Poetry

Recently I've been working on a poetry chapbook for my creative writing class, and I've been really struggling. Every night, I get out my list of different types of poems, and just stare at it. I've written about five poems (when I want like 15), and they suck. I can't figure poetry out. I try to write something, and it's just fragmented, like a short stupid little story, and it isn't good. It's frustrating because usually if I need to write something, I can figure out how the hell I need to write it. But I just can't figure out poetry. I've been googling "how to write a poem," and "poetry" for examples, but it's just no help.

On Writing

“The scariest moment is always just before you start.” -- Stephen King, On Writing

“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.” -- Stephen King

“You can make anything by writing.” -- C.S. Lewis

“I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I'm afraid of. ” -- Joss Whedon

“The first draft of anything is shit.” -- Ernest Hemingway

“Description begins in the writer’s imagination, but should finish in the reader’s.” -- Stephen King, On Writing

“Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia.” -- E.L. Doctorow

“Nothing's a better cure for writer's block than to eat ice cream right out of the carton.” -- Don Roff

Blogging in the Long Run

What does the word "blog" mean to me? A few weeks ago, maybe even a month now, my creative writing class entered a computer lab, about to join the world of blogging. Without me. My creative writing class is my early class, beginning at 11:30. I know exactly what you're thinking right now. Yes, I know. Early? Ha! Well, for someone who just cannot seem to get to bed before 3 or 4 or even 5 in the morning some nights, regardless of what time I have to be up, this is early. And some days it is just difficult for me to make it. Blogging happened to be one of those days.

Now let's not get too off track. What does the word "blog" mean? Well, according to Dictionary.com (my online word God), it means: (n) a Web site containing the writer's or group of writers' own experiences, observations, opinions, etc., and often having images and links to other Web sites; or (v) to maintain or add new entries to a blog.

This is the literal definition. To some, this may be exactly what it is: maintaining writing on a Web site containing experiences and such (although I have had much trouble with maintaining one in the past). To others and to me, a blog is a way to get your writing out there. The World Wide Web is now one of the most widely used subject matter for reading and writing, and a blog is included in that. Many people are more likely to read someone's blog or ebook than their actual published book. This is what a blog is for.