Quite a while ago I took classes that involved the reading and writing of poetry. I’d written a few dumb poems in my time, but the study of poetry taught me things about imagery, compression, and emotion that I’d never really picked out before. I’ve since written (and published!) a couple pieces, but haven’t for a while now.
One of the things I am grateful for in learning poetry is its elements, noted above, that subconsciously filtered through to my short story writing. I look now at what I’d written way back when and the evidence clearly shows poetry’s impact.
In trying to put together a project to learn audio visual mediums for storytelling, I went through my poetry files to pick out something that would be easy enough to work with, meaning in using images, movement, etc. In selecting a piece, I’m finding that the editorial tiger in me rises to the forefront and I’m making changes as I go. Actually, before I even start to think of it in audio and visual terms, I’m looking at the language, and more importantly, the story of it.
So art moves in a circular motion. Life begets life. Experience gained from writing short stories is starting to guide the revisions in my poetry. I’m learning that it’s not always enough to grasp a feeling or hide a meaning within words; no matter how short or unresolved, even poetry can have a story.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology
Poetry was the first thing I learned, the first form of writing that I fell in love with. I have since expanded my tastes to include fiction, but my technique seem to be invariably influenced by what I learned in college while getting my minor. So I guess long comment short:
I can relate.