You can write a poem in fifteen minutes. A common poetry workshop exercise is to start from some inspirational object or image handed around the participants. Each puts their hand into an envelope and pulls out a photograph. Of an ice-like quartz crystal. Of a misty water-meadow. Or perhaps of the Mona Lisa. Then each … Continue reading First Version
And the winner is …
Everyone. I’m going to cover festivals and competitions this time. A competition is an opportunity to have your newly written work measured against others. Apart from the kudos you might gain, who else is going to benefit from a competition? Often these are part of the essential fundraising for a literary or arts festival. All … Continue reading And the winner is …
Using Metaphor
In this series of blogs, I have tried to give you my personal view on how to write a poem, in particular a sonnet. I do not want to get too technical, there are books for that. It is now time to look at metaphor. This word stems from the Greek verb metaphorien “to transfer”. … Continue reading Using Metaphor
The Power of Constraints
He wanted to write a symphony and put his whole being into its creation. Beginning with a slow introduction it would wend it way across wild aural landscapes towards a great climax: a peroration of bells and drums. The whole orchestra then rising to its feet in response to the audience’s thunderous applause. But instead, … Continue reading The Power of Constraints
The Process of Poetry
Do you see yourself as spontaneous or a systematic worker? The style you adopt in writing poems will depend much on where you are on this spectrum. I believe a mix of these approaches is optimal. How do you get to that “quality of beauty and intensity of emotion regarded as characteristic of poems” [https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/poetry]? … Continue reading The Process of Poetry
