Fool's Rools of Poetry

Can I add a comment of my own.

I would hesitate to call myself a new poet, as I haven't figured out whether I can write poetry yet. Let's just say as a person who is trying to write poetry.

"If you are new to writing poetry, do not post your poems when you are feeling really depressed."

By all means write poetry when you are feeling depressed, because you can capture a mood that is elusive to capture at other times. What I am saying is don't post it and ask for critisism.

I say this from personal experience because I posted a poem when for reasons that had nothing to do with my writing, I was feeling very depressed, even suicidal for a while.

After seening a critical comment from somebody who had been tolerant and even supportive of my first efforts to write poerty. I basically commented back saying that I may never attempt to write poetry again.

Now that I have returned to my more normal attitude I am worried that I may have left the impression that I had been deeply hurt by the words.

Unfortunately for me I have a dyslexic brain, and am not easily able to asimilate information about the art of writing poetry, instead I have to train my brain to write poetry by a trial and error process which might mean taking many knocks.

Right now I would say that I feel I can handle whatever feedback I can get, but when I was feeling depressed it was crushing.
 
Can I add a comment of my own.

I would hesitate to call myself a new poet, as I haven't figured out whether I can write poetry yet. Let's just say as a person who is trying to write poetry.

"If you are new to writing poetry, do not post your poems when you are feeling really depressed."

By all means write poetry when you are feeling depressed, because you can capture a mood that is elusive to capture at other times. What I am saying is don't post it and ask for critisism.

I say this from personal experience because I posted a poem when for reasons that had nothing to do with my writing, I was feeling very depressed, even suicidal for a while.

After seeing a critical comment from somebody who had been tolerant and even supportive of my first efforts to write poetry. I basically commented back saying that I may never attempt to write poetry again.

Now that I have returned to my more normal attitude I am worried that I may have left the impression that I had been deeply hurt by the words.

Unfortunately for me I have a dyslexic brain, and am not easily able to assimilate information about the art of writing poetry, instead I have to train my brain to write poetry by a trial and error process which might mean taking many knocks.

Right now I would say that I feel I can handle whatever feedback I can get, but when I was feeling depressed it was crushing.

one of the best pieces of advice, of sorts, on this thread...

post #1 "And remember. I don't give a shit what you think.. "

It's what YOU think that matters
 
Can I add a comment of my own.

I would hesitate to call myself a new poet, as I haven't figured out whether I can write poetry yet. Let's just say as a person who is trying to write poetry.

"If you are new to writing poetry, do not post your poems when you are feeling really depressed."

By all means write poetry when you are feeling depressed, because you can capture a mood that is elusive to capture at other times. What I am saying is don't post it and ask for critisism.

I say this from personal experience because I posted a poem when for reasons that had nothing to do with my writing, I was feeling very depressed, even suicidal for a while.

After seening a critical comment from somebody who had been tolerant and even supportive of my first efforts to write poerty. I basically commented back saying that I may never attempt to write poetry again.

Now that I have returned to my more normal attitude I am worried that I may have left the impression that I had been deeply hurt by the words.

Unfortunately for me I have a dyslexic brain, and am not easily able to asimilate information about the art of writing poetry, instead I have to train my brain to write poetry by a trial and error process which might mean taking many knocks.

Right now I would say that I feel I can handle whatever feedback I can get, but when I was feeling depressed it was crushing.



I had a College Professor tell me when I was 19 that my poetry sucked. I took that to mean that I had no business writing poetry. I didn't write another poem for almost 15 years. My poetry still may suck in his eyes. Fuck 'em.
 
I had a College Professor tell me when I was 19 that my poetry sucked. I took that to mean that I had no business writing poetry. I didn't write another poem for almost 15 years. My poetry still may suck in his eyes. Fuck 'em.

In my senior AP English class we had to do a writing of 300 words every day. It could be about anything. I ran with it, and discovered not only that I liked it, but that I was pretty durn good. :D :p
The teacher agreed.. he gave me a weeks worth of points on one writing he liked it so well. :p
I thank him, for this smut writing I do. Had he not been supportive.. who knows? Maybe I would have done it anyway to prove a point. :p

Fool, this is a great thread. :) If your poetry sucks in his eyes still, that's fine. Ya don't want in his pants anyway.:devil: We ladies- well, you have our undying affection. ;) :kiss: :rose: :heart:
 
I had a College Professor tell me when I was 19 that my poetry sucked. I took that to mean that I had no business writing poetry. I didn't write another poem for almost 15 years. My poetry still may suck in his eyes. Fuck 'em.

Thankyou,

I read some of your poerty Fool, and as I said on another thread I liked it :rose:
 
PS: sorry about the typo miss spelling of poetry, I did warn you that I am dyslexic LOL.
 
Poetry is meant to be a distillation. By that I mean that the writer is trying to create the essence of thought while being as sparing with words as possible. Everyone has seen the list poem:

Love is a pillow fluffed just right.
Love is a flower appearing on ones desk.
Love is a kiss offered when in darkest despair.
Love is a kitten paw batting at a face.
Love is a soulful glance from a puppy.
.
.
.
Love is…

No. Do not do this. The poem is dead before it ever lived. The point I want to make is word repetition is meant to be used sparingly. If you are repeating a word or phrase in a poem, then you are flipping up a sign and saying “Yo! Reader! This shit is important!”
Three is the key, take past that, it starts to violate THEE cardinal rule, which is:
Don't bore too much.
The fourth line better have a bang.
All other rules are bogus. At least you had the good sense to post as "rools". You should not be surprised as to how many published poets violate both.
 
I'm sure that, like beauty, poetry is in the eye (ear?) of the beholder. But, personally, I don't think that arranging words on a page in a special way turns them into a poem -- a test is to read them aloud and see what you think of them that way. But of course that is mere a personal opinion.

Quite often when I have been driving back from skiing this winter the radio has had a little literary moment on, Garrison Keillor's Writier's Almanac, and sometimes he reads a poem, or a supposed poem. Last month he was reading this one (remember I was just listening to it, not looking at it written down). I remember thinking it was an interesting story, but not a poem. Any opinions?
http://www.nashua.edu/buckens/Creative%20writing/poetry/terms%20and%20poems/shapeexplantion.htm
Sproing
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/cummings/grasshopper.htm
and sproing again

eye, eye
 
Less is More.

After you craft the draft of your lastest blurt, sit back and take a look at it for anything extra. Anything that does not add to the story. Then take a very sharp knife it cut it out. Poetry is spare. Poetry is condensed. It is the fine cognac distilled from wine.
Prose is as well, or at least should be. Way too many authors often write way too much. :D
 
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