We do so much in class that sometimes I do not record it all. Whenever you are absent, you need to find time after school to make up the missed work.
Today, we received our workshop poems and had some time to edit them.
You MUST please make time to edit each poem with dedication in order to honour the writer. If you do not, the author may feel dismissed, unimportant when it is really your organizational skills that may need tuning.
I returned Friday's poems and we spoke about how to deal with the feedback.
Try to learn one thing you want to work on.
For most new writers, offering enough detail is key when they begin.
Avoid vague phrases such as
the screeching car, the greedy politician as they force the reader to create cliched, stereotyped reactions.
In order for the reader to share in your experience, put all the details in there.
Avoid common associations to words, eg. owls screeching . . . connect some new sound to the old sound.
Keep reading strong modern poems which use detail and concrete imagery and metaphor well. Figure out what they are doing.
Tomorrow we have a group presenting the work of Karen Connelly. You can look up her work before arriving.
Homework:
Create a poem that uses specific detail that appeals to the five senses and avoids over-used or cliched associations.
Work hard at this exercise as it will create the strength you need to write your poems this year.
