on the shelves for years, a good book is worth talking about.

time-read
3 dak  |
January - February 2025
Pat Barker
Writer’s Digest

Pat Barker

The Booker Prize-winning author of Regeneration shares the role characters play in developing novel ideas and explains what appeals to her about reimagining mythology.

time-read
10+ dak  |
January - February 2025
How to Write in Different Genres
Writer’s Digest

How to Write in Different Genres

Emiko Jean and Yulin Kuang share tips and strategies for how they successfully write in different genres and mediums.

time-read
8 dak  |
January - February 2025