I think it's safe to say that most writers focus on pieces they want to publish. Short stories, poems, novels, it's all done with the end goal of seeing it in print. That being the case, I think it's also safe to assume that many writers don't do any writing practice. You know, exercises, vignettes,… Continue reading Writing Practice
Category: Poetry
Having Fun
Art can be serious business. People who create take their projects seriously. We agonize over them, we cuss at them, we deal with frustration, aggravation, annoyance. We want to produce the best objet d'art we can. It doesn't matter if it's the written word, paint on canvas, or audio file. We live and breathe art.… Continue reading Having Fun
The Elusive Writer
What happened to the elusive writer? It wasn't that long ago - thirty, maybe forty years ago - when writers could be mysterious, anonymous, hidden behind pen names and pseudonyms. There was a certain mystery to some authors, like Harper Lee and J.D. Salinger. Familiar names, but most everything else about them was unknown. Nowadays,… Continue reading The Elusive Writer
Traditional Vs. Non-Traditional
When I was a younger man (which wasn't THAT long ago, thank you very much), it was harder for a writer to get published than it is today. Commercial print magazines and traditional publishing houses ruled the writing world. Your average fiction writer had to comb through the newsstands to find magazines that might be… Continue reading Traditional Vs. Non-Traditional
Words and Images
There's something to be said for the way words and images compliment each other. They've been partners for thousands of years. In fact, some of the earliest writing was simply pictures. So, in a way, images gave birth to words. I think that images can add another level of depth to a story or poem.… Continue reading Words and Images
Returning to Old Favorites
I have this weird habit - at least, I think it's weird - in that I have an urge to reread books. Specifically, certain books that had an impact on my life, influenced me in some way, or were just so amazingly written that I can't get enough. A few titles come to mind -… Continue reading Returning to Old Favorites
An Amazing Gift
I recently received such a thoughtful and amazing gift that I had to share. An artist who listens to one of my podcasts was inspired by the episode I did on poetry. So much so that she asked people on Twitter to submit haiku so she could pick one or two and create an image… Continue reading An Amazing Gift
The Prometheus Project Podcast, Ep 27, is Available!
In this episode I discuss the magic and power of poetry, how we can learn from it, and how we can make it more relatable to younger readers. And I even read a few stanzas of Walt Whitman's I Sing the Body Electric. The podcast is available at iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify, and PodBean. Or if you… Continue reading The Prometheus Project Podcast, Ep 27, is Available!
A Poetry Moment III
I equate poems to paintings. They are short - usually one page - and they form a specific image or feeling in your mind. I think they can also be more difficult to write than prose. The writer has to be very precise with their words, much like a painter with their brush on the… Continue reading A Poetry Moment III
A Poetry Moment II
My last Poetry Moment post received positive feedback on social media, so I thought I'd do another one. This round I'm going to share another of my published poems, "Suburbia". This was published alongside "The Breakup" in a literary magazine called The Eyrie back in 1996. When I reread it earlier I realized that it… Continue reading A Poetry Moment II