This week we're getting up close and personal with what we perceive as well as translating sensory details in a way that invites readers to experience things the way you do. This is the alchemy of poetry: with language, you invite a reader to see the world through you in a visceral way. The result: empathy. All of a sudden we gain access to another person's ways of perception and experience.
But first, a slight diversion.
Listen to George Saunders' advice to his graduate creative writing students in upstate New York when the pandemic became real. It's beautiful, it's sound, and it's good. Consider keeping a daily diary right now if you haven't already. Write your experience as you're having it, no matter how mundane or how outlandish it may seem. As Saunders reminds us, people in 50 years will be reading our accounts of this time in order to understand it. If we don't record it, they won't know this moment in history. Generations to come within your own families need to know how you're living and making it through right now. And even if no one ever reads your diary, the act of writing it will be therapeutic. I promise. Get it out. (This can be part of what you turn in to me as part of your midterm and final or not. You decide who gets to read whatever you write. Always.)
And this brings us back to image, sensory details, and a powerful writing prompt and practice I'd like to share with you. I call it Writing Meditation, though it's really an exercise in mindfulness. Here's what you do:
1. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
2. Drop into the present moment. Notice what you are perceiving RIGHT NOW, in this moment, through all five senses.
3. Capture it in words. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you feel? What do you taste? Write it down in as much vivid detail as you can.
4. Notice when your mind begins to shift into the past or the future. When it does, bring it back to the present moment by beginning your next sentence with "Right now . . . ".
5. When your timer goes off and 10 minutes are up, read what you've written with openness and curiosity, with a spirit of benign acceptance of what emerged, and without judgment.
6. Underline or otherwise note any sentences or words that feel important or meaningful.
7. Allow yourself to keep writing if you so desire.
This is the way I begin every writing session. It brings me into the present moment and, over time, gives me insight into my state of mind, themes I'm working with but otherwise wouldn't be conscious of, and allows me to notice. It develops a habit of sensing what is, which in itself invites a habit of acceptance. It also develops the skill of close-up perception, which is crucial for a poet.
Please do this Writing Meditation at least three times this week and record it in your journal.
In addition, read The Poet's Companion sections titled "Images" (84-93) and "Simile and Metaphor" (94-103). Also, please read "A Grammatical Excursion" (171-185), especially if you know you have more to learn and master in terms of grammar.
Notice the authors' suggestion that image and memory are inextricably linked and therein lies the magic of poetry, the ability to produce a reality so real it is like being alive twice (86).
Notice also how different the example poems are from one another. T.R. Hummer's "Where You Go When She Sleeps" emerges from a feeling, and makes use of the you in terms of point of view; it's the speaker speaking to himself. Gary Soto's "Oranges," though also about love, is more narrative in form and relies on memory. It tells a story while still relying heavily on visual image, especially color. Marie Howe's "How Many Times" brings to life a murky memory but relyies on sound more than sight--even the absence of sound is important.
Note how each poet's choices evokes meaning in the poem.
Begin jotting down images you notice in your day-to-day life. Look at #2 in the Ideas for Writing section at the end of the Images chapter. Document the sights, sounds, tastes, smells and sensations of your life in your journal. Five per week minimum. We'll call this your Observation Journal within your Journal to turn in. I'll look for 20 observation in list form by midterm. This can be the a frantic squirrel you see out your window, the quality of light illuminating your hand and coffee cup in the morning, or the cold floor on your feet when you get out of bed in the middle of the night. You are limited only by your five senses and your awareness. But the effect of having to notice and write down sensory details is it will start a habit. This, my friends, is a writer's habit. The notes on my phone are full of these things I've captured over years. And yes, I've used some of them in writing I've published. This is how it works, so don't delay in getting started!
Images are inextricable from similes and metaphors. "Good metaphors and similes make connections that deepen, expand, and energize; they stimulate the imagination" (94) and "Strong similes and metaphors are integral to a poem's meaning; they aren't clever comparisons tacked on. Figurative language is a way to deepen and intensify the themes and concerns of your work" (96).
Also for your journal this week, please do #1 in Ideas for Writing at the end of the Simile and Metaphor chapter.
For your poem to turn in to your group for workshop 3rd week Tuesday, write a color poem. Using Gary Soto's "Oranges" as a model, consider how colors are used to express mood and emotion. Commonly, we may think of the following associations:
• Red: anger, love, emotionally intense
• Orange: warmth, happiness
• Yellow: sun, cheerful, optimistic
• Green: nature, calming
• Blue: color of the sky and ocean, peaceful, sadness
• Purple: royalty, rare
Write a poem that focuses on a single color. Use simile and metaphor. Evoke vivid images, not necessarily just visual ones. Your poem can be narrative or not, but it should evoke a larger meaning through language.
OK, I've offered a lot here. I hope you're enjoying the opportunity to flex your creative muscles right now. Write your way through what's right in front of you this week, and I look forward to reading your "Where I'm From Poems". Remember to respond to each of the poems in your workshop group by Thursday at noon. Email me with questions!
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