Many writers easily plan, draft, revise and edit simultaneously, but some writers have a difficult time in knowing where to begin. We hope you will join us in this workshop designed to not only help new writers get started, but also to help lessen "creative blocks" in more experienced writers.Contents:
| December 2003 - WRITE-NOW
by Betty Ann Whitney, Poetry Editor |
| "A Good Poem Deserves A Good Title"
We live in a world of names and titles. In advertising, we know a product by its maker's name. In the literary world, we know a writer's work simply by the author's name, and in the same way, we know the body of a poem by its title. Some master poets such as Shakespeare and Dickinson left their works untitled. Numbers now identify these works. Because the numbers represent the poems themselves, they have ultimately taken the place of titles, but in the history of poetry, not titling has not been the common practice. Occupying a position above the poem, titles stand for the poem as the head of its body. A good title works as effectively as the poem itself. It should not understate, overstate, give away, nor attempt to conclude, but like the starting point of a good map, a title should lead the reader into the body of the poem. Some poets use key words or a phrase from the poem as their title, but this may cause a loss of impact. The concept of a bridging title functions as a pathway, linking the head of a poem to its body, and is often an effective way to avoid losing impact as it provides a direct route by which a reader may experience the body of a poem immediately, with no breakdown. Example: The moon, one quarter diameter of earth Will someday be our first step into a sea
Looking up at the sky on a clear night
Betty Ann Whitney, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA Do not leave your work unfinished. Settle on a good title and your readers will thank you for inviting them into your world in a creative way. |
| MAY 2003 - WRITE-NOW
by Betty Ann Whitney, Poetry Editor |
| "Add some Punch! Say It With Verbs"
To activate your subjects, say it with verbs. Verbs pack power into writing and occupy the grammatical center of a storyline. They express an act, occurence, a mode of being. A single verb may spark more life than a string of adjectives across the line of a poem. For example, let's say that I wish to write a poem about a little boy and his dog. A List Poem might get me started writing. Joshua is a chubby three year old
By including a string of carefully placed verbs, I can pack some power into these simple descriptions. Shiny Summer Days Outside
Betty Ann Whitney, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA Practice turning your own List Poems into more vivid word-pictures by adding more verbs than adjectives to your writing. |
| MARCH 2003 - WRITE-NOW
by Betty Ann Whitney, Poetry Editor |
| "Diction: Careful Word Choice"
Websters' New Collegiate Dictionary defines diction as a choice of words, especially with regard to correctness, clearness, or effectiveness. In all languages, there are many words with which to express ideas and feelings, so choosing the right word can sometimes prove difficult. Purpose always determines that choice. If a poem reads "rose" instead of "flower," "poodle," instead of "dog," "scrambled eggs," instead of breakfast, its diction is concrete rather than abstract, and shows a poet's physical awareness of surroundings. One purpose of poetry is, by recalling the physical sense of a person, place or thing, to express the full flavor of a poet's experience. Example: Month of March Rhythmical sunshine noiselessly sparkles
Betty Ann Whitney, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA In addition, by using expressions commonly heard only in certain geographical areas, you can add interest and verve to your writing. This expression, "prit'in ear," meaning "almost" or "pretty near," is from New England. A common expression from the southern United States is, "Y'all come back now, hear?" Emerging with time and place, slang words such as "way cool dude," "ain't got nothin' on me," "talk at ya, later," may quickly become quickly dated, but can still add a regional feel to your work. Such nonstandard words as "ain't," "anyways," "hisself," "nuttin'," among others, can also be used to a bit of local color. Consider using more diction in your work. By adding specific words from actual places, and concrete images that describe real things, poets can effectively elicit particular responses and engage the imagination of the reader. |
| NOVEMBER 2002 - WRITE-NOW
GUEST EDITOR: Elizabeth Barrette |
| Dear Sol Editor:
I customarily handle the poetry for two magazines, PanGaia and SageWoman. My chosen topic is science -- its allure, its mystery, its complexity -- and it can be any science, astronomy, linguistics, whatever. I invented this form (Octal Progression) a while back and would like to see what other people would do with it. As far as I've seen, there aren't any other forms that rely on patterns in parts of speech. A description and example follow. Octal Progression: This form uses stanzas of eight lines, each of which must begin with a specific part of speech. The lines do not require (or forbid) rhyme or meter. The form may vary, but my original is one stanza in this order: Adjective
EXAMPLE: CometfallElizabeth Barrette, Charleston, IL, USA |
Dear Elizabeth, |
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| Write-Now -- Brainstorming
People sometimes wonder how to generate poetry ideas. One way is to read some of the many books offering writing assignments, which can be not only useful, but fun. Most assignments advise to be on the lookout for themes or subject material always in our daily affairs, for we sometimes fail to realize there is a poem in almost everything we see and do. Relying on imagination is always a possibility in story writing, but thinking in a concrete way can also help create a good foundation from which to build. Using a combination of both imaginative ideas and concrete items, and writing down thoughts and ideas spontaneously as they come to mind, in other words, brainstorming, allows creative juices to flow freely into other ideas and images that may be kept in a tickler file, or notebook. For instance, one exercise, good for breaking writer's block, is to make a list of items. Perhaps surrounding you may be a computer, paper, the family cat, a table, lace, and a grocery list. Once listed, use chosen items to weave a story. Example: The Way Things Are At the computer screen, my cat
Moments are important.
Betty Ann Whitney, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA Even if you never use the items exactly as you've written them, you may uncover important eye-catching features to use in some future poem. |
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| Exercise Your Talent
When we say that someone has a talent for writing poetry, we usually mean they have an ability to create art through the use of language. As with various other forms of art, there are supposedly tests that prove a person's special aptitude for writing poetry. But realistically, anyone who is intrigued with words and the connections of words through thoughts and ideas has the talent for writing poetry. Having a talent for poetry doesn't mean that the person intrigued with words will become a full-time poet. Though it is possible to make money teaching poetry, or performing poetry, or publishing poetry, it is rare to make a career out of writing poetry. Poetry is almost always created for pleasure as a hobby. A person interested in creating art through the use of language does well to become familiar with traditional forms and the poetical tools with which to write poetry. Poetry is concentrated language, more intense than ordinary language. It welcomes commitment to draw on techniques of rhythm, rhyme, metaphor and tone-- best learned through reading the works of master poets. If you have an interest in words, and have not yet written your first
poem, exercise your talent. Browse through Sol Magazine for topics
and examples. Then grab a pen and begin.
Betty Ann Whitney, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA |
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Letter from Janet Parker, Leesburg, FL, USA
Dear Betty Ann:Dear Janet: Thank you for writing. First Published in 1915, Edgar Lee Masters' "Spoon River Anthology" represented America through its fictional Spoon River, Illinois. A style like nothing seen before, Masters' characters often spoke bluntly and with bitter views from beyond the grave. It is said that some of Master's characters resembled local citizens, drawing much excitement and interest from readers. Written in free verse and first person, there became great controversy
as to whether Masters' "epitaphs" should be considered poetry or not.
Even today, Spoon River Poetry is a popular style. In my experiments
with this form, I made Anne Sexton, one of America's most talented "confessional
poets," whose mental illness finally took her life after several attempts
at suicide, the narrator in the following poem:
Anne SextonBetty Ann Whitney, Wesley Chapel, FL, USA |
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Letter from Tanya Ruth Larson, Kamloops, BC, CAN
Dear Betty Ann: Tanya Ruth Larson
Thank you for writing. We are happy to reply that Sol is sponsoring another Haiku competition in July of 2002. The art of Oriental poetry can involve long years of training and apprenticeship. Americans seem most familiar with two styles of Japanese poetry, Tonka, and, one of your favorite forms, Haiku. Composed of delicate insight or emotion, Haiku express concrete images, direct and literal, revealing sharp observation, with a link to human nature. The valuable space of the lines is not taken up by sentence structure, nor cluttered with prepositions, personal pronouns, articles, or connectives. Subtleties of nature offer rare and continually exciting material for composers of Haiku. It is the perfect way to communicate to others our observations and electrifies our own appreciation of nature. We suggest you jot down what you see and hear and smell as you come upon creatures of the air, the scent of green buds clinging to a back gate, or observe the fractions of sunlight creating moods in afternoon then early evening. Create your own Haiku from what you encounter. Haiku is written in many languages around the world. Many English-speaking poets have reduced the classical form (5/7/5) to three brief lines, with the first and last lines each a bit shorter than the middle line. For more information and suggestions about how to write a more traditional Haiku, visit our POETRY FORMS page. |
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| Individuality is a great asset. In poetry, this can shape itself into
a unique, personal vision we pass along in our story-telling. While
leaving ourselves open to new ideas, we should try to tell our stories
realistically, honestly, and with imagination. And we should experiment,
rewriting the same story in different ways or fit the same story into different
forms to find one that seems to fit it best.
For instance, our grandmother cared for lovely African Violets. After she passed on, we grandchildren were allowed to pick from her personal items, something to remember her by. My choice was one of her ever-flowering violets, the inspiration for the following poems. In the form of a Quatrain: AfterGlow
healthy leaves~~~~~~~~ Betty Ann Whitney created each of the example poems above. |
Write-Now presents bite-sized activities, suggestions and examples aimed to stimulate and strengthen the creative process. Readers are encouraged to send in feedback. Write to Betty Ann Whitney at Sol.Magazine@prodigy.net with your comments and suggestions for future discussions. Please put "WRITE-NOW" in the subject line of your note.
© Sol Magazine 2002-2003