Everyone needs to loosen up sometimes, and get out of a writing rut. Here is a method that can help poets take the leap and provide new outlets for their creativity.
Writing Poems In the Body: A Different Kind of Writing "Tool"
The first association to writing poetry is usually a poet hunched over a desk using writing tools such as a pen or pencil and some type of writing pad or notebook, or computer keyboard. But what if the tools were taken away? What if the poet "wrote" in his or head?
This is the method used by the well-known poet, Marie Howe, in her writing workshops. Students are given the homework assignment of creating a poem by thinking or talking it out without writing it down or recording it in any way. They are given 24 hours to do it, after which they return to class and recite the poem. Sound impossible? It actually works, even among those who are convinced they can't do it.
And it doesn't have to be part of a poetry workshop. Anyone could do it. It's recommended that the deadline of 24 hours (or less) be followed, since it creates an added tension to the writing and has a defined end, a limit that, similar to writing in form, can help spark creativity. Planning to recite the finished poem at a reading will boost the adrenalin (in the same way as a deadline) and make the writing even better.
How does this work?
Poetry as an Oral Tradition
Poetry arose as an oral tradition. In order for it to be passed down from one generation to the next, messages had to be in a form that was memorable. That encouraged the use of rhyme, rhythm, music, repetition, and other devices that helped it endure.
In the same way, composing a poem in the head is likely to make it tighter than if created on the page, with fewer extraneous words, or dead wood. The reason is that writing it from the head encourages the poet to get to the essence quickly, and in a way that can be remembered. A good warm-up exercise is to memorize a poem by a favorite poet.
Writing Poems While Walking: How to Enhance Writing In The Body
While a poem written in the mind can be done however and wherever the poet chooses, there may be an advantage to walking while composing. As discussed by Billy Mills in "Poster Poems: Walking," some renowned poets have found inspiration by walking:
- In some cases, the content of the poem includes scenes they encounter along the way, such as Dante's three-day stroll through the afterlife.
- But as Mills points out, the act of walking itself is a means to poetry. A key example of this is Walt Whitman, "the walker-bard par excellence" whose "Song of the Open Road" is emblematic of much of his work, which conveys his sense of the liberating power of walking.
Similarly, taking a stroll while composing a poem in the head may provide stimulation from nature, people along the way, or other scenes. The rhythm of walking itself may help free the mind, enabling the poet to write more powerful poems.
Writing good poetry requires the mind to be alert and open to new possibilities. Writing a poem from the head can seem scary, like being on a trapeze without a net, but it's worth the try. The result may not only produce a new type of writing, but serve as another way to access poems that, otherwise, may never see the light of day.
Elizabeth Harrington - Poet, Freelance Writer, Marketing Research Professional, Blogger (www.allaboutqualitative.com)
