Larry, Curly, and Schmoetry

Why the Poetry Schmoetry Blogfest?

Written by an ignorant schmignorant prose writer

I only had one teacher in my life who really liked my poetry. 

Only one.

He wore tight black jeans, black ‘granny’ boots and spiked his hair. His classroom was plastered with posters of The Cure, Echo and the Bunnymen, and Depeche Mode. He had a large rug in the center of the room and walked around kicking at the corners of that rug while he lectured us on symbolism and sonnets.

If I am to be honest with myself, I know he was obsessed with the poet Percy Shelley. Perhaps my name had more to do with my success than my poems. That and the fact that I basically reworded Depeche Mode songs for my assignments. (J/K)

So why am I hosting a poetry blogfest,
if I don't consider myself a poet?

Reason #1- I attended LDStorymakers in May and was told TWICE in one day that I should be studying poetry (and song lyrics) to tighten my fiction novels.

Reason #2- Dan Wells of the I Am Not A Serial Killer fame has encouraged people to memorize poetry all through the month of June. This man writes horror and memorizes poems. How awesome is that?!?! His challenge got me thinking...

Reason #3-

Because I think ALL writers should appreciate poetry.
What? You can’t tell me what to appreciate!
Yes, I can. Now finish your peas!

I appreciate poetry, as a writer, for these reasons:

Brevity- I love that brevity is 3 syllables! Oh the delicious irony. But really poetry must keep things brief (Brief- one syllable.) In a society of 30 second commercials, two minute Vlogs, and 140 character Twitter, brevity is not only appreciated, it is essential. Some people will trudge through a 900 page novel, but there are people who will refuse to read it based PURELY on its size. If you can become a master of words, you can tell the same story in 600 pages, or better yet, 450.

Carefully chosen language- Poets don’t have forever to tell their stories, so they choose words that will give the best picture with the fewest words. They eat, sleep, and breathe, their thesauruses because they have to. I only wish I had the vocabulary of a good poet.

Language of the senses- Poetry is really good at engaging the senses. I read somewhere once that people really like writing that reaches more than one sense. I can't figure out where I read it so chalk it up to a study that I made up. But think about writing that you like. Is it that way?

BUT!!! ("Everyone I know has a big 'But.’ C'mon, Simone, let's talk about your big 'But""—name that movie—)

I don't like all kinds of poetry. I don't think you have to like all kinds. Just like I don't like all novels. There isn't a good poem and a bad poem just like there isn't a bad novel or a good novel. There is just your poem or novels that touches you. Or your novel or poems that make you think.

That is why this blogfest is called Poetry Schmoetry. I hope to sluff the pretention that normally accompanies the word poetry.

Poetry can be fun!

So please consider joining the fun in the 
Poetry Schmoetry Blogfest.