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A key to writing in rhyme ... 9

4/28/2014

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Socrates once said that, "The knowledge of things is not to be derived from names."  That may be so of things, but in poetry the names (titles) applied to poems perform all manner of handy tasks.  

If, for instance, Socrates were to write one poem in his lifetime, it would be referred to as Socrates' Poem, but if he had composed many untitled pieces, how would one differentiate between them?

9. The naming game ... titling your poem.
Referencing a poem by its title is a wondrous shortcut for locating it in an index, or for discussing it with someone.  Otherwise, one is reduced to quoting it at length, or else describing it in detail.

Occasionally, a title can inspire a poem, as was the case with my Coffee poem.  I ruminated on the word, "coffee," while I jotted down every detail that it conjured up in my imagination.

Sometimes, I'll read and reread a poem I'm working on, listening for that one word or phrase within the poem that speaks it's name.  That was how I finally ascertained the title  for my Train of thought poem.

Now, let's take a look at the lines that I added to our earlier exercise, and see whether we can extrapolate a title for, or out of, it:

Come and let us sit a while
These loathsome shoes begrudge my feet
Oh, how insidious and vile
That artless cobbler's remedy.

How about calling it The Artless Cobbler, in reference to he who made the shoes?  What about Loathsome Shoes?  Maybe Begrudged Feet would serve.  We could even apply the entire first line as its title.

A title can introduce the reader to something within the poem, provide a clever play on words to be appreciated after reading it, or form a continuous resonance throughout that piece.

Emily Dickinson, who ascribed to the Socratic idea, (above), didn't like giving titles to her poems, and it fell to her early editors to assign titles to them.  She is not alone in eschewing the application of titles.

However, titles figure highly within the purpose of these keys to writing in rhyme, and are an important aspect of this writing process. As such, regardless of which method you prefer, do title your work. 

Even if you title your poem with something nonsensical, it's a beginning.  The main intent here is to develop the best working title that you can.  Learning to listen to your poem will hone that skill. 

So, go head and play with the idea of figuring out a title for your poem. As always, I am available for your comments, queries, and etc., via the Add Comment link, below.  I will reply ASAP.

ON ANOTHER NOTE: Though I did not win the 2014 Steampunk Chronicle Reader's Choice Award for Best Steampunk Poet, I was nominated!  I was among three poets nominated, so I either scored a Silver or a Bronze!  That's a win to me!  Stickers depicting my Nomination badge will soon be applied to my book covers!

On to next year!  Huzzah!




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I am very happy to announce ...

4/24/2014

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Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry, and I, have been nominated for a Steampunk Chronicle Reader's Choice Award in the category of Best Steampunk Poetry 2014!   \(^0^)/

The awards will be announced on the evening of Saturday, April 26th during the
Steampunk Empire Symposium MMXlV.  A live podcast of the awards ceremony begins at 9:00 P.M. (
EDT) on the 26th.

The symposium will be in the Crown Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio,  April 25 - 27.  If you are interested in attending this event, and/or would like more information about it, please click here. 

I truly and deeply appreciate all who nominated me for this award.  It has left this otherwise verbose poet nearly speechless.  Thank you!

If you haven't yet gotten your copy of Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry, please go to smashwords.com and apply the coupon code  JT22C  to receive a free digital copy via download.  This offer is valid through April 30, 2014.  Enjoy!


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A key to writing in rhyme ... Part 8

4/21/2014

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I had a friend who really loved to garden.  Each season, she would  uproot the flowering plants in her backyard and replant them in her front yard, and vice versa with those no longer blooming.

Her intention was to showcase her very best flowers year round.  In the case of flowers, it turned out to be a lot of work.  Editing poetry, though less physically challenging, is sometimes also a lot of work.


8. Editing = weeding

The goal in editing is to create the very best finished poem that you are able to compose.  As you go through this process, the poem itself tells you whether you are on the mark or are writing amiss.

When I am editing, and while writing, I go through a similar exercise as that of my friend.  I might extract a word, a number of words, or even whole sentences, to rearrange them, or to delete them entirely.

I always look for that one line which stands above all the others in the poem; the line that is the most succinct, eloquent, and/or clever.  That line then becomes a benchmark to measure the other lines by.

When I've located that very best line, I work on the other lines, bringing them into equal standing with it.  If a reworked line excels above my first line, the new one then becomes my benchmark.

Sometimes, a line within the poem reveals itself as a better first line, and so I'll move it up and continue to tweak the piece, line by line, until I am satisfied that the work is the best that I can come up with.

I tend to be very strict in my writing style as I adhere ardently to my chosen meter and rhyme scheme, while aiming for clarity and beauty, and allowing for myriad levels of interpretation.  Its my style.

I will never be in a position to boast that my work is perfect, but I always strive to write the most perfect poem that I am capable of ... only to discover, some time later, that a poem wasn't quite finished.

You can edit while you write, or let it all spill out onto the page and then edit.  The main purpose of your edits is to hone your work, that is, to work it into something keen, polished, and complete.

Once you have composed and edited your work, allow it to ferment for a time.  Some of my verses have taken years to mellow into their current form.  I always find this aspect of writing rather intriguing.


As I mentioned in an earlier post, there is a striking similarity between a poem and a puzzle in that the pieces must lock together smoothly.  Never force your work.  Allow your muse to help you.

I caution you to keep every word or sentence that you edit out of your poems somewhere on file.  These scraps of thought may lead to a new poem, or at least give you a new idea to pursue.  Otherwise, you might later wonder, "What was that line/phrase that I wrote once..."

So, if
you have any questions about this ,or about any of my posts, or if you would like to leave me a comment, please click on the Add
Comment link, below, and I will respond ASAP.

 

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A key to writing in rhyme ... Part 7

4/16/2014

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How does one find the words that will work best in a poem?  I know of one very useful device, and it is not unlike the (word) Association Method, which was first published by Carl G. Jung in 1910.

When I'm stuck for that perfect next word in a poem, I'll meditate on what I've already written, tossing it about in my mind, and letting it lead me to the association it apparently prefers: I listen to my muse

7. Poetry's muse = a two-way conversation.
Let's take another look at the poetic line that I prescribed earlier:

"Come and let us sit awhile ..."

This line
, as with many of my lines, "occurred" to me; that is, it seemed to come from out of nowhere while I was searching for a good opening for a poem.  Voila!  It popped into being.

Actually, it involves a bit more than merely that.  I use a technique of allowing my mind to "communicate," rather than forcing it to work
.  I ponder, give word associations free reign, and I write it all down.

I favored the line, above, because it could lead in any number of directions.  Then, I looked at the line again, mulled it over several times, and interviewed it with some probing questions, such as:

Who am I talking to in this scene?
What had we been up to together, or did we just meet up?
When is this taking place, such as time of day and season?
Where are we: in a park, on a city street, in a shopping mall?
Why do I want to sit awhile?


Questions such as these gave me several clues to follow, and a great many potential words to use.  As I chose to keep certain of those words, they in turn guided me towards clearer thoughts and feelings.

The long and short of it is, I listened to what was unfolding before me on the open page, so to speak, and I interacted with it, choosing and dismissing all along the way until I was happy with the piece.

Writing rhyming verse is both a focused and a fluid form of communication.  "The muse," an inaudible guiding voice, speaks to me within the predetermined lines of a meter and rhyme scheme.

Sometimes, the overall scheme of a poem is determined by the very first written line, which is its template.  From that point on, I am both led and leader, communicating through this writing process.


Mull this over a bit and see what comes to you from our line:

"Come and let us sit awhile ..."

If any questions or comments come up, please note them to me by clicking on the Add Comment link below.  I will respond ASAP.


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A key to writing in rhyme ... Part 6

4/7/2014

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Of all of the poets who's works I have read, I would have to say that Edgar Allen Poe is the quintessential master of imagery.  His singular word choices make his poems utterly palpable.

More than merely illustrating a scene, he bathes the reader in the details: the temperature of a room, it's aroma, lighting, and so on.  He taught me how to add dynamic texture to my own work.

6. Find the ambiance of your poem = atmosphere.
When I begin to write a poem, I focus on choosing words that will convey an ambiance to the reader.  Will it be dark and edgy, (loathsome, vile), or light and soft, (dulcet, languid)?

The words I choose make all the difference in the direction the poem  will take, and how it will intimately "feel."  Here is an illustration of what I mean, using the line that I gave you in earlier posts.

Come and let us sit a while
These loathsome shoes begrudge my feet
Oh, how insidious and vile
That artless cobbler's remedy.

~~ or ~~

Come and let us sit awhile
Beneath these, dulcet, verdant leaves
Where we may rest in languid style
Engaged in pleasant reverie.

As you can see, there is quite a difference in how these two stanzas "feel," and in their overall atmosphere.  Their rhyming schemes and rhythms are alike, so what is it that makes them so different? 


Well, in the first stanza, I chose loathsome, begrudge, insidious, vile, and artless as illustrative negatives.  In the second stanza, I chose dulcet, verdant, rest, languid, pleasant, and reverie.

In both cases, I allowed an attitude to predict the tone of the words; pessimistic words for a darker scene, and pleasant words for a lighter scene.   Your choice of words makes all the difference.

In the stanzas above, I decided on an initial direction for each and chose the words as I wrote the poem.  That initial direction became my guiding template.  The rhythm of the first line set my meter.

Even when I have a complete image in mind to start from, the way in which I shape, size, and fit the pieces of the poem together, including my word choices, are almost always influenced by a initial template. 

Continuing with Edgar Allen Poe, I invite you to read his wonderful poem, The Raven, by clicking here.  Read it slowly, letting his words fill your mind, allowing them to linger, and then take another look at our line:

"Come and let us sit awhile ..."
(Dum ta dum ta dum ta dum...)

Does this line now lead you in a direction, to an idea or an image?  Let whatever pops into your head be your guide, word by word, beat by beat.  Just write it all down and then look at what you've got.

If nothing seems to come to mind, not to worry.  Just try writing a "next line" below it, imitating it's meter.  The idea here is to see where the line (above) will take you.

Feel free to use the following if you are stuck for words or ideas:

http://thesaurus.com
http://www.rhymezone.com

As always, you can reach me by clicking on the Add Comment link below, and leave comments, questions, and etc., for me.  I'll respond as quickly as I am able to.




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In honor of National Poetry Month ...

4/1/2014

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To celebrate National Poetry Month, Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry is available as a free eBook download through April 30, 2014!

Simply go to https://www.smashwords.com ... 

... search for Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry ... 

... enter coupon code: JT22C

... enjoy!!!




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    About the author:

    I've written many poems over the years.  This blog is a preview of my books: Echoes, Neo-Victorian Poetry (April 2013), Echoes ll, More Neo-Victorian Poetry (May 2014), Echoes lll, Even More Neo-Victorian Poetry, (August 2016), A Compilation of Echoes. (September 2016), and When None Command (April 13, 2019)

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