Pugilist
By Pugilist, 24 April, 2015
Participants
wesley snow
Pugilist
scribbler
Rula
alidzain
BlueDemon77
judyanne
William Saint George
weirdelf
Skill level
Shark Pool
Date
-
Short description
26 days, one subject, three styles of poetry, biting critique, 10 slots . . . Are you willing to give it a try
judyanne

But my computer is playing up at the moment - I have only my tablet, and crippled a little related to not having access to many short-cuts (eg: cut and paste etc) so I hope I will be able to keep up

Can I just say here, Jonathon, to both yourself and Wesley, that I appreciate the critiques on my recent works, but have not had the time (as well as computer help) to reply or to work on the poems.... I hope to get to them next week - just wanted to let you know
xxx

S

I'll give it a shot. I'm not much at any of the above forms and plain out stink at sonnets so at the least I'll supply plenty of chum for the sharks............stan

Pugilist

Let's get something established right off the bat. This workshop is not about writing great poetry. This workshop is about being able to write competent poetry on demand about anything.

Why?

Because subjects are the soul of a poem and, left to our own devices, we get comfortable in our process and with our subjects and tend to write the same poem with different words all the damn time.

A writing exercise is important for many reasons but, for this workshop, we're going to concentrate on three:

1) You should be able to write about anything
2) You should be able to write in any style, competently
3) Writer's block may stop an idea, but it does not stop all of them

So, we've got a compressed schedule and you do not get to pick the subjects about which you will write. Because, as poets, we're supposed to be able to step up and do the job, just as you would be expected to step up and do the job in any other other profession.

That's right, profession. If you are a poet, be a poet. This is not a hobby, this is not a lark, this is not something yuo do in your free time to make the world pretty. If you want to be taken seriously, take your work seriously.

Challenge yourself, grow, be willing to screw up, and learn from it.

Because the world has more than enough people saying, "I write poetry from the heart! You can't really criticize that!"

Bullshit.

Now, let's get to work:

Your assignments are below. Yes the subjects were chosen to be as banal as possible. Both the names and the subjects were listed separately in Random.org and then matched by number.

Participant ___________ Subject
scribbler _____________ kettle
BlueDemon77 ________ porch
Rula ________________ dish
William Saint George ___ chair
Pugilist ______________ bowl
alidzain ______________ table
wesley snow __________ cup
judyanne _____________ couch
weirdelf ______________ lamp

This will be a tough schedule. Perfection is for hobbyists. You are a professional, act like it. Use your time to plan out your writing. Don't be afraid to fail. Don't be afraid to change your approach.

Don't be afraid to admit you need help and ASK for it.

We have two days to ask questions and whine and complain, after that, we'll get the job done and whine and complain AFTER it is complete.

Because we're professionals.

judyanne

Is this subject for the free verse only, or are all of our poems to be on the same?
xxx

Rula

Rula

9 years 11 months ago

I understand that these are prompt words, so are they to be mentioned in the body of the poem or just talk about them?

S

by arguing the perfection is much more the realm of professionals than hobbyists. think not? Try submitting something to an editor which is full of imperfections......you'll likely not even be given the curtesy of a rejection letter.

Next, what are you seeking from participants Right Now? Discussion or a poem? And is each participant supposed to write all three types poem on the single subject?

Now on to agreement lol. I agree that a poet who writes in Only one form is missing out on stretching his/her horizons. Each form one attempts is likely to make a poet better at their preferred form of poetry........stan

wesley snow

good or bad, so this will be work.

An artist must produce or they are no artist. If you would write poetry it should, as Faulkner said, "consume your life".
Otherwise, why bother?
I'm up for a cuppa.

wesley snow

A poet, like a journalist, should be able to write about anything quickly.
I am writing epopee. The thing is 24,000 lines and needs four times that to finish. If I don't kick it in the ass I'll die first.

Perfection comes later in revision.
Constant revision.

Pugilist

1) You subject is just that, a subject. You never need mention the word, but your poetry in this workshop must be about the subject

2) Poems. ll poems must be about the same subject. Our goal is to see how well we can extend our process to include a single subject in three different styles. That said, it does not have to be the same poem each time. Write from different points of view. Write pro, write again, just write

3) Professionalism verses perfection. A professional gets the work done. A hobbyist makes excuses. Write well and competently, but this is about completing the assignment, not writing the best poem in the history of the world.

If I seem brusque, I apologize. It is my nature when I am teaching. I am always open to contrary views, but if I don't state my purpose, how will anyone know on what to disagree?

S

and where do you want poem(s) posted and do you want them one at a time or in a particular order with a space of time in between? And don't worry about being brusque.......stan

Pugilist

Post your free verse poem between May 10 and 14. We'll critique it while you are prepping your sonnet.

Pugilist

I would not characterize my critique as negative.

As with every critique I have given, I point out what I believe needs to be addressed and what I believe works.

I would characterize my critique as "professional," your job is to take the critique offered and review your work so you can determine what, if anything, you believe warrants modification.

Pugilist

Write your last critiques, finish your last edits, it's time to move on to your sonnets.

Get cracking!

judyanne

for my absence from this shop. .. I haven't had internet connection for the past week.
I'll post my sonnet today, then try to catch up with my critiquing over the next few days....
xxx

S

A cursed sonnet, my Achilles heel. Well......everybody will be so busy shredding mine that they'll likely have no time to spare for others lol. Now I gotta Write something that at least resembles a sonnet.....grumble, grumble............stan

Pugilist

We've lost some folks and that's okay. This is not a success versus fail workshop and if all you've done is push yourself a little, that alone is progress.

Haiku time.

Get cracking.

Pugilist

It's May 27th and we are ahead of schedule.

Way ahead of schedule.

We are so far ahead of schedule that, unless there is an objection, I plan on closing the workshop tomorrow, May, 28th.

Let me know your thoughts, your observations, what you think went well, what you think needed work, what you liked, what you did not like.

This is not a request for personal acclaim or beratement. It is a "lessons learned" recap so it might aid other workshops.

Rula

Rula

9 years 11 months ago

I believe this was another successful workshop. It enhanced the previous ones and added to them by critiquing different styles. I think that was a really clever way of the well planned syllabus. I also liked the strict agenda so everything is clear for everyone even before getting it started. I wish we would have more of these work shops especially in critiquing.
Thanks for the time and the effort. Always appreciate it.

wesley snow

Not only was the multiple style agenda challenging, but I appreciated the timeline. Okay, I didn't really like it, but that's because it did its job and forced me to write quickly with an eye toward editing later.
Writing epopee as I do speed is of the essence. I have a great deal more story than I have time to write it. The faster I produce, the sooner I am editing where my greater strength lies.
I'm not going to insist on a timeline for all future workshops, but I would suggest it.

Pugilist

Since there's been no objection, I will close the workshop.

Please let me know your thoughts on what you cared for, what you did not, and what we might do better next time.

weirdelf

I am glad to be proved wrong, fucking good on you mate. Excellent workshop.
Getting proved wrong, especially for an opinionated bastard like me, helps me find what might be right.
Thank you, Jonathon. I really hope you run more workshops, your skills are manifest.
The workshop will continue under its own steam while everyone fulfils their commitment to critique other's works
Cheers

Description:
26 days, one subject, three styles of poetry, biting critique, 10 slots . . . Are you willing to give it a try

How are you feeling?

Up to a challenge?

Want to test your ability to write way out of your comfort zone?

Good.

Then join my workshop. It starts May 8th and runs for 26 days.

In that time, 10 lucky people will be assigned a subject and will produce three (3) separate poems and critique 27. You do not get to choose the subject, the styles, or the time.

What could possibly go wrong?

Details are below. This is a 1st come, 1st joined.

Leader: Pugilist
Moderator(s): Rula

Objectives:
Write outside your comfort zone, and quickly

Level of expertise: Shark

Subject matter:
Each participant will be given a subject and will construct three (3) poems on that subject for critique. The poem styles will be, in order, Free Verse, Shakespearean Sonnet, Haiku

Schedule:
May 8 - May 9: Introduction, Q&A, and subject assignment
May 10 - May 14: Free Verse Creation
May 15- May 16: Free Verse Critique
May 17 - May 21: Shakespearean Sonnet Creation
May 22 - May 23: Shakespearean Sonnet Critique
May 24 - May 28: Haiku Creation
May 29 - May 30: Haiku Critique
May 31 - June 2: Workshop Assessment, Lessons Learned, Q & A, and Closeout

Workshop closed early - goals met 5 days sooner than anticipated.