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Poetry: August 24, 2005 Issue [#575]

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Poetry


 This week:
  Edited by: John~Ashen Author IconMail Icon
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Table of Contents

1. About this Newsletter
2. A Word from our Sponsor
3. Letter from the Editor
4. Editor's Picks
5. A Word from Writing.Com
6. Ask & Answer
7. Removal instructions

About This Newsletter

Poetry! It comes in all styles and meanings. Some poems express personal feelings; others demonstrate a particular pattern. Most of us write some combination in between. I'll be offering advice on different styles and pointing out techniques to improve your poems. Enjoy *Delight* --John~Ashen Author Icon


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Letter from the editor

Around the Poetry Block

         If you're like me, you are probably sick of hearing about writer's block and the hundred household methods to get unblocked. I swear the list of cures is longer than the one to get rid of hiccups. (Though I hear that the paper bag will work for both hiccups and writer's block.)

         The best thing I know against writer's block is to simply walk away and do something else. If the ink isn't flowing, why bother waving the pen around? I realize this is contrary to the "write every day" mantra, but it works for me.

         After I've walked away and am doing something else, I try to humorously summarize what I'm doing in an oral rhyme or lyric. "Hey, look at me, the joker! I'm out playing poker, dressed up in a tux, and betting it all on a pair o' ducks!"

         Usually I'm just trying to get a smile or a roll of the eyes out of my friends. However, sometimes I'll scribble a few keywords into a napkin... joker/poker... tux/dux only to find that napkin days later.

         Then, when I'm in the mood to write and in need of inspiration, I have starter prompts all ready to go. You could keep a notebook with little comments about everything else going on in your life, and it could be a bank or reservoir of ideas.

         Like taking walks in the woods or hikes through the mountains? You might like haikus. Think you are escaping writer's block in the forest? Consider the woodpecker above you, constantly hammering at a hard piece of bark. I can almost imagine the haiku now: "Tree-skin faltering / under relentless assault / pecking persistence"

         Poof, a 5-7-5 poem inspired by nature, and referring to the human condition of writer's block. Why not? Use your escapes as inspirations when you come back to sit down to compose your works. For me, I'll stick to poker. Good luck with yours.


Editor's Picks

Static Items -> Poetry -> "escape"
 The Escape of Captain Hook Open in new Window. [E]
Captain Hook escapes a fate worse than death.
by super sleuth Author Icon
 Lost Open in new Window. [13+]
Beyond God’s grasp, we have trapped ourselves in a labyrinth we cannot hope to escape.
by crivanea Author Icon
 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor
 Loving Cruelty Open in new Window. [13+]
Sometimes love makes you stay in a dangerous situation, but sometimes you get out.
by Aerina Author Icon
 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor


Speaking of my pair of ducks! *Bigsmile*
 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor
 Invalid Item Open in new Window. []

by A Guest Visitor

 
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Ask & Answer

Elisa: Snowman Stik Author Icon asks: Lately I've been reading a lot of poetry that contains comma splices. The editor part of me barely resists freaking out over this (as the comma splice is my number one pet peeve), but then I remember some infamous debates over punctuation in poetry a year or so ago. Some people supported punctuation in poetry, while others did not. As being part of the former, seeing comma splices in poetry gives me a headache. Is there a correct answer to this common grammatical malady, or am I getting obsessively nitpicky?

         Answer: The easy answer is this: poetry is not prose. It need not begin with a capital letter nor end with a period. When you see comma splices in poetry, it's because people have been preached to that every line should be punctuated. The purpose of punctuation is to clear up what could be confusing. True grammar nitpicks realize that the art of punctuation lies in knowing when not to fix something that isn't broken. When in doubt, remember: "Poetry is not prose."

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