What Poets Do and Don't Do--Maybe
Written by Dirtgrain
Published February 27, 2004
Published February 27, 2004
For any would be poets and writers, here are two lists that I give to my creative writing students:
- Things To Be Careful with in Writing Poetry
- Cliches
- Ugly words
- Pointlessness
- Ridiculous metaphors/symbols/similes
- Overly mixed-up word order
- Overuse of adjectives and unnecessary words
- Using words just because they rhyme or fit a rhythm
- Overuse of poetic devices
- Unrhythmical sound
- Tasteless/bland--it’s not beautiful, ugly, or anything in between
- Vagueness
- Redundancy
- Obviousness
- A poem that is ordinary--not unique
- A poem that is overly abstract
- Some Things that Poets Do
- Defamiliarize
- Convey ideas, emotions, beauty, ugliness, universal truths; disturb, please, entertain
- Affect the reader--make an impact--make the reader participate (not passive)
- Create colorful sounds
- Make poems that have philosophical and aesthetic value
- Play with language
- Use not the nearly right word--but the exact one
- Make poetry that is dense (change one word and it makes a significant difference)
- Compress experience and intensify language
- Challenge conventions (and anything about this list)
- Represent abstract ideas with concrete imagery
- Appreciate language ("Let it drip from your tongues like honey")
- Name experience--express the seemingly inexpressible
- Allude, compare, contrast
- Leave something for the reader to decide/conclude
John Gardner, in his book, The Art of Fiction, cautions teachers about using such lists. It was a tough call for me. I don't want to restrict my students or try to force them to conform to one person's criteria. Over and over, I emphasize that it is not a "not-to-do" list. We spend a lot of time looking at examples and doing activities that are designed to heighten students' awareness of the different items on the lists. So far, I think I have seen positive results, but every day I wonder if I should take the lists down from the wall in my classroom and start over from scratch (oops, a cliche). If you have any ideas or maybe something to add or subtract from the lists, please leave a comment.
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- What Poets Do and Don't Do--Maybe
- Published: February 27, 2004
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- Section: Books
- Writer: Dirtgrain
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I love the word "poetaster."
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interesting. Were i to try and actually be a poet (on the rare occasion i do write poetry, it's merely for personal reasons. I don't really care if anyone likes it or not) such a list would make a good guide. It's possible to have a guide that is not "set in stone" i.e. you don't HAVE to follow EVERY SINGLE point in the list.
Sometimes, people need a little guidance. I'd say writing poetry is no exception to this.