A piece of advice...

[CeriseNoire]

for those of us who aren't quite poets?
I was wondering. Is there anything you can suggest as a way to improve when we can't write very often? I find that I can only write when I need to write (when a sound, mood, memory, etc, inspires me), otherwise, I'm stuck in front of a blank page, and anything I manage to come up with is lifeless.

Thanks.

 

[Angeline]

Hi.

I used to feel the way you describe. I couldn't write poetry unless I was in the right mood or in the "zone." Sometimes I thought I had to be emotionally overwraught to get a poem on paper. Consequently, I didn't write much and I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about my writing. Then I became friends with someone I met here (in Lit chat actually) who was a literature professor (and quite a good poet). He told me to write every day, whether I felt like I was "in a space" to produce poetry or not. He forewarned me that much of what I produced, especially when I first started writing every day, would be awful, but that I should not be discouraged. He was right. I forced myself to write, spent at least an hour on it every day. And a lot of what I wrote was utter crap. But going through that process every day made me look very closely at my motives, at the practices I followed when writing (or didn't), and at what I did and didn't like about my writing. Within about two months I started to see an improvement, and I steadily improved. Practice really makes a big difference.

I also read a lot of poetry, not just here but on other poetry sites like directories and online journals. I read "famous" poets and new ones. If I don't understand a term or a form that is mentioned, I google it to learn more. When I find a poet I like, I try to identify, in writing, exactly what it is I like about that person's writing. Sometimes I try to write a poem in the style of a poet I admire. If you imitate, you have to think about what techniques will allow you to succeed at it. All these things contribute to learning and the constant practice gives you confidence. If you make a sincere and steady effort in these ways, you will improve.

Another thing my mentor suggested was doing exercises to build up the "poem writing muscles." For example, he said write a 10 line poem where every word begins with the same letter. Write a poem where each word starts with a successive letter of the alphabet. Write a poem that uses all your senses: think of metaphors for how things look, sound, smell, taste, feel. Write what you see out your window. Write what you see in your car's rear-view mirror. If you google "poetry exercises," you'll find all sorts of suggestions like this to inspire you and force you to practice.

And talk to other poets. I've learned so much from talking to people I've met here about their writing process, what inspires them, and so on. If you think about learning a foreign language, you know that immersing yourself in that language is the best way to learn. Immersing yourself in poetry works in the same way.

If you do these things you can't help but improve.

 

[Guest]

............

 

[poppy1963]

I've been doing better with my "practice" since joining Lit...I tend to be a spontaneous writer as well believing emotion (or a muse) is/are the inspirations that makes me write (what I consider) decent and meaningful verse. However, I am learning that my "inner voice" is truly that of a poet and most often I "think" poetically...so where that leads has been interesting. I find myself responding here at Lit and even in RL in verse and rhyme...LOL...to very mundane and non-poetic (is there such a thing? ) situations. I love "process"...fascinates me.

CONCERN - need advice myself! I have increasing "memory" problems as I age and my concern about reading too much poetry of others is that I will love a phrase and somewhere down the line find I've used it in a poem....unintentionally plagiaristically!!! I worry about this incessantly at times. Any comments or suggestions on minimizing this?

Oh...just thought of one. Perhaps I need to "record" some "favorite phrases/quotes" in a notebook or something to keep track betta....Then at least if I use some words strung together in a lovely verse...I can credit the author for them!

 

[My Erotic Trail]

I tend to look for something poetic in my day and write about it that night. Or if I have 'as you say' a blank page... I'll read and something usually grasps my attention to write about. Even though I have been knee deep in writing a novel... poetry seems to fill my mind while going through my day. Then there is 'old faithful' and that is a long hot shower that seems to relax me enough to write with vigor <grin (~_~)

have a quality day!!!!

 

[champagne1982]

Take part in the challenges! They help inspire me to get writing and usually, I don't have to come up with an idea, someone has already done it for me!

Even if you don't want to write the current monthly challenge, click on the advanced search option and look for "Same Title Challenge, challenges" in the thread title, that should provide you with enough meat to begin.

Try to write something, anything every day. Three lines of drivel is better than nothing! Just because you wrote it, doesn't mean you need to share it until you're ready to. Sometimes, keeping your daily scribbles for review at a later time will inspire either a new poem or an editing frenzy, neither of which is a bad thing.

This board is full of good writing exercises, too. As Ang has already told you, try the letters of the alphabet. There's one where you describe an object in the most minute detail, without ever saying what it is, somewhere.

When I'm stumped I leaf through my Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, there's gonna be something to catch my eye, if only to stimulate me by looking through Google for the reference as I sit at my desk (anything is better than looking at a blank screen).

If push comes to shove, sit down and read the "all of a suddenly passion suddenly" thread, pick a random page, maybe you'll be inspired to write a passion poem directly into the box. It's a good place to store a poem until you get up the nerve to look at it again.

That's about it. I have some poetry to read, (I hope). It's Friday, and the new poems await...

 

[CeriseNoire]

Thank you so much everyone. I guess I do just need to get past my "writing crap" phobia. That's why I stopped writing poetry the last time around.
I found a lot of good advice here from you guys, and realized I've actually been doing a lot of what you've suggested--for my prose. Maybe it's time for me to use it for my poetry too.
Right now, the challenge threads here seem way too intimidating for me, but I think I'll try them once I've improved. Thanks again.

 

[Angeline]

Thank you so much everyone. I guess I do just need to get past my "writing crap" phobia. That's why I stopped writing poetry the last time around.
I found a lot of good advice here from you guys, and realized I've actually been doing a lot of what you've suggested--for my prose. Maybe it's time for me to use it for my poetry too.
Right now, the challenge threads here seem way too intimidating for me, but I think I'll try them once I've improved. Thanks again.

I've been inspired by your thread to start a weekly "poetry exercise" thread to help us all build our writting skills. Maybe you'll want to try that. It won't been competition to see who can write the best response to the exercise, just a place to get ideas to practice.

 

[TheRainMan]

. . . I've been inspired by your thread to start a weekly "poetry exercise" thread to help us all build our writting skills . . .

maybe we should start with the exercise on when to double consonants.

sorry . . . lol

 

[Angeline]

maybe we should start with the exercise on when to double consonants.

sorry . . . lol

That's enough out of you! I pick up my new glasses next week.

 

[CeriseNoire]

I've been inspired by your thread to start a weekly "poetry exercise" thread to help us all build our writting skills. Maybe you'll want to try that. It won't been competition to see who can write the best response to the exercise, just a place to get ideas to practice.

I just had a look at it. It actually got my wheels turning, so thank you for that.

 

[unpredictablebijou]

Thank you so much everyone. I guess I do just need to get past my "writing crap" phobia. That's why I stopped writing poetry the last time around.
I found a lot of good advice here from you guys, and realized I've actually been doing a lot of what you've suggested--for my prose. Maybe it's time for me to use it for my poetry too.
Right now, the challenge threads here seem way too intimidating for me, but I think I'll try them once I've improved. Thanks again.

Boy, I hope you aren't surprised by the mountain of feedback you're getting! I've noticed that writers like nothing better than to write about how they write. We often like that even better than the actual writing part. (insert cute smiley face icon of your choice here).

Ninety percent of what I write is crap, and never sees the light of day. Expecting to write anything BUT crap will give you performance anxiety and you won't write at all. Never wait till you're inspired.

Everyone has already suggested doing exercises, but I'll add to that. I think of it as my "scales", as one would practice on a musical instrument, and I never expect anything worthwhile; it's just to keep the mind limber for those moments when you DO have something to say.
My tool is The Poetry Handbook by Babette Deutch. Open to any page, find a form. Then open another random book, find a couple of evocative random phrases or topics, and try something.

The other trick I have is to never re-read or try to critique anything until it has been sitting for a while. I generally fill a journal, set it aside, and let it ferment for a couple of months before I even look back at it. Sometimes I'm surprised - stuff I thought at the time was complete crap ends up being at least worth working on, and other stuff that I thought of as pure genius at the moment I wrote it ends up being, well, quite butt-puckering.

there's my two cents. With everyone else's two cents, you should have about $700 by the time this thread is over...

bijou

 

[CeriseNoire]

Actually bijou, I was kind of surprised. Back when I was an undergrad and spending time with the writing-minded, the poets were never quite this helpful.

I know what you mean about writing lots of crap. I've stopped writing twice because I let the anxiety get to me. My "No Artist" poem was inspired by that feeling.

As for form, there's another hangup of mine. I won't write form poems in English because I don't hear the stresses clearly enough, so I always feel like I'm off.

And thanks for your two cents--with $700, I can probably afford to take a writing class again.

 

[TheRainMan]

That's enough out of you! I pick up my new glasses next week.

i can't help myself.

i'll be good now.

 

[Sara Crewe]

i can't help myself.

i'll be good now.

Really? Does that mean you are going to sleep now?

 

[sammy 2006]

Just adding a bit!

I write poetry when my emotions get the better of me.
It's not a case of I want to write all the time - infact it often means something is either off kilter or is very good, for me to sit and write.

I suppose I'm in a different situation to a lot of people in that I don't have a thirst to write it. I just know that things are either really good or really bad, then it just flows out of me - I can catch a phrase on tv or an Idea at the time and then write about it.


Example -
I watched a programe about older people who were single, the ones that were widowed all said they still slept on the same side of the bed they always used to, - kind of leaving room for their partner to still be there.

The divorced ones did 'star shapes' in the bed, cos they could have it all, they did, at that point I was really emotional about the split I had with the girl I was supposed to marry this year and I realised I still slept on my side of the bed- the poem just flowed!!!

When I try and force it - it doesn't work so good. and it shows in the quality and on the ratings on the poetry.

Where as most on this thread need to write often - I use it as an indicator to how I am - here in England we had the floods, where I live. And a friend that I had become very close to said she didn't want to be so close!!!
That has got me into the mood a little - there's three pending approval today that I wrote over the last week!!!!

So I guess that either I ought to stop writing all together or take some of the above advice and write more frequently.

I don't know!
So thats just a little from me, dont know if it helps at all!
Sammy

 

[sammy 2006]

P.S. it's two pence here!!!

lol

 

[twelveoone]

for those of us who aren't quite poets?
I was wondering. Is there anything you can suggest as a way to improve when we can't write very often? I find that I can only write when I need to write (when a sound, mood, memory, etc, inspires me), otherwise, I'm stuck in front of a blank page, and anything I manage to come up with is lifeless.

Thanks.

Then spend the time reading, and asking yourself why does this evoke a sound mood, etc., ask yourself, how did it do that?

Then take what you have written when you needed to write and rewrite it. You must have valid reasons for what you have written, otherwise you are better off with a blank page.

Keep this in mind, outside of you and your friends, plus wannabe friends and con artists, nobody really cares about your life, moods, memories, etc.; writing is product, audience is consumer and you should be the most discriminating consumer of your own product.

It's pain, with the rare joy of making the words do what you want them to do and even when you do that keep in mind that most won't see it, and that, the last part may even be best, because then you have become subtle.

Are you sure the pages shouldn't be left blank?

 

[miss_mystery]

I'll add another two cents to the pot.
One of my favorite beginner's resources is called 'A Poetry Handbook--a prose guide to understanding and writing poetry', by Mary Oliver. It's a great place to start, as well as including a few interesting little exercises to help stretch the brain.

 

[CeriseNoire]

Then spend the time reading, and asking yourself why does this evoke a sound mood, etc., ask yourself, how did it do that?

Then take what you have written when you needed to write and rewrite it. You must have valid reasons for what you have written, otherwise you are better off with a blank page.

Keep this in mind, outside of you and your friends, plus wannabe friends and con artists, nobody really cares about your life, moods, memories, etc.; writing is product, audience is consumer and you should be the most discriminating consumer of your own product.

It's pain, with the rare joy of making the words do what you want them to do and even when you do that keep in mind that most won't see it, and that, the last part may even be best, because then you have become subtle.

Are you sure the pages shouldn't be left blank?

I've always done plenty of reading, poetry or otherwise. Then I get myself tangled up in pointless comparison. Maybe it's just too much expectation. At least I've progressed to living with the crap.

If I figured out what those valid reasons are, it might be less difficult. I tend to have the images and obsess over the form they need to take.

Yes, I know nobody cares. And I tend to get stuck exactly because I am picky with what I manage to produce.

I just wonder when subtle starts veering into obscure.

Maybe they should be left blank. I suppose I'm just stubborn.