04-19-2013, 05:47 AM
AJ, you need to embrace the process. Don't worry if its flawed. The most important thing is getting the idea on paper. It isn't even important that you know how to fix something immediately.
For me, I go through cycles. I write non-stop for a few months at a time, and then I hibernate for awhile. I also don't enjoy the hibernation. I have the same anxieties: I can't write anymore, nothing seems interesting, everything's flawed. I mostly start reading more poetry, critique a bit more, recharge. After awhile, it comes back. I've found those chess games and NaPM stuff milo is running really helpful. When I give myself permission to write first drafts I tend to write more. I'm not looking for great poems. I'm looking for ideas that I can develop later.
When I used to want to be perfect all the time I froze. When I think, lets get there through editing and a few months or years between edits it got easier.
You write, you recharge. You see flaws you didn't previously see. It's a natural cycle when you're not staying complacent.
For me, I go through cycles. I write non-stop for a few months at a time, and then I hibernate for awhile. I also don't enjoy the hibernation. I have the same anxieties: I can't write anymore, nothing seems interesting, everything's flawed. I mostly start reading more poetry, critique a bit more, recharge. After awhile, it comes back. I've found those chess games and NaPM stuff milo is running really helpful. When I give myself permission to write first drafts I tend to write more. I'm not looking for great poems. I'm looking for ideas that I can develop later.
When I used to want to be perfect all the time I froze. When I think, lets get there through editing and a few months or years between edits it got easier.
You write, you recharge. You see flaws you didn't previously see. It's a natural cycle when you're not staying complacent.
The secret of poetry is cruelty.--Jon Anderson