Tuesday, 25. January 2005
To Be A Poet - Few Notes
Apart from the necessary task of revision etc, some other things I find useful to improve the work:
- Reading more poetry - I attempt to find and read one new poet a week.
- Memorizing poetry - "the music of what happens" (as Seamus Heaney called it) is better heard when engraved in one's head.
- Reading, or attempting to read, books on craft (forms, prosody,history,ideas to jump start writing etc) and criticisim, along with essays on related subjects (about poets, aesthetics, history etc)
- Putting aside a day in the week to the exclusive task of reading and writing.
- Walking around.
- Updating lists of subjects I want to write about/on, but for which I don't have the words yet.
- Finally getting hard hitting or what I term "slash & burn" criticism (The Chinese say, to become a master, one has to eat bitter. Also more recently there was this evocative passage in Marquez's memoir about the music he faced when he unveiled his first short story - his critic friend burnt it in an ash tray. How nice!) is always a good idea.
Enjoy writing.
My Daily Notes
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