Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Writing Poetry
The September issue of Writer's Digest, (received July 26), Robert Brewer list 10 essential rules of poetry, and I suggest you might look at them. Basically, we follow those guidelines. But he omitted an essential rule.
His rule number one is: Keep the poetry coming, and then he skips to #2 Read Poetry By Others, and on to other rules and he fails to mention the all important rule: READ OUT LOUD TO YOURSELF. read for those words your tongue trips over, read for rhythm, read for balance in the line, read to feel the words coming up from your heart, and if they are not coming up from your heart, then look at what you have written and find that authentic voice that will make the poem shine in print and in performance.
Then go read some Shakespeare and feel the beauty of that language in your mouth and throat, and then read Whitman and hear that authentic human voice, sometimes whispering, sometimes shouting, but always there, full force.
Then read your own work again, tweak what needs polishing. Good writing.
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Hi Jim: Interesting. I enjoy your take on this. What you are saying is that in performance, or preparing for performance, if one trips over one's words, it is not the "true" self. Something like that? That this glitch comes out in reading aloud? I hadn't thought of that. I am often astonished that, in reading aloud poems I've read many, many times, I still trip up, and now I'll take a look - or try your method - to substitute what is apparently, but subconsciously, stilted, i.e. not the "true" voice. Thanks for this. Oh yes, can you tell me others to read aloud at home?
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