When It Must Be Done
Why not just wait for the muse to to bowl me over? Sometimes, when a poem is requested I have to do a little work, especially when it’s on a topic that requires me to stretch myself. My muse is usually present, but I’ll need to clear the way so I can get to the heart of the project. My process has two steps:
- Journaling – I try to write everything; things useful to the project and things that may be obstructing the way.
- Scavenge My Writing – After taking a break from it, I return to pull out everything that is useful, either typing it or writing, whichever appeals to me at the time.
It’s How I Got Mine: Whittling While I Work
It was my biggest command performance. My sister-in-law (to be, at the time) asked me for a poem for her wedding. I was humbled and honored and intimidated. When it was time to begin, I went straight to my journal. There was too much stuff in my mind to just relax and let the poem flow.
At first I tried to figure out what was expected of me. Having never been married, I thought that perhaps I fell too far short to get to what I needed.
In my journal I wrote out every doubt, hesitation, short-coming, blank space, distraction and limitation that came to mind, pages of thoughts related and not. Every negative reason I could think of for why I couldn’t do this was put in those pages. Then I dismissed them all.
Shaping the Verses
I focused on what I would want for my wedding and let that wish take over, after my crappy first draft failed miserably. It carried in it the vestigial effort of contriving something that was not from me. None of us liked it; and that was my final proof that I needed to trust in what I knew, to trust in me and how I understand things.
When it was time to write this poem, when I was ready to let it out, having cleared the way, it practically came out whole. A few line cuts and word substitutions were all it took—and weeks of journal writing, fretting, talking, and Lego® blocks building.
The Finished Product
When it was right, it resonated in my spirit. I like that feeling. You know, that YES that you feel with your whole self, it lets you know when you’ve got it right. The poem I that came out of this effort is Mine.
I was pleased with it before I gave it to Nicole. And she loved it. They loved it.
Tell me how you write on demand. Do you bother? Let me know why you do or don’t go after the verses.
