Do You Struggle to Make Sense Out of Poetry?

You're in good company

Hi!

Be sure to stick around for the P.S.'s today. There's some good news and a special treat down there.

Last week we talked about short fiction, and how a writer can really practice her craft by condensing her story down to something teeny-tiny, like a single word, or a six-word story. Come to think of it, that's kind of the process I had to go through to nail down the pitch for The Other Women before sending it out to agents. I've got an elevator pitch of 25 words, a Twitter pitch of 280 characters (with hashtags), a 250-word synopsis that sits in the cover letter to entice the agent to read more, and a one-page synopsis (complete with spoilers!) to send out with the full manuscript or sample pages.

These all had to be carefully crafted to maximize engagement, intrigue, and clarity, and were written after the book was finished (though many writers recommend doing this before the book ever takes shape so you don't waste your time writing unclear drivel; I think we've established I'm content to write three times as many words as I need to in order to find my way through the book, but maybe in time I'll get better at conceptualizing beforehand).

​Poetry is another tool I've used to develop my writing, and it requires an entirely different set of skills. As I mention in the blog this week, I have such a hard time reading poetry that it makes me self-conscious.

The good news is that reading poetry is a skill that can be developed. The more observant I am, and the more I read, the more poetically I think, and the easier it gets to both read and write poems. The same goes for you - if you start exposing yourself to poetry, especially if you go easy on yourself and start with some more straightforward stuff (don't peek but I've got a good one for you in a second), you'll be surprised how much easier it gets for you to wrap your head around the more complex stuff down the line.

I've written some poetry I'm really proud of. But I've realized I will never be the kind of poet people have to stop and think about. No one's going to read one of my poems and be like, "Wow, there are so many layers." That's just not the kind of poetry I enjoy reading - or writing.

Is that wrong? Is poetry boring when it's so concrete? Or are my poems like the summer-beach-read version of poetry, good for a quick escape when you don't want to have to think too hard? I'd love to know your thoughts. Just hit reply or comment on the blog or Facebook.

Until next time,

P.S. Before we get to the good news, smash that forward button and send this to someone you love, who also loves words and wit. They can join us as things get exciting!

P.P.S. All that synopsizing and flash-fictioning may turn out to be worth something. The day after my birthday, I received my first full manuscript request from an agent. That basically means she read my sample material (the first 10 pages) and liked it enough to read the whole book. That's a great sign that the pitch is intriguing, and I can't wait to hear back from other agents (and from this one in particular, because she is FIRE). It will likely be a LONG time before I hear anything from her or the other agents to whom I submitted, but one step on a long road is still a step toward the destination. Wish me luck!

P.P.P.S. Want to read that first poem I ever wrote for public eyes? Here you go. I promise it won't make you think too hard.