The last two months have been a little more exciting for me than normal. I have revised my poetry book Emotions in Eruption with a new cover and a little tightening up in the format because with self-publishing authors have that possibility.
I have also been working hard to produce a poetry sibling. This is an edit breath and fervent hope away. The plan is for the new book, Emotions in Evolution, to be a birthday present to myself. No pressure except for that little bit that says this all has to happen before the end of October.
Meanwhile I am constantly being asked why this interest in poetry. Where did this obsession come from? Trust me, it is an obsession. What about, I am also asked, the second novel Unexpected Passion in The Unexpected Series? Surely playing with poetry is a distraction from the novel series? Does poetry sell? Is it a good idea to be split between two genres, three if I include the blogging? Lots of questions and they are all valid.
Poetry tends to scare a lot of people. As a teacher I often hear moans and groans as soon as the “P” word rears its pretty head, and well before the chosen piece of work is presented to students. Without any idea of poet or topic many choose to recoil and adopt a negative attitude, and it saddens me because this beautiful form is the ideal storyteller.
I’m not here to win you over but I am going to tell you why I write poetry. A recent article featuring Liam Cross clarified the fascination I feel, the draw or pull to the medium, and the satisfaction each time one piece is completed. His philosophy is simple. He believes, and it makes perfect sense, that the “more genres and styles we write in, the more we try out and learn about, the more developed we become as writers. And sticking with this theory, I believe there’s a very distinct benefit to be had from writing poetry, in terms of your capacity to construct a beautiful and gripping novel-length piece of writing.”
Poetry is so expressive, and the rules so easily broken. How can we not love it? Being creative is so much simpler and the choice of subjects endless. My first book is pretty much free style, although I try to adhere to rhyme and rhythm in some and certainly, I try to add poetic devices where I can. Why not? Similes, metaphors, alliteration and even repetition are beautiful things to work with. And then, there is irony, humour and the vivid images inspired by the five senses. Yes, of course these things are a major part of writing. However, in poetry the size is limited and so we breathe easier when choosing those pesky and incredible words we are about to manipulate into voicing what we want the world to know.
In Emotions in Evolution I gathered my courage and tried to be innovative. I mixed my styles and experimented with haiku and the cinquain. Both offer an immensely satisfying opportunity to say a lot with a little, and between researching and playing with structure, both forms also offered a lot of fun. In the future I intend to experiment further because I am addicted to story telling in this way.
I am not a quiet person. I can say too much at times and the discipline poetry affords me has given me pause to think, and then apply that thought to things before me, and in this way see them more clearly. Haiku and cinquain take all this a step further in my second book, and deal with colour, with nature and with travel to tie in my contemporary romance. I feature Sicily and Sydney, an important part of the setting in Unexpected Obsession, and I also feature many of the places my characters will travel to and enjoy.
Will this earn me a living? Probably not. Success is measured as much in satisfaction as it can be in monetary terms. I am very happy joining the hundreds and thousands of writers out there that story-tell following their own rules, and choosing their very own topics, and not fearing to tell the story that needs to be told in as few words as they decide. However if you are game and want to try my work then follow the link below to Emotions in Eruption and don’t be afraid to comment on my covers.
Until next time
Barb
GetBook.at/EmotionsinEruption
Smashwords: https://goo.gl/HRdkkf
Kobo https://goo.gl/NKKt1s
Barnes and Noble https://goo.gl/oLV7KM
Questions for me? Want to share your views and ideas? Follow me and ask away:
I think it’s lovely you are pursuing your obsession.
I wish it was a tiny bit easier though. Thanks for dropping by.