Poetry: Exploration and Experience
By Mary Diane Hausman
Are you ready to abandon your poems? Before you toss your newest poem away,
revisit it using some exercises that have proven helpful to poets who are
feeling “stuck.” If you explore some of these ideas, you may be steps closer
to placing your poetry in a well-known literary journal.
You can make submissions on your own, or hire some help. Every poem,
on average, must be submitted to 100 markets before it is accepted. For
poets,
these
numbers are sad, but true. Even the best poems must cover a lot of territory
before they appear on the printed page. A reputable author’s submission service may offer you more time to write while they take care of the submissions. Remember that a good submission service screens potential writers for quality work. They don’t
take everyone.
When writing poetry, a poet considers language. They also consider
form, and may even consider audience. But that is not all. Though form
serves
as a vehicle or container, and audience can help drive a poem; and
while it
is language that gives voice to poetry, it is basically the root of
the poet—the poet’s experience—that gives voice to the voice. Even when poetry does not reflect the poet’s direct experience, it is still filtered through her or his eyes. Both poem and poet are inextricably connected; one cannot exist without the other. The material from which the poet culls the poem is that which has been sown, tilled, pulled, dumped, dredged, fermented, stored, and often kept hidden all the poet’s life. If the poet feels brave enough, or even if she is terrified beyond belief, she will excavate this treasure and use it to lay a foundation. Foundation laid, the poet then uses language to form the structure, build the ramparts which hold the poem together. Having built the poem with the blood and bone and truth of her, the poet thus offers a monument that withstands even the critic’s
wind. Or, at least the storm of self-doubt.
Following are some simple ideas for exploring poetry and using your
own experience to create a poem. If you’d like in-depth technical information
on form and poetry structure, there is a brief list of recommended books
at the end of
this article.
- Practice using your voice by writing a poem about a life
experience, a memory, a desire, or a belief.
- Write a poem about your name. You may do this in either a positive
or negative light—whatever is meaningful to you. You may even
pick a name you like and write a poem about that name, making
it your own.
- Select a poem written by someone else; write your version of
the poem.
- Select two poems by different poets which contain the same theme.
Write a couple of paragraphs comparing the poems.
- In your own words explain what you think makes a “good” poem.
- Pick a topic you dislike and write a poem about it.
- Try writing song lyrics. Compare your lyrics to a poem you’ve written.
- Read some material on different structures of poetry (iambic
pentameter, rhyme, sonnet, etc.). Write a poem with the same
theme in each specific
structure. Pick at least three different structures.
- Write a poem explaining poetic rhythm.
- Explore and write examples of lyric and narrative poetry.
Some books on poetry worth owning:
A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
In the Palm of Your Hand by Steve Kowit
How to Interpret Poetry by Laurie E. Rozakis
The Poetry Dictionary by John Drury
Exploring the ideas listed above may help open new doors for
your writing. In addition to your poems being well crafted, they
must
be submitted
regularly and extensively. Beat the odds with strong writing
COMBINED with a powerful and tenacious submission strategy. •
© 2005 Mary Diane Hausman
About the Author
Mary Diane Hausman was
born and raised in the Texas Hill Country, and that experience
provides a strong voice
for her
work. Her
work appears with Maya Angelou, Alice Walker, and Rita Dove
in the anthology, Unsilenced: The Spirit of Women (Commune-a-Key
Press), as well as in
numerous other anthologies and literary journals, including:
Primavera, Inkwell,
New
Texas, My Lover Is A Woman and Pillow Talk (Ballantine Books
and Alyson Books), The MacGuffin, The Texas Review, Out
of the Dark.
She teaches
college level
creative writing and poetry as well as public workshops.
She has utilized Writer’s Relief Inc., an Author’s Submission Service,
for ten years which frees her time to write. For more information,
visit their web site at www.wrelief.com.
05/14/05
|
