Wonder—Prompts Inspired by Lucille Clifton

As always, Lucille Clifton amazes—so much beauty in the imagery and depth in the language.

For the first prompt, describe the muse/god/goddess that sends inspiration to poets and writers generally or to you specifically. Is this being a kind one? If not, why?

The second prompt is to write the invocation to summon inspiration or the poem/story as a whole. Or if you prefer, write it as a recipe or a mathematical equation. What does the poem/story make or solve for you?

As cited in the discussion about the poem, Lucille Clifton stated: “I don’t write out of what I know; I write out of what I wonder. Poetry and art are not about answers to me; they are about questions” https://poets.org/poem/poets-their-bassinets. How that statement conflict or build upon the common adage to “write what you know”? Btw, I recommending checking out the other interesting statements made by the poet’s daughter. Write an essay, poem or story on what you wonder.

For the final prompt, write a poem or story using the following words (or their variations): “dream,” “baby,” “globe,” “smiles,” “report,” “innocence, “believing,” “whimper,” “use” and “terrifying.”

And now to celebrate wonder, here is a bonus prompt: write about these imagined creatures—or similarly unnamed ones—such as the hornless whisperer for the existing horned screamer or the angelic morninglid for the satanic nightjar (yes, this is an actual bird). And check out the artist’s Patreon for more comics: https://www.patreon.com/birdandmoon.

And a bonus, bonus prompt: write an essay, story or poem (perhaps an ode) celebrating Thomas the goose.

Here is more information about the life and love life of Thomas: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43054363.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Now Let’s Edit!—Tips and Discussion

So April is National Poetry Month and the write-30-poems-in-30-days challenge, so May needs to be the month of editing. Editing can be a lot less fun than that initial burst of inspiration, but editing gets easier with practice. Many writers have a set of editing rules, some of which are helpful for everyone, and others that are really only helpful for a few people. Looking at what other writers, poets and editors advise is helpful so that you can find what works best for you. Joining a writing workshop and learning others’ processes has been incredibly helpful to me, but can be overwhelming to new writers still seeking to develop their own voice/style.

Btw, some of these tips are useful only for poetry; others can help with editing stories and essays too.

TL;DR version:

1. Set a first draft aside for a period of time before editing.

2. Keep a copy of the original so that you feel freer to cut and make extreme changes.

3. Read it aloud at least twice to find awkward phrasing (and reread lines while revising).

4. Try multiple forms—couplets, block form, quatrains, irregular stanzas, prose poem, etc.

5. Look for the “heart” or “emotional truth” of the poem.

6. Cut unnecessary words and images, clichés and abstractions and look for missing connections or undeveloped imagery.

7. End stanza lines on a strong image or word (verbs are good here).

8. Check that the first words of the lines aren’t all little words like “and,” “of,” “in” and other prepositions and rearrange if necessary.

9. Cut unnecessary repetition and “boring” words but avoid overly complicated language and words intended to impress.

10. Read aloud again, or, if possible, have a friend read it aloud to you to discover awkward phrasing and if another person can follow your punctuation and intended pacing

11. Check spelling and punctuation a final time. Know the rules and break them intentionally.

One suggestion that many recommend is to set that first draft aside so that you can look at it with fresh eyes. I also find this helpful. Sometimes writing out on paper or in a notes app and then transferring it to a word processing program in a day or two is enough of a break to allow me to revise well enough for at least a solid second draft. Sometimes I need more time, especially if I feel that something is missing but cannot pinpoint where.

Btw, It is during this transferring from my Notes app or notebook that I decide on the overall form, breaking the block into stanzas or couplets. I tend to use (or overuse) couplets because they are easier for me to read from a phone or tablet on stage and my imagery/conversational style often falls into shorter stanzas or couplets. I usually try a poem in both couplets, quatrains or irregular stanzas before deciding.

I always keep an original of a poem while editing, and I may have three or four versions of a poem saved in a folder until I have decided it is really finished. By keeping a copy of the original, I am less nervous about making drastic changes and cuts. I can always go back.

Another tip I use is to read the poem or story aloud so that I can see where I stumble, what feels awkward or just “heavy” to me. Sometimes even after reading a poem to myself and editing, I still find a rough spot when reading in front of an audience. The nervousness seems to make a slightly wonky wording worse (great timing, right!)

Once I have the overall form decided—which I still may change later—I look to see what seems to be the heart of the poem. What line/image is the poem’s “emotional truth”—what I want the reader to understand. Check a four or five lives above the ending if you are having difficulty pinpointing it.

From there, I see what can be cut: clichés, any adjectives or adverbs that are just filler, a line that adds nothing, an image that contradicts or doesn’t fit with the rest. I also try to see what is missing or unclear—this can be the hardest for me (I can get stuck in my head and assume readers will follow my line of thought).

Don’t forget to reread lines aloud as you are revising to check the rhythm and flow.

Next revise the ending words of lines to strong action verbs or to complete an image. I also try to check the first words so that the “and’s” and preposition aren’t stacking up. Here is when I also check for unnecessary repetition. I have been told that repeating a words three times is a deliberate choice but twice an accident.

While most poets first learn poetry through the classics, replicating the formal, often archaic language of those poems won’t connect with most modern audiences and won’t feel like authentic voice to them. Poems can be powerful using only common words. You can use a thesaurus to spice up your language and the more words you know, the more tools you have, but make sure you know the secondary meanings of the words you want to try out.

Read it aloud again, focusing on pacing, rhythm, tone and sound (alliteration, assonance, etc.) Use punctuation, line breaks and internal spacing to guide readers on the intended pace and pauses.

Do one last final check of spelling and punctuation. (Please do not apply this process to this blog post.)

Have fun editing! Remember it is all a process. Good luck!

What Is a Sonnet or a Poem?—Prompts Inspired by Diane Seuss and Gatekeeping Trolls

Sorry for the delay but a busy week and a head full of fluff. So this post is in response to Twitter drama in which a poet who has elected herself gatekeeper for what is a sonnet or a poem directly attacked Diane Seuss for attention. I doubt I could respond as gracefully and as kindly as Diane Seuss did. Btw, her critic is also the same poet who proclaims erasures and centos are not poems, so while this poet is someone to ignore, asking what makes a poem a poem or a sonnet a sonnet is a good exercise for poets.

While the individual answers differ among poets and readers, most people know what a poem is even if they do not have specific criteria—perhaps it is density of language, rhythm (even if rhyme and meter aren’t needed for most people now) or simply a sense of awe or wonder from reading it. For me, adherence to a form or to accepted conventions is less important than the sense of wonder or surprise created in the reading or hearing of it. There are some poems that are fit all the requirements but are forgettable and others that push the boundaries in such a way that I don’t care if it is technically prose or poetry, I am lost in the world it created. What are your requirements or characteristics a piece of writing must have before you consider it a poem? Do you use the requirements/ingredients when you edit?

Some people have stricter requirements for a sonnet—must be fourteen lines in iambic pentameter in the Shakespearean or Italian/Petrarchan form. Contemporary poets such as Seuss and Terrence Hayes have moved the sonnet into new directs. Other poets, such as Donna Hilbert, have poems that feel like sonnets to me even though they do not consider them as such.

Note that the poem above has fourteen lines but certainly doesn’t follow the classical form. For many modern writers, the key requirement is the volta, or turn, in the poem. For me, there is such a turn in the poem where the narrator says, “what’s to be sad about” and then explains the reasons for sadness. I think on a quick, careless read, this poem could seem stream of consciousness without much craft (as described by another sour-ass gatekeeper), but the language is deliberate, with a thread running throughout and repetition carefully used. I have to admit I am biased though: reading Diane Seuss and getting to hear her read aloud brings me joy. I heartily recommend Still Life with Two Dead Peacocks and a Girl and frank: sonnets and plan to read her earlier collections.

For the first prompt, decide is required for a sonnet and write your own. Decide if you want to go full Petrarchan or modernize the form for yourself.

The second prompt is to write a poem to illustrating what “done for good” means to you.

The third prompt is to write about a “sad day / though not a tragic day.” Let the poem or story build from minor or not-so-minor inconveniences to what underlies most sorrow for you (or humanity in general) but overall keeping the specifics in.

The last prompt is to write a story or poem (a lament?) from the perspective of the taxidermied bear.

Bonus prompt: write about the real Elvis joining this group or what makes Elvis real as an archetype.

And just because I like this photo and the memory of that day with Don and my parents, here is a picture of a canal.

Good luck writing! Have fun!

Surgeries and Separations—A Rant with Prompts and Taxidermy (NSFW)

I am still working on the prompt I’d started, but I wanted to get something out for a prompt or at least start a discussion. You have probably often heard that we should “separate the artist from the art” by people who want to continue promoting the writing or other artwork by a racist shithead or a rapist or abuser of some kind.

My opinion: fuck that. Our lives inform the art we make, and art comes from more than just an individual but from a surrounding community. If someone abused/abuses other artists within a community, that person doesn’t deserve to be uplifted by that same community (or a larger one).

Obviously, this is a decision every person has to make individually, and each situation (and its context) differs. For me, I have less of a problem of sharing, teaching, and promoting the work of a dead writer who no longer materially benefits, but I also want to focus more on living artists. Of course, there are writers who do or have done terrible things to others that I am unaware of; I am not a part of elite literary circles and am generally an outsider for even the larger Southern California writing community. Promoting and buying the work of generous and supportive writers is my goal. I appreciate all the guidance and encouragement I have received.

So, yes, I am a judgmental ass, but you probably already figured that out. And, sorry, Dad, I know I promised to work on using the f-word and other profanity less often. One resolution already down.

Now on to the prompts!

For the first prompt, write a poem on how to remove yourself from your writing, a kind of reverse ars poetica if you will. How would you erase your perspective or voice? What particular techniques or style is your writing known for? Self-deprecation is welcome. Or have fun with boasting. Either way, enjoy yourself!

For the next prompt, describe a surgery on removing your writing from yourself. Is a particular poem in a section of your liver? Your gallbladder? Why does it need to be removed? Are all those embarrassing poems about your ex housed in your appendix and need to be cut out? Do you have sestinas in your tonsils? (I admire people who can write sestinas; mine suck, seriously.) Do all your unfinished drafts ache like an abscessed tooth?

So you may have heard of “poet voice.” How a poet reads their poems can annoy (or infuriate) others, and there are as many opinions on the right way to perform a poem or read poetry aloud as there are poets. If someone reading aloud differently than speaking conversationally annoys you, describe how “poet voice“ should be excised. Since my speaking voice sounds like a hyperactive chipmunk, I have tried (and mostly failed) to develop a deeper voice that can carry a room, so I am guilty of “poet voice.”

What voice or voices (or personas, if you prefer) do you carry within you? Are they past selves? Or do you carry a chorus of mentors/critics within you? Would you remove it/them if you could? If so, how could you remove them? Amputation? Lancing? Antibiotics or antifungals? Maggots to eat the rotting flesh? Describe the voice(s)/persona(s) and their removal in a poem or flash fiction.

Graphic photo below!

Over the weekend I went to the Oddities and Curiosities Expo: so much taxidermy and dead butterflies.

Would the removed poems/artistic inspiration/narrative voice(s) be stored wet?

In conjunction with the previous prompts, write an ekphrastic using the following (graphic) photo.

And for the final (weird) prompt: describe the diorama the surgeons would find if they searched inside you for your muses.

And, if you are wondering, why yes, I DO believe I have ADHD.

I hope this post hasn’t been too graphic or disturbing and that you have fun!

NaNoWriMo Has Been a NadaNoWriNo

This month has not been productive. Obviously not here but certainly not on the novel. Leaking pipes and dripping ceilings aside, the lack of progress is all self-(un)directed. So if you are working on the challenge, how is it going? Let me know!

For this month, I will focus on fiction prompts (although it’s always a bonus if a poem comes out too). For this prompt, I am borrowing Alan Cheuse’s writing exercise from Naming the World. Cheuse recommends pastiche—or imitating other writers—to help newer writers improve their techniques. He assigns students a famous story such as Checkhov’s “The Lady with the Pet Dog” and has the student write from the viewpoint of Anna’s husband or another character.

Alan Cheuse

Bonus prompt: Write from the perspective of this lion. WTH did you do to make him look at you like that.

Discussion—Inspiration, Voice, Attribution, and Honesty

Centos and erasures are two of my favorite forms, and I use epigraphs and ghost lines. Yes, they draw upon others’ materials for both text and inspiration, but they give credit and what is created is (and should be) something unique. After a recent incident of serial plagiarism—which seems to be outright theft from several poets—and cultural/personal appropriation, these forms and poems that clearly draw inspiration off of other writers seem tainted. 

I believe there is a place for these forms and for conversations among poems and between poets within works, BUT attribution is required. I don’t ever condone or promote plagiarism. Yes, poets imitate poets they admire. I have been to readings in which younger poets’ cadences and imagery were clearly influenced by a poetry idol within their community. Much of this imitation is unconscious and an indication of admiration and learning, but the poets were clearly writing their own poems.

Developing one’s voice can be a long process—I am still developing mine, but the centos that I have created do seem to have what I consider my voice. I am very careful to note the origin of each line. If you do create a cento or use a line for an epigraph or consciously structure a poem after another, give credit and ensure your poem is not just a copy. If in doubt, ask someone to look over it. If the poem seems nothing more than a replica or an echo of the other poet, put the poem aside. Come back to it when you have a clearer sense of your own voice. Be good to the community and to yourself. 

I welcome hearing your viewpoints on these forms. Best wishes and good luck writing! 

Discussion about Community

As you must have noticed, most of my blog posts mention (or center around) the Two Idiots Peddling Poetry reading series hosted at the Ugly Mug. This reading hatched me as a poet. I had attended and learned from other writing groups, but only after I became a regular at the Ugly Mug did I begin the real work of developing technique and discipline (though the latter remains tenuous at best).

As the ugliest duckling ever—all mucus-slimed and squawky—I imprinted on Ben and Steve and on several of the other regulars (the many James, for example). I had the opportunity to hear regionally and nationally celebrated poets feature. Sometimes their brilliance was an unintended disincentive, but I worked to develop an ear for lines and for syntax, an eye for metaphor, and a voice. I met poets at all stages in their careers and became part of a community.

Through that initial introduction, I joined other communities housed within the larger SoCal writing community. I joined the Poetry Lab and consider Long Beach another poetry home. I have learned so much from Danielle’s workshops and those of her guest authors...and have so much yet to learn. I love attending other readings and desperately wish I could go to all of them: so many fabulous readings in Long Beach (Cadence Collective, Definitive Soapbox, etc., etc.)—the Redondo Poets, Shout in Fullerton, the Rapp Saloon in Santa Monica, Beyond Baroque in Venice, really any reading/workshop led or promoted by Brendan Constantine, and so many more.

At a recent Poetry Lab workshop, that session’s visiting author, Eric Morago, asked who we wrote for. What audience did we have in mind when composing? Some the participants said wrote for a particular demographic; others wrote for themselves—that if they themselves liked it, they believed others would too. I answered that wrote specifically for the Ugly Mug (and honestly for the Poetry Lab too). These are my communities. What is your community? Who do write for? Who do you listen to?