(some of the) BEST WRITING ADVICE I ever got...

[annaswirls]

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Briefly describe some of the best advice you have gotten, from people here at Lit or elsewhere.

​

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[annaswirls]

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jd4george told me to always write thank you letters for rejections.


I thought it was crazy, but I always do it (keeps me busy) and I have made some GREAT contacts with editors. When you show this level of professionalism, editors let their guard down a little and treat you like a professional, a peer, and are more likely to look more closely at your work, give you helpful suggestions, remember your name.


Editors work hard for little reward and big time hassles and psycho letters for rejections. It is nice to thank them even if they send you a goofy or cold rejection.

 

[annaswirls]

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Patrick Carrington told me to not be afraid of editing my poetry, that it is as much of a creative process as creating the original poem.

this seems obvious I really did so very little before, was more into the stream of consciousness writing, which is VERY important to me still.




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I have many more people to recognize, and will do so after a brief packing break

 

[Maria2394]

my MOTHER told me

to write from my heart and not to write just what I thought people wanted to hear.


love ya , Mama

 

[flyguy69]

"Poetry should be on a late-night infomercial. There's nothing it can't do."

-A participant at last year's Wisconsin Writer's Conference

 

[The Poets]

Write what you know.

 

[TheRainMan]

there are so many, i can’t remember them all . . . and I’m sure I’ll leave the best ones off.

1. revision, and I mean extensive revision, is the key to transforming a mediocre poem into a work that can touch and even alter a reader’s heart –- Ted Kooser

2. write for others, never yourself . . . write to serve, the reader and the poem – so many great poets

2a.

Fantastic to see how my poem is growing
while I myself am shrinking.
It’s getting bigger,
it’s taking my place.

– Tomas Transtromer

3. avoid slam poetry at all costs. it's fun, but it will kill your craft. –- a good friend

4. listen carefully to what everyone says, and in the end, make decisions by yourself – my uncle Joe, who said that would cover just about everything.

 

[Remec]

Dr John Kenny, my freshman comp professor in college, told us that all writing--poetry, prose, fiction, essay, anything--has the potential to be Art. But that writing not shared cannot fulfill that potential.

 

[GuiltyPleasure]

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Briefly describe some of the best advice you have gotten, from people here at Lit or elsewhere.

​

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Learn that part of you will always try to sabotage your creative side.

(from Fingerpainting On The Moon)

 

[My Erotic Trail]

gram mer
by My Erotic Tail ©

gram mer

me was telled
words will fell,
if they aint spelt just rite.

that cuntry boy,
with a pincel or pin,
cant rite or tipe.

that skool is fo
me tu lern,
i beter do it rite.

mom said werds
cum from within
and beter grammers hipe.

that if you can read
me hart felt werds,
that wil be alll rite.

 

[clutching_calliope]

.....

 

[Tzara]

1. Don't be afraid of sentimentality. (paraphrased from Richard Hugo)
2. Write something every day. (many people, but I remember this from one of John Gardner's books)
3. Use active verbs. (one I stupidly ignore all too often)

 

[vampiredust]

TRM gave me a great piece of advice - end every line with an image

has worked wonders

 

[champagne1982]

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Briefly describe some of the best advice you have gotten, from people here at Lit or elsewhere.

​

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I paraphrase Senna Jawa -A lot of authors of poems write like writing poetry places you outside the laws of communication. Authors act like they have a special license. But nobody does. One should always imagine holding a stranger by a lapels and spilling his text on that poor innocent bystander. Only the lapels will be left in the author's hands when he tries to impress strangers with his persona.

I'm pretty sure that he meant that personality has nothing to do with the way a reader will receive the poem. Despite all efforts to the contrary, at the end of the day, all that will be left with a reader is the poem and not the poet.

 

[Cockyfox]

write what you know

write for yourself

write

 

[Liar]

This is an advice for writing, from the most intelligent person I've ever met in person. pardon the length, but he's a bit wordy.

---

What you have to remember is that text is not a finished product. It's a small step in a big process. And in creating a text, you have to pay heed to two lines of history; the history and future of the process and the history and future of the text.

The history of the process is all that you have done so far to end up where you are: The observation/idea/ephiphany that prompted you to write, your research to gather further depth to your writing, your chooice of media, style, length, and the actual forging of phrases. But the process continues after you have your text done and delivered. It has to be found, read and intepreted, all parts of the process that are out of your hands. But it is your job to anticipate them.

The history of the text, is all that has been written and spoken before your text to inspire, influence and shape it. The future of the text is all the text and actions that it will or might inspire. All that is and all that will be, if you may. No action of communication stands alone, and even though a text is more static than, for instance, a conversation, it is notihng short of worthless without a context, a discourse in which it aquires meaning. A ballad about love has a very broad discourse and can be related to easily by most people, while a private diary has a very narrow scope and window of understandment. But there has to be a past and a future, or else it's pointless to write.

If you don't do this, your text is not communication, but masturbation or self-flagellation, depending on your self image. Whish is fine in itself. But it's not really text.

- José Ramírez

---


Condensed version for the lazy: There is always a context. Be aware of it or don't even try.

 

[TheRainMan]

This is an advice for writing, from the most intelligent person I've ever met in person. pardon the length, but he's a bit wordy.

---

What you have to remember is that text is not a finished product. It's a small step in a big process. And in creating a text, you have to pay heed to two lines of history; the history and future of the process and the history and future of the text.

The history of the process is all that you have done so far to end up where you are: The observation/idea/ephiphany that prompted you to write, your research to gather further depth to your writing, your chooice of media, style, length, and the actual forging of phrases. But the process continues after you have your text done and delivered. It has to be found, read and intepreted, all parts of the process that are out of your hands. But it is your job to anticipate them.

The history of the text, is all that has been written and spoken before your text to inspire, influence and shape it. The future of the text is all the text and actions that it will or might inspire. All that is and all that will be, if you may. No action of communication stands alone, and even though a text is more static than, for instance, a conversation, it is notihng short of worthless without a context, a discourse in which it aquires meaning. A ballad about love has a very broad discourse and can be related to easily by most people, while a private diary has a very narrow scope and window of understandment. But there has to be a past and a future, or else it's pointless to write.

If you don't do this, your text is not communication, but masturbation or self-flagellation, depending on your self image. Whish is fine in itself. But it's not really text.

- José Ramírez

---


Condensed version for the lazy: There is always a context. Be aware of it or don't even try.

alternate condensed version: writing is like sex, far better with a partner than your hand.

 

[TheRainMan]

alternate condensed version: writing is like sex, far better with a partner than your hand.

the partner being, of course, the reader.

and it is a very poor lover who ignores their playmate's gratification while lavishing attention on their own.

 

[cherries_on_snow]

Walk a lot. Get oxygen to the brain. And, (drawing here from Memo To by Marge Piercy) try not to die young.

 

[cherries_on_snow]

alternate condensed version: writing is like sex, far better with a partner than your hand.

Depends on the partner.

 

[The Mystery Valiant]

And so goes the wise man

As much as I like all this advice, I holdone piece of advice above all else. It comes from someone who knows how to give only the best advice for any, and all hard-pressed souls. See if you might remember him: "As you do unto the least of mine, so then shall I do unto you."

To me, that says that I have to consider everyone as directly connected to myself. Maybe only an aspect of mysel for even a hidden quality that I am unaware of. Always will I remember that some of the greatest men in history, were never considered such, by their contemporaries. There is no one piece of wisdom that covers any and all situations. But there is one truism that has always stood even the test of time. Everything changes. Rules and laws are fleeting.



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[annaswirls]

The Sheep and the Goats

"As you do unto the least of mine, so then shall I do unto you."

Wow, that is completely different in idea than I remember it. I thought it was more along the lines of "whatever you do to the least of mine, you did to me"

Maybe you are quoting someone's extrapolation that I do not know about.

hold on, I gotta google this


Yeah, this is the one I remember. We unitarians are big on this concept of social justice. Not claiming that I am angelic (good lord not even close I have so many weaknesses, double standards, and do not do nearly what I would like to do for others) but this is one of my favorite passages too. Not too big on the idea of eternal life and damnation, but that is another story, do what is right because it is right, not because of a promise of a better place or fear of hell. Make this place a better place by doing what is right, I like to think.

Matthew 25:31-46 (New International Version)

The Sheep and the Goats

31"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

37"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

40"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

44"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

45"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

46"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

 

[BooMerengue]

My Mom told me once "If there is even one person in the world you want to keep something from don't tell it to anyone, and don't write it down."

 

[clutching_calliope]

#2 on the Top Ten List of Things you Wouldn't Expect To See on a Porn Site

Wow, that is completely different in idea than I remember it. I thought it was more along the lines of "whatever you do to the least of mine, you did to me"

Maybe you are quoting someone's extrapolation that I do not know about.

hold on, I gotta google this


Yeah, this is the one I remember. We unitarians are big on this concept of social justice. Not claiming that I am angelic (good lord not even close I have so many weaknesses, double standards, and do not do nearly what I would like to do for others) but this is one of my favorite passages too. Not too big on the idea of eternal life and damnation, but that is another story, do what is right because it is right, not because of a promise of a better place or fear of hell. Make this place a better place by doing what is right, I like to think.

Matthew 25:31-46 (New International Version)
QUOTE]

Biblical quotations. You're the best, Anna S.!

 

[The Mystery Valiant]

Editorialism at it's most dangerous!

When the Army gave me the "New Testament", one of the first things I read was "Change one jot, one title. Edit one iota of the word of God, and his wrath will be on thee forever!" And then I began to look at the first pages of the "Bible", and what did I find? "Edited by"??????? Now we are besieged by the NIV reconstruction of that Edited work. "Man" is not mentioned in the NIV! Instead they went with the Politically Correct barbarianism! Yes, barbarianism! Because it totally refuses any freedom of speech, will or independent conscious. The NIV, is in fact the biggest joke in the history of religion.

I know how I would feel if some neanderthal were to tell me how to interact socially. I didn't even believe that the "Bible was the word of God to begin with! After all, they were translated from dead languages and those scholars aren't even all that sure about their translations in the first place. And then there's the infamous KJV (King James Version), of which a King was the judge of that version of the "Bible"! Sorry, but when I quote the "Bible", I don't have to do it word for word. Anybody who has been involved of "editing" the "Bible" sure as hell didn't care if they were right or wrong.



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