Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Journal 3 Sam Lodge

One thing that really struck me in "The Triggering Town" was when Richard Hugo said "It is important that a poet not question his or her assumptions, at least not in the middle of composition," (19). I thought this was interesting because I have always been taught the opposite. My teachers always told us to not assume things, and I think you may know how the rest of that saying goes. (If not, well sorry for assuming...the saying was at least half true). As I read on, I realized that assuming things can really be helpful. Not only that, but I never thought about how much I assume when I do write. You can't be right about everything, especially if you are writing about a "triggering town." I do agree though that after you finish your work, you should probably then worry if you are making sense.

I think that the most important idea in "Four Genres in Brief," is that everyone works differently. The quote that sums this up says "not everything works for everyone, and you won't know what works for you until you try it,"(64). People have different processes to getting work done and not everyone can write the same way you can. I personally don't like absolute quiet when I write. I have to have some background noise for me to be productive. My friend on the other hand, is the complete opposite. She cannot concentrate when there is noise. Then another friend has to have music playing, but I can't work like that because then I start singing along. You have to find what works for you, you can't rely on what works for others because it may not be a good technique.

Do you think it is even possible to write a piece without making assumptions?

By making my own poems, I found that what I initially set out to write, doesn't always make it to the finished version. I always tried to find a topic and stick with it, but after reading about poems and actually making my own, I see that doesn't have to be the case. I also have been playing with syntax, something I never used to do. Not that I was big into poetry writing, but on the occasions that i would, I would stick with what I had originally said and wouldn't move words around. However, I write a poem, I still keep the reader in mind. I try not to, but it is a hard habit to break and I worry about if I'm making sense to my audience. When I write, I think about what i want to write about and then I just let the words flow. I will cross out words or entire lines (which I have found to be helpful) but sometimes I have a hard time letting go of a line that I really like...even if it doesn't totally fit with the rest of the poem. I'm working on it though, don't fear! I will delete parts, but there are times that i don't want to give up on that specific line.

1 comment:

  1. I so know how you feel when it comes to parting with a line you love. What I tend to do is take it out and use it for something else, or put it down in a notebook where I keep all my rambling. It cleans up the work, but it also doesn't erase a perfectly good line or sentence.

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