poetry

[msagara]

I 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?

Comments

welcome to lj!

[artbeco.livejournal.com]

Hi Michelle- you don't know me, but I'm a filk friend of Debbie's. Live in California, have three year old twin boys, have known Deb about 10 years or so. Hope you don't mind my friending you, but I have great respect for your writing and of course, such a long time and good friend of Debbie's just has to be one of the most interesting people ever! So, anyway, no problem if you don't friend back or want me to remove you or any of that. :)

[larryhammer]

<raises hand>

The past five years, I've devoted most of my (non-day-job) writing to poetry — largely narrative verse. I have a collection doing the rounds (somewhat desultorily at the moment; Arizona summers do sap one's energy), and am working on a cycle of linked stories I hope will eventually become a fix-up verse novel. Some, I've manged to sell to fiction markets as short stories (The First Heroes, just out, has one) and am trying to market myself as an anthology whore willing to spin out on demand fluffy tales with line breaks. So far I haven't cracked the print genre magazines; I probably need to write more explicitly skiffy stuff for that.

Why? Because, at least right now, I'm better at poetry than prose. Narrative verse plays to my strengths as a writer, and diminishes my weaknesses. And, to be honest, it's plain fun to write. Especially Greek myth sex farces.

---L.

Poetry

[mvt.livejournal.com]

You write poetry for the same reason I read it. It is soul food.
Sometimes you don't what it means to you. Like abstract art.

[sleigh.livejournal.com]

Hey, Michelle -- welcome to LJ!! Sorry we missed you on our trip to Toronto.

I don't particularly consider myself a good poetry writer, but every once in a rare while, I get an urge to write something in verse. To me, poetry is a emotional snapshot, a way to freeze a moment or a thought or a feeling.

[jovieve.livejournal.com]

It's me! (kith) Mostly I lurk in the background as well, until Tanya yells at me for not posting enough, then I ramble about stuff no one cares about. *g*

Welcome to LJ. :)