JustinSane
03-22-2003, 01:25 PM
Thank you in advance for reading this. It is likely to end up long, so please feel free to step away now. First, some background: Roughly two years ago I stumbled across this forum. I loved the poetry I was studying in English Lit. I'd written a couple dozen poems for a writing class and my teacher had liked them. I decided to try to find a resource on the internet to learn more about writing poetry. After reading the posting guidelines and the faq, I offered three rather poor crits and submitted what I considered my finest poem to General C&C. It flowed from my heart to the page, and dealt metaphorically with the deep angst common to teens, myself included. Reviewers kindly, patiently and tactfully explained that it was a steaming pile of unpleasantness; it was cliched, abstract and lacking any semblance of actual meaning.
I tried again. Having read the Blurbs of Wisdom (most twice), I proceeded to write a poem using only concrete imagery and dealing with a specific, finite event. Much better reception this time. I received many helpful and perceptive comments. Thus armed, I eagerly began the revision process for the first time. It was a disaster. I could not incorporate all, or even most, of the suggestions into the poem. It was like shattering a cheap vase and gluing the pieces back together in various configurations till I had a leaky and cracked cheap vase. I quit writing, and for the most part reading, poetry for about a year.
Recently I've taken it up again, inspired by the purchase of a small anthology of poetry. I wrote a poem, submitted it to general C&C, recieved astute and helpful criticism, and am now butting my head against the same brick wall as last time in the revision process. I just can't seem to de-construct a finished work, and I certainly can't incorporate all the suggestions I've recieved into a coherent whole. It is clear from the comments on the poem that I've failed to convey either the message or the mood I had set out to when I wrote it, and I haven't been able to find a way to rectify the problems with the piece, despite
spending several hours over the course of several days trying.
Most likely, I've set my sights to high and simply lack the skill needed to reach the mark I'd set. Still, I don't want to simply post a revision that doesn't seem right yet, or even that much of an improvement over the original. Should I leave it sit for a while and hope inspiration strikes? Should I leave it sit for a long while and study the craft and theory of poetry, hoping that with a broader base of knowledge I'd be better equipped to get it right? Should I just keep trying using the same (seemingly ineffective) methods I have been? Or should I look for a new hobby? (maybe backgammon or somesuch) I really enjoy poetry, and would like to learn to understand it better as well as to write it at least somewhat competently, but unless I can learn to finish a revision, progress seems impossible, and I'll probably just end up forgetting it all together. Any advice or guidance from the more experienced poets on this forum would be much appreciated. If you have read this far, you have both my thanks and my apologies for the length of this post.
I tried again. Having read the Blurbs of Wisdom (most twice), I proceeded to write a poem using only concrete imagery and dealing with a specific, finite event. Much better reception this time. I received many helpful and perceptive comments. Thus armed, I eagerly began the revision process for the first time. It was a disaster. I could not incorporate all, or even most, of the suggestions into the poem. It was like shattering a cheap vase and gluing the pieces back together in various configurations till I had a leaky and cracked cheap vase. I quit writing, and for the most part reading, poetry for about a year.
Recently I've taken it up again, inspired by the purchase of a small anthology of poetry. I wrote a poem, submitted it to general C&C, recieved astute and helpful criticism, and am now butting my head against the same brick wall as last time in the revision process. I just can't seem to de-construct a finished work, and I certainly can't incorporate all the suggestions I've recieved into a coherent whole. It is clear from the comments on the poem that I've failed to convey either the message or the mood I had set out to when I wrote it, and I haven't been able to find a way to rectify the problems with the piece, despite
spending several hours over the course of several days trying.
Most likely, I've set my sights to high and simply lack the skill needed to reach the mark I'd set. Still, I don't want to simply post a revision that doesn't seem right yet, or even that much of an improvement over the original. Should I leave it sit for a while and hope inspiration strikes? Should I leave it sit for a long while and study the craft and theory of poetry, hoping that with a broader base of knowledge I'd be better equipped to get it right? Should I just keep trying using the same (seemingly ineffective) methods I have been? Or should I look for a new hobby? (maybe backgammon or somesuch) I really enjoy poetry, and would like to learn to understand it better as well as to write it at least somewhat competently, but unless I can learn to finish a revision, progress seems impossible, and I'll probably just end up forgetting it all together. Any advice or guidance from the more experienced poets on this forum would be much appreciated. If you have read this far, you have both my thanks and my apologies for the length of this post.