Ideas into poetry

April 22nd

Poems can come from anywhere.  Sometimes we need prompts, sometimes they just seem to arrive and virtually write themselves.  I have used some prompts throughout this April exercise when I needed a quick start or a new idea that perhaps I haven't thought about before.  Today's poem came from reading Quiet Spaces (a sort of alternative everyday Bible study - more creative based and spiritual).  The passage today was looking at Matthew 6:28 'consider the lillies of the field.' The word to concentrate on was consider.  We were asked to consider an object, a pen, say and all it does, it's relationship to us, its knocks and scratches - really to consider it in great detail.  After reading the passage I was drawn to write a poem and below is the result of that.  Never disregard any idea even if it's one line or a few words.  You can always go back to them and see where it leads you.

Ode to The OfficeTeam Mini Ballpoint Pen

Functional and small enough to slip into my micro handbag

you write nicely, smooth and are a comfortable fit in my hand.

Your potential to produce words flow on to the page in blue ink.

Actually, you aren’t really mine but I have adopted you,

teeth marks on your top are your baptism into life.

I enjoy your company, the feel of your royal blue

plastic casing rolled between my fingers.

We know what to expect from one another.

You may not be showy, have a designed name,

a cap or a click in/out facility but you do for me.

You meet my requirements

and because you are different from all the others

you stand out and I can always find you.

Writing time and the next move

Winter View

Not having been very productive in my writing lately I took myself off to a café to write this morning.  I took with me Writing Poetry by W.N. Herbert and my writing pad.  I ordered a hot chocolate and found a table by the window (the comfy sofa was already occupied….drat!).  I began reading the last chapter of the book which is all about theme and looking at the poems we write and see if there is any pattern forming.  This is good way to look at poems when thinking about putting a collection together.  There were some writing exercises which I managed to do too while out.  In all I spent about an hour on this chapter (still more to do).  I was able to switch off from others chat and concentrate on reading and writing.  I felt I had accomplished something as well as it proving useful for further writing.

I have thought about the themes I write which include nature, relationships (which has many sub categories), the dark side of life and religious writing.  I now have a list of ideas for poems on the relationship theme which perhaps I had not considered before.  Getting ideas is always difficult.  Those ‘bolts from the blue’ poems that seem to write themselves come so infrequently and having a list will help.  Anything that makes me put pen to paper has to be good.  We all need a little shove to keep us on track.

Sometimes poetry competitions (or indeed story competitions) have themes.  Sometimes I have a poem that fits the theme but often I am stuck.  As the deadline looms I may have a ‘light bulb moment’ but not always and then when I read what others have written I think, ‘yes, now why didn’t I think of that?’  If I can’t find a way into a theme then that’s it.

Now I need to think about what I am doing next with my writing.  Instead of blogging I should be sending out poems!  And that I guess is my next move.  I need to look at different magazines and see which ones I feel my poetry fits into and send something.  Now I have a little more time I am gradually catching up with a backlog of magazines, including writing magazines and poetry magazines.  I am beginning to re-connect with my writing.  It will be all too easy to just drift now I have time but I know I must make some effort and some decisions as my output this year has been somewhat poor (though I do have a good excuse as I have allowed myself some time to pursue some other interests).  The main aim is to claim back some writing time in my week!

Enforced time a home finds a creative outlet.

After saying I wouldn't be writing here for a while...here I am!  An enforced period at home has led me to writing.  Yesterday I was in bed with a raging temperature and a hacking cough.  At some point either later yesterday or this morning (it's all a blur) I began thinking out the next part of the story I'm writing.  So this afternoon I have dragged myself downstairs and coughed my way through everything that was in my head.  At least some good has come of it.  I always know when I'm feeling a little better because I get bored and even though I still have a temperature it has lowered and I just had to do something as all my plans for yesterday and the weekend went out the window.

Probably time for me to return to a darkened room and lay down!

Small Stones (20) and other things

Something my son said yesterday about the contrast of day and night while we have snow had me commenting 'There's a poem in there somewhere.'  There was and this is it:

Grey hangs its head all day,
gloom settles its mind.
In the night snow is in reflective mood
brightening dark spaces
where they sleep the hours away.

           *

I was reading a free magazine given out after the TS Eliot Prize readings last Sunday.  There were some new poems, one was by Jackie Kay but the one that really stirred me was by Sam Willetts about a hotel room, the aftermath of losing someone you love and a thunderstorm.  There were a couple of lines that I loved and wished so much I'd written them.  My sort of thing, so descriptive but to the point, not a ramble, you know? I already have one of Sam's poetry books and this has made me think perhaps I should look into his poetry again. Some poets keep coming back to you.  He's one.

Here he is reading that poem:

I also read an article about writing a long poem.  I'm not good with long poems, reading them or writing them.  If a poem goes over two pages I'm inclined to skip it!  It really has to grab me quickly or I am lost, and not those poems about Greek gods who I've never studied (but I'm not saying I won't at some time) which mean nothing to me.  But while I was reading the article I was moved to consider the possibility of writing one.  Why?  I don't know.  Maybe I see it as a challenge, and I do like those!  So perhaps this year I will attempt one just for the hello of it!

Poem published and I'm on a high!

A cheery picture from my garden

I'm buzzing...I really am.  I've had a poem published in What the Dickens Magazine.  Do go and have a look.  My poem is on page 35.  It's a fab magazine, glossy colour and each edition is themed (this one is Pumpkins).  I had to write a little piece about myself and there is a link leading directly here.

Since this news I have been writing like crazy!  Remember the short story idea?  I have found a plot and yesterday I wrote about 1,200 words and in the afternoon drafted out the next part in long hand.  I think I'm getting a little sidetract with one character who seems to be making herself known.  Weird!

I felt very guilty that I was spending so much time writing or thinking about my story.  I remember what it was like years ago when I wrote stories and just drifted into a the world of my characters.  I'd not be bothered about eating or anything.  Of course then I was single and living at home.  Now I have many other commitments as well as other hobbies!  Then I started wondering about what I was writing.  Is this taking me from my poetry?  After all poetry is my first priority as I love writing it and it actually gets published!  So many thoughts going round my head.

Anyway, my magazine submissions has got me thinking a lot.  WTD magazine encourage you to tweet.  I've never done this but I asked my youngest son to help me set up a Twitter account this morning.  Heck it's like a new world!  I haven't the foggiest what I'm doing.  I had to ask my son how to compose a tweet.  When I have more idea of what I am doing I will try to link this blog to twitter.  Don't hold your breath!

Now I have to get myself dressed......oh shame...blogging before I am even decent.  I have an appointment with the dentist and hygienist.  Anyone like to take my place?

Shock-horror...I'm writing!

Some flowers to brighten your day!

I woke up this morning inspired to write........well it does happen sometimes!  I worked for over an hour on the chapter on rhyme in W.N. Herbert's book Writing Poetry and wrote a rather funny poem (well I think it is). 

This afternoon I have been busy submitting poems to two magazines and I had to write a short biography for one (yikes!).  Looking through my notebook of submissions I find that this month has been a hive of activity not seen since........not seen!  I don't know how that happened considering I was glued to the Olympics and had someone to stay.  Altogether I have sent out ten poems this month, three of which are for competitions and more encouraging four poems were written very recently.  How did this happen?  When did I find time to do all this?  I am still recovering from the shock.  Whatever got me going I hope it continues!

Ideas....my latest inspiration

To be honest I've not written a great deal lately.  Having just finished a course I was taking a breather, catching up on some reading, spending far too long online trying to piece together part of my family tree and well, it's been too hot!

However, whilst reading a book about the Bronte sisters through poems (theirs and others)  and photography an explanation behind one of the poems hit a nerve.  I had to put down the book and write!  Wow! I love it when that happens.

I rarely buy The National Geographic Magazine.  Usually its something on the cover, some story that interests me makes me buy it.  This time it was about Easter Island, somewhere that has always fascinated me. But it wasn't that story that gave me an idea for another poem, it was a little snippet about cursive writing, just one paragraph.  Again I had to put the magazine down and write. This piece is more prose than poetry.  Neither poems would have been written had I not been reading.  They came out of the blue, not subject I would have normally written about.

Maybe the trend will last and something else I read will spark off some poetry.  Reading widely is great for this.  So if when reading an article, story or even another poem something gets into your head, stop and write it down.  If you don't it might be lost for ever.

My way of working

From my garden

Working on new poems has me going one of two ways really.  Sometimes I am inspired - something has sparked off an idea and I work at it until I get a good first draft.  Other times I struggle to get going, especially when I am using exercises and sticking to the rules!   Take the latest assignment I am doing for Adventures in Form with The Poetry School.  Nearly every time (but some more than others) I read the next assignment I think 'I can't do this'.  I make a few tentative notes but still can't find a way in and feel despondent. Then suddenly something clicks and I am away. Why did I doubt myself?

I am now attempting assignment 8 and as usual I had all the same feelings.  The aim this time is to write an 'erosion' poem.  This technique (as I understand it) is to find a word and then gradually take off a letter each time you use it until you are left with one.  The example used was 'gravel', then you get 'grave' etc.  You can use the letters to make new words and even reserve the spelling of the letters you have left but I've struggled with this because I had to find a word first and then write a poem.  I finally I have come up with a line I like and have stuck with it as my word works with it. So this morning I completed it and will upload it onto the site soon.

Some of the assignments on this course have been quite weird!  As I said before they have been more about games with words to produce a poem using found texts, writing to the beat of a song, random line generators.  It is an interesting way of getting creativity into poetry as you end up with stuff you would never normally write about or using words not normally in your vocabulary.

I do hope my fellow students think my efforts are good - theirs have produced some excellent poems.

A success, sonnet and authenticity

I have a Haiku being published in the next issue of Areopagus.  This is my compensation poem (remember I lost a poem for their competition which still hasn't surfaced).

It is the end of the second term of poetry class.  Two weeks ago I took in a Sonnet to workshop.  It turned out to be interesting.  Everyone loved it and my tutor said I had it spot on so I admitted that I didn't go by stressed and unstressed syllables but went by how it sounded and counted syllables.  Even so, I had established a pattern (not intentional so it rather knocked me out!) with iambic pentameter regularly interspersed with lines of trochee  (the opposite of iamb).  Well, I never knew! I felt very proud I'd succeeded.  My tutor said that I had worked my own way round the form and must have a natural feel for it (Wow!).

This week we spent quite a time talking about authenticity in poetry, what did it mean, how was it achieved?  We looked at a Simon Armitage poem about being bereaved.  He admitted afterwards that he had never been through this experience yet he was able to write it so authentically that the reader felt that this had been written from his own experience.  I said that we write about life how we see it and that I have used other people's experience in my poetry.  Not everything I write about is from my own experience, however I draw on my own experience, or how I see it, to express the moment.

I guess we all think that a poet (or indeed a songwriter) writes having experienced that moment and that is the authenticity of it.  If we believe it, the piece written has been successful in its aim.

The Ballad of Solar Flares and a Writers' Day

Grape Hyacinth in my garde

Writing ballads isn't really my favourite poetry form but that is what we looked at on Thursday at poetry class. There was all this stressed and unstressed talk again...ahhhh!  I counted syllables from our examples and used that as a guide when we had to write our own.  The subject was the solar storm that was being talked about that day.  We had a news report to use as background information and we were told to use our imaginations and just go for it.  There was a lot of giggling and laughter as we tried rhyming our lines and even more laughter as we read out our scribblings.  These were my two verses:

Tonight I put my PC on
To see who had hotmailed
My Inbox flashed a page which said
The Universe has failed.

The solar storm had hit the earth
And all the radiation
Had knocked out all the satellites
Messing communication.

We've been asked to develop our ballad and take it back the week after next.  I've since written another six verses of this very weird story!

For those of you who want to write a ballad the form is abab, stanzas four lines long with rhymes on the 2nd and fourth lines or the 1st and third lines (or each line can rhyme), stresses are 4 in 1st line, 3 in 2nd, 4 in 3rd and 3 in 4th (or even 3,4,3,4!).  Ballads tell a story like The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (though there is a variation here in the form).  Have a go yourself.

Yesterday I attended the Writers' Day.  Excellent speakers, including Liz Babbs.  She spoke about a writer's profile, using 'platform' to advertise ourselves through blogs, websites, Facebook, Twitter and other online media, as well as giving talks and interviews.  Liz was very enthusiastic and funny.  She gave us much to think about.  The next speaker was from Lion Hudson, publishers of religious books.  He spoke about how Christian writers can go about keeping theology in their writing without being 'preachy', something that can be difficult to handle.  After lunch there were three workshops to choose from, one for beginner writers, one for professional writers and the one I attended which was on Self Publishing.  Here I learned the difference between mainstream publishers, vanity publishers, print-on-demand and self publishing.  There were plenty of hand-outs and tips on how to go about self publishing and the cost involved.  People had many questions; one was about ISBN numbers, did we need them and the cost.  We were told that if we were just printing a booklet to hand to family and friends we didn't need an ISBN number, but if we wanted to sell copies, have them in libraries etc., then an ISBN number would make the book traceable.  The cost would be between £10-£20 for one ISBN number.  I found it a very interesting workshop.

Member authors had books on sale during the day and I bought a poetry book (surprise, surprise!).  Simon Baynes is my favourite ACW poet!

Going to something like a writers' day makes me realise I have much still to do/learn.  I felt awful that I'd not done much new writing this year and had sent out nothing for potential publication.  So bad did I feel that this morning I sent three poems off by email and vowed to spend more time writing new stuff and editing older things.

Writer's Block? No brain paralysis!

You know how it is when you can't get your thoughts organised?  It's not writer's block, more brain paralysis!  That happened at class last week.  We had a 'supply tutor' as ours was away and this one teaches Life Writing at the college, though poetry is her thing.  She gave us a writing exercise based on observance of an object (mine was a tea strainer).  I wrote plenty of notes and even a line a I really liked but from that I couldn't form my thoughts together in the fifteen minutes we had to write a poem!  I had ideas but nothing I could hang on to.  I felt very disappointed as everyone else managed it.  We then work-shopped our poems and that went a lot better.  Feedback was good and useful, enabling me to re-write the last stanza and tweak a few words.  I might take it back and see if everyone approves when we work-shop again.

Also at home I managed to finally write a poem based on my notes from the writing exercise (possibly because I was more relaxed!).  It's not a competition winner but a 'nice' poem, I think.

This Saturday I am attending a Writers' Day in Bromley, Kent organised by ACW and with the chance to meet Liz Babbs, whose blog I follow.

Echoes and ideas

I am somewhat still glowing after my poem was work-shopped on Thursday.  Everyone really like it and my tutor described it as Bronte style known as pathetic fallacy, meaning the echo of landscape and weather that echo the emotions of a person.  In  my case it was the repairing of a house echoing the emotions of the couple who live there.  My tutor even asked me if I would submitting it somewhere.  Another student said the poem reminded her of the style of writing of poet Paula Fox, not someone I am familiar with and from my searching online she seemed to write more books than anything.  Anyway, this praise certainly cancelled out the negative of  receiving notifications that I had not won, nor were short listed in the two recent competitions I entered.

I've also done a little writing, pose poetry mainly, ideas that came to me when I was in bed (on one of those nights when getting back to sleep seemed impossible!)  I wrote four draft poems.  They are still in my notebook and haven't yet made it to computer.  They are all about childhood (not necessarily mine!).  I seem to have been writing a few poems based on childhood in the last few months and I already have a title in my head for a collection, should I ever get that far!

New faces and old friends

It's always a struggle going out at night in the winter time an even leaving for my course at about 4.20pm is an effort!  But last night it was still light enough for me to to take the cut-through the park (I'd never go through there in the dark) to the station.

In class there were three new faces and four from the previous term.  We began by those awkward introductions!  Our tutor gave us an overview of the term and we then looked at couplets and discussed three poems - one by Don Patterson and two by Gillian Allnutt - quite intense for a first night back!  We ended with a writing exercise as we started to think about rhyming.  It was quite frustrating to a few of us who weren't sure what we were doing or how to go about it!  Basically we started off with a word for an object in the middle of the page, then in the four corners write a word to connect with that object.  Next to each word we then had to write a description of that word and finally to find a complete rhyme for each of those words.  The object was then to write a sentence for each of those rhymed words using that key word at the end of the sentence.  Still with me? Um, it wasn't easy but there may just be a poem in it! As usual I couldn't think of words to write but at least I ended up with words that easily rhymed with other words.  This was my feeble attempt:

paper   page                                                                                                   leather     cow
                                                                                                                      weather   sow
Black words on paper
A story on a page
Light from a taper

                                                                Books




smell  hide                                                                                                    touch    wood
tell     glide                                                                                                   much     stood  
well   wide                                                                                                   such      good
fell    side


I am sure you can all do better.  We ran out of time to complete the exercise but of course these things can be added to homework - which this week is to take a draft of poem in next week to workshop.                                                                  

Coming unstuck!

Not having a good writing day!  I did one of the exercises from the Writing Poetry book, drafting something from a list of titles.  Re-drafting, I came unstuck.  I couldn't find an angle and wasted the whole time mulling it over and having false starts.  Decided to leave it there and go back to it another day.  Sometimes it goes like that.

Looking back - looking forward

My writing 'stuff', files and reference books mixed up with other books - a tidy needed, I think!

I've been looking back over my writing year, seeing what I achieved, any progress made and where I am going this year.

Last year I sort of set myself a target of sending out at least two items a month for either possible publication or competition entries.  It is always a good idea to set low targets because if you aim too high you are more likely to fail and then feel despondent.

In January I submitted to four different places, two competitions, one with two poems, one to another and two hopeful publications.  One, Poetry on the Move, halted its publication and has never yet got back to publishing and I wonder if it will so those poems are still 'hanging there'. (Just checked them out and they seem to have disappeared!)

February came and I submitted three poems to two different competitions - no luck there either.

Not sure what happened in March but I have a feeling I wasn't very well and nothing got sent out but I kept on blogging!  In April I submitted a short story to a competition - no luck.

In May I went mad and entered five pieces, one was to a webzine and I got close to publication but they said the last two lines of my poem were weak!  One was a postcard comp with the Arvon Foundation (no luck), another to Poetry London (no luck) and two to Areopagus, both published and one was awarded first prize in their summer competition.

June and July I entered three competitions in each month (one was a mini saga) and a couple had three poems entered (no luck).

August I took off from writing much - I needed a break!

In September I entered a short Story to Best magazine (no joy there).  In October I had two poems published in the Workbook of OU Poets and they are out for voting on by members to see if I get published in their Anthology later in this year.

In November I entered three poems into a competition and three to Areopagus and Areopagus printed all three (where would I be without them?!)

Last month (December) I entered one poem to Holland Park Press - too early for any result on that.

Last year I decided to really give writing a go after reading and working through a particular book on writing (the name escapes me but it was mentioned here at the beginning of last year).  Although I didn't follow the book completely and detested the free writing every day, I did get something from it as some of the free writing tuned into poems and potential short stories.  So I booked up some courses for later in the year and I sent for some free samples of magazines on writing and subscribed to some new publications.  I read a lot more poetry and began writing more. I went to a poetry reading and an open mic session.  So although I haven't achieved a great deal in publication I do feel I have  moved on.  My writing had become a bit stuck earlier last year, but now I feel I've moved forward slightly.

It is easy to get depressed as a writer, knock-back after knock-back but I take comfort and encouragement from the feedback I have had from the courses I've done this year, both from fellow writers and the tutors.  It means I am not completely wasting my time, that others do like what I write and that I should keep going (in fact I can't imagine life without writing something!).  I am always blown away when someone says something good about my writing because as a writer you always wonder if you are fooling yourself!

So what about 2012?  Well, I am still doing my course at Morley College in London and I will keep writing and reading and submitting to publications/competitions.  I will try and stick to the same targets as last year (I don't think there is much chance of me doing more yet!).  More than that I cannot say at present.  I did hear about a poetry course run by the Arvon Foundation (the elite for writing courses) but I heard too late because already it's fully booked. I must try to find out when there will be another course.  So many people have praised their courses (they do courses in short story writing etc. as well) and my class tutor has done a course with them.

Whatever this year brings I will be here to write about it - the good, the bad, the ugly!  I hope you will be here too and that you will find something worth reading, an exercise inspiring or the whole thing funny!  Whatever your thoughts, do comment now and then, it makes all the difference.

Happy writing!

Freshwater Bay - poem

I hope yesterday's little exercise has got you thinking.  Here is my offering.  It hasn't had a final edit but it's about there.  Want to share your poem?  Perhaps you would like to comment on mine - what works, what doesn't.  Do you like it? Not like it?

Freshwater Bay

The cool breeze sneaks in across Freshwater Bay

feeling it’s way through gritty sand and wind breaks,

unnoticed, winding through legs of excited children,

ruffling hair, blitzing skin, goosepimpling,

extracting a twitch from the dog under the deck chair,

up from the beach, licking a line past the ice cream kiosk

and rolling it’s salty tongue towards the outer reaches

of the town, away across the downlands.

A cloud teases the sun, cloaks it,

turning heat kissed rocks to grey,

the sea mocks, bathers shiver,

mothers wrap towels around swim-suited boys

and girls, fathers pack up cricket sets, buckets,

spades, picnic food and sunshades,

heading with flip-flop feet between white cliffs

to the Farringford Hotel or some busy holiday centre,

the channel’s breath at their backs. 

Freshwater Bay, Isle of Wight

Holiday Monday writing exercise

Okay, so who has started writing in a journal everyday?  Who has written a poem or story so far?  Who has made their New Year's Resolution to join a course, class, group or workshop?  Who is going to attend some book readings, literary fairs or open mic evenings or poetry readings?

Oh you lazy lot!

Get those creative juices flowing - here is a line to start you off on a poem:

The cool breeze sneaks in across Freshwater Bay 
feeling its way through gritty sand and wind breaks.

Freshwater Bay is on the Isle of Wight so it might help to look up some information about it to aid writing.  Good luck!

Freshwater Bay

HAPPY CHRISTMAS

HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL

If you find some time over the festive holidays use it to write a short story or a poem, or write a diary each day and soon I'm sure you will find some inspiration from your entries (think of all those festive words!)/

Think about New Years Resolutions too.  What would you put on your list.  It's also a good time to look back over the year to see what you've achieved, what you could do better and where you are going.  More about that soon.

HAVE A GOOD TIME

SEE YOU ALL SOON

Finding the words

I'm struggling with a poem at the moment.  It's a rhyming one and I've got to the last verse and can't quite finish it!  Originally it had two stanzas but I wasn't happy with ending it there - it seemed incomplete.  The next stanza went well so it's just this last one I'm stuck on.  I've put it aside for a while so that I will come back fresh to it next time.

I entered a poetry competition yesterday through Holland Park Press.  They have several competitions on offer so well worth a look.

I have put a Christmas poem on my other blog, so do hop over there.

What will you be doing next year?

If you didn't sign up to any writing courses in the autumn, now is a good time to do it as part of your New Years' resolution!  There are bound to be courses in your area or online, or maybe if you know others who write (friends/acquaintances) you could form your own group and meet at someone's house or a pub or coffee bar.  The  you can set a programme of exercises, read books of poets/authors, attend some 'open mic' sessions in your area (do some research!).  The idea is to be with others who write, whether you are a beginner or a little further on with your writing.  We can all learn something by being with others and share our passion and our work.  Small groups often go on to produce booklets of members work which can be sold locally.  The sky is the limit!


What will you be doing next year?  If you have any other ideas for writing why not share them here.