The Everything Writing Poetry Book (4 page)
⢠Shopping plaza or mall
⢠Workplace lunchroom
⢠Coffee shop
⢠Public transportation
⢠Waiting room
Even if the people you are observing are not talking or moving, you can still take note of the clothes they're wearing, the books or magazines they're reading, their facial expressions, their jewelry or of what they're buying, eating, or waiting in line for. Record these details and let your imagination wander. Take special notice of unusual things and then ask yourself questions. Why is the gray-haired man on the city bus wearing a wool sweater in midsummer? What could the fashionably attired young businesswoman be shopping for in a thrift store? This kind of interesting information can make a great starting point for a poem.
The Writer's Ego
Brainchild
is a term often used to describe a creative idea or invention. The ancient Greeks depicted this concept in a myth in which Zeus, the king of the gods, once had a fierce headache that threatened to split open his head. He asked his son Hephaestus to cleave his skull with an ax, and from the breach sprang Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare, fully grown and ready for battle.
Why should you nurture ideas and observations before putting them into poetic form?
The initial observations you make about people or places using the “fly on the wall” or other techniques will only leave you with snippets of larger ideas. By giving your imagination time to develop small details, you will end up with stronger images and concepts.
Similar to one's flesh-and-blood child, a brainchild is something that must be nurtured and cared for. You watch an idea progress and grow and even feel proud that you have brought it to life. And on the day that you present your idea to someone else, you feel the greatest pride of all, similar to what you may feel when your real child graduates from college or gets married.
This cycle of generating, nurturing, and presenting ideas is what maintains a writer's ego. It's natural that the state of your ego may change throughout this cycle: During the primary stages of an idea's existence you may feel worried or protective over it, and by the time you present an idea to others, you may have full confidence in its value. The positive feedback you receive from others reinforces your self-image and gives your ego the support it needs to move on to a new project.
The Freudian Ego
Another way to look at this idea of the ego is to study Sigmund Freud's model of the mind. Freud theorized that the human mind is split into three zonesâthe id, the ego, and the superegoâand that one's mental energies are a balance between these three zones. The id represents one's most basic desires: food, sleep, sex, etc. The superego symbolizes the customs, rules, morals, and laws imposed upon a person by parents, cultures, and societies. The ego is the facilitatorâfinding a way that the id's desires can be met, in a manner that is acceptable to the superego.
Sigmund Freud (1856â1939) is considered the founder of modern psychoanalysis. His theories of the id, ego, and superego, the competing drives of
Eros
and
Thanatos
, and the Oedipus complex still get considerable attention and cause much debate in literary and medical circles.
It's interesting to think of a writer's process in terms of Freud's theories. Most writers truly do need to find a balance between the id and the superego in Freud's model of the mind. In part, you are probably writing to earn money or to fulfill a career goal. Simultaneously, you are also trying to express yourself and communicate with others through your writing. In Freud's opinion, your ego finds a balance between these desires.
The Jungian Ego
Carl Jung, a younger contemporary of Freud, set forth an equally useful theory of the ego. He argued that the ego, a smaller unit within the self, forms the center of the conscious mind and the seat of the free will. The ego's boundary is determined in large part by the unconscious aspects of one's personality. The unconscious, in turn, is formed by uniquely personal factorsâthose that individuals acquire in their own livesâand by collective factorsâthose that are common to all of humanity. The ego forms and develops as conscious and unconscious and external and internal factors collide.
At one time, Carl Jung (1875â1961) worked closely with Freud, but he later developed his own school of psychoanalysis. Among his many theories is that of
archetypes
âmodes of thought and behavior that are common to all of humankind throughout the ages.
Against this backdrop, the desire to write may be seen as an outcome of the clashes between the will of the ego and the known and unknown forces surrounding you. Personal motives, both conscious and unconscious, will enter your writing, the experiences of your own life providing color and content. However, your writing may also give voice to ideas that are inherent in all humansâdrives, desires, symbols, and images that everyone experiences and relates to.
Chapter 2
Beginning the Journey
P
reparing yourself to write can be just as important as finding the inspiration that moves you to write. You must find a place that makes you feel creative and comfortable, choose a pen or keyboard that works smoothly, and learn how to overcome the notorious writer's block. Most importantly, you must read as many poems as possible to put yourself in the right frame of mind to create your own verses.
Ready Read, Read!
Before you write, you need to read. Pick up several books of poetry and read them again and again. Also, remember to read poetry slowly. It can be a complicated genre, and you won't be able to fully grasp most poems with only a single read. Also, the more poetry you read, the more familiar you will become with different styles, forms, and subjects of poetry.
The most important reason for reading poems again and again is that this will train you to compose your own poems. When discussing fiction, John Gardner once said that you can write only the stories that you have read. The same statement can be made about poetry. You can't write a poem if you don't know what one looks like. So, reading several kinds of poemsâsonnets, odes, blank verses, free verses, epicsâwill expose you to the available forms you can use when you begin to express yourself.
You will lose your motivation to read if your books remain on shelves. To make sure that you pick up a book at least once a day, put them in different places all over your house. Place a book on your breakfast table, one on your windowsill, and even one in a kitchen cupboard. This simple reminder will reawaken your desire to read and to write.
Read Poems for Pleasure
You probably won't write poetry if you don't enjoy reading it. So, your first task is to find poems you like to read. Also, don't simply stick with one style or subject in poetry; find uplifting poems you like, as well as mournful ones. Read poems about nature and poems about family. Gather a wide variety of poems you like and read them often.
In addition to filling your shelves with books of poetry, hang single poems on your walls or slip them into the pockets of your coat. Surrounding yourself with poetry will get you in the mood to create your own.
You might also consider using outside resources to help you enjoy poetry. For example, go to your local library and ask if they offer or host classes, clubs, or meetings pertaining to poetry. Do the same at a local university or bookstore. Another place to search for poetry and talk with poets and readers like you is on the Internet. Do a general search for a poet or a specific poem and you will likely find a variety of chat rooms, merchandise sites, and anthologies related to your search.
Read Poems for Reflection
Once you have found a number of poems you enjoy, you should reread them and begin to contemplate them more deeply. Ask yourself why you like each poem. Is the poem funny? Is it thoughtful? Does it remind you of someone you love? With practice you will begin to notice which lines have specific effects on you. Remember these when you write your own poems.
You should also consult a dictionary each time you come across an unfamiliar word. And always consider all of the possible meanings listed. Even if you think you know the meaning of a word, look it up anyway. Common or familiar words may have additional meanings you're not aware of, and the writer may have chosen the word for its duality or to create a play on words.
