I envy those of you who can ....

mikalina

put your feelings down on paper!! Every so often someone sends in a poem and I read it and wonder how lucky you are to write your thoughts down. I will look at a peice of paper and my mind goes blank :( So keep sending the good, the o.k. and the bad, To those of you who can write, you have a special gift!

The Champ

Who determines what is good, okay or bad?

Ms. Wes C.addle

Tell me about it!!! I envy all that are inspired and can find the words to express those thoughts/feelings... I'm lacking that gene perhaps.

the wolf

The Champ wrote:

Who determines what is good, okay or bad?

word !

for every "good" poem or song I have written, there are 100 that suck complete ass !!


to the op, Just write !! dont worry about it fitting, and a rhyme can be boring to read. just let it go !!

I'll be looking for a post in the poetry section from you.

the wolf

ms. wes c.addle wrote:

Tell me about it!!! I envy all that are inspired and can find the words to express those thoughts/feelings... I'm lacking that gene perhaps.

:roll: whatever. :roll: you can write.

mikalina

To " the Wolf " Good for you to put your feelings down (even if you say they sometimes suck ) But at least you can write something !!! You know I will keep trying, Someday - I'll send something in :P

chadwick

i know if i didn't write i'd be lost.
when i can't write i am lost.
i was lost until i started writing.
writing writing writing, it's all i wanna do.

it will make ya crazy.

eyedclaar

Me write good! Me crush foes!

Yellow Ledbelly

I write for a living....I'm a simple thinker and a simple writer...the latter of which may be more due to the fact that I write for a newspaper. I'm told I am good at what I do, which may or not be true....I'm not a big fan of my own work most of the time.

I've always enjoyed writing but I've never really focused any enery toward writing creatively...such as poems, songs or original stories....that is something I would like to be able to do now that I have gotten older though. I just don't think I've got the chops to write good poems/songs....those who can are the people I envy

SPEEDY MCCREADY

The Champ wrote:

Who determines what is good, okay or bad?

me

eyedclaar

Yellow Ledbelly wrote:

I write for a living....I'm a simple thinker and a simple writer...the latter of which may be more due to the fact that I write for a newspaper. I'm told I am good at what I do, which may or not be true....I'm not a big fan of my own work most of the time.

I've always enjoyed writing but I've never really focused any enery toward writing creatively...such as poems, songs or original stories....that is something I would like to be able to do now that I have gotten older though. I just don't think I've got the chops to write good poems/songs though....those are the people I envy

Actually, most writers could really benefit from a more journalistic approach. Their creative writing would be better if they had to write for a newspaper for awhile. It teaches you how to trim the fat and so many new writers have tons of lard in their work.

eyedclaar

SPEEDY MCCREADY wrote:

The Champ wrote:

Who determines what is good, okay or bad?

me

That probably doesn't bode well for my career...

Yellow Ledbelly

eyedclaar wrote:

Yellow Ledbelly wrote:

I write for a living....I'm a simple thinker and a simple writer...the latter of which may be more due to the fact that I write for a newspaper. I'm told I am good at what I do, which may or not be true....I'm not a big fan of my own work most of the time.

I've always enjoyed writing but I've never really focused any enery toward writing creatively...such as poems, songs or original stories....that is something I would like to be able to do now that I have gotten older though. I just don't think I've got the chops to write good poems/songs though....those are the people I envy

Actually, most writers could really benefit from a more journalistic approach. Their creative writing would be better if they had to write for a newspaper for awhile. It teaches you how to trim the fat and so many new writers have tons of lard in their work.

That is definitely true about trimming the fat.

Nothingman54

I started writing poems/songs when i was 15. i have a binder about 4 inches thick of crappy poems and songs from 15 years ago. as time passed, the older i got my writing became better. i wrote alot when i was at work. sometimes i wrote while driving. im writing a book now and have 2 more book ideas.

Back_Pedal

mikalina wrote:

put your feelings down on paper!! Every so often someone sends in a poem and I read it and wonder how lucky you are to write your thoughts down. I will look at a peice of paper and my mind goes blank :( So keep sending the good, the o.k. and the bad, To those of you who can write, you have a special gift!

Even if you think you can't write, do it anyway. You don't have to let anyone else see it, and you won't be judged for whatever you're writing down. Try just focusing on what's on your mind, not the paper, and let it flow.

eyedclaar

Also, I don't think some people realize how much time is spent editing and hammering out a piece into a final product. My first draft of something is radically different than the final version. If I just went by my first drafts, I'd give up altogether.

eyedclaar

AND, you never know what an editor is going to do to your piece as well. I have shown you guys my version of the goat story and the version Idaho Magazine published. This is what Backpacker magazine did to it. For the sake of space, their editor removed over half of the story and clunkified the writing in a ton of places. Some editors are better than others...

http://www.backpacker.com/january-2010- ... ions/13661

chadwick

Nothingman54 wrote:

I started writing poems/songs when i was 15. i have a binder about 4 inches thick of crappy poems and songs from 15 years ago. as time passed, the older i got my writing became better. i wrote alot when i was at work. sometimes i wrote while driving. im writing a book now and have 2 more book ideas.

you sound a lot like me.
notebooks, folders, discs, boxes, and random stacks of poetry all over the place.

the other day i was talking with a friend about my next poetry book.
all that needs to be done is editing and whatnot.
how does one sink their teeth into 600-800 poems?

what i do is just keep writing new stuff, fuck it...
oneday when it is time i'll know.

Who Princess

eyedclaar wrote:

AND, you never know what an editor is going to do to your piece as well. I have shown you guys my version of the goat story and the version Idaho Magazine published. This is what Backpacker magazine did to it. For the sake of space, their editor removed over half of the story and clunkified the writing in a ton of places. Some editors are better than others...

http://www.backpacker.com/january-2010- ... ions/13661

Years ago, I published a story about one of my dogs. It was meant to be lighthearted and fun. The editor made some bizarre changes. My favorite was changing the term "shoo-in" (which I have seen in newspapers!) to "sure win." :wtf: :roll:

mysticweed

Everything I have written that comes close to being any good has come from despair and anguish. I certainly cannot write music or sing worth a damn. Since developing my "every fucking day is a holiday" frame of mind, I have not written one serious word. I write silly lilting rhyming poems for birthdays, or anniversaries, or one of our pets. In fact I have just come to the point of sharing some of the downer shit I wrote back in the dark days. I'll send more in when I feel I can handle letting anyone else read them. And my chicken shit ass is only sharing them with people I don't know. But it helps!

chadwick

writing good poetry is magical.
thank you Muse.

Yellow Ledbelly

My ideal job would be writing free-lance music features and such. I've said for years that I was going to try to get into it but I've never done it...mainly, I suppose, because I'm too damn lazy to...and maybe stay a bit too busy....to really look into it and figure out how to go about it.

Any free-lancers around want to give me some advice?

mikalina

lettinggo wrote:

Everything I have written that comes close to being any good has come from despair and anguish. I certainly cannot write music or sing worth a damn. Since developing my "every fucking day is a holiday" frame of mind, I have not written one serious word. I write silly lilting rhyming poems for birthdays, or anniversaries, or one of our pets. In fact I have just come to the point of sharing some of the downer shit I wrote back in the dark days. I'll send more in when I feel I can handle letting anyone else read them. And my chicken shit ass is only sharing them with people I don't know. But it helps!

If writing down your pain, helps you heal- thats all that matters. I'm wishing you all the best !!

pandora

lettinggo wrote:

Everything I have written that comes close to being any good has come from despair and anguish. I certainly cannot write music or sing worth a damn. Since developing my "every fucking day is a holiday" frame of mind, I have not written one serious word. I write silly lilting rhyming poems for birthdays, or anniversaries, or one of our pets. In fact I have just come to the point of sharing some of the downer shit I wrote back in the dark days. I'll send more in when I feel I can handle letting anyone else read them. And my chicken shit ass is only sharing them with people I don't know. But it helps!

don't discount the "lilting rhyming poems" some of us like those- sometimes that is what touches and warms the heart