In what medium do you compose?

[Angeline]

Yes. I do. Though I don't know if I qualify as one of the cakies anymore since Mrs. Carson was successful in her anti-lefty crusade. Well more or less.

Last night at the Bowery Poetry Club (which was the last open mic there, kinda sad) I saw people reading from ipads for the first time. Now I had not been there in years, so maybe this has been going on for some time, but this would give evidence to a new medium as being fairly common among poets, or at least among poets who perform their poetry.

I only compose here. If here is ever gone, I do not know that I will ever compose. This is what has brought me back here, even at some significant personal discomfort. It is, for me, compose here or not at all.

I used to have that syndrome and thought I could only write here. I forced myself to not write here--hence my long absences from Lit, and I would definitely recommend the same to anyone who feels as I did. There are a few other places online but mostly I pushed myself to write just in my word program. I think it has been good for my poetry as well as my writing habits.

 

[Angeline]

I can understand an iPad being a convenient way to read poetry--it's light, easy to read, and you don't have to carry around either a stack of dog-eared sheets of paper or a broken-backed paperback book festooned with bookmarks.

On the other hand, the formatting can be questionable. I bought an e-copy of Kim Addonizio's Lucifer at the Starlite for my Kindle to see how the formatting looked. Really lousy on my e-ink (original) Kindle--lines wrapped all over the place, making the poems difficult to read. The Fire is better, because I can turn it sideways (landscape mode) to stop the constant wrapping of lines (though I suspect Jorie Graham's or C.K. Williams' poems would still wrap because of their especially long line length). I would still get odd stanza breaks, though--apparently the formatting software does not have (or whoever coded this book didn't use) tags to keep stanzas together at page breaks.

Why I still buy all my poetry in book format.

I keep telling EE I am writing to all these ebook publishers to tell them their editing/prep for digital presentation sucks! I am constantly finding dumb errors that should have been caught, typos and such.

I haven't purchased any poetry for the Nook, and you've now given me another reason not to do so.

 

[LexiRoseLexi]

iPhone. Sorry guys

I dictate draft thoughts into dragon dictation on my iPhone as they usually come to me whilst driving (driving time is thinking time).

I then edit them in 'notes' and post direct from my iPhone to the site, editing again if needs be in Tw preview box.

I have written poems on paper, in fact up to November paper was my medium of choice. I could never write them on my laptop though for some reason. Possibly because I use it for work so it steals all my creativity. Editing on the laptop tends to be done only after printing and scribbling by hand. Hence why I tend to use the phone.

 

[greenmountaineer]

I dictate draft thoughts into dragon dictation on my iPhone as they usually come to me whilst driving (driving time is thinking time).

I then edit them in 'notes' and post direct from my iPhone to the site, editing again if needs be in Tw preview box......

Great idea! I hadn't considered dictation before. I prefer however "Pages," the word processing app you can buy for ten bucks because of additional formatting possibilities. For example, I sometimes like to paste a well known poet's work on a document. I then establish two columns, one of which is for my draft, and the other one is the model, so that I can compare things like meter, rhyme scheme, stanza construction, enjambment, etc. I think it was T.S. Eliot who said good poets know how to steal from other good poets.

 

[Tzara]

I dictate draft thoughts into dragon dictation on my iPhone as they usually come to me whilst driving (driving time is thinking time).

I then edit them in 'notes' and post direct from my iPhone to the site, editing again if needs be in Tw preview box.

I have written poems on paper, in fact up to November paper was my medium of choice. I could never write them on my laptop though for some reason. Possibly because I use it for work so it steals all my creativity. Editing on the laptop tends to be done only after printing and scribbling by hand. Hence why I tend to use the phone.

Don't feel sorry about this, feel like you are educating me about how people use technology.

I hadn't even thought about dictation. Not that I would write that way, but I know other people might compose drafts orally.

What I am finding interesting is that a number of you edit on platforms I could not stand to edit on. Probably because I, despite working in the software industry, have become with age something of a Luddite. I have an iPhone, for example, but rarely carry it with me. My facility in using it to edit text is, accordingly, abysmal.

I think what I'm hearing from y'all is that many of you edit just fine, thank you very much, on a phone. I was thinking iPhone+poem=no editing. That apparently is a false assumption.

I therefore apologize for any sneeriness about it.

Still don't care for it myself as a platform, though.

 

[LexiRoseLexi]

Dictation for me

Is more for practical reasons. I drive for roughly 70 hours of my week and type for roughly 30 hours a week and that's just for work.

Writing and driving is frowned upon by the police (as well as being a tad dangerous) and so when an idea hits me its the easiest way to get it down before I forget.

Also, the last thing I want to do once I've spent 5 hours typing reports is to spend another hour or two typing a poem. The dictation program means its already typed up for me, albeit sometimes with interesting translations of what it thinks I've said.

Even if I scribble in a book I still prefer to dictate than type just because typing seems like 'work' and that takes away all my motivation.

Finally, for me poetry is a way to express my emotions and I find I often over edit on the computer just because I can, which takes all the raw 'feeling' out of it. On the phone I can just edit/copy/paste before I start to worry if it's good enough. Of course that does mean I mess up sometimes. 'The pain of choices' is one that could have done with being put down and read through with a fresh set of eyes. Part of me wants to resubmit, but part of me wants to leave it there as a lesson to myself of that makes sense. Learning from my mistakes is good, going back and fixing them retrospectively seems a bit like cheating.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

I'm afraid of what predictive text would do on my phone for instance my own name Annie comes out as Congestion

 

[LexiRoseLexi]

Perhaps

We should have an experiment. Dictate a poem and post on here unedited and see whether anyone can work out what we actually meant to say

I struggle sometimes. I mean what did I mean to say when it wrote:

His feet, green bearded lightly
Beneath the office see I love?

 

[hmmnmm]

really there's something about pen and paper that whenever I can yank my ass away from this damn computer I always get into it, get into a feel or something, even if the page remains blank for hours. And a kitchen table. Kitchens and paper and a window. Sit down and stare. And stare. Or go stare out the window. Sit down and stare. Lot of staring. And then start on something and can't stop. Realize whatever is put down is certainly a rough idea or a bunch of jumbled ideas. And then come to this damn machine and type it all up and then play around with it. And play and play and play. Weeks and months. I do adore the ease in playing with line breaks and such, but at the end of the day, really there's something about pen and paper.... for the initial stages. A new poem's initiation. Oh yeah.

 

[twelveoone]

Traditionally, poets wrote in fountain pen on cream paper.

Or, at least in my dream world they did.

While I won't say I've never written a poem in ink, be it ball pen, quill pen, soft tip, or that kind of slinky gel stuff that just flows slimily out of the pen, I have mostly composed poetry (yes, yes, we can argue whether I ever actually have composed, in actual fact, a poem) on a computer, in a word processing program.

I write, when I write, in (to be specific about it) Microsoft Word. Sometimes in Notepad.

Like there's much of a difference.

But I've seen a shift among poemic contributors. Some people are now saying that they've written their poems on their phones. (That always makes me wonder about the editing process, as I would not want to revise something on my iPhone.)

My first thought about that of statement always is, well, you're not serious then, are you?

But then Angeline tells us here, that she writes poems on her tablet computer.

And I have to reconsider, as Angie is an excellent poet.

So, tell me, poets. In what medium (paper, computer, tablet, phone, or something else) do you prefer to compose your poems? And why?

Actually, Darh-link, a medium does write my poetry just rubber stamp it Approved, REJECTED, Redo

 

[greenmountaineer]

Actually, Darh-link, a medium does write my poetry just rubber stamp it Approved, REJECTED, Redo

It's good to see you back. Your comments were always thought provoking and helpful to me.

 

[butters]

afternoon, everyone x

Actually, Darh-link, a medium does write my poetry just rubber stamp it Approved, REJECTED, Redo

now that was a good surprise, seeing your name pop up as i browsed through. how's life? your inbox is chokka.

It's good to see you back. Your comments were always thought provoking and helpful to me.

isn't it? and hello to yourself, too, and to all the other poets here. i've been in absentia, my head just nowhere in poetry mode. combine that with decorating and landscaping my sorry arsed garden, no poetry getting written and not the right headplace for leaving comments.

as for tzara's question - it's almost always at the pc nowadays - i like the speed and neatness it offers when editing my own stuff. previously it was always pen and paper - hated a biro - and didn't think i'd ever change. but there you go, old dogs can indeed perform new(ish) tricks.

 

[Angeline]

Actually, Darh-link, a medium does write my poetry just rubber stamp it Approved, REJECTED, Redo

Hi twelvie!

Update: I have had my tablet type device (a Nook) for three months now and though I still do a little writing on it, I'm gravitating back to the laptop. I can only have one screen open at a time on the Nook, which means I can't spellcheck, use a thesaurus or a rhyming dictionary, etc., as I write. And the weensy on-screen keyboard slows me down. Not good for me! (When I stop to think in the first draft stage I lose my mojo.)

I did like proving to myself that I can write a poem on that thing. But I am more all about the easiest way possible to writing

 

[greenmountaineer]

........... i've been in absentia, my head just nowhere in poetry mode. combine that with decorating and landscaping my sorry arsed garden, no poetry getting written and not the right headplace for leaving comments.

as for tzara's question - it's almost always at the pc nowadays - i like the speed and neatness it offers when editing my own stuff. previously it was always pen and paper - hated a biro - and didn't think i'd ever change. but there you go, old dogs can indeed perform new(ish) tricks.

Welcome back to you too, Chipbutty. The challenges have been, well, challenging, and some of the threads have challenged (my) thinking. I'm looking forward to more posts from you and 1201 if that's in the cards.

 

[butters]

Welcome back to you too, Chipbutty. The challenges have been, well, challenging, and some of the threads have challenged (my) thinking. I'm looking forward to more posts from you and 1201 if that's in the cards.

aw, thanks i dropped a littl'un on tzara's 'find a title' thread, but it's the first in ages and i've still got tiling grout stuck on my nails as i type. i really do find that it's just too hard for me to say anything worth writing, even if i've been reading here, when my head's not on right. maybe it's back. we'll have to see. i hope so!

 

[EroticaJunction]

Spontaneously in my head while out for my evening stroll. Then I have to go over it compulsively so I don't forget it before I get home, although admittedly this does help refine the end result. I should really start taking a notepad out with me....

 

[twelveoone]

Spontaneously in my head while out for my evening stroll. Then I have to go over it compulsively so I don't forget it before I get home, although admittedly this does help refine the end result. I should really start taking a notepad out with me....

that' s funny, so do i, the ones i do walking are just a little less angry than the ones i do driving. I did one lying down once, I almost put a pine box in it. i did a few on the subway, mumblin to my self, blended right it.
if i right them on paper, i lose the paper or I can't read 'em, if I put them on a computer, it crashes. I have stuff on a zip-drive, and no way to read it.

 

[PandoraGlitters]

that' s funny, so do i, the ones i do walking are just a little less angry than the ones i do driving. I did one lying down once, I almost put a pine box in it. i did a few on the subway, mumblin to my self, blended right it.
if i right them on paper, i lose the paper or I can't read 'em, if I put them on a computer, it crashes. I have stuff on a zip-drive, and no way to read it.

I could talk you through the zip drive unzipping, probably. Let me know when you next attempt it. I did write notes on a napkin tonight. Sometimes I have sung to voice mail from a pay phone. Mostly though the computer and this place seem to yield the best results for rough drafts. Great inspiration here.

Speaking of which, I'd love to see some of your travel poems. Maybe you'd like to pose the September Challenge, twelveoone?

 

[pixxie91]

I typically do most of my actual writing on my laptop in a wordprocessor, but I do most of my outlining/general planning with a pen and paper. I carry a notebook and set of pens in my bag at all times though just in case inspiration strikes--super intimate cellphone convesations on the bus are just too juicy to ignore and make excellent story fodder.

Honestly, things get too messy if I try to write by hand especially when it comes to poetry since I'm constantly moving the lines around.

 

[twelveoone]

I could talk you through the zip drive unzipping, probably. Let me know when you next attempt it.

problem is i don't know where the zippies, and the floppies went to, i got no place to insert then

Speaking of which, I'd love to see some of your travel poems. Maybe you'd like to pose the September Challenge, twelveoone?

you're kidding, ever read my stuff? see postcard sickest thing I ever wrote. Challenge? I'm challenged enoff.

 

[todski28]

Traditionally, poets wrote in fountain pen on cream paper.

Or, at least in my dream world they did.

While I won't say I've never written a poem in ink, be it ball pen, quill pen, soft tip, or that kind of slinky gel stuff that just flows slimily out of the pen, I have mostly composed poetry (yes, yes, we can argue whether I ever actually have composed, in actual fact, a poem) on a computer, in a word processing program.

I write, when I write, in (to be specific about it) Microsoft Word. Sometimes in Notepad.

Like there's much of a difference.

But I've seen a shift among poemic contributors. Some people are now saying that they've written their poems on their phones. (That always makes me wonder about the editing process, as I would not want to revise something on my iPhone.)

My first thought about that of statement always is, well, you're not serious then, are you?

But then Angeline tells us here, that she writes poems on her tablet computer.

And I have to reconsider, as Angie is an excellent poet.

So, tell me, poets. In what medium (paper, computer, tablet, phone, or something else) do you prefer to compose your poems? And why?

don't know how serious I am or if anything I have written is even a poem, but around 80% of what I write is done of the i-phone

 

[eagleyez]

when the burning house
fills with fog
I exhale
until my spine locks up-

it seemed like heaven
chronological murmur
where the bootheel
traced songs and

up the pinestraw
road I go,
ragged boilemaker rain
on greek singers

chorus
hit the organ
slash the drum
spill thru the ground
feet in time.

 

[Trixareforkids]

Composition notebooks with a mechanical pencil. I think better when I'm actually writing. Unless I'm writing extremely quickly I print, a habit I picked up working with engineers and plans. I have two magazine holders full of notebooks for various types/subjects of writing.

I like that it forces me to really re-read and edit what I am writing if I want to share it via computer.

 

[Magnetron]

I am constantly experimenting, so I would be lost without copy and paste.

I imagine that before comps, I would have resorted to writing on cardstock and cutting it so the lines were individual pieces that I could organize.

Or better yet, be camped out in front of the refridgerator with an eraseable marker and strips of magnetic paper.

 

[Trixareforkids]

I am constantly experimenting, so I would be lost without copy and paste.

I imagine that before comps, I would have resorted to writing on cardstock and cutting it so the lines were individual pieces that I could organize.

Or better yet, be camped out in front of the refridgerator with an eraseable marker and strips of magnetic paper.

Ok, now I can't get a picture of a giant refrigerator covered with THIS out of my head.