Writing in a pressure cooker.

[DeanCarl]

I've been trying for a couple of days now to find a way to ask this question (you'll see why in a moment) and finally figured I'd just throw it out there. And, to tell the truth, I realize it my not have an answer, but ... here goes:

I understand and agree completely with the need to take time with revisions and rewrites. I've learned over many years as a songwriter that letting a piece "simmer" for a fair amount of time, sometimes years, can bring out things in it that I never knew were even there.

But.....

Unfortunately I no longer HAVE the time. I have a terminal illness (cancer) (and if ANYBODY posts a "gee.. I'm sorry" post I will find out where you live and come beat you severely about the head and shoulders! :)) and do not have years, or even months, to allow a work to sit.

Add to the above that I seem to have a NEED to be a better writer and a NEED to leave something special behind .... well .... you see the conflict.

So .....

First a statement: I will do my best not to post revisions that aren't really revisions.

And a couple of questions: Has anyone here had to work under "pressure cooker" situations (maybe a publishing deadline or somthing similar) where something had to be done well and done quickly? And, if so, how did you handle it?

Any ideas with this would be MUCH apreciated!

Dean

[Steph#2]

Hi, Dean,

What, exactly, is your question? If it’s “how can I write great poetry in a few weeks” then, as I suspect you know already, the answer is it can’t be done. PFFA is a poetry workshop and not the best place to look for emotional support at a difficult time. Although there is a sense of community here, it’s essentially a by-product that arises when folks with common interests get together. No one cares, as such, about what has driven you to write a particular piece; it’s your business. The critic’s job is to make a judgement as to the success, or otherwise, of a poem— end of story. If this is what you want then here’s where to get it, otherwise there are plenty of other poetry boards on the www where community is the focus. I suspect that giving your potential critics such personal information will only hamper their job of critique or prevent them from commenting altogether, just incase they cause unnecessary hurt.

The long and short of it is that writing decent poetry is the same for us all: hard work and inspiration.

I do wish you well, Dean, and hope you are able to say in your poems what is most important to you.

Regards,

Stephen

[shadygrove]

Hi, Dean!

I may be the last person to answer this question, since sometimes it takes me months to post even a tweak of a revision, as any poor soul who has worked with me in Charon's can testify, but I also work well under pressure, when necessary.

The secret to crafting art under strict constraints -- deadlines, financial need, or the death of the Queen Mother (if you are Poet Laureate, anyway) -- I think, is to compress into a shorter time than usual those things that create inspiration.

For poetry, that likely means both reading more of it, reading more about it (in the Blurbs if nothing else), trying to write more poetry period (good or bad), and also giving your senses more exposure to the sorts of experiences that lead to poems for you. (Falling in love is always a good bet, of course, cliche or no, but failing that, oh, I don't know ..... more midnight horseback rides, more absinthe, more caviar, more cathedral rose windows -- ah, you get the idea....)

Work on the "challenges" threads. Apply for the Apprentice. Spend more time on this site. No one can promise you that you'll leave anything behind of literary value, but it seems worthwhile to enrich your life with whatever you enjoy -- if that's poetry, simply spend more time saturated in it, and whatever is there will probably come out.

[Rachel Bunting]

Hi Dean,
Your situation and questions remind me of Warren Zevon - I'm sure his name is a lot more recognizable these days than it used to be, but just in case, he was a singer/songwriter who was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. He spent the last year or so of his life recording his final album, The Wind. He was definitely working in a similar pressure cooker - I imagine if you can track down some interviews of his, you'll find more of the info you're looking for. I think Rolling Stone is a good place to start - I know I've seen some stuff in there. Also, there is a great radio station in the Philadelphia area that supported Zevon in a huge way. The station is 88.5 WXPN, and they're online at www.xpn.org. They might have some helpful stuff for you, and their staff is incredibly friendly.

There is another writing site that has been mentioned, I'm sure, in the "Other Venues" section - www.writing.com. They hosted a poetry slam recently, and while it's certainly not the 'publication' kind of pressure, the slam had specific time requirements - write a poem in a day, or two days, and post it before this time on the due date. Some really interesting stuff came out of the slam, and you might be interested to see how they wrote under those deadlines.

Hope this is helpful,
Rachel

[DeanCarl]

Thanks for the suggestions folks!

Shadygrove: Excelent idea about using the challange forum here, and other places also. I'm usually one to sit around and wait until the muse beats me over the head with a baseball bat. Guess I should start being the one to take the first step.

Rachelb: Ya know ... for being a supposidly intelligent individual I can be dumb as a rock sometimes. I'm a HUGE Warren Zevon fan and just recently saw a documentery about him and how he dealt with his illness and getting that album done. I'll have to look closer at how he went about it. And I will check that site out.

Once again, thanks!

Dean

[Dunc]

Don't die (as Rugby League coach Wayne Bennett called a recent book of his) with the music in you.

Thus, if you're bursting to say something, dump it onto paper within your time constraints. When you've dumped the outline, the guts, the whatever, of what you really want to say, spend the rest of the available time in revising. Starting, of course, with what you most want to say.

If you want this process critted en route, pffa can be quite handy to you. Regards / Dunc