Every poem I write is pared to the essential. That was the one lesson I had to learn over and over in my two years of creative writing. The beauty of a written piece is always what is left out–the empty spaces. I had to look at my poems repeatedly to see what was necessary to say. I do not have to say something directly if it was said already even if was only said implicitly. Some teachers may use the statement, “Show don’t tell”. This is very difficult to do since it is my own work. It is hard to view it objectively. Of course, a good editor helps this process. It is very common for a beginner to resist this process. Everything they write they think is “gold.”
I am a little luckier than most: my wife is a fine editor. I do not hesitate to change something if her advice is on target. If her criticism is right, I will make the necessary changes. Your instincts have to be accurate. If a line (or a phrase or a word) can be taken out and the poem still stands, it was not necessary. Sometimes the opposite is necessary: you need to add something. There may be ambiguity you don’t want or maybe you want it there. You, also, may have to rearrange some lines. Your piece is not coherent. The reader can’t follow the poem easily. What are you trying to achieve with the piece? Sometimes that is not an easy question to answer and may determine the changes you make. You always have to make the decision when to leave the poem alone (and come back to it later) or whether it is even worth working on. Every word has to count.
Tags: "show don't tell", "the empty spaces", beginner, creative writing, editing writing, good editor, poem, poetry, reader, teachers, words, writing
Posted in art, balance, beauty, knowledge&learning, time, writing, your job/mission/profession |
Editing your own work is always painful. Having one or two persons who can give you helpful feedback is invaluable. My wife is such a person and I don’t take her for granted. I like what Stephen King said in a book he wrote about writing, ‘take out what is not the story.’ It is not easy to do. And an outsider is in a much better position to tell you that. I have one test: if you take something out of your story (poem or whatever) and you do not miss it, it did not belong there. The beauty of a well written piece is what is left out–like a beautiful piece of music where every note counts. You do not want to discourage the reader with clutter. You want every word to count. Having said that, it is not easy to do. A good editor is worth their weight in gold.
Tags: beautiful piece of music, clutter in writing, don't take for granted, editing your writing, every note counts, every word counts, good editor worth their weight in gold, helpful feedback, my wife, poem, poetry, reader, Stephen King, take out what is not the story, well written, writers, writing
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I believe the art that matters is just a question of being as genuine as you can. The decision whether your art matters is really not yours but the reader. All you can do is be as honest as possible and if you were someone out there will relate to your piece. I like the definition of art that Tolstoi gave: ‘art is infection.’ There should be no doubt about what is being relayed in your written piece, whatever the feelings and it should be immediate. I came across this quote in a wonderful book on writing by Brenda Ueland, “If You Want To Write.” There is no doubt the world is full of pseudo-art. Always be as honest as you can. That is all you can do. No one likes a phony.
Tags: art, art is infection, art matters, be genuine, be honest, book on writing, Brenda Ueland, don't be phony, God, if you want to write, pseudo-art, reader, Tolstoi, writers, writing
Posted in art, beauty, God, knowledge&learning, life, wisdom, writing, your job/mission/profession |
