In a workshop the other day, I mentioned that I didn't like verbs ending in "ing" in poetry. Mary says, "Oh, you're one of those," or something along those lines, and I get to thinking. Why don't I like "ing" words? At first, I think it is because other verb tenses are more direct, more impactful, but as I continue thinking about it, I realize that I only believe it because I have heard it over and over from a friend of mine who has always given me good feedback on my poems.
Needless to say, this got me thinking about all the other stlyistic choices I thought I had made about poetry, and realized they all come from someone else. I know it is impossible to spend a year and a half in various poetry workshops and not come away with some ideas that are influenced by others, but now I'm wondering if I even know what I like. (Anyone see the episode of Gilmore Girls when Lorelai worries that she likes everything she likes because her mother doesn't? That's how I feel.)
Now, with my chapbook nearly ready to send out and my thesis looming heavily on the horizon, I find myself asking: Did I write these poems, or did my workshops? This semester is probably the last time during my MFA that I'll take any workshops, so what is going to happen to my poetry and myself as a writer when I have to start making these decisions myself?
Poem: Far Gone
2 days ago
1 comment:
Any writer has a tendency to bend work to the likes/dislikes of his/her audience. In a workshop, the audience is more immediate, obviously, so you might notice that bend a little more. As a writer who's well removed (10 years) from workshops, I can tell you that writing for an audience never stops, nor should it. It just gets a little more complicated figuring out what the audience needs because instead of getting weekly or monthly feedback, you just get "yea" or "nay" on manuscripts you've submitted to journals.
To be sure, my opinion goes against the whole punk rock "Write what YOU want and if they don't like it, F 'em!" mentality, but if you're writing for publication, there's a definite component of audience awareness and related concessions.
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