The Subversive Act of Writing on The Cosy Dragon

I think poets are great at breaking rules, I can't think of a single rule of poetry that hasn't been warped out of shape at some point. And I think that is because early poetry had so many rules poets were just dying to burst free. So generally I like to put rules back into poetry - and that's almost as genre busting as breaking out in ordinary prose...

But anyway, I thought this might be a fun article for people following this blog who are interested in the art of writing, or as encouragement for those who want to break out and try something new.

It starts:

"Originally this article was going to include the idea best covered by a quote attributed to Pablo Picasso “Good artists copy; great artists steal.” The subversive act of taking ideas from other sources and making them your own. But great writers are not only thieves, they tend to be rule breakers...

The rest of the article can be found on The Cosy Dragon here, or on the html link below :)

http://www.thecosydragon.com/2018/11/guest-post-aj-ponder-on-the-subversive-act-of-writing.html

I know this post is a bit late, so have a great weekend,
A.J. Ponder
P.S. The following is no longer upcoming - but we had the Riders of Fire book launch and it was a whole heap of fun. If you came along I hope you enjoyed it, too. :)

Riders of Fire Book Launch and Medieval Fun

Saturday, 17 November 2018 from 13:30-15:00
Vogeltown Bowling Club, 93 Mornington Road, Brooklyn

Tuesday Poem: Currently Working On Something Big

Do Not Disturb,
although of course a writer is disturbed most of the time
and hopefully disturbing,


Men at Work
definitely needs a sign,
how else would anyone know
that lounging around signified -
anything more than impending doom?

Drugs at Work
seriously. Sounds more recreational to me.
But just in case...

Pay Attention to Prevent Injuries,
although in a writer's universe,
it's important to exchange "Prevent" with "Cause"
to really get your money's worth
out of your cast and crew.

Danger: Keep Out: Writer at Work,
the standard bribe is one gluten free cupcake
not that I'm fussy or anything,
but you don't argue with Aslan when he has stomach-ache -
- and in my universe I'm far more dangerous than any lion.

Keep Calm
and make sure your characters are put through the wringer
before you -

Carry On

A.J. Ponder

Yes it's been very quiet over here in Affliction of Poetry land, the author is busy doing authorial things, and being busy and all. I love poetry, but I also love books, and stories and adventures (so long as they'e fictional so I don't actually have to be in them).

Have a great week, and don't forget to check out the rest of the Tuesday Blog here.

Remember, Remember the Babes in the Wood

I was busy murdering babies

As you do

The cherub grins

Gone.

The sapphire-eyed,

Dark skinned,

Beauties --

All dead.

It's enough to make a writer cry.

It's enough

To make

You throw away the pen

Tear apart the keyboard,

Key,

By stinking key

But, 
my babies,

I loved your family

just enough

To see you die

Forgotten,

Unloved.

Your silent tears

Echoing through

To your brothers

And sisters,

As they hang their heads

Onto the bloodied page

And weep.

There's a common author expression. "Murder your darlings" or sometimes "kill your darlings" And no, it's not about the characters. It's about our words. As authors we love our words, but sometimes they just don't fit the longer piece we were planning to put them into—and what that means for writers is that just because you've written a nice piece of prose it doesn't mean it should stay in your writing. If it doesn't fit, no matter how pretty, it should be cut. 

And that's tough. But in the end your writing will be better. But more than that, the emotional impact will be all the stronger for having written and then cut that delightful bit of prose.

Happy writing authors, and happy reading readers,

 A.J. Ponder - author page

 

Find my stories and support my writing on ko-fi 

And tell me which poems you'd like to see in my upcoming poetry book—2024? https://ko-fi.com/ajponder