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msagaraI started my writing life as a poet, published a few pieces in University reviews, and then embarked on my life as a professional liar -- which is to say, a writer of fiction.
Every so often, however, I have the same compulsion that used to drive me into the corners of crowded rooms, with scraps of paper and a pen I stole from some bewildered stranger, and I write poetry.
KP and I were discussing poetry tonight. Or rather, we were discussing a collection of poetry which I thought should have been severely edited before it saw print -- because had it been, I would have loved it. I know that poetry is hard to edit -- but oddly enough, while I would not touch a single word of the same writer's -prose- (or most prose, really, as I'm not a line-editor for other's work), I would fiddle all over the place with other's poetry, if allowed.
I'm not sure why. In fact, I'm not sure why I write the poetry, because there is not only no intent to have it published, there is an active intent to have it buried.
Anyone else?
Every so often, however, I have the same compulsion that used to drive me into the corners of crowded rooms, with scraps of paper and a pen I stole from some bewildered stranger, and I write poetry.
KP and I were discussing poetry tonight. Or rather, we were discussing a collection of poetry which I thought should have been severely edited before it saw print -- because had it been, I would have loved it. I know that poetry is hard to edit -- but oddly enough, while I would not touch a single word of the same writer's -prose- (or most prose, really, as I'm not a line-editor for other's work), I would fiddle all over the place with other's poetry, if allowed.
I'm not sure why. In fact, I'm not sure why I write the poetry, because there is not only no intent to have it published, there is an active intent to have it buried.
Anyone else?
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hey!
Date: 2004-06-20 09:11 am (UTC)I'm not sure I consider myself a good poetry writer -- I was a better poet than a prose writer when I started my first published novel, but then again, how many of us can read with joy our first published novel? (Tanya doesn't count, if she's reading this :P) But I kept working on refining the novel form, and worked far less often on the poetry over the interveniing years.
And yes!! to the emotional snapshot; to me poetry is both an emotional snapshot and a way of getting at something emotional that simply won't let go -- which is to say, yes, it's an emotional snapshot, but it's sort of like sticking a camera into the eye of a Tornado and watching the debris fly past without losing your arm. Metaphorically speaking.
And I've been writing nothing but for the last few days, and I have real deadlines, and other work :/.
Okay, couldn't get to sleep until 5:00 a.m., so metaphors should -probably- be taken away from me, along with anything sharp or anything without caffeine...
Re: hey!
Date: 2004-06-20 01:26 pm (UTC)---L.