Paulclem
03-24-2013, 06:14 PM
I recently started writing at least one poem a day - short forms - haiku and tanka, and I set myself the task after practicing for a month to see if I could actually do it. I did manage it, though I ended up with "spares" in case I was uninspired or too busy to get down to it. In fact I found I quickly developed a habit for writing these short poems.
I did think that the forms being so strict that they would not develop particularly transferable skills in terms of other poem forms. I thought I might develop a habit - which was the aim, and which i managed - but I found that it went beyond just the habit. I'm not claiming to be any good - but in terms of my own development, I feel I've improved generally.
I became better at line lengths, and this transferred to sonnets. The lines came easier after the practice, even with the rhyme schemes added in. I developed the time to reflect a little and write. I made that time, whereas in the past I didn't. But the best thing, which is still the most elusive, is a better awareness of wider meaning within the poems. These are much less common, but they form the better ones out of the bunch I've written.
I've got no doubt that the same will apply to prose. I've written a bit recently, trying to follow the same example, and write every day, though my job often means that I only have time to write short forms of poetry. What i've noticed is that the ideas develop with the writing. We all know the phrase "a writer writes", but I think the act of practising gives me the opportunity to develop my thoughts a bit more than they were before. Its interesting that the act of writing itself seems to generate ideas that feed in to writing.
What have you found?
I did think that the forms being so strict that they would not develop particularly transferable skills in terms of other poem forms. I thought I might develop a habit - which was the aim, and which i managed - but I found that it went beyond just the habit. I'm not claiming to be any good - but in terms of my own development, I feel I've improved generally.
I became better at line lengths, and this transferred to sonnets. The lines came easier after the practice, even with the rhyme schemes added in. I developed the time to reflect a little and write. I made that time, whereas in the past I didn't. But the best thing, which is still the most elusive, is a better awareness of wider meaning within the poems. These are much less common, but they form the better ones out of the bunch I've written.
I've got no doubt that the same will apply to prose. I've written a bit recently, trying to follow the same example, and write every day, though my job often means that I only have time to write short forms of poetry. What i've noticed is that the ideas develop with the writing. We all know the phrase "a writer writes", but I think the act of practising gives me the opportunity to develop my thoughts a bit more than they were before. Its interesting that the act of writing itself seems to generate ideas that feed in to writing.
What have you found?