[stylist] poem revisions

Thu Jun 18 22:24:47 UTC 2015

It was Picasso who had the blue phase but how do I even go about approaching them? They insist that they don't want to change. I suppose breaking lines? Equalling out syllables in lines? Ooo! Get a thesaurus and change all the words? (Where would I find one of those for my iPhone?) I'm getting excited about trying this but that whole folder of them is still screaming "leave us alone!" LOL!

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jun 18, 2015, at 16:45, Pagan Tree <3rdeyeonly at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Barbara, Another thing to think about, as if you do not have enough already, is the many directions rewrites could go. Sometimes I draft something because a particular line or thought has come to mind. I return to it at a later time and it goes in a direction I did not originally plan. Maybe I will again, later, return to original draft and it will go in a completely different direction.
> In other words, one initial thought could be the basis for creating multiple pieces, whether poetry or stories.
> It is kind of kin to a series of paintings that follow a theme, a collection of works. For example Van Gogh's Blue Period. He started with the idea of 'blue' and it manifested in multiple forms. Your poetry is just as fluid.
> This does not help with your organization issues, but have fun with it and go where the wind takes you.
> Eve
> 
>> On Thu, Jun 18, 2015 at 2:06 PM, Barbara HAMMEL via stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> See, and the problem falls that I abhor change in my life and that carries over to my writing. Good idea a copyright dates. I could either call the new one title (revised) or call the old one title (draft). I like that. Now I just have to free my mind to do it.
>> Barbara
>> 
>> Sent from my iPhone
>> 
>> > On Jun 18, 2015, at 15:42, Lynda Lambert via stylist <stylist at nfbnet.org> wrote:
>> >
>> > OH, I love this, Bill!  - your quote," I've adopted a kind of joyful
>> > bloodymindedness about it all, so there's not even a twinge of pain
>> > about doing this."
>> >
>> > I do this kind of rewriting and editing often, and it's not unusual for me to work on something for months at a time...after all poetry is a  *craft * and I have that joyful feeling Bill speaks of when I am CRAFTING my writing possibilities as I work on them.  I call them *works* for that is what they are - constructions as WCW would call them.  We create, build, tear down, build more, and tear into them again and again - until the new essence is found. It is a great feeling.
>> >
>> > This note from Bill is a keeper - it's all about the growth of the person as well as the poem. It's about change, and livingness, and fresh thoughts and ideas. bill, I just loved this post - you reflect my thought on it.
>> > Barbara, one thing that can be done is to do the copyright with the new date on the newly revised poem  In my chronology, I will write both dates on the poem if I still call it by the same title.  I can tell by the copyright date with is the old one and which is the new one. but, often I revise it so drastically it gets a new title, too.  Lynda
>> >
>> > -----Original Message----- From: William L Houts via stylist
>> > Sent: Thursday, June 18, 2015 1:27 PM
>> > To: stylist at nfbnet.org
>> > Cc: William L Houts
>> > Subject: Re: [stylist] poem revisions
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > HI Barbara,
>> >
>> > I make a kind of game out of my revisions.  Sometimes, I'll just cruise
>> > through my poetry folder ("Cosmos") and rnandomly give a once over to
>> > one or even several poems; just eyeball them to see how I feel days,
>> > weeks or months after first writing them. Gradually, over time, all of
>> > myh poems get at least minor revisions, and over the long haul they all
>> > get at least two or three overhauls.  I've adopted a kind of joyful
>> > bloodymindedness about it all, so there's not even a twinge of pain
>> > about doing this, and I feel that my poetry in general really does
>> > improve with time.  I used to be very squeamish and protective about my
>> > stuff, and had a real case of the horrors when it came to editing.  But
>> > now I really enjoy the process  and my work in general has, I feel,
>> > improved. My advice is to keep in mind that Word documents (or
>> > Wordperfect or what have you) exist in order to be revised.  It's so
>> > easy to delete, and almost as easy to rewrite, to commit new thoughts to
>> > the page that there's no reason to sufferthrough the process.  Just
>> > remember that hope springs eternal --and so does poetry.  >grin<
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> > --Bill
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >
>> >> On 6/18/2015 9:36 AM, Barbara HAMMEL via stylist wrote:
>> >>
>> >> I know, for years I've been saying I was going to try revising my poems. As you know, I have always thought a poem complete and the way it was meant to be until you fine folks informed me that improvements could be made on them. But, somehow, I can't bring myself to do it because it would mess up my extensively organized folders by doing that. My question is, do you then count a revised poem as a new one? You'll probably tell me it's up to me what I do but I need help tricking my brain because if I rewrite something, seems to me it should have a new date. I have actually sorted my poems into ones I want to work on revising and which are too personal or too awful or stupid to waste my time improving on.
>> >> Barbara
>> >> Sent from my iPhone
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>> >
>> > --
>> >
>> >
>> > "Oh, Sophie!  Whyfore have you eated all de cheeldren?"
>> >
>> >
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