I'm Not Posting/Writing Poetry at the Moment Because....

[Heather]

Like Kym, I don't seem to have anything to write about at the moment - no inspiration, and like Terry, my poems definitely take a lot longer to write. I've just finished one (for the third time) and it has taken over 6mths to get it to a point where I am happy with it.

I once read of a poet who wrote about 30 poems and then stopped because he/she believed they had said all they wanted to say. It may be that that time comes otherwise we start to repeat ourselves.

Heather

[Stephen Whiteside]

It's interesting to see the word 'inspiration' (as in 'lack of...') pop up quite often as a reason not to write.

My own opinion is that inspiration is grossly overrated. As they say, 'writing is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration' - or words to that effect.

Some time ago I set myself the task of writing regularly whether I felt inspired or not. It was difficult at first, but it has got a lot easier. I think it's an excellent habit for a writer to get into. 'Inspiration' becomes a very elastic concept. Sometimes the writing - the mere activity of writing - generates the inspiration.

You might think the mind drives the typing fingers, but sometimes the fingers drive the mind.

I don't mean that everything you write when you write this way is brilliant - far from it - but it definitely lifts our output and, by the law of averages alone, it can't be all bad - and some of it actually turns out to be quite good - and the more you do it, the better it gets.

[warooa]

I agree Stephen, I think writers need to get into the habit of writing and just accept that some of it will be dross. And then those times will come when the words will flow and you will seem to be taking dictation.

I'm still writing and re-writing poems, but in the next month I've got a play to rehearse and perform, a couple of poetry performances and a street theatre skit, with six other blokes dressed up as prostitutes from the 1870's to pull off

oh . . and 4 little girls, one big one, 25 acres and a business to run

Life aint dull

Marty

[Neville Briggs]

Excellent advice Stephen.

I'll say it again , when someone asked the famous painter Corot what was the one main element of success as an artist he replied " take up the brush and begin ".

I have a wonderful Australian made DVD film about artists working in the desert, it's called Two Thirds Sky.
In this film, the Sydney artist, Peter Sharpe, goes out into the middle of Lake Mungo and he says to the viewer that we spend too much time looking for the big picture, which has been done so many times before, instead of seeing the possibility right at our feet. He then crouches down and does a wonderful charcoal drawing of a small rock on the ground at his feet, ( which he later makes into a larger painting ) and a drawing of a small dried bone on the ground. He makes these small things stand for the wilderness experience of Lake Mungo.

That's the lesson I am trying to learn.
And I believe Stephen, that you have managed to learn the lesson.

I suspect ( I don't know I haven't done proper research ) that a lot of our poetry writers are held back by searching for the big theme or the great story. I think these things will come if in the meantime we work on making the most effective poetry about the small and sometimes unnoticed things that make up life's experience.

I'll get into trouble, but I'll say it. these bush poetry writing competitions demoralise people I think. They give the impression that only grand sagas about epic events are worthy of award. Peter Sharpe's poetic drawing of the little pebble was just as artistic as any huge landscape picture of salt flats and desert skies.

If youse know what I mean.

Apologies in advance to those who detest my waffling.

[Neville Briggs]

See good people

Who said we were good ?

[Terry]

I also agree with Stephen,
I often found that doing homework on a regular basis helped to inspire, it seems; well for me at least, to get the mind working and you may be surprised at ideas that flow from it. But whatever way you go about it keeping active seems to help.

I suppose we have to be careful also not to take ourselves too seriously either, once it becomes hard work we're probably defeating the most enjoyable part of it, just writing for the pleasure of it.

Terry

[Maureen K Clifford]

we spend too much time looking for the big picture, which has been done so many times before, instead of seeing the possibility right at our feet.

Spot on Neville - that's my take on it as well

[Stephen Whiteside]

Yes, I agree with Neville, too. If you don't want to write about a whole landscape (or are struggling to...), concentrate on the forest. If that's not working, focus on a single tree. If it's still not right, pick on an isolated leaf...etc. etc. Sometimes the leaf leads to the tree, which leads to the forest, which leads...etc. etc.

[David Campbell]

Writing’s OK, but as far as posting goes there’s the old problem of contravening competition guidelines. Rules like the one below (taken verbatim from a currently advertised competition) drive me nuts! We’ve discussed this before. It pretty much means you’ve got to write new material. And judging by the time and/or inspiration problems that others here have indicated, that could be difficult. The overall result is that some poems don’t go up on the website and the competition misses out on poems that have been entered/published elsewhere.

David

“the Competition Material submitted by the Entrant has not been published in any book, magazine, website or other source whether for financial gain or otherwise.”

[Heather]

You've still got to have something to "say" about the leaf Stephen and it has to have meaning to the writer.

Perhaps it's time the ABPA canvassed all the organisers of poetry competitions to change the rules poetry entries David.

Heather