WickedEve
save an apple, eat eve
- Joined
- Oct 20, 2001
- Posts
- 11,470
I was up early because I couldn't sleep. I started reading some poetry by "unknown" poets. Many poems here send you backspacing after the first line. But I persisted. I read poetry that was, in my opinion, typical literotica fuck/submit/heartbreak poetry. Then I took a chance and clicked on the authors' names and read more of their work. Some of these people do have more to say. I read about events in their lives that could have been expressed better, but still it was obvious there was potential there.
I emailed a couple of them and invited them to the board. I know we all do that from time to time. But then I wondered what will I/we do with them when they arrive. New poets come to this board on a regular basis and many leave with what? I know some leave with no more knowledge of poetry than before they visited.
When I was new here over 2 years ago, I didn't know where to start. I had one person who was kind and made a fuss over me. That kept me coming back. Then I had two others who beat my head against the wall until I finally got what poetry was all about. Some of you arrive here with knowledge of poetry and are already good poets. But others come here on the level that I was on. I needed to be taught many basics. And I did learn them here thanks to challenges and exercises that were, well, basic.
So help me with some ideas for a "beginner" thread of sorts. Perhaps we need a sticky on this board to welcome new poets. It could include links to threads with information on poetry and various exercises. I looked through some old threads and found a thread by Unmasked Poet. It contains a wonderful exercise:
"What do you see? Often when we write poetry we see very little, this makes for bad poetry! Many of us write from emotion first and this will only lead you down the road of regurgitating what you have absorbed in someone else’s poetry or music or writing. This is why we all write the same poems particularly unpolished poets. Emotionally speaking there is nothing new. I will address this concept when I get to the heart portion. But this is about sight. Poets learn, or are born with extended vision. If you would like to find out about yours try this exercise.
Look around the room your in, now find two objects that are always in the same place. The must be inanimate objects. Now write a poem each day for five days about the object. Length is unimportant and do not compare poems from day to day just write them and place them face down in a pile. At the end of the week review what you wrote. If someone is interested in being an example send me your observations each day. I will illustrate the value of this exercise in this thread. I promise it will make you a better writer of poetry.
Vision in a poet is the primary component of a poet’s voice. You can tell who has vision and voice right away when you read or hear a poet. On our site most poets speak in a monotone one-poem sound just like another on the same subject. That is normal when you’re learning to fly. Rhyme is the biggest killer of voice. I will explain why in the voice section.
Ever wonder why in art class the teacher has everyone draw the same bowl of fruit and yet all the pictures look different? Well poetry is like that. You have to learn to see what your looking at, and then you have to draw it, and the two things are never the same."
Give me some input, please.
I emailed a couple of them and invited them to the board. I know we all do that from time to time. But then I wondered what will I/we do with them when they arrive. New poets come to this board on a regular basis and many leave with what? I know some leave with no more knowledge of poetry than before they visited.
When I was new here over 2 years ago, I didn't know where to start. I had one person who was kind and made a fuss over me. That kept me coming back. Then I had two others who beat my head against the wall until I finally got what poetry was all about. Some of you arrive here with knowledge of poetry and are already good poets. But others come here on the level that I was on. I needed to be taught many basics. And I did learn them here thanks to challenges and exercises that were, well, basic.
So help me with some ideas for a "beginner" thread of sorts. Perhaps we need a sticky on this board to welcome new poets. It could include links to threads with information on poetry and various exercises. I looked through some old threads and found a thread by Unmasked Poet. It contains a wonderful exercise:
"What do you see? Often when we write poetry we see very little, this makes for bad poetry! Many of us write from emotion first and this will only lead you down the road of regurgitating what you have absorbed in someone else’s poetry or music or writing. This is why we all write the same poems particularly unpolished poets. Emotionally speaking there is nothing new. I will address this concept when I get to the heart portion. But this is about sight. Poets learn, or are born with extended vision. If you would like to find out about yours try this exercise.
Look around the room your in, now find two objects that are always in the same place. The must be inanimate objects. Now write a poem each day for five days about the object. Length is unimportant and do not compare poems from day to day just write them and place them face down in a pile. At the end of the week review what you wrote. If someone is interested in being an example send me your observations each day. I will illustrate the value of this exercise in this thread. I promise it will make you a better writer of poetry.
Vision in a poet is the primary component of a poet’s voice. You can tell who has vision and voice right away when you read or hear a poet. On our site most poets speak in a monotone one-poem sound just like another on the same subject. That is normal when you’re learning to fly. Rhyme is the biggest killer of voice. I will explain why in the voice section.
Ever wonder why in art class the teacher has everyone draw the same bowl of fruit and yet all the pictures look different? Well poetry is like that. You have to learn to see what your looking at, and then you have to draw it, and the two things are never the same."
Give me some input, please.
