In all the hustle and bustle to get published and get one’s work out there into the world, a lot of writers forget to include one crucial tool into their belt and that is: Practice. Basically, in the literary struggle that is getting published, many writers can forget to continue trying to improve their craft through constant refinement and not simply repetition.
Here is where this lesson takes root, because as many may not already know – confidence is key as a writer. Yes, you will make mistakes and yes you will look back on your old stuff and either cringe or laugh and say, “Yuuup, I could’ve done better there, or I could fix this next time.”, but that’s the point of learning via trial and error. You get to stand and look at the process and pinpoint where you went wrong so that you don’t have to take those faulty steps again! So, let’s look at some exercises and go into depth about how they are applied, how they work, etc. It’s all about the nuance!
To practice for further improvement, don’t just write poetry on one topic if you can help it. The more topics/themes a writer can accurately and awesomely imbue into their writing, the more it will help them become attuned to the differentiations and variations present in their literature. Try and think about what you write about most often. Is it love poetry? Is it something snarky and sarcastic? Does it defy social norms and become its own host of greatness? Think about the topics and themes most prevalent in your own poetry, and I want you to try and add two new topics or themes every writing sesh and see if you can do either one or both.
Also, yes writer’s block is a serious issue to contend with mentally when you have all the words tied up in your chest but nary a knife to cut them out with. It is all about becoming either concentrated enough or at-peace enough that you can write. Ultra-concentration needn’t be about hyper-focusing on the mistakes you make either, it could and should go the other way as being a tool with which you can let the creativity flow without stoppage or leakage of anxiety in the process. A gateway to leave everything else behind for a moment mentally while you focus on what you want to say and how you say it. Everything else falls into place once your creativity is concentrated on creating your art.
Another tool to use when practicing your craft of poetics, is you can and should actively seek out other writers who inspire you and learn anything and everything you can about their skills. Don’t go copy and repeat now, but do go out and let the inspiration leach into your soul as you begin to actively improve as a writer/poet. But do not forget you can also learn things from writers you dislike as well, so do not be afraid to learn.
I also understand how writers often have very little free time on their hands due to other duties and responsibilities taking forefront, but here is one trick I use to maximize my productivity as a writer while still retaining enough of myself throughout the day that I can function and get this money for more poetry! ->
The trick is to take a small pad and pen (also, every cell phone can send a text message to yourself if you don’t have a Notepad app installed, and you can also do short recordings) and write or record down a single line you want to really say. Think about the base point you may want to drive home, be it lyrical, spiritual, miracle, whatever you want it to be, just write out single lines as they come and don’t worry too much about entire poems if you don’t have the time to. Then, after a while, even your one-liners will become more nuanced, subtle with detail, and bold with expression, and so much more. So, remember if you don’t have the time to bust out full poems on the fly, then please at least for your own sake as a writer do try to squeeze out some one-liners from time to time if you have the time. It will help you grow as a writer and can/will mostly likely grow into fuller, longer pieces down the line. Either way, the practice should reside on expression first and foremost, then you can refine and edit for grammar, punctuation, etc. afterward.
You could also write down quotes or aphorisms (aka Instapoetry) and save them for a later date before either keeping as is or turning into something longer if your practice so dictated. Keep up the hard work though when you know you see improvement, because nobody knows you as a writer better than yourself, so try not to be deterred if you fail a few times. Failure helps us see the road on which success is paved with gold and greener grass.
Now do you remember as a kid when you would have something really important to say, and no matter how you tried to, you could not explain or express what you meant? Maybe people even made fun of you, or shunned you, or what have you. The point is, that lack of power we felt as kids to not be able to express ourselves also manifests into adulthood as writer’s block, lack of motivation, and other symptoms of an exhausted mind (which leads me to my next point).
Do you really, really want to be the best possible writer you can be and improve further? Then I want you to give a fuck about yourself first. I know that may already be the case, or it may be easier said than done, but for the love of anything good in your heart, be kind to yourself and treat yourself well. For no one’s sake but your own, you have to try and get some rest to literally ease the mind, you need to stay hydrated so your body doesn’t have to work 2x as hard when you need it creatively (think of the creation of your art like your own personal mental workout, and you definitely still need them electrolytes and hydration!), and it would do well by you to see the value in your work. Even if no one else does right now, or you can’t find an audience, or whatever your problem manifesting may be, just know that seeing value in one’s work is paramount to further improving it. You have to be able to look at a piece of art you just created and say, “You know what? Fuck what anybody says otherwise, I like this and I’m proud of how I am improving my skill.”. And if you don’t create something you genuinely like, then practice until you do! That’s the only way to your own goals as a writer, is forward. Now bear in mind I could hate myself until the end of time and be the best writer the world has ever seen, but if I don’t begin caring about my own work in some capacity then I will never improve even further. The best is only the point at which the best died and left the bar at, so raise it higher if you want that fruit, friend.
Most writers I know don’t seek world fame or accolades and in fact are content with simply connecting with their audience, no matter how large it is, and this is the perfect example of what a writer’s mental state should be at when writing. Don’t worry about finding riches, fame, or glory, or even getting a massive audience at this point, because trust me when I and many others say that Predatory Capitalism is kind to only a select few individuals willing to feed it, and unless you sell it your soul, you will never find the light you seek. Instead, seek for your light elsewhere and in the arms of people who appreciate a good read. None of us are here for a very long time, so don’t be too hard on yourself if you wrote something you didn’t quite like or you wish you would have done differently on. Instead focus on how to improve so that one day you can look back and say you did better than you ever did and that you did it for yourself.
Another thing I would like to circle back to is: Confidence. A writer must have full confidence in what they are writing, publishing, or putting out into the world, and so in your haste to save the world – don’t destroy it! AKA, don’t publish something you will regret later. Otherwise, confidence being key is quite literally true on so many fronts. From marketing your work to practicing it and seeing if it has improved, confidence allows you to cultivate a healthy reflection of yourself in your work and see it for what it is. You really think all these half-assed rappers with shitty lyrics got rich and famous from their talent? Ha, no, not a chance. In fact, confidence is so engrained in success that I have seen many people tout ‘fake it ‘til you make it’ as a key to a success story. But to be honest, just be yourself as a writer and the accolades will come. Be true to who you are as a person and you will eventually get the audience you seek, not a false one expecting too much or too little from you. I can’t speak for faking success because like Sean Price, I’m the brokest poet you know. But hey, at least I can pass on some knowledge for free and know it’s being put to good use. Until next time you awesome folks, take care.
Quick recap for notes or whatevs:
> Topics, themes, and expression
> Other writers that inspire
> Utilize one-liners
> Further focus on expression
> Care for yourself and your writing
> Seek YOUR audience
> Back around to confidence and how important it is