I need something to inspire me to write my poetry

posted about 1 month ago

Not sure if this happnes to all of you, I am sure most. Just feel very stagnant. I need a push, a rush, something to inspire me to start writing my poetry again and then of course going to poetry readins here in Palm Beach County , Florida. Any ideas ? ALso have the itch for a long time to write . First cousin is a New York Times Best selling author a few times, my late father wrote a novel, I have the words but somehow I don't take the time or I don't have the solitude and quiet I need right now to squeeze out my creative juices.

Something has to give soon and it better give me good. : )

Blair

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1. about 1 month ago EonsFunEditor wrote:

Hi Blair, I have to tell you that I'm traveling through a bit of a writing desert of my own right now. I've never been published but I have a few books under my belt. I'm stuck in the middle of one, and have been stuck for about a year now. I've been waiting for that "push/rush" as you put it. The problem is, the more you look for it, the harder it becomes to actually find. The Muse needs to find you. And it does it at the strangest times. I know a few people that keep paper and pen beside their bed so that when they wake up in the middle of the night, BAM, they can jot things down. Personally, I've always found people to be my inspiration. They come out of the woodwork at the strangest times and even though they may not say "here's an idea" or "you should go in this direction" something about them definitely pushes me in the right direction. Heck, sometimes it's just an overwhelming desire to show someone what I know I'm capable of.

I'd say don't worry about it. But, if possible, try writing a bit every day anyway. Even if it's s#@t. The outcome being that with all the awful streams of consciousness will also be some decent nuggets of brilliance.

Good luck to you.

-EFE

PS: sometimes I try a totally different endeavor [painting, drawing, photography, fishing, kayaking] just to get my mind concentrating in a totally different way. Okay, that's all I have for personal secrets. Have a great day!

2. about 1 month ago Saabgal8 wrote:

Jeff Yes your write. I am waiting for my muse. SOmehting new and inspiring. I don't get out much lately. Self imposed excile. long story but bored of my surroundings and low on gasoline. Will try thou and I know your right. I need that rush. Thanksf friend. Blair

3. about 1 month ago feywon wrote:

Saabgal:
There are several groups on eons that give writing 'prompts'. There are dozens of 'writers' prompts' books on the market.

Me, i see possibilities everywhere: Nature, relationships, the news, spirituality. All fodder. When younger i sometimes scribbled poems in the middle of my history notes, on napkins, on blank pages of an address book. Then i got smart and carried a little notebook everywhere to write down those prompts i get from life all around me: a snippet from an overheard conversation, the news banner running along the bottom of a tv news show. Newspaper headlines, or those little bizarre stories buried on back pages that leave you longing for more details. Write them...write what you think brought that person to that place where they did just enough to warrant a 2 paragraph AP story but not enough to invite an invasion of news crews.

And the advice 'just write' isn't half bad either--you say you have the words and the desire...so just write...make the time...make an appointment with yourself to do it for a certain block of time every day. So what if it won't make the Times BS list? If you make it a habit...you'll get better at it. Few poems (or novels) fall to the page whole and perfect. And i'm not just talking typo, spelling/grammar errors...i'm talking perfect in that they express exactly what you want them to express, evoke what feelings you want them to evoke in others (and even then readers can surpise you and see layers of meaning or feeling you hadn't consciously included). The old inspiration/perspiration thing is true. True beauty is created by looking at your own work with an editor's eye and with an 'audiences' eye/heart.
Just as a painter will sometimes shift the focus or the tones of the colors to bring it closer to what the mind's eye sees, a writer must question every adverb, adjective and noun for if it truly speaks their mind/heart, not to mention punctuation or line breaks (which many use as punctuation when writing free verse. i always say my poems aloud, to make sure they have a balance, a rhythm that's speakable...i don't count syllables (unless writing Haiku) but i want it to 'flow' unless jaggedness, being off balance is part of the meaning of the poem.

Some prompts for you:
What are the most important words you have to share? Are they about pain or joy or do they describe a landscape that the reader can put themselves in?
What/who do you most cherish in life?
What do you regret?
If you could turn back time...would you? Would you change anything? i haven't looked at your profile so i don't know if you're boomer and old enough to be facing some of the serious changes aging brings on...but they or rather how one is dealing with those changes can give one ideas both serious and humorous.

Write about some of the 'characters' who attend the poetry readings with you. Any group of people is bound to have at least one 'noteworthy' character whether a blustery curmudgeon or the sweet looking grandma that writes erotic poems.
Let me make this suggestion: Set a goal to write a blog regularly--one a week at minimum...and write prose at first about those 'characters', your love life (or lack there of as is the case for some of us), childhood memories. My guess is that once you 'prime the pump' you'll get the creativity flowing.