Imitation:  Does it kill originality?

Some people believe that trying to imitate a favorite poet’s work will stifle originality in your own work.  I believe this can certainly happen, but can it also do just the opposite by helping us discover what we truly enjoy about reading and writing poetry  Could those discoveries [...]]]>

Imitation:  Does it kill originality?

Some people believe that trying to imitate a favorite poet’s work will stifle originality in your own work.  I believe this can certainly happen, but can it also do just the opposite by helping us discover what we truly enjoy about reading and writing poetry  Could those discoveries then help us hone in on what and how we should be writing?

Try this:

1. Read a poem or two by one of your favorite poets.
2. How did the poem(s) make you feel?
3. Write down what you really enjoy about those poems:  sound, imagery, length, language choice…
4. Write down why you liked what you chose in Step 3.
5. Write a poem using the same techniques you enjoyed about your favorite poet’s poem.
6. Can you spot the similarities and differences between your poem and the poem that inspired it?

Here are a few much loved poems to help inspire you:

HALCYON DAYS

Not from successful love alone,
Nor wealth, nor honored middle age, nor vic-
tories of politics or war.
But as life wanes, and all the turbulent passions
calm,
As gorgeous, vapory, silent hues cover the even-
ing sky,
As softness, fulness, rest, suffuse the spirit and
frame like freshier, balmier air;
As the days take on a mellower light, and the
apple at last hangs really finished and in-
dolent ripe on the tree,
Then for the teeming quietest, happiest days of
all!
The brooding and blissful halcyon days!

- Walt Whitman

*

THE PLAID DRESS

Strong sun, that bleach
The curtains of my room, can you not render
Colourless this dress I wear?—
This violent plaid
Of purple angers and red shames; the yellow stripe
Of thin but valid treacheries; the flashy green of kind deeds done
Through indolence high judgments given here in haste;
The recurring checker of the serious breach of taste?

No more uncoloured than unmade,
I fear, can be this garment that I may not doff;
Confession does not strip it off,
To send me homeward eased and bare;

All through the formal, unoffending evening, under the clean
Bright hair,
Lining the subtle gown. . .it is not seen,
But it is there.

- Edna St. Vincent Millay

I hope you’ll give this a try and share your results here in our Comments or leave us a link to where you’ve posted your poem.  I’d love to read what you’ve written!

Today’s prompt was inspired by Sage Cohen and her book Writing The Life Poetic.

Happy Thursday everyone! Today’s visual prompt is simple. All you need do is write a poem using this photo as inspiration:

by Josee Holland Eclipse

I do hope the photo inspires you to write a poem in any form and share it, or a link to it, with us [...]]]>

Happy Thursday everyone! Today’s visual prompt is simple. All you need do is write a poem using this photo as inspiration:

by Josee Holland Eclipse

I do hope the photo inspires you to write a poem in any form and share it, or a link to it, with us in our comments! Have a beautiful day!

P.S.  If you post this photo along with your poem on your blog, please remember to credit Josee Holland Eclipse.  Thank you.

The book I’ve been reading this week is Julia Cameron’s “The Sound of Paper:  Starting from Scratch.”  Julia Cameron is, I think, most famous for her book “The Artist’s Way.”  I had been planning to read “The Sound of Paper” at some point, so when I found the hardcover at [...]]]>

The book I’ve been reading this week is Julia Cameron’s “The Sound of Paper:  Starting from Scratch.”  Julia Cameron is, I think, most famous for her book “The Artist’s Way.”  I had been planning to read “The Sound of Paper” at some point, so when I found the hardcover at Half Price Books for about $6.00, I just had to pick it up!  $6.00.  Bonus! 

I love Julia’s writing voice.  To me, it’s melodic and soothing, like the tinkling sound of wind chimes being rustled by a soft breeze.  She inspires you with her life stories and her creative exercises are fun and move you in the right direction. 

Here’s an excerpt from the back cover of the book:

In order to make art, we must first make an artful life, a life rich enough and diverse enough to give us fuel.  We must strive to see the beauty where we are planted, even if we are planted somewhere that feels very foreign to our own nature.  In New York, I must work to connect to the parts of the city that feed my imagination and bring me a sense of richness and diversity instead of mere overcrowding and sameness.  In California, my friend must work to do the same.  We must, as the elders advise us, bloom where we are planted.  If we later decide that we must be transplanted, that our roots are not in soil rich enough for our spirits, at least we have tried.  We have kept hold of the essential thread of our consciousness, the “I” that gives us the eye to behold.

Julia speaks of coming off of writing a very difficult book and how she felt depleted but continued to write her Morning Pages and daily essays.  As she continued to write, the desire to do so came back.  You get a sense of this as you read the book.  We’ve all experienced those dry spells where we feel like we’re wandering in a vast desert of creative nothingness.  Julia’s stories and creative prompts are a definite boon during those times.  I’ve not yet finished the book and already feel like I want to gift all of my friends with it!  It’s a gentle and inspiring read and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

I’ll leave you with my results to one of her exercises.  You might like to try it yourself.

List five areas in your life in which you would like to see “improvement.” Next to each area, write a small, forward-looking action that you could take.  (She explains the exercise with more detail in her book.)

AREAS NEEDING IMPROVEMENT

1. I need more time for writing but can’t seem to fit it in.

2. I freak myself out about starting a creative project like art journaling.

3. I always feel like I should be doing something other than what I am doing at the time.

4. I feel drained and need more sleep.

5. I sometimes feel like I have nothing to write about.

FORWARD-LOOKING ACTIONS

1. Commit to writing for at least 20 minutes per day. If it extends to more, great; if not, feel no guilt.

2. Check out online tutorials on the beginning steps to art journaling.

3. Start with one activity, like spending time with my son, and push away thoughts of other activities. If I focus on the activity at hand, I won’t feel tired and stressed from my mind being divided.

4. Try an experiment: Go to sleep by 11:00 p.m. every night for two weeks to see if I feel sharper and more rested so I’m able to accomplish more.

5. Commit to one fun activity per week just for me, like visiting a museum or going for a long walk, so I can be revitalized and inspired. 

~ Pamela

Hello, fellow texty folk!

Just wanted to let you know that I’ve done a major overhaul on the look and feel of my blog Rudigirl’s World (formerly Rudigirl’s Book World).  The focus will not only be on books but art, music and more.  I joined the CreativeEveryDay challenge this month and will post [...]]]>

Hello, fellow texty folk!

Just wanted to let you know that I’ve done a major overhaul on the look and feel of my blog Rudigirl’s World (formerly Rudigirl’s Book World).  The focus will not only be on books but art, music and more.  I joined the CreativeEveryDay challenge this month and will post about it at Rudigirl’s World.  What is that, you ask?  CreativeEveryDay was started by artist Leah Piken Kolidas in 2008 as a way to infuse her life and the lives of others with daily creativity.  Your creative acts do not have to be art related, but can include cooking, doodling, writing, dancing, brainstorming, what-have-you.  You do not even have to post about it every day.  Post whenever it works for you to do so.  Leah has added a monthly theme this year that you can use or not, it’s up to you.  Click here for more details on this low-key but worthwhile challenge.  To follow my journey, just go to Rudigirl’s World.

I’ve also changed the look of Dreaming in Digital.  This blog will continue to be my place for sorting out thoughts, experimenting with ideas, and ranting and raving about daily life. 

Believe it or not, I’ve created another new blog, A Touch of Inspiration, to help focus my thoughts on more positive matters.  Singer-songwriter, public speaker and creativity consultant Christine Kane, in her Resolution Revolution message, suggests we pick one word that will guide us throughout the year.  Please check out her post to find out why she believes this will help.  After deliberating for a few days, I’ve decided my word will be “inspire” or “inspiration.” I am inspired by so many things and would like to do something with that inspiration but I often run into a wall.  It’s time to break it down.  I think Ms. Kane is on the right track with this idea and so I’ll be following her lead and posting inspirational items at A Touch of Inspiration.  You might ask why I need two different blogs for creativity and inspiration.  Well, I probably don’t.  I just wanted to have one separate place for inspirational items instead of mixing them in with the book reviews, library features, and more that will be posted at Rudigirl’s World.  Besides, I liked both backgrounds, so sue me!  

These three blogs will be where you’ll find me most often, outside of this group blog where I like to hang out with my texty friends. 

On another note, I wanted to let you know about upcoming posts here at Texty Ladies.  Talking as we have been about inspiration, I thought it might be nice to catch up with some of the artists we’ve featured here in the past.  An update on what’s been going on with artist Kathy Ostman-Magnusen will appear next Thursday, January 15th, and I hope to bring you the latest on Natalia Pierandrei and others. 

I’ll also be posting more author and artist interviews, a series of posts about something that’s been on my mind a lot lately, the senses, and more.  I defer to my fellow Texty Ladies, who have more writing experience than me, to bring you the best writing tips and tricks.  I’ll just let you know how my writing is going, fill you in on my trials and tribulations, you can do the same, and maybe we’ll learn from each other.

I hope you’ll check out Rudigirl’s World and A Touch of Inspiration and join me in the CreativeEveryDay challenge and the Resolution Revolution.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on both.  

Thanks for spending time with us here at Texty Ladies.  I hope you’ve had a fabulous start to your new year!

Hugs!

~Pamela