How come

[hmmnmm]

little pieces of poetics come out okay, but lengthier prose comes out overwritten? You'd think if you could compose a somewhat tightish poem you could compose tightish prose paragraphs. But it doesn't seem to work that way. Curious.

 

[LadynStFreknBed]

little pieces of poetics come out okay, but lengthier prose comes out overwritten? You'd think if you could compose a somewhat tightish poem you could compose tightish prose paragraphs. But it doesn't seem to work that way. Curious.

That's just you.

LOL hey, hmmish.
It's not like that for me. I may compose a poetic phrase automatically, but to do an actual poem takes a great deal of effort.
My prose is often too tight, no doubt due to the articles I compose almost daily for my freelance work. I have to go back and add the posies.

-Sheila

 

[hmmnmm]

That's just you.

LOL hey, hmmish.
It's not like that for me. I may compose a poetic phrase automatically, but to do an actual poem takes a great deal of effort.
My prose is often too tight, no doubt due to the articles I compose almost daily for my freelance work. I have to go back and add the posies.

-Sheila

lotsa help you are.

 

[Guest]

It's me too, hmmnmm. I write better shorter poems, longer ones end up with words that I should edit out, thus end up being a shorter poem.

Besides, what's wrong with short poems? If you're able to get a solid image in a few lines, I think that's marvelous. I have a short attention span and nearly fall asleep with long ones anyway. That includes poet's here whose work I love, but sorry . . . snore, I get bored.

 

[Liar]

little pieces of poetics come out okay, but lengthier prose comes out overwritten? You'd think if you could compose a somewhat tightish poem you could compose tightish prose paragraphs. But it doesn't seem to work that way. Curious.

Not sure prose paragraphs fare well from being tightish. You can't apply the same criteria for what's good writing. A poem is an inventive, intense eruption of condensed words and ideas. Good poetry takes energy to read. If prose is written as poetry, but longer, it becomes overbearing.

 

[hmmnmm]

It's me too, hmmnmm. I write better shorter poems, longer ones end up with words that I should edit out, thus end up being a shorter poem.

Besides, what's wrong with short poems? If you're able to get a solid image in a few lines, I think that's marvelous. I have a short attention span and nearly fall asleep with long ones anyway. That includes poet's here whose work I love, but sorry . . . snore, I get bored.

Oh nothing wrong with short poems. I like it all. The span. So I wonder: if you already have one sentence that pushes out a strong image, but you're trying to compose prose, you might feel inclined to dress that sentence with more than it needs. You could end up with the opposite of what you think you're doing: killing or burying the image when it really does best standing alone. But it's hard to see it when you're doing it. That's the thing.

Or - if you could liken a strong image to a chocolate-covered cherry. One or two or three might be just right, but if you tried to pour two dozen down somebody's throat...

 

[hmmnmm]

Not sure prose paragraphs fare well from being tightish. You can't apply the same criteria for what's good writing. A poem is an inventive, intense eruption of condensed words and ideas. Good poetry takes energy to read. If prose is written as poetry, but longer, it becomes overbearing.

Gems.


Wonder if it's a simple human tendency to reach for something out there at the risk of neglecting something so close you tend to discount its value?