writing worth a shit

[ellajam]

Writing isn't about following rules or breaking rules. If you write a poem that nobody likes but you, you have your whole life to enjoy that poem alone. And that's fine, just do it. Following rules doesn't make a poem, breaking them doesn't. If you don't know any rules, then what do you know? It's not impossible to know nothing about poetry and still write a good poem, and it's not impossible to be an expert in poetry and a great deal more than that and be a mediocre poet. If you write a poem that nobody likes, it might be that you're right and everyone else is wrong, or it might be that you're wrong. That's part of it. Time will tell, or you and your poem might be forgotten. That's part of it

If nobody likes the poems, and you don't care then you're fine. If you do care, you have to work. Learn rules, ignore rules, break rules; just try. If you fail, you fail. Some humans die in the womb. Maybe you're like that. If it was easy as saying how you feel or what you want to say it would be easy. If it was easy it would be as boring as grass in your neighbor's yard. And maybe some people will like the grass in your neighbor's yard. People like lots of things. Writing isn't about right or wrong. It happens, it gets written or it doesn't, people will read it or maybe they would rather not waste time, or maybe they'll enjoy telling you you can't write. That's all part of it.

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And being a successful writer isn't pleasing an audience but earning an audience. Or, better yet, creating one.

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And being a successful writer doesn't mean someone's a great or even good one. Just good enough; if you're willing to settle.

They say everyone likes the smell of their own farts. That may be true or it may not be true.

I like my own poems, no, sometimes I like them. What I like is working on them, no, sometimes I like working on them. What I like is playing with the words that end up in my poems, yeah, that's it. That's enough for me. And I like reading poems that make me go wow, or yikes, or hoowheee.

I post in a workshop because I find it interesting to read how others perceive my work, what sinks and what hovers. I edit to watch the changes in how I and others read the poem when it changes. The edited version is sometimes even shittier than the original, sometimes slightly less stinky. Edit, don't edit, poet's choice, but when it's posted in a workshop I give the readers the benefit of the doubt. If more than one stumbles at the same point, I've probably tripped them.

I think we're all learning all the time. Does that improve the individual poem? Sometimes.