what's your greatest weakness when writing poetry?
we all have those weak spots
for me, it's writing from the perspective of me... i KNOW what i'm seeing in my head, how it sounds, where the layerings, metaphors, allusions are
so
when i try to look at it objectively, with 'outsider eyes', i often let the insider info colour my judgement and will miss i'm not getting a specific point or met/all/whatever across.
i do aim for clarity, or at least accessibility, and understand the more i hone my craft the more i'm likely to match up what i see/hear/recognise in my head with what a reader is getting from the piece, without feeling any need to 'dumb it down'
ok, that's my confession
what's yours?
for me, it's writing from the perspective of me... i KNOW what i'm seeing in my head, how it sounds, where the layerings, metaphors, allusions are
so
when i try to look at it objectively, with 'outsider eyes', i often let the insider info colour my judgement and will miss i'm not getting a specific point or met/all/whatever across.
i do aim for clarity, or at least accessibility, and understand the more i hone my craft the more i'm likely to match up what i see/hear/recognise in my head with what a reader is getting from the piece, without feeling any need to 'dumb it down'
ok, that's my confession what's yours?
I try to be too clever with my words sometimes, making them dance a certain way in my head. I get so caught up in it, congratulating myself on my clever imagery, that I don’t realize until after I’ve posted it and re-read it that I totally lost traction and slipped away from my end point, ending the poem either before it got a chance to spill the real secret, or long after the intent was clear.
Confidence that i CAN write, even though a bazillion times the Vets, here in DUP, and the super writers at other Poetry sites and on Facebook assure me that i am just as good
'
for some reason,
i find it difficult to believe
and mostly maybe because
i hold no college degrees, never took writing courses, i'm schizophrenic and struggle understanding metaphor, simile and abstract, and am indolent.
It's weird because i KNOW i can figure out how to build something electronically / computers or write and read music or sew or damn near anything and would not have the insecurities there as i do with my art work and my poetry. & i've surrounded myself with artists and writers nearly all my ongoing life.
'
for some reason,
i find it difficult to believe
and mostly maybe because
i hold no college degrees, never took writing courses, i'm schizophrenic and struggle understanding metaphor, simile and abstract, and am indolent.
It's weird because i KNOW i can figure out how to build something electronically / computers or write and read music or sew or damn near anything and would not have the insecurities there as i do with my art work and my poetry. & i've surrounded myself with artists and writers nearly all my ongoing life.
Anonymous
This may sound strange. My weakness is that I write to please myself, in my choice of styles, disregarding the conventional, though I realize the negative impact on readability and sale-ability. My standard writing practice follows 2 quotes: "I have never been one to write by rules..." (William Carlos Williams) and "Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion" (Jack Kerouac).
BobbyEdwards said:This may sound strange. My weakness is that I write to please myself, in my choice of styles, disregarding the conventional, though I realize the negative impact on readability and sale-ability. My standard writing practice follows 2 quotes: "I have never been one to write by rules..." (William Carlos Williams) and "Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion" (Jack Kerouac).
Nothing wrong with those lines of thinking.....ink
One of my favorites -- e.e. cummings, was a Rebel with writing
Nothing wrong with those lines of thinking.....ink
One of my favorites -- e.e. cummings, was a Rebel with writing
BobbyEdwards said:This may sound strange. My weakness is that I write to please myself, in my choice of styles, disregarding the conventional, though I realize the negative impact on readability and sale-ability. My standard writing practice follows 2 quotes: "I have never been one to write by rules..." (William Carlos Williams) and "Great things are not accomplished by those who yield to trends and fads and popular opinion" (Jack Kerouac).
nah, not strange at all!
i would think most of us write, at that point of creativity, to please ourselves; getting down what WE need to say, in whatever form (free/blank/ghazal/villanelle/sonnet) we choose.
it's only in the editing of drafts to improve the piece that i consciously think about the other readers. saleability comes very low down on my list, so far it's insignificant as i can't limit what i want to say to whether or not it'd sell
there's one thing about 'rules' i think is important: it's best to know the rules so you can break them deliberately to best suit your poems. i don't see why some (not saying you do) boast about breaking rules or not even knowing them as if that makes them a better writer. that's a sort of 'reverse elitism' like being a luddite imo
JUST my opinion. i never wrote in 'form' (other than free-form) but then found learning to write within the parameters of a form was a) hard at first, and b) a really really useful exercise to allow me to gain control over the words rather than allowing them to control me. nowadays, i still write how i choose -- my options are just broader!
nah, not strange at all!
i would think most of us write, at that point of creativity, to please ourselves; getting down what WE need to say, in whatever form (free/blank/ghazal/villanelle/sonnet) we choose.
it's only in the editing of drafts to improve the piece that i consciously think about the other readers. saleability comes very low down on my list, so far it's insignificant as i can't limit what i want to say to whether or not it'd sell
there's one thing about 'rules' i think is important: it's best to know the rules so you can break them deliberately to best suit your poems. i don't see why some (not saying you do) boast about breaking rules or not even knowing them as if that makes them a better writer. that's a sort of 'reverse elitism' like being a luddite imo
JUST my opinion. i never wrote in 'form' (other than free-form) but then found learning to write within the parameters of a form was a) hard at first, and b) a really really useful exercise to allow me to gain control over the words rather than allowing them to control me. nowadays, i still write how i choose -- my options are just broader! Tallen said:Confidence that i CAN write, even though a bazillion times the Vets, here in DUP, and the super writers at other Poetry sites and on Facebook assure me that i am just as good
'
for some reason,
i find it difficult to believe
and mostly maybe because
i hold no college degrees, never took writing courses, i'm schizophrenic and struggle understanding metaphor, simile and abstract, and am indolent.
It's weird because i KNOW i can figure out how to build something electronically / computers or write and read music or sew or damn near anything and would not have the insecurities there as i do with my art work and my poetry. & i've surrounded myself with artists and writers nearly all my ongoing life.
poetry doesn't require college degrees or formal studies
that's not to say reading and reading and reading (which most of us do all our lives) won't educate us--writing and editing add to that. experience and tools. but none of those will take us anywhere without that creativity residing beneath your skin.
despite english lit/language being my best subjects, i took a side-step before going to uni to study it. never took any formal classes. through reading good poetry, great poetry in some instances, great literature, speaking with other writers, modding on several sites and running my own, crtiquing, offering thoughts, THINKING about how and why a poem works... all of these things over decades give you tools. you have those tools.
formal education in language is a different route and can introduce a person to concepts and poets they might never read otherwise; it's like a crash-course in what the tools are and how best to use them. some of us just get there slower. even now i know there are gaping holes in my reading... bothers me to an extent, but them i'm usually too busy writing or reading people online to spend too much time worrying, and i can look forward to filling some of those gaps another day. things to look forward to!
it's a shame you lack the confidence; it's something you need to build on, to trust your own instincts. you write well, you do--there's always room for improvement, for ALL of us, no matter how schooled and published. hoping to see you comfortable with your own talents soon
'
for some reason,
i find it difficult to believe
and mostly maybe because
i hold no college degrees, never took writing courses, i'm schizophrenic and struggle understanding metaphor, simile and abstract, and am indolent.
It's weird because i KNOW i can figure out how to build something electronically / computers or write and read music or sew or damn near anything and would not have the insecurities there as i do with my art work and my poetry. & i've surrounded myself with artists and writers nearly all my ongoing life.
poetry doesn't require college degrees or formal studies
that's not to say reading and reading and reading (which most of us do all our lives) won't educate us--writing and editing add to that. experience and tools. but none of those will take us anywhere without that creativity residing beneath your skin.
despite english lit/language being my best subjects, i took a side-step before going to uni to study it. never took any formal classes. through reading good poetry, great poetry in some instances, great literature, speaking with other writers, modding on several sites and running my own, crtiquing, offering thoughts, THINKING about how and why a poem works... all of these things over decades give you tools. you have those tools.
formal education in language is a different route and can introduce a person to concepts and poets they might never read otherwise; it's like a crash-course in what the tools are and how best to use them. some of us just get there slower. even now i know there are gaping holes in my reading... bothers me to an extent, but them i'm usually too busy writing or reading people online to spend too much time worrying, and i can look forward to filling some of those gaps another day. things to look forward to!
it's a shame you lack the confidence; it's something you need to build on, to trust your own instincts. you write well, you do--there's always room for improvement, for ALL of us, no matter how schooled and published. hoping to see you comfortable with your own talents soon
LunaGreyhawk said:I try to be too clever with my words sometimes, making them dance a certain way in my head. I get so caught up in it, congratulating myself on my clever imagery, that I don’t realize until after I’ve posted it and re-read it that I totally lost traction and slipped away from my end point, ending the poem either before it got a chance to spill the real secret, or long after the intent was clear.
I get so caught up in it, congratulating myself on my own clever imagery
ah well, you can always go back to edit your work. and at least you have something great in it already, right? lol
I get so caught up in it, congratulating myself on my own clever imagery ah well, you can always go back to edit your work. and at least you have something great in it already, right? lol
