Writing Poetry
Lucky you!!! You have somehow stumbled across the brilliant and wonderful poetry of Scott Sigl. Welcome!
Poet's Statement
Poet’s Statement
To define what poetry is, is in a way, like attempting to define what “is” is. So familiar to us all but so difficult to put into words. In the following paragraphs I will discuss what poetry is, what makes a poem, and what my own aesthetic in poetry is.
I have heard poetry defined in many different ways. The definition that I relate to the most, and that resonates most with me is “energized language.” So much can be said about the style, the format, the aesthetic, but in the end poetry is simply language written with energy. Poetry should have movement to it, a poem should feel like it is building, growing, at least at some point during the piece. It is not necessarily the “rising action” that one would draw on a map of a novel or short story in which the conflict builds towards a climax point. Some poems may have that aesthetic but it is not necessary for all poems. Some poems may be very short and the author’s purpose may be to create an image, and paint it as vividly as possible. Some poems may exist for the purpose of making a comparison, be it a political one, a humorous one, or a simple observation, but metaphor and simile are some of the most essential tools available to all poets regardless of their style or aesthetic.
Poetry visually looks different than other styles of writing, the most striking difference between poetry and prose would be line breaks. Prose reads like an essay, or a speech, but poetry typically has much more drama, and excitement, and must be translated on the page in a way so that the reader can see where to pause or add emphasis. If spoken or performed, the differences would be noticeable in the same way. Poetry would have dynamic range of loud and soft, fast and slow, in the same way that a good piece of music would, and prose comparatively would sound much more steady and flat if performed.
I personally would describe myself as a spoken word poet, and as such, my poems should hopefully resonate heavily with a definition of “energized language.” From the start of my very first poem, my work has been inspired and intended to be spoken and performed onstage, and to be heard rather than read. Recently however, I have gained an appreciation for the written page, and have begun to write in a style that reads well on the page, yet maintains the explosiveness of language to be able to perform on stage as well. At this point in my writing career I would like to be able to call myself a dynamic writer who is able to straddle the spoken poetry world and written poetry world simultaneously.
I tend to focus on the message of the poem very often. I like to be certain that each poem I write has something to be learned from it, that the reader/listener can take with them long after the poem is over. I tend to focus on the narrative, progression of the story (to keep as logical as possible), and the tone/tenor. It is very important to have a clear idea of what the tone will be, and to keep all the words in that section matching of the tone that you are trying to put across. It would not make sense to use very harsh language in a gentle poem that is a letter to a friend, for example. The techniques that I often try to employ are imagery, simile, metaphor, and repetition for the content. I find repetition especially to be one of the most effective technique's a writer can use. My poem "Straight Up Dumb Luck" repeats the theme "I am not you, you are not me, I am not her" led into by different phrases and utilized at different sections of the poem. I find that when poets can use the same phrase twice, to make two different statements, then that can be very memorable to a reader. For the music of my poetry, and to make a particular phrase stand out, I occasionally use techniques like rhyme and alliteration as well.
What originally attracted me to spoken word poetry was the energy of the performance. I would see poets who could get on stage and reveal their selves emotionally to the audience and it was that rawness and vulnerability that I saw that truly drew me in, not the word play and clever language. I saw poetry as a way to spread my most valued ideas and beliefs, and also as a way of organizing my thoughts and emotions so as to stay sane. The second of the two is more in the style of witness poetry. Poets telling their personal stories of their hardships and struggles, but most importantly, how they learned to overcome. In hearing one’s unique story, we as the audience are often able to empathize more closely with the poet because of it. The Poet’s Companion explains it best, “The important thing here is to look at your personal truths - not to try and present a comprehensive portrait of the injustice in the world.”
Now that I have explored a range of writing styles and reasons for writing, I feel that I have the ability to write very individualized and unique poems. I would feel comfortable writing a powerful demand for the listener to re-evaluate their own goals and values, or a simple image of a scene in nature, described using pretty language - and anywhere in between.
Beginning as a performance/spoken word poet, I believe has given me a unique perspective for the written page. When writing a poem that is intended for performance, it is absolutely essential that the text be rhythmic, musical, and flow well. I have spent countless hours editing poems to be certain that a phrase “sounds right.” One technique that I often employed would be to leave extra time after speaking an important word or phrase, so that it has time to sink in to the audience. This same idea is reflected in “The Music of the Line” with the structure of line breaks. “A general principle of line breaks is that the word at the end of the line, stands out a bit more to the reader.” (Page 110) Similarities such as this, have made my transition into the written world quite seamless. Hopefully as I continue to become familiar with more writers of drastically varying styles, I will learn more about the techniques that they employ, and will be able to continue to shape myself into a more worldly and individual writer.
To define what poetry is, is in a way, like attempting to define what “is” is. So familiar to us all but so difficult to put into words. In the following paragraphs I will discuss what poetry is, what makes a poem, and what my own aesthetic in poetry is.
I have heard poetry defined in many different ways. The definition that I relate to the most, and that resonates most with me is “energized language.” So much can be said about the style, the format, the aesthetic, but in the end poetry is simply language written with energy. Poetry should have movement to it, a poem should feel like it is building, growing, at least at some point during the piece. It is not necessarily the “rising action” that one would draw on a map of a novel or short story in which the conflict builds towards a climax point. Some poems may have that aesthetic but it is not necessary for all poems. Some poems may be very short and the author’s purpose may be to create an image, and paint it as vividly as possible. Some poems may exist for the purpose of making a comparison, be it a political one, a humorous one, or a simple observation, but metaphor and simile are some of the most essential tools available to all poets regardless of their style or aesthetic.
Poetry visually looks different than other styles of writing, the most striking difference between poetry and prose would be line breaks. Prose reads like an essay, or a speech, but poetry typically has much more drama, and excitement, and must be translated on the page in a way so that the reader can see where to pause or add emphasis. If spoken or performed, the differences would be noticeable in the same way. Poetry would have dynamic range of loud and soft, fast and slow, in the same way that a good piece of music would, and prose comparatively would sound much more steady and flat if performed.
I personally would describe myself as a spoken word poet, and as such, my poems should hopefully resonate heavily with a definition of “energized language.” From the start of my very first poem, my work has been inspired and intended to be spoken and performed onstage, and to be heard rather than read. Recently however, I have gained an appreciation for the written page, and have begun to write in a style that reads well on the page, yet maintains the explosiveness of language to be able to perform on stage as well. At this point in my writing career I would like to be able to call myself a dynamic writer who is able to straddle the spoken poetry world and written poetry world simultaneously.
I tend to focus on the message of the poem very often. I like to be certain that each poem I write has something to be learned from it, that the reader/listener can take with them long after the poem is over. I tend to focus on the narrative, progression of the story (to keep as logical as possible), and the tone/tenor. It is very important to have a clear idea of what the tone will be, and to keep all the words in that section matching of the tone that you are trying to put across. It would not make sense to use very harsh language in a gentle poem that is a letter to a friend, for example. The techniques that I often try to employ are imagery, simile, metaphor, and repetition for the content. I find repetition especially to be one of the most effective technique's a writer can use. My poem "Straight Up Dumb Luck" repeats the theme "I am not you, you are not me, I am not her" led into by different phrases and utilized at different sections of the poem. I find that when poets can use the same phrase twice, to make two different statements, then that can be very memorable to a reader. For the music of my poetry, and to make a particular phrase stand out, I occasionally use techniques like rhyme and alliteration as well.
What originally attracted me to spoken word poetry was the energy of the performance. I would see poets who could get on stage and reveal their selves emotionally to the audience and it was that rawness and vulnerability that I saw that truly drew me in, not the word play and clever language. I saw poetry as a way to spread my most valued ideas and beliefs, and also as a way of organizing my thoughts and emotions so as to stay sane. The second of the two is more in the style of witness poetry. Poets telling their personal stories of their hardships and struggles, but most importantly, how they learned to overcome. In hearing one’s unique story, we as the audience are often able to empathize more closely with the poet because of it. The Poet’s Companion explains it best, “The important thing here is to look at your personal truths - not to try and present a comprehensive portrait of the injustice in the world.”
Now that I have explored a range of writing styles and reasons for writing, I feel that I have the ability to write very individualized and unique poems. I would feel comfortable writing a powerful demand for the listener to re-evaluate their own goals and values, or a simple image of a scene in nature, described using pretty language - and anywhere in between.
Beginning as a performance/spoken word poet, I believe has given me a unique perspective for the written page. When writing a poem that is intended for performance, it is absolutely essential that the text be rhythmic, musical, and flow well. I have spent countless hours editing poems to be certain that a phrase “sounds right.” One technique that I often employed would be to leave extra time after speaking an important word or phrase, so that it has time to sink in to the audience. This same idea is reflected in “The Music of the Line” with the structure of line breaks. “A general principle of line breaks is that the word at the end of the line, stands out a bit more to the reader.” (Page 110) Similarities such as this, have made my transition into the written world quite seamless. Hopefully as I continue to become familiar with more writers of drastically varying styles, I will learn more about the techniques that they employ, and will be able to continue to shape myself into a more worldly and individual writer.