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    Crafting Poetry
    Crafting Poetry
    Crafting Poetry
    Ebook191 pages2 hours

    Crafting Poetry

    By Alison Chisholm

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    About this ebook

    Everyone with a love of words can write a poem, and Crafting Poetry is designed to show how it can be done, and to take the mystique out of the art. Its advice is basic and practical, taking the writer from the first spark of an idea to its final revision. On the way it considers nurturing the developing idea, word choice and imagery, rhyme and metre, set forms and free verse, and the all-important business of revision. The book offers plenty of ideas and exercises, providing inspiration for extending your imagination as well as your skills. The exercises have been created in a way that means you can return to them time and again and produce a new poem. There is advice on the best procedures for submitting your poems to print and on-line magazines, and about sharing your work in anthologies, collections and readings. Advice is offered on poetry competitions and about how to access further help with your work. The final chapter touches on using your poetry in a craft context.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAlison Chisholm
    Release dateMar 8, 2016
    ISBN9781310457227
    Crafting Poetry
    Author

    Alison Chisholm

    Alison Chisholm has been writing poetry for over 40 years, and has had twelve collections published and eleven textbooks on the craft of writing (three of which were produced in collaboration with other writers) including five on writing poetry. She writes poetry columns for 'Writing Magazine', and produced the poetry correspondence course for The Writers Bureau, Manchester, and tutored on it for twenty years. She lives in Southport, UK.She taught creative writing and the craft of writing poetry in adult education for 25 years, and devised a number of courses for the Merseyside and North West Open College boards. She currently teaches an advanced poetry course, and gives regular workshop weekend courses for Relax and Write Workshops. She has led poetry courses at The Writers' Holiday, (Caerleon and Fishguard), The Writers' Summer School, Swanwick, and NAWG Festival of Writing, and has given talks, readings, courses and workshops throughout Britain and in Geneva, Rotterdam and Malaga.

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      Book preview

      Crafting Poetry - Alison Chisholm

      CRAFTING POETRY

      By

      Alison Chisholm

      Smashwords Edition

      OTHER PUBLICATIONS

      The Craft of Writing Poetry

      A Practical Poetry Course

      How to Write 5-Minute Features

      The Art of Writing Poetry

      (correspondence course)

      How to Write About Yourself

      (with Brenda Courtie)

      Writing Competitions: The Way to Win

      (with Iain Pattison)

      The Handy Little Book of Tips for Poets

      The Poet’s Workbook

      A Practical Guide to Poetry Forms

      POETRY COLLECTIONS

      Alone No More

      (with Robin Gregory)

      Flying Free

      Single Return

      The Need for Unicorns

      Paper Birds

      Light Angles

      Daring the Slipstream

      Mapping the Maze

      Hold Tight

      Iced

      Star and Snowflake

      CRAFTING POETRY

      A practical guide for anyone

      wishing to learn or enhance the skills

      of writing, refining, publishing and reading poetry

      ALISON CHISHOLM

      First published in 2010

      by Caleta Publishing

      Copyright © Alison Chisholm 2010 - 2016

      Revised Edition 2016

      The moral right of the author has been asserted.

      This ebook is licenced for your personal use only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favourite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Alison wishes to acknowledge grateful thanks to all at Allison and Busby for their kindness and generosity, to Brenda for advice, and to Malcolm for hand-holding (both physical and metaphorical), meal-providing and proof-checking. So blame him if you find any typos.

      PLEASE NOTE that the production of this ebook has necessitated adjustment of the size of print in some examples, particularly in chapter six. Each poem can, of course, be expanded to fill the screen for more comfortable reading.

      CONTENTS

      1 Who Writes? - Inspiration v. perspiration. Who are you writing for? What are you writing for? Preparation. Exercises.

      2 Hoarding Notes - Notebook to draft. While you draft… Planning Ahead. Exercises.

      3 Finding Your Own Voice - Imagery. Choosing the words. Wordplay. The boring bit. Exercises.

      4 The Poem’s Music - Rhyme - Set form rhyming. Slant rhyme. Exercises.

      5 The Poem’s Music – Rhythm, Metre. Exercises.

      6 Taking Shape - Some Popular Forms. Syllabic poetry. Spatial poetry. The value of forms. Free verse. Exercises.

      7 Bringing it Together - Analysis of poetry checklist. The poem’s title. Where to

      next? Exercises.

      8 Publication - Twenty ways to irritate an editor. Anthology publication. Children’s anthologies. Publishing a collection. Vanity publishing. Poems on the net. Exercises.

      9 Poetry Competitions - Observations from the dark side. Running a poetry competition. Exercises

      10 Making the Most of your Writing Time - Planning your writing day. Caution. Exercises.

      11 Let’s Talk About It - Basic preparation. Interpretation. Choosing your programme. Giving the performance. Giving a talk. Question time. Making the plans. Exercises.

      12 Enjoy - Exercises.

      About the author

      Back to Start of Book

      CHAPTER ONE

      WHO WRITES?

      If you go into a room full of people and ask all the poets to raise their hand, you will find very few responding. Then ask for anyone who has ever written a poem (other than as part of an English lesson in school) to raise their hand, and there will be a definite response. Many of those people will have written rather more than the single poem suggested. So what does it take to shift people from placing themselves in the second category to acknowledging the first? Courage? Artistry? Confidence? Insanity?

      Most of us have the aptitude to write poetry in some shape or form. Not so many can write poetry well; but the good news is that almost everyone with some scrap of ability can build on it to improve their poems. The fact that you are sufficiently interested to be reading this book means that you have the potential to write good poetry. Try this simple quiz to gauge your aptitude.

      1 Somebody gives you a poetry book for your birthday. Do you:

      a give them a hug and say it's just what you wanted?

      b thank them politely and check whether they've written in it? (You can always recycle by giving it to someone else.)

      c find it impossible to stop yourself from blurting out 'But I wanted a book about POTTERY'?

      2 You are happily reading the daily newspaper and you come across the new Poetry Column. Do you:

      a read it? It's always good to find a new poem.

      b turn the page? You're reading the paper for the news it contains.

      c rip the page out to line the budgie's cage?

      3 You are listening to the radio and the announcer says that the next programme will feature poems requested by listeners. Do you:

      a sit down with a cuppa and enjoy the programme?

      b get on with the jobs but listen with half an ear?

      c turn the set off and start your letter of complaint to the station manager?

      4 A friend rings and asks if she can pop round. She's just joined a creative writing class, and she wants to read you her poem. Do you:

      a tell her to come and open a bottle of wine?

      b tell her to come, but get a couple of glasses into your system before she arrives?

      c tell her sorry, you're just waiting for the taxi to take you to the airport. Patagonia. For three months.

      5 Your Granny sends you a Christmas card with a lovely verse by Patience Strong on the outside. Do you:

      a read it and think Granny's sweet?

      b glance at it then put it on display with your other cards?

      c hide it deep in a drawer in case any of your friends should see?

      You get the message. Don't bother totting up your a, b, c scores. But before you leave this daft little quiz, think for a moment. Did you read every question and each possible answer? Did you actually try to work out what you would do? Did you think of any other answers you might have given? If you can say yes to any of these, you've won the coconut. You have indicated a meticulous attention to detail, even when it seems trivial. You have sought out the individual and particular answer just as, when producing a poem, you would seek out the exact word or image that fits your meaning perfectly.

      Now let's think back to all the people in that room. The ones who admitted to writing a poem on an odd occasion - but would not call themselves poets - are responding to an inner urge to make sense of something in their life, to try to understand some great truth, to acknowledge a specialness, to mark an occasion just as they could have done by taking a photo.

      A poem has more dimensions than a photo. It has layers and can spark a profound emotional reaction. Or it can evoke a memory with a special richness born of its use of imagery. Or it can be written to be delivered on a joyous occasion, to add to the fun for the assembled company. Or it can offer a light little soundbite. Or it can explain the meaning of life. Tall order?

      Remember that a poem is a versatile device. It is the essence of communication between two minds, between two people who may never meet. It’s a way of letting someone else see through your eyes, or of baring your soul in tangible form. It is also a perfect excuse for sitting around doing nothing for a few hours. When anybody asks why you haven't put up that shelf or hoovered the hall, you can just tell them ‘I'm working on my Art.' That shuts them up.

      Going back to the people who write poetry ... you will have realised that there is no such thing as a typical poet; there are just people who respond to the world around them - and the universe within them - by writing poems.

      Poets come from all walks of life and educational backgrounds. You don't need a degree to write a poem, but a little experience of life's knocks can be helpful. Poets come from every culture in the world, every creed and colour, both sexes. They may be of any age, working or not, loners or party animals, hunky or frumpy, rich or penniless, healthy or ailing. They may be driven to see their writing in print, or interested only in setting poems down for their own satisfaction, without thought of publication.

      There will be some common ground. Poets tend to be interesting people, as they all have something to communicate. They love words. They like puns, anagrams, double meanings, cryptic crosswords, and have a sheer fascination with the way words work. They are keen observers, and they absorb and digest their observations, seeing patterns, meanings, logic and fantasy in them. They are without doubt the elite.

      INSPIRATION V. PERSPIRATION

      Can you imagine it? You are drifting through a wood enveloped in a velvet cloak, and preferably with a lily in your hand. Inspiration strikes. You find a convenient treetrunk and sit there for ten minutes while a perfect poem pours from your gold fountain pen onto the page of handmade paper you just happened to have about your person. You read the finished product aloud, and revel in the exquisite words you have produced. Squirrels and rabbits cluster at your feet, and bluebirds flirt the air about your head.

      OK, we can dream. That is about as close to reality as a tin of spam is to fillet steak. But there needs to be a touch of the dreaming, a frisson of excitement that spurs you on.

      A poem can come to you from a flash source, and when it does you can do nothing more than be thankful and murmur gratitude to your Muse, your God, your Inspiration ... however you see it. More often it starts as a few words, a snatch of thought, a phrase that insinuates itself into your mind, something you see, hear, smell, taste or touch that clings to your memory. Then other thoughts begin to flesh it out, pull it in different directions, and start you on the process of building up the poem.

      It's a good idea to get these thoughts down as soon as you have them, so if you don't want your entire poetry output to be scribbled on the backs of gas bills and till receipts, get into the habit of carrying a notebook or electronic equivalent around with you at all times. Doing so ensures you will not have a chance to forget your brilliant idea before you can find somewhere to put it.

      If you should lose this idea, it will assume a greater importance in your life than it deserves. You will feel bereft, as if the poem you were born to write can no longer be written. Much of this has to do with your frustration at not being able to recall the idea, of course, but that does not mean you feel its loss any the less.

      If inspiration is the starting point for your poem, perspiration is the factor that brings your idea to fruition. Writing a quality poem is hard work. You can toss a few rhymes into the air without any effort, but you are unlikely to find personal or audience satisfaction with the result. The most satisfying poems are those into which you have poured something of yourself.

      Even when you have only written a first draft, you should feel physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted, as if you were just recovering from a dose of 'flu. Further drafts will also drain you, but not quite as much. The first draft requires all your creative energy. The demands of re-drafting are onerous, but not quite so enervating.

      When you feel you have produced a draft with which you are happy, there is still more hard work required. For now you have come to the redrafting and revision processes, where every part of the poem must be scrutinised to check that it is working on a communicative, technical, grammatical and artistic level.

      More of this later. Any piece you write could become part of the world's stock of this incredible 'product', poetry. It could be around for centuries. It is worth taking pains to get it right.

      WHO ARE YOU WRITING FOR?

      •Yourself.

      •Everyone else.

      One of

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