The Pearl

A quote from Brenda Ueland, in her book, "If You Want To Write", abook I think every writer should have as a bible for their work...

"It is like this: there are wonderfully gifted people who write alittle piece and then write it over and over again to make itperfect - absolutely, flawlessly perfect, a gem. But these peopleonly emit about a pearl a year, or in 5 years. And that is becauseof the grind, the polishing, the fear that the little literary pearlwill not be perfect and unassailable. But this is all a loss of timeand a pity. For in them there is a fountain of exuberant life andpoetry and literature and imagination, but it cannot get out becausethey are so anxiously busy polishing the gem.

And this is the point: if they kept writing NEW things freely andgenerously and with careless truth, then they would know how to fixup the pearl and make it good, in two seconds, with no work at all."



Revision... this is a topic I've seen discussed a lot in the online poetry Groups I'm involved in. Who does it? How do they do it? Should it be done?... at what point is a poem considered "done"?

Personally, I don't revise my work... and you can decide later if that's a good thing or not, hehe. Let's call it three parts inspiration and one part laziness. But I have a hard time going back over something I've already done and trying to make it "right". And I can explain my feelings about this behaviour.

To me, writing is a lot like music (and this is something I'll talk about again I'm sure among these articles). I played guitar for years in bands here in New Jersey, and I wrote music all the time. The best thing of all tho, to me, was improvising. Whether it was just getting up to jam with some guys for fun, or creating music for a song right at the moment, there was a freedom and thrill from flying by the seat of my pants that way. Sometimes it really worked, and yes, sometimes it didn't. But that was all part of learning how to create, and also learning how I worked as an artist, what my strengths and weaknesses were.

So I find I approach my writing the same way. A line or piece of a poem comes to me, and I go with it, flesh it out and get it down. Then, I either keep it if it turned out good to me, or I toss it, maybe salvage a few lines here and there for something later on. I find it really difficult to sit down and go over the whole thing again and try to edit or revise it. To me, that is like painting a picture, and then washing it. The more you work on it, the more the intensity and flavor of the feelings fades. In fact, if you keep on revising a poem and even days later still are working on it, is it even the same poem anymore? Did you lose something forever then, simply because you kept hammering at it?

I think there needs to be a freedom to art, a flow of the conciousness and heart. Words and images are chosen and felt at the moment when the inspiration is there, and yes, maybe revision could make those things clearer, but too much could also ruin the whole poem. So I'm not saying revision is a bad thing, if it's something you feel strongly about, but I think there needs to be a balance between reworking something and finally reaching a point where you can just let it go. Let's face it, sometimes bad poems are written, and there's nothing that can be done about it. No amount of revision is going to fix it. So, you cut your losses, learn from your mistakes, and move on. And this harps back to my own personal mantra of everything you write being a step forward. This includes even the bad poems. Because you can learn from your mistakes as well as from your triumphs. To someone learning to create pearls, even making a flawed pearl is still a valuable lesson.

Poetry Granted

I've been involved in the online poetry groups for several years now. I've read a lot of poems. I've seen a lot of poets. I've read the work of some good ones... and I've read the work of some bad ones. Which often makes me think - what is the difference? What makes a poem good? What makes a poet good? (And I remind all you readers here and now, again, that everything I write here is purely my opinion - take it or leave it, and I mean no disrespect).

I think the main difference between a good poet and a bad poet is simple - why are they writing poetry? Some write for the wrong reasons, and I've met more than a few of those. I've especially come across more than a few men who only write poems just to try and get women. One guy even told me that the only reason he writes poety is, "to melt the panties off of women"... I had to ponder that remark for a bit. Of course, more women read poetry than men, so I can see some of the logic involved. But having that as a motivation for writing just seemed very off to me. (Tho' it's about the same as when rock musicians say they only got into music to meet women - and often their music shows how weak their motivation is then). So I'm not going to say it's a right or wrong thing to do... but from a purely poetical standpoint, I think the mark is being missed.

And that brings me to another sign of what makes a poet good or bad - a good poet will show growth over time. It's like I said in another article on here - writing is like walking, and everything you write is a step. Sometimes it might seem like you're taking a step back, it can be so frustrating, but in truth everything you write is a step forward. Remember, you can even learn from mistakes, so that makes mistakes valuable too! But a poet who writes from a motivation like the one of just trying to meet women, they won't grow. They won't explore. The will write the same kind of stuff, using the same romantic "buzzwords" over and over, for maybe years. And again, that is fine.... whatever floats your boat. But if you write poetry from within yourself, to express yourself, then more has to happen. Steps need to be taken. Growth needs to come.

I believe the only thing a poet truly has to offer the world is - his or herself. It may sound Barney-ish, but put another way, there is only one you in the world. No one else will think, feel, react and imagine exactly the way you do. And this is where originality comes from. When you are ready to stand there and write from your heart, your very soul, and be honest about the things inside of you... the things you see, and desire and feel... then you will find a spring of originality. You will write about things others can relate to, yes... but they will have your flavor, your vision, there as well.

This is where I begin to ache for other poets, when I read their work. I ache for them to tell me more. I know what love is, you don't need to write that down for me... I know the joy, bliss, passion... all the words used... but what I don't know is how does that love look, smell, dress, walk, eat and live for you. What do you see when you think about love? And heck, love doesn't even have to be the subject, but I'm using that as an example... it could be about any subject. What is important tho is that you show from your own personality and life what the subject means to you. Put in a simplistic way, I wish to read more description... but I'm saying "description" in a broader sense than just adjectives. There should be an image that you see, that means something to you, that you can share.

Here's a rough example, from a guy's point of view - writing about watching the woman you love walk across a room... it's easy to say she's smooth, or sways sweetly... but if her walk makes you think about the way smoke curled and twirled effortlessly from your father's pipe til it filled the room with its presence, then you've hit on an image that is unique and personal. And it is also telling me more about you, the writer, than just using adjectives. I have not only learned how deeply this woman's walk affects you, but I have also learned that you had a father who smoked a pipe, and you were young and observant enough to watch how that smoke moved through the air of your childhood home... and now you see it's free motion again in the movement of her legs and hips. This adds depth to a poem, this adds character... it also makes the whole thing more memorable to a reader - you can imagine that the next time the reader sees pipe smoke they'll imagine your lover's walk, or when they see their own lover walk toward them, they'll think, "Yes, I can see what you saw, it's in my life as well."

Writing in this way adds depth, it creates more expression in your work. More interest. I think everyone has a deep library of images and "mental art" from their lives and the things they see around them. If you can connect this with your writing, then your writing will grow and take a big step forward. You'll find more pleasure in what you write, get more of that feeling of "Yes-ness" in your poems. And a reader will be touched deeper by what you share. A reader will get to know you more, share your feelings and passions. They will see through your eyes.

Have the motivation to grow... to explore things in writing. Turn your writing on its head sometimes. Write about things you don't like sometimes... write about grit and dirt and rainwater, bills, taxes and stolen things. There is so much to write about, and you have feelings and images and impressions about them all, if you think about them. The words are there then, waiting to be used. Ready for you to... write.

An Evening With Yanni

No, it's not as bad as it sounds.


Actually, confession... I am a big Yanni fan. When I first saw the Acropolis show on PBS back in '93, I believe, I got hooked. The music was incredible, the scenery historic, and Yanni himself was mermerizing... he was so totally into the music, you could tell he felt every note, and you could also tell that doing those shows there in Greece were a dream come true for him. So not only was there the music and all to feel, I could also feel his excitement and thankfulness for getting to do something on that grand a scale. So I got hooked. Bought more of his CDs... got the Acropolis show on DVD... could that be why I grow my hair long?... I'll never tell.

But why talk about Yanni here? Well, don't worry, this all pertains to writing, I promise you. See, Yanni put out a book a few years back, all about his life, called "In Words". Of course, being the good fan that I am, I went right out and got it... hardcover even... to keep nice... for posterity. And it was actually a very good read, to learn about his life and early years in music... how he struggled to find his dream and means of expression... the standard biography rises and falls, and then ultimately - success. And somehow, snuck in the midst of this story, he also wrote about his work, creativity and inspiration. He made some brilliant points too, which I feel relate to any type of creativity or expression... poetry and writing included.

And I quote...

"Will everybody like what I like? Absolutely not. That's impossible. As soon as you put your art out there for people, some will say, "Because it's blue, I love it", and for the exact same reason the next guy will say, "Because it's blue, I hate it". Once you understand that, there's a freedom in the creative process. Otherwise your creation is just a reaction to criticism."

To me that is a very strong point, one I think every poet and writer should think long and hard about. Because to me criticism is the killer to a lot of potential and even established writers. I have met so many people online through the years who are afraid to post and share their work for just that reason - criticism... what will other people say about it? Writers are fragile people, for the most part... and I don't mean that in a weak way. It's that way with anyone who creates something from their heart and life and deepest love, and then puts it out there for others to take in... and a negative word can be very bruising.

But criticism is something you have to distance yourself from. You have to stand on the belief that your art, your writing, is worth something to you, and that it says what you want it to say... end of point. Once you feel that, and believe that, then the criticism doesn't matter. You won't feel it, because you know you're doing what is right for you. Now, if what you're doing doesnt feel right in that way, then you need to examine what you are doing and decide if it is the right path for you. Heck, I drove myself nuts for years wanting to write short stories and novels. It was all frustration, because those are writing forms that I just can't get into. So I re-found poetry, and realized that that is where my work lay... (that and these lengthy digressions on writing :P). So now when I write something, I know that for me, it says what I want it to say. I don't care if someone says it's too short or too long, not enough this or that... it's how I want it to be, it's how I want to present it... case closed. Yes, criticism can still sting a bit, but it's not going to rock my world and make me hide away my work from the world - and I hope I remember these words of my own should that dark day ever appear, lol.

It's just like the quote says, in its own way - you can't please the world, you can't please everyone... don't try it, cause then it will show in your work. You'll become a trend chaser, running after what others say is the "In" thing, instead of writing about what's important to you. Always be true to your purpose. Everyone has an audience out there for their work. It's a big world, there are others out there who will read your work and love it, relate to it, and let it into their lives. It might be a small audience... there might not be an Acropolis for you to stand in... but some people will be touched, and will know you, and know themselves, in your work. If you stay true to yourself.

I can give another example... my boss at the bakery... early on when they took over the place they tried to please every customer, and it's a dirty secret maybe about retail, but you can't logically do that. One person is going to come in one day and say "Your bagels are too light!"... and the next day another will say, "Your bagels are too dark!"... same case as the one Yanni made... and you can drive yourself crazy trying to keep up. You eventually have to make a stand and say, "This is how our bagels are... if you're not happy with that, there's a 7-11 down the street."

Another quote from Yanni...

"No one likes rejection, and I'm no exception. But if you're an artist you must expect rejection. It comes with the territory. Be prepared for it. Your reaction to rejection is what's important. If it overtakes you and fills you with self doubt, fear and insecurity, then it can be very destructive."

Change the word "rejection" to "criticism" - it's the same thing, almost... and what gets destroyed - someone's will to write and share... someone's openness to the world... another voice is lost. And voices are needed. We all write, first and foremost, for ourselves... either to purge bad thoughts or memories, or to share something of our lives and the beauty and love we see... but we all also have some desire to share this with others. It's a light that shouldn't be hidden away. Most people criticize out of their own lack of talent or internal peace. They're not happy, and they hate to see someone else happy doing what they love... so out come the barbed words, the hooks are set and then comes the cut. But if you cultivate your belief in your work, in its value and meaning to you, then you can survive this. It can be done. Free yourself from other people's expectations... your words will not fly off into the wind... they will reach others.

I hate more than anything to hear of someone afraid to share their poetry. Everything we write is a step. Think of it that way. And yes, at the start, unless we're a genius or prodigy, our early writings will be rough. But I'll say it again - everything we write is a step, and tho' it may not seem that way, it is also a step forward. There is a learning that comes from everything we write, even the bad stuff. But don't hide it, don't hide your growth, both as a person and as a writer... share your words and yourself. Write. Read. Take another step.

Poetry Challenges

My friends that know me from the poetry groups know that I don't get involved in challenges the groups usually offer. It's mostly for a personal reason - I just don't like being told or directed on what to write about. I really have to feel something from inside for me to write a poem about it. It's difficult for me to just work with a list of words or a phrase and try to make something from them. Kind of feels like I'm building a puzzle that I don't really care to build, I'd rather be off raking leaves or dusting my ceiling fans. But I know such challenges can have their benefits - they can help a writer with writer's block get going again, they can introduce new words and thoughts to someone's repertoire, and they can provide exactly what they are - a challenge, to a writer looking for something to do.

For me tho, I already have things in my head and heart that I want to write about, things that matter to me, that I feel. So, I tend to ignore the challege posts and just keep doing my own thing. Maybe it's an equivalent to keeping my head in the sand, I don't know, but it works for me.

Still, the other day at work I got to thinking about challenges... and wondering what kind of a challenge I would offer other writers to try. I knew I would want to offer them something beside just a list of words, or a simple idea, to riff off of... I would want to somehow make them find something within themselves to write about, something they would feel and get excited about. So, here's what I came up with.

Take a newspaper and read an article.

Simple.

Then write a poem... but, not a poem about the subject of the article. See... aye, there's the rub. And here's the reason.

To just write something about the article would be easy - your topic is right there, and I've led you to it.. but that's almost the same as giving you just a list of words to play with.... and remember, I'm after something more... bigger game... I want to stir your mind a little.

Instead, I'll wager that as you read this article, something popped into you mind, something triggered by the article, something unrelated even maybe, to the story. Maybe a street mentioned in the article will click with you because you know it well, and remember how the telephone poles there are all leaning to one side, like a row of drunken men. Or maybe the name of one of the people mentioned in the article reminds you of a teacher you had in junior high, and one day you and some of your friends... well, you get the idea... I'm saying, use the article as a trigger to stir something in your mind... a memory, an idea... maybe an image from a word... I'll bet anything that something will come to you... something exciting.

I feel that when you read, you relax your mind, you open it... and tho' you follow the article and its subject, your mind also flows on its own... little tangents pop into play... and I know from personal experience, many a poem has come from such mental digressions. Another reason I keep a pad and pen next to me at all times... heck, I've even read Star Trek novels and gotten ideas... they are there, inside of you... and there are ways to find them, and hear them.

So there's my idea for a challenge, and I hope maybe it will do something a little different than if I just gave you some words to play with, or a phrase to start you off... read two articles if you need to... or a magazine, or short story... something will come, I'll bet, and hopefully it will be something you'll feel and run to put it down for posterity... and for yourself.

Mandatory "Return Poetry to the Masses" Rant

I think every poet wishes this one thing - that more people would read poetry. Yes, we write for ourselves, first and foremost... but we also want to share what we've written, and maybe connect or turn on someone else to our images and feelings. Unfortunately the schools tend to drain poetry of most of its beauty and worth, making it feel more like a history class where all you are forced to do all day is memorize dates and names over and over. Add in language full of "bowers" and "listeth" and "whence", and you can see where it can kill of a kid's interest. These kids then grow into adults who don't care if they never see another poem again in their lifetime, and they then lose out on the beauty of words sculpted to form images and emotions. I think they miss out on a lot.

That is why I think one thing we need to do is push modern poetry more. I'm not saying the classic works aren't vital still - everyone should read Keats, and Browning and Shelley and Dickinson. But those poems are written in a language and style often over a century out of date, with words and images most people today can't relate to - I did not know myself what a "kirtle" was til I read Christopher Marlowe's poem, The Passionate Shepherd to His Love, and then I looked it up. So imagine your average person today picking up the same poem, someone whose world consists of a full time job, full time kids, a kitchen to clean and a dog to feed. Yes, the poem is passionate and sweeping, and a beautiful, timeless piece of writing. But I think people need to see that poetry didn't freeze in time before the car was invented. They need to see that poetry of today is in synch with the time and world they live in.

Show the people around you the poems being written today. Tell them about poets like Diane Ackerman, Charles Simic, Ted Hughes, Billy Collins and the hundreds of other modern poets. They need to see that poets are out there right now, writing about life as we now it... about the war, about AIDS, about children, about schools, about sports, about love, divorce and birth and death... poetry is so alive today, and there is a brilliant world around us that is being captured in words even as you read this... even as you write your own poems. Let them see the visions and emotions being written about today in plain English, images that they can feel and relate to... then they will see that poetry has evolved, has in fact never stopped evolving and changing, and it is still as important today as it ever was... buy a friend or loved one a book of poems... get them Billy Collin's "Poetry 180", or Ted Hughes' "Birthday Letters" or Pablo Neruda's "The Captain's Verses"... inscribe it with love to them, and let them discover poetry fresh.

Then they will want to seek out the classic works again... they will want to look at the roots of this family tree of imagery... they will remember the poems they had to memorize in high school, the authors names and titles... and they will see that it is all a thread from those distant years and writers, extending to the writers of today.

Guide them to Shakespeare as well... I know it is difficult sometimes to read, and I have to say that when I first got into reading The Bard, thanks God for those editions of his works that had the modern translations on the facing pages. But the trick to me was, you read one or two plays, get a feel for the language, and then it clicks inside. After that, the plays and sonnets become a pleasure to read, and you don't need the translation pages for help. Another key to me was to read Shakespeare aloud, they way the words were meant to be used... these are plays after all. I remember years back, first getting into Shakespeare, and I would always carry a few of his works with me wherever I went. Sometimes I'd be waiting in an empty kitchen, killing time til a bus or ride was due, and I'd pull out one of the plays I was working through and read the lines out loud to the empty room. And it really worked, it opened up a sense of flow and life to the words, and the difficult words and phrases suddenly made sense.

Simply stated, I'm just saying, don't give up on your friends, family and loved ones who roll their eyes at your poetry and poetry books. A lot of people have been given bad tastes of poetry in their younger lives, and the flavor remains. But part of being a poet, being a writer, is working to change that attitude. Working to bring peoples' attention back to poetry and helping them get in touch with all that it can bring to their lives. Find a simply beautiful simple poem and read it to someone. Start small. Share.

"Please allow me to introduce myself...

... I'm a man of wealth and taste..." (Rolling Stones)


Ok, maybe I'm not a man of wealth (I currently have a ten-dollar bill and 2 singles in my pocket), and all I have taste for lately is Vanilla Coke. But there is a bit of sympathy and the Devil in me. My name is Bob Browning, and I'm a writer.

Why this new blog? Why take up more space on the Internet in my name? Well, I guess first and foremost because I am a writer, and I like to write. But I also think a lot about writing, and what goes on in the process. I also think a lot about what I've learned in writing through all my own struggles with it. And I decided I wanted a place where I could lay down my thoughts and opinions about writing and share them with others. And please keep in mind, before I let this go any further, that everything here is my opinion, unless otherwise stated. Some things you may agree with, other things you might not. But consider this site like a paper magazine on writing, and you're reading my articles - you can always just toss it aside... or in this case, hit the Close button.

I'm not starting this site to say I know more than others, or have more experience than others. In face, I've had little success with writing actually. My biggest triumphs are: 1. back in the 80's I published a small astronomy magazine that saw the light of day in about a dozen countries and lasted for 3 years; 2. my first poetry book which was published in 2004, titled "Sometime Poet". But through my whole life I've always been writing. When I was little I would type out pretend stories to amuse myself on a small toy typewriter. And now here I am, 36 as I write this, and I'm typing out poems to amuse myself on a laptop. Feels like a circle, doesn't it? But the reason I'm starting this site is so I can share my thoughts with other writers, and maybe, just maybe, some of my thoughts and opinions will help them. That might be a big claim to make, since as I stated with my little resume here, I don't have a very big soapbox to stand on. But still I believe deeply that some of my thoughts on writing are true and good, and worth being shared. Ego? Maybe. But hey, like I said, you can always just Close this page out if you feel the bullshit factor is getting too high.

It took me years to believe I was finally a writer, to feel comfortable saying to people I meet, that yes, I'm a writer. Amazing, isn't it? Though I think a lot of us feel that way. Because when you say you're a writer, others have a certain expectation of you. They want to know, right then and there, "Well, what have you written?". They're hungry then for a title of some book that they might have seen in the grocery store bookshelf, or an article they read in a magazine while sitting in a dentist's office. But what do you say when you haven't been published yet? What do you tell them when only a handful of people have even read your work? What you do is stick to your claim - because as long as you write, you are a writer. Success is not the gauge here. There is no mark on the upstairs hallway wall where the Parents of Publishing are going to make you stand to see if you've grown or measure up. Writers write. It's that simple. Success is a side effect, and can come from more than just writing ability - luck, timing and who you know play a big factor in the art of success. But if you write something, a poem or song or story, and you read it and you feel it and it hits you and turns you on - then you are a writer. Writing for the basic love of writing and the release it gives you.

So, now the introduction is over... and hopefully you'll stay for the rest of the show here. I've got a lot of things I want to share. About writing in general... about my own works... articles and quotes and passages that I think are of help to other writers. I want to maybe offer a hand, or handshake, to any other writers out there. It can seem like a very lonely field to work in, and the atmosphere of doubt and criticism and fear can overwhelm many writers to the point where they give up and never want to share anything again. But you can't shy away from it. If the passion is in you, then you will write. Writers write. It's not what you plan or promise yourself you'll do. It's what you actually do that counts. Writers write.

"There's a difference between knowing the path... and walking the path." - Morpheus, in The Matrix