Apr 19
As we celebrate National Poetry Month, we thought you might enjoy three poetry posts from the early days of our blog.
In An experiment in form: Channeling a beat poet, Carol writes about how she was inspired to write a sestina.
Write lyrically by reading poetry was inspired by a tip from author Cristina Garcia.
Poet or not, in Two exercises to help you write poetically, Garcia offers tips that enhance your writing.
Poetry can make us laugh or cry, it can give us sustenance when we need it most, it can make us fall in love with words. Poetry can grab you by the shirt collar and drag you into a golden field full of mountain lupine or toss you high on a wave. Poetry can drown you in dandelion fluff.
As part of National Poetry Month, today is, “Poem in Your Pocket Day.”
“Select a poem, carry it with you, and share it with others throughout the day. You can also share your poem selection on Twitter by using the hashtag #pocketpoem.”
Poets.org also has pocket-sized poem PDFs for you to download and carry with you.
The poem I’m carrying with me today is one my blog partner Carly shared with me earlier this year when I was going through a difficult time: “Self Portrait” by poet David Whyte.
What poem will you carry? Please share!
As long as books have been published, they’ve also been banned for one reason or another. This week, the American Library Association (ALA) released its annual State of America’s Libraries Report, which included a Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books in 2012. You might be surprised to find that of all books, the Captain Underpants series by Dav Pilkey, was on the list. All I can figure is that Dr. Diaper and Professor Poopypants crossed some kind of line.
Thankfully, the ALA continues to promote the benefits of free and open access to information by highlighting censorship and actual or attempted banning of books across the United States.
Here is the Top Ten List of Frequently Challenged Books in 2012:
My massage therapist, who is also an artist, told me recently about one of his new projects—he’s been “doodling” with magic markers on watercolor paper and making some pretty incredible art. He started this project as a commitment to his “happiness project.”
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin is a chronicle of the author’s year of testing various methods to obtain happiness. On her website, Rubin has a getting started guide, including downloadable charts to help you track your progress.
My massage therapist said his goal is to create one new doodle-art a day for the next 30 days. Next month, he’ll choose another project that will feed his spirit. Plus, he committed to “smiling at one new person a day.”
What feeds your soul? What makes you happy? Read more
Do you feel more distracted these days? Are you overwhelmed with the amount of information that bombards your inbox?
Nicholas Carr, author of “The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing To Our Brains,” says that the human brain is shaped by “tools of the mind” — technologies we use to find, store, and share information. These “tools” can change the neural pathways of our brain and inhibit our ability to concentrate and be reflective, focused, and creative. Carr calls these the “personal consequences of the data deluge.”
For writers, this is not good news. Read more
I once heard a writing teacher advise her students to live a “quiet life.” She said if you want to be a writer, but live too exciting a life, you won’t have any time for your writing.
Hooey.
Yes, if you want to be a writer, you have to make time for the act of writing. But you also need to live a passionate life. If not, your lack of passion will seep into your writing.
This week I discovered Owen Egerton’s blog, “Type So Hard You Bruise the Screen,” where he shares his list of 30 points of prose (ala Jack Kerouac).
A few of my favorites from his list:
* Do not wait for inspiration. Go out and hunt it. Seduce it. Pin it down and dribble spit on its forehead until it cracks your leg bone and renames you. Read more
What’s your strategy for naming characters? The right names can add depth to your characters and advance your story.
In See You at Harry’s, a book about a family who survives a tragedy, author Jo Knowles named her 12-year-old protagonist “Fern.”
In one scene, Fern and her mother discuss how Fern’s name was inspired by the book Charlotte’s Web.
“Do you know why I named you Fern?”
I nodded looking at the drawing of the girl on the cover of the book.
“Why?” She asked.
“Because Fern is one of your favorite characters?”
“And why is that?”
I shrugged.
“Because Fern cares,” she said. “From the moment you were born, I could tell you had a special soul. I knew you’d be a good friend. A hero.”
I looked at my chest and tried to feel my soul buried in there, deep in my heart.
“It’s true,” my mom said. “Not everyone would share a sandwich with Random Smith.”
I smiled, feeling my soul stir a little.
Fern isn’t the only character who is named after a character in a book. Fern’s brother Holden is named after Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
Names can inspire personality traits in characters. The names can become part of the story, and the characters can sometimes live up — or not — to their names.
How do you choose your character names?
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