01-18-2012, 11:19 AM
i'm not going to say that these are THE six things to know; rather, just some things I have learned that I wish others had told me (or perhaps they have and I found them valuable).
1. Do not rush. When every word is valuable, you need to find the right expression. I find that if I even have the tiniest of doubts of a way I've worded something, I usually wait a day, a week, a month...(sometimes longer, unfortunately) as long as it takes for the 'best' words to come. Once the proper phrase, image, or single word arrives, everything clicks. I wish I could express that more tangibly, but it really is a feeling I experience a lot and I give all the credit to patience. Settling is an enemy, as in many areas of life.
2. Read more. You'll notice the difference. If you really dislike it, find someone whose style resonates with you or whose style you admire. It will work its way into your own writing, regardless of how conscious you are of it.
3. Take what you like. In words given attributed to T.S. Eliot, a good poet copies, a great poet steals. If something really grabs you from a poem, sometimes it will work best to use it again for your own purposes, whether it consists of an image, a line, a structure...etc. It can be as obvious as Billy Collins in his theft of Ferlinghetti in "The Trouble with Poetry," (where he blatantly admits taking an image of light from a lighthouse) or as subtle as you prefer.
4. Keep grounded. If things get too abstract, you may make your reader confused. A good way to stay somewhat tangible is through imagery. I'm slightly biased though in this regard--personally, I have a hard time with overly abstract pieces.
5. find people who write better than you (in your opinion). Those are the people who really opened up my eyes so much.
6. don't expect to enjoy yourself (all the time). many times, nothing makes me sadder or more disappointed than reading what I've written, whether recently or in the past.
1. Do not rush. When every word is valuable, you need to find the right expression. I find that if I even have the tiniest of doubts of a way I've worded something, I usually wait a day, a week, a month...(sometimes longer, unfortunately) as long as it takes for the 'best' words to come. Once the proper phrase, image, or single word arrives, everything clicks. I wish I could express that more tangibly, but it really is a feeling I experience a lot and I give all the credit to patience. Settling is an enemy, as in many areas of life.
2. Read more. You'll notice the difference. If you really dislike it, find someone whose style resonates with you or whose style you admire. It will work its way into your own writing, regardless of how conscious you are of it.
3. Take what you like. In words given attributed to T.S. Eliot, a good poet copies, a great poet steals. If something really grabs you from a poem, sometimes it will work best to use it again for your own purposes, whether it consists of an image, a line, a structure...etc. It can be as obvious as Billy Collins in his theft of Ferlinghetti in "The Trouble with Poetry," (where he blatantly admits taking an image of light from a lighthouse) or as subtle as you prefer.
4. Keep grounded. If things get too abstract, you may make your reader confused. A good way to stay somewhat tangible is through imagery. I'm slightly biased though in this regard--personally, I have a hard time with overly abstract pieces.
5. find people who write better than you (in your opinion). Those are the people who really opened up my eyes so much.
6. don't expect to enjoy yourself (all the time). many times, nothing makes me sadder or more disappointed than reading what I've written, whether recently or in the past.
Written only for you to consider.