In a recent discussion elsewhere on the internet, a poet proclaimed that her English Professor had described her work as prolific, a word often used to describe a writer and his work. This was after defending her right to post forty or more poems to a shared writing website and rebuffing helpful comments on what was at best, nice and varied ideas. Although I agree that it must be considered poetry, I must argue that there is good and bad poetry. I most certainly do not come from a position as anywhere near accomplished in this writing form—it simply is not something I do well—but these were honest-to-God bad I believe. After rudely telling others that she was indeed good in both her opinion and backing that up with her professor’s claim that she was prolific, I can only come up with his use of the word in its true meaning as producing in great quantity, and understand it to carry about the same weight as the word, “different” when pushed to offer an opinion. This is where true feedback and honesty would have helped, had she been open to it. The need to write, the ideas and feelings were all there, but the more stringent elements of poetry must be followed to some degree, and these were flagrantly abused. Such writers unfortunately, will not get beyond the Johnny-One-Note stage in their creative endeavors. It is human nature to want to be considered brilliant. It is open-mindedness that can help get us there.
As an aside, while I am certainly prolific myself lately, I do not claim this weblog to be truly good writing. It is my own way of bettering my work through practice I hope, and enjoying it at the same time.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
Hi Susan,
I was going to comment on this post but it got long, so I made it an entry on my blog instead. It also accompanies the introduction of Spinning as one of my WriterBlog links – I always give new links an introduction, and “Prolifically” gave me a great springboard to do it. Thanks!
This is for JCF: I read the post on your log. I agree with everything you’ve said. All I wanted to do was add another aspect or factor to the “prolifcality” (I made a new word too). Wish you had a “comment” section.
I’ve read a lot of work being an English tutor, and writer’s or in this case students,compromise the quality of their work by focusing on everything except the writing.
Grades,recommendations,quantity, and in some cases, even money act as huge distractions. There’s no point in using big words if someone doesnt know what they mean.
Basically, anything apart from the pure passion that fires writers to write can end up in bad writing.
Hi there! I greatly appreciate your adding my link to your site, and am very honored to have it there. I’ve been checking in with your blog on a regular basis, and really like your writing style as well as the willingness to share info with much less experienced writers. Added you as one of the very first links when Spinning was born just a couple of months ago. Thank you!
i agree that there are times when distractions lead to bad writing. i also agree that depsite that, one should be open to criticism that will allow one to grow in terms of their standard, even more so when there is a flair and a scope for such development.