It
takes a lot of energy to write a poem–a good poem–and to go on through the
seemingly complicated set of words, which becomes the draft to the revisions.
When
you write a poem, take a moment to reflect. Take some time to call up the
ordinary things you observe every day of your life. The common uninteresting things you choose to
notice and stow away in your memory room have a knack for beating their paths
to the edge of your consciousness just when you need them. This statement is
especially true if you are fond of digging into your recollection for treasures
every time you write. Pigs grow fat where
lambs would starve.
Very
few details are expendable in themselves. That said, I am not of the opinion
that you have to short-circuit and peter out by overloading your internal RAM.
That would be a very unpleasant tragedy.
“And the only thing more dangerous
than not noticing is convincing yourself that everything you notice is
interesting just because you noticed it.”
– Robert Wallace,
Writing Poems
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| Not the official NaPoWriMo 2013 Image |
You
don’t have to indulge in exotic adventures like ride a dolphin or make a trip
to the sunken churches of Ethiopia to discover imagery to make your poems
interesting. (Sometimes, you might have to. Wordsworth and Coleridge are noted
for their travels and walks.) Many times, you don’t just have the time and
energy to live it up in such unbridled escapade. Look around you might sound clichéd but it’s still open sesame when
it comes down to the particulars of writing beautiful poetry.
“Assuming that things too close
to your nose can’t be interesting is a kind of blindness hard to escape. Look
at things.
– Robert Wallace,
Writing Poems
As
NaPoWriMo 2013 (National Poetry
Writing Month) comes knocking at your doors it’s difficult to ignore this
indispensable tip. You will be amazed what you see.
Look at things!
Keep
your pen bleeding!
Akpan
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