Writing Tools and Information

Poem-Making, the Process

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Note: This was originally posted on 4/16/08 at the Scribes' Tribe Scribbings blog as part of an April poetry workshop.

pen.bmpWhat is your process for writing poetry?

I’ve only recently started thinking about process. Maybe that’s because I’ve only recently had folks interested in my work enough to ask. At first, I really had no clue how to describe my personal process. I’ve come to realize that process for me is a fluid entity, something that remains constantly changing.

For example, last year I wrote a lot of narrative poems and political/socially driven poems. So whenever I wrote in my notebook, I’d tuck away the random phrases and metaphors that came to me for future use. Whenever I was struck upside the head with a complete idea, I would start writing, and then go back to my notes to see if anything I’d written before “fit” within the piece I was working on. This worked well at the time. I knew where I wanted to take the reader, and then added in images and descriptions from my notebook that correlated with that concept.

Lately I’ve drifted from the conventional narrative of my previous poems, and toward something less linear, more disjointed. I wouldn’t call it fully abstract, but definitely not as organized as my previous style. This style shift has impacted my process. No longer do I just store things away for future use – sometimes I take a phrase I think of and run with it in order to see where it takes me. I no longer feel like I need to always know where I’m going with a concept before I start writing.

I mostly write free verse, so I rarely have the constraint of remaining in a certain pattern (unless it is of my own creation). That is a personal choice, but I can see myself trying some forms, such as sestinas or villanelles, in the future.

When I think of process, I feel the following things are important:

  • Realize that your process can be fluid and remain in flux. You can change from what you “have always done” and still be a good writer. The only thing holding you back is fear.
  • Don’t be afraid to try something new. You might find a different voice yearning to come out of you…or a voice that was always there, but you never bothered to listen to.
  • Make sure what you are doing works for your style and personality. I have friends who write using their own methods, and can cookie-cutter a whole poetry manuscript in a single night if they so desired. However, if I employed their methods, I wouldn’t write a single word.

Save the Short Story!

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I bet you didn't even know the short story was in danger, did you?  Well neither did I, that is until I stumbled upon the Save the Short Story webpage.  It is a site devoted to preserving and expanding the market for literary short fiction.  It has useful links to dozens of literary journals publishing this genre, and also to websites featuring modern masters of the form.  As a writer and a fan of short fiction, I found it to be an interesting site.  Click here to check it out...

April is National Poetry Month

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Here's some of the history of National Poetry Month...figured I'd post it on here for your knowledge...

National Poetry Month is a celebration of poetry first introduced in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets as a way to increase awareness and appreciation of poetry in the United States. It is celebrated every April.

National Poetry Month was inspired by the success of Black History Month, held each February, and Women's History Month, held in March. In 1995, The Academy of American Poets convened a group of publishers, booksellers, librarians, literary organizations, poets, and teachers to discuss the need and usefulness of a similar month long holiday to celebrate poetry.  The first National Poetry Month was held in 1996.

In 1998, the Academy joined the American Poetry & Literacy Project to distribute 100,000 free books of poetry from New York to California during National Poetry Month. On April 22, President Clinton and the First Lady hosted a gala at the White House which featured Poets Laureate Robert Pinsky, Robert Hass, and Rita Dove.

For National Poetry Month in 2001, the Academy invited people to "vote" for poets they most wanted to have a postage stamp. More than 10,000 people cast ballots, with Langston Hughes receiving the most votes. The vote tally was sent to the United States Postal Service, which issued a Langston Hughes stamp in January 2002.

On April 5, 2005 the Empire State Building was illuminated with blue lights to mark the 10th anniversary of National Poetry Month.

Each year, a special poster is commissioned by the Academy of American Poets for National Poetry Month, with almost 200,000 copies distributed for free. In the past, posters have been designed by noted graphic designers such as Chip Kidd and Milton Glaser. The 2007 poster was designed by Christoph Niemann.

Like Black History Month, the celebration of poetry each April has grown and established itself organically, in both official and unofficial ways. Each year, publishers, booksellers, educators, and literary organizations use April to promote poetry: publishers often release and publicize their poetry titles in April, teachers and librarians focus on poetry units during the month; and bookstores and reading series frequently hold special readings.

In a proclamation issued on April 1, 1996, President Bill Clinton declared: "National Poetry Month offers us a welcome opportunity to celebrate not only the unsurpassed body of literature produced by our poets in the past, but also the vitality and diversity of voices reflected in the works of today's American poetry….Their creativity and wealth of language enrich our culture and inspire a new generation of Americans to learn the power of reading and writing at its best."[4] In addition, similar official National Poetry Month proclamation have been issued by mayors from towns and cities across the country, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Tucson, and Washington, D.C.

In 2002, the Academy organized the first Poetry & the Creative Mind gala to raise funds in support of National Poetry Month, and it has become an annual event. Each year the Academy invites some of America’s leading artists, scholars, and public figures to read favorite, canonical poems. Hosted each year by the two-time Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep, the event has featured readings by Liam Neeson, Tony Kushner, Maya Lin, Sam Waterston, Suzan-Lori Parks, Minnie Driver, Dan Rather, Agnes Gund, Frank Rich, Diane von Furstenberg, Wynton Marsalis, Alan Alda, Wendy Whelan, Mike Wallace, Dianne Wiest, Oliver Sacks, Gloria Vanderbilt, William Wegman, and Christopher Durang, among others.

National Poetry Month has also sparked some debate among writers, most notably from poets such as Charles Bernstein and Richard Howard. Critics suggest that National Poetry Month trivializes the art form and floods the market with books in a matter of just a few weeks, overwhelming readers.

Since 1999, National Poetry Month has been celebrated each April in Canada, where it is sponsored by the League of Canadian Poets and organized around a different annual theme. In England, National Poetry Day is celebrated on the first Thursday of October, since. It has been organized since 1994 by the Poetry Society in England who choose a different theme each year to highlight particular poets and styles of poetry. In 1999, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) declared March 21 to be World Poetry Day. The purpose of the day is to promote the reading, writing, publishing and teaching of poetry throughout the world and, as the UNESCO session declaring the day says, to "give fresh recognition and impetus to national, regional and international poetry movements."

Great resource for writers - Duotrope.com

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Are you a writer looking for places to submit your work? Then you should check out www.duotrope.com.

It is an extensive database of over 1600 current markets for short fiction, poetry, and novels/collections. Use this page to search for markets that may make a fine home for the piece you just polished. It is an useful, comprehensive site! But before you look at one market, you may want to donate a little cash, even though it is a free service.  Like all good web innovations, you can't complain when the site founders finally decide to charge for their services because nobody donated.