Last week I wrote about getting caught up in a theme or subject in your writing. This week I want to look at how to push yourself beyond your interests.
Wendy Pratt's new online course 'Poems to Save the World' is looking at subjects that are culturally and socially important, connected with news and current events. I'm finding it very difficult to approach and feel often that I'm taking a negative stance on issues. I don't get wrapped up emotionally in news stories, so it's hard to write about a physical reaction I've had to a news article, so I've written about my lack of response, the feeling that constant negative news is wearing down my emotional responses.
This course is pushing me, to examine my place in the world and how I react to it, my interest in it or lack there of. And of course, how I can write about it. Finding ways to respond to prompts that aren't the kind of subject I would ususally chose is a good challenge for me. How do you make the stark details of news articles poetic? How do you find the poetic in things you haven't experienced but only read about or seen on the television or social media? How does news reporting affect how we view information?
So far I've not liked any of the poems I've written, they don't seem like poetry, but more reportage, feeding information to the reader. I need to work on this.
My poem 'Book Editor at GOMA' was published in Issue 18 of Riggwelter, a monthly online journal. Check it out.
More good news, I've had 3 acceptences from magazines since the year started, that's just over a month. I can't imagine I'll keep up this momentum, but even if I could just a little that would be great.
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