Why is it good to attempt writing poetry? Part 1

On 06/05/201413/05/2014 By TomIn Achievement, Competitions, General, Insight, Novel, Poetry, Short Stories13 Comments

The more astute reader will have noticed how I’ve phrased that opening question.

If I had used a heading like, ‘Is it good to attempt poetry?’ it wouldn’t have the same effect. My aim is to prove that poetry can work for writers – of all levels.

As always, please remember that any definitions or comments given in my posts are my own, unless otherwise stated.

What is a poem?

1. A poem is a piece of creative writing which is usually broken into bite-sized chunks.

2. The bite-sized chunks are called verses, or stanzas.

3. The stanzas might rhyme at the end of each line, or each alternative line, or not at all. Don’t worry, we’re not going to delve into the details or different types. It’s not a poetry lesson.

4. A poem is creative, and therefore is usually descriptive. In other words, it’s like telling a story, but in short bursts.

5. It can be done in as few or as many short bursts, (verses, or stanzas), as you please.

How can a writer use a poem as an aid?

Unlike a short story idea which might take a few attempts to get started, a poem takes very little effort, and it doesn’t have to rhyme.

Try creating a beginning, a middle and an end. Three stanzas of four lines each; no more, no less. An example?

‘A Fighter Pilot’s Day’

…..

Jack took off in his plane

a fighter in the air

He’d be shot at once again

at fear again he’d stare

The ‘dog-fight’ was Jack’s worst

his craft was torn apart

Damaged by a burst

of bullets at the start

Landing would be hard

to miss the town he’d try

A field was Jack’s last card

he accepted he would die

…

That just took me less than ten minutes. I believe that those three simple verses could be developed into a credible short story.

In a short series of posts, I aim to prove my point, that poetry is indeed a good thing for a writer to attempt. I hope you’ll come along on the journey, and remember, we’ll all get more out of the journey if we travel together. Don’t just think a response – write it as a comment for the rest of us.

Do you agree? Disagree? Not sure?

Thank you for reading.

A to Z 2014 Reflections

On 05/05/201405/05/2014 By TomIn Achievement, Competitions, General, Insight, Novel15 Comments

Where do I begin?

I had never heard of the A to Z Challenge before so this was my first attempt.

I got a lot out of it, but as anyone who followed me would know; I put a lot into it. To make it clear I’ll list in the same fashion I used for my posts. It’s a method that provides clarity. I said … it’s a method that provides clarity.

1. I enjoyed it, although at times it was hard work. I started by following the ‘suggested’ 5 blogs, but through interest I ended up following 20.

2. I got every post out on time on the correct day.

3. I prepared a few, but only towards the end.

4. I gained a few more followers. I started with a figure in the mid-20’s, and I now have 79. About 5 of those have appeared since the challenge ended.

5. I’m now following about 15 more blogs than I was at the start of the challenge.

Where there any blogs I liked in particular?

Yes, there were several, and they are all mentioned with links in my ‘Z’ is for Zoom-in post: https://tombensoncreative.com/2014/04/27/z-is-for-zoom-in/

What could be improved for next year?

Not a lot, is my initial response, although I feel if we all advertised it on our individual blogs from about mid-March next year, it might increase figures. This would obviously require a much larger support network, and the new team members would have to be aware of how much pressure was on them.

One area that I found frustrating was the logging-in to make comments. Out of habit, I don’t just hit the ‘like’ button when I visit a site. I use WordPress, but when visiting ‘Blogger’ for instance, it was a task sometimes to get a comment accepted. That is nothing to do with the challenge itself, but it does tend to impact on how much time a person might spend trying to make their voice heard

What will I do differently next year?

I’ll get my topic ready and prepare several posts so that I’m ready to go from the outset.

I managed to get around all the back-up team to give a brief vote of thanks. In my ‘Z‘ post I named all of them with a link to their blogs, so it’s easy for anyone to find out who our organisers were.

I have the full list of my A to Z posts in a menu on my blog. My topic / theme was ‘writing’.

I look forward to next time. Now I must get back to my writing.

I’ll be seeing some of you regularly from now on I’m sure. My intention is to conduct two, or possibly three blog patrols per week.