In Words Not So Poetic

What is Poetry?

        Poetry is either really difficult or really easy, there is no in between.  When I say poetry, I mean, everything there is to do with poetry. It is either easy or difficult to read. It is either easy or difficult to write. It is either easy or difficult to understand, to translate, to interpret, to teach, to edit, or to like. I specifically said, “or” rather than, “and”, because even though I believe there is no in between of poetry being either easy or difficult, a person can strive in one aspect of poetry such as writing, but struggle with a different aspect such as understanding them.  This is not to say, that a person can’t get better at writing or reading poems, or gain more of an affinity towards poetry, but from when a person is first exposed to poetry, it is either loved or hated, either easy or difficult.

What have I learned from writing poetry?
        I’ve learned a lot writing poetry, and still have lot more to discover, but the number one thing I’ve learned, through writing poetry, is that the process is like water, and in more than one way.  Water takes the shape of whatever it is poured into. More often than not, when I write a poem, it starts as having one message, but as I think about it more, it morphs and takes different shapes to how I am thinking, and I end up with a completely different message than I originally planned. Water can be in different states; frozen solid or liquefied, but it is still just water, H₂O. The same poem can be interrupted in different ways, by different people, but it is still the same poem.  

A Poem About Poetry: I'm sure it's been done before...

Poetry?

It is not a simple thing, poetry

It occupies more than a singular definition

The poetic experience is complex indeed

 

The words have to flow like smooth steady streams

Be sure the words fit together like intricate puzzle pieces

Spelling has to be perfect like the foundation of a house

Oh, and grammar, don't forget about that

 

The thoughts you have are sometimes scary

The ideas often come too quickly

Emotions get poured onto pages

With feeling that have boiled for ages

 

There's no need to rhyme

But sometimes I try

I'm not always successful

It gets to be stressful

 

Once you're finished writing

If you are oh so lucky

Sharing becomes an opportunity

Gaining insight becomes an experience

 

Twist and Risk

        There’s always the task of finding the right balance between, meeting requirements and doing what you want, especially in writing! In one of my previous posts, Listen then Talk, I explained, “If you don’t want to do something then, most likely, you won’t.” This logic applies here. If you’re not interested in something, you won’t want to do it, therefore it won’t get done. From personal experience, the solution to both, making sure that you like what you’re doing and still meeting the expectations of your teacher, is to take a bit of a risk. Make sure that you stay interested in finishing your assignment by putting your one personal twist on it. Don’t be afraid to be a little different from everyone else in the way your assignment is complete. Pay attention to small details even if they may seem unimportant. Meet the requirements, but in an atypical way. I’m not saying this is a fool proof plan, but most teachers appreciate when students go above-and-beyond mediocre expectations or try to think outside of the box.

Writers are actors with stage fright….

          Truman Capote was an American author, screenwriter and play writer. He was born on September 30, 1924 and passed away on August 25, 1984. As he chased his fame in later years, he struggled with a drug addiction. He is noted for his works, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, a novella or novelette that was published in 1958 and his book, In Cold Blood, which was published in 1966.

“You can't blame a writer for what the characters say.”
― Truman Capote 

          I have searched through countless quotes to find the one above.  I have saved countless quotes in hopes to discuss them at a later date. I have read countless quotes that shed light on forgotten truths.  Most importantly, I have related to countless quotes; that’s why it was so difficult to commit to just one. When it comes to writing, there are endless things I could relate to. In solving my problem, I decided to stop scavenging for something perfect and infinite that would capture the essence of all those topics. Rather, something that related to just one singular subject.  “You can't blame a writer for what the characters say.” As a writer, or someone who enjoys writing, I should say, if I am ever writing dialogue for a character or developing the characters morals and opinions through how he or she thinks, reacts to, and perceives things, I find myself struggling to find a line where something may be taken the wrong way, whether it be racially, spiritually, religiously, etc. As time went on with this struggle, I realized that a given character and I as the writer are two separate people. As crazy as that may sound, I do believe that there is a truth to that. Think about it like this; an actor is a separate person from the character he or she is playing, yet I always feel as if I’ll be accused wrongfully for writing something that’s actually coming from a character. Of course I write what the character says, but that doesn’t mean I think and believe as the character does, it means I want the character to sound realistic and authentic. Just as an actor has to get in the mindset of their character to look and sound the part, as does a writer.  In a way, a writer has to be an actor. You can't blame a writer for what a character says, because it's not the writer saying it.