Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the category “Writing”

03 May 2013
5 Comments

How to Not Write Bad [sic]


 

Oh, I know.  Nails on a chalk board.  Who could resist a writing book that so deliberately breaks the rules?  I picked this one while checking out of the library about a month ago.  Am I a writing geek or what?  I’m an absolute pushover for author biography books, writing books, or etymology books.  Raise your hand proudly if you’re geeking out in the 808 to 811 section along with me.  Yeah, I see that hand.

 

So, Ben Yagoda pulls a fast one and gets me to slip, yet another, writing how-to book onto my TBR pile.  His book is economically designed, meaning a person goes, “Hmmm, not even 200 pages.  I’ll flip through it.” And before you know it that mystery you’ve set aside for nightly browsing or weekend reading is on top of the TBR pile.  Yagoda reeled me in.  I wonder if he ever studied marketing…

 

It’s hard to resist an author whose other titles include:

 

Cover of "When You Catch an Adjective, Ki...

Cover via Amazon

 

 

 

I tend to sticky-tab as I read.  ET would not like me to annotate the library’s books, would you, dear?  Here is my collection of tabs:

 

page 17:

 

The writer Malcolm Gladwell has popularized the notion that, in order to become an outstanding practitioner in any discipline, you need to devote to it roughly 10,000 hours of practice   I’ll accept that in terms of reading.  If you put in two hours a day, that works out to about thirteen and a half years.  If you start when you’re eight, you’ll be done by college graduation.

 

page 44:

 

a. The best fruit of all is a ripe juicy flavorful peach.

 

b. The best fruit of all is a ripe, juicy, flavorful peach.

 

Why is a wrong and b right, and how can you decide whether to use commas in these situations? The rule I learned in junior high school still holds. Anytime you can insert the word and between adjectives and it still sounds fine, use a comma. If not, don’t.

 

page 52:

 

My initial thought is to limit this entry to one sentence: “If you feel like using a semicolon, lie down until the urge goes away.”

 

page 82:

 

2. Skunked

 

As with words, certain grammatical constructions are considered okay by some or most authorities but retain an offensive odor for many readers (and, crucially, teachers and editors), and should be avoided. This shouldn’t present a problem, since they’re usually not difficult to replace with the correct form.

 

e. Ly-less Adverbs

 

[This was a real nice clambake.]

 

[Think different.]

 

[He didn’t do so bad.]

 

[That car sure drives smooth.]

 

page 124:

 

Until Microsoft Word comes up with cliche-check to go along with spell-check, you’ll never be able to get rid of every single one.  The best you can hope for is to manage them.

 

page 172:

 

Ultimately, as with so much else, it’s a mama bear, and baby bear kind of thing: you’re the one who has to decide what’s just right. 

 

Yagoda’s style is conversant, punchy, and essential.  I would go as far as to say he is the Strunk and White with a side of wit.  Hey, he writes for the New Yorker, I would expect nothing less.

 

If you are a writers and don’t want to write badly. I suggest pursuing Yagoda’s book to learn how to avoid the most common writing problems. Writing right is not a bad idea.

 

 

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Posted in Books, reviews, Writing and tagged , , ,
01 May 2013
2 Comments

The Lowdown on the Upside of NPM


Whew!

Whew! (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Where did April go? Wasn’t it Sprink Break just a blink ago?  And now I’m making plans for Memorial Day Weekend and soon after school’s out.  Time doesn’t fly these days–it hyperlinks!

 

Among other celebratory events residing in April, Library Week being one such, I choose to go the whole tamale and celebrated National Poetry Month every single day. Planning a daily post involved some careful coordination and creativity.  Have I mentioned how much I appreciate the scheduling feature of WordPress? Couldn’t have done the super stretch of 30 posts without it.

 

I’m in a reflecting kind of mood here, so please bare (bear?) with me for a nanosecond or two. As I get ready to go back to my regularly scheduled program mode I’m not sure I shall.  I learned some things whilst committing to a month of poetry.  Here is my lowdown on the upside of celebrating National Poetry Month:

 

  • a lot of people like poetry–which gives me hope my students will one day grow out of the lip curl mode when immersed in that required unit
  • I gained about 20 new followers–that’s darn right pleasing
  • WordPress makes it easy to batch post–that schedule feature (again)
  • there are a lot of people who want to tell me all about their marketing ideas–thanks, but no thanks, I really do like my day job
  • I had fun selecting various themes and posts–it wasn’t as difficult as I thought to come up with a variety of post material
  • And I got an award!

 

liebster-award_zps3c945071

 

Thanks JenniferK! New blogging follow and a fellow writer.  I think this is the spiffiest award yet–I like the razzle dazzle bling.

 

I will have to come back and name the three or so new blogs to pass on the award.  I really haven’t had time to sift through all the new blogs I’ve come across this month, but hope to set aside this weekend to do so.

 

Last bit of reflection (you’ve been so wonderfully forbearing–here, have a cookie…)

 

 

I’ve decided with May’s arrival, which coincides with Spring–renewal, and all that new growth stuff, I shall try a new direction with the posties.  Something old, something new, and something cool.  The ideas are percolating.

 

Until next post,

 

Blue Skies
CM

 

 

 

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Posted in Awards, creativity, Poetry, Reflections, time management, Uncategorized, Writing and tagged , ,
29 Apr 2013

500 Poems on the Wall…


Nope. A month is simply not enough. Thirty days hath April, but it would take a lifetime to truly discover the all and all of poetry.

There are at least a bazillion sites dedicated to poetry. I tend to gravitate towards http://www.poets.org, since they celebrate poetry in a BiG way. There is also http://www.poemhunter.com, which has this massive list of 500 poems.  Click and feast.

500 Poems

POETRY SOCIETY POSTCARD

POETRY SOCIETY POSTCARD (Photo credit: summonedbyfells)

Happy Poetry Month!!

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28 Apr 2013
2 Comments

Video Poems


While there are many ways to share poetry, be it by book, blog, spoken, or some such communique, I have found video posts to be like Dark Chocolate Dove Bites–savory and long-lasting.

Here is the poem:

This is Just to Say

I have eaten
the plums
that were in
the icebox

and which
you were probably
saving
for breakfast

Forgive me
they were delicious
so sweet
and so cold

William Carlos Williams

And here is the video:

The poem came alive for me in a different way once viewing the performance.  I remember studying William Carlos Williams in college.  I thought his poems rather mundane–I mean, he talked about wheelbarrows, chickens, plums–all ordinary stuff.  And then I realized there is a cadence, a melody, in all those everyday aspects of life.

For more video poems go to:

www.poets.org

and

www.favoritepoem.org/videos.html

 

Happy Poetry Month!!

English: Photograph (believed to be passport p...

William Carlos Williams: writer of wheelbarrows, plums, and chickens

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27 Apr 2013

Poetry Workshop: #3 Inside, Underneath and Beyond


INSIDE, UNDERNEATH AND BEYOND

This is a poem of exploring matters contained within or underneath or beyond something everyday or even unexplained.  Choose something to explore and decide which direction of discovery to investigate: will it be to dive inside to see what makes it tick or will it be a burrowing sense of exploration where layers are removed and examined, or does the exploration go beyond known boundaries?

 Inside All Poems

Inside all poems

Is a question

And inside this question

Is a quest.

The poet rides out

on a journey to find

the meaning

or an answer

or maybe to hear

an echo of reply

from one who seeks

an answer to the

same question quest.

CM-2012

This form of poetry isn’t quite as popular as the other workshop poems. Upon reflection it might be due to having to look at something from several different viewpoints at the same time to really see it, which can be difficult.  It’s like those crazy illustrations of one viewpoint yielding two faces, one on each side of the goblet–but look again, and it is an old woman.  It means slowing down life for a few nanoseconds and really thinking about: am I looking or seeing?

Creative Challenge:
Take a look at something you see everyday and try on your perspective specs and really look at it–is there something more to it than you thought, or think?  For a real challenge, try this on a person you know.  Uh mmm, now that’s taking it to a new level of seeing instead of looking.

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26 Apr 2013
2 Comments

Poetry Workshop: #2 Definition Poems


DEFINITION POETRY

Take any word or concept or topic and define through a mix or poetical flow and concrete definition to better understand what it is all about, especially on a personal level.

 So It Is With Language

Grammar is the spine

Of prose and all we know

That is called language,

Which is can be spoken

Or written down.

And all those nouns

And verbs

And prepositions

And modifiers that often dangle

And nominative clauses that

Sometimes tangle

Up

Our understanding

Are the vertebrae

And without our vertebrae

There would be not spine

To stand us up

So it is with language

CM-2012

 Childhood

Childhood is that momentary suspense

of disbelief and discovery

That happens all too quickly

Yet,

that eye blink lasts a goodly twelve years by the book

Or quicker

depending on the generation

And for a lucky few

childhood remains

only hidden in discretion

likely to pop out

as the sun peeps behind

the seriousness of gray skies

to offset the dour day

CM-2012

What I appreciate most about definition poetry is how it allows flexibility of perspective.  It captures connotation and denotation without being all textbookish.  And isn’t it oh so clever to sneak in a vocabulary lesson whilst having fun creating wordplay?

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25 Apr 2013
1 Comment

Poetry Workshop: #1 Repetition Poems


I take seriously the celebration of poetry (understatement–AP terms #179).I took on the personal challenge of posting once a day some poetically inclined muse about poetry and as we wrap up the month I shall share some workshop poems from my creative writing class.

Poetry Workshop Poem #1: Repetition Poems

REPETITION POETRY

  1. Pick a word or short phrase for the first line
  2. Add a word or phrase to it for the second line
  3. Take the ending line to create the consecutive lines, adding a new word or phrase each time until poem reaches a satisfactory conclusion

In the garden there is a tree

And in that tree is thinking spot

And in that thinking spot are my daydreams

And in my daydreams are pathways

And on those pathways are choices to make

And from those choices to make I will decide

And from those decisions will become my destiny

And from that destiny I will live my life

And I will live my life always dreaming, always thinking

And I am thankful for trees

CM–2012

tree.jpg

 

Repetition poems are perfect for those students who lament how they can’t get into the poem groove and get something on paper.  It’s also perfect for those who can take its simplicity and play with it.  And yes, I create poems along with my students.  Who can resist coaxing a poem onto the page?

Happy Poetry Month!!

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23 Apr 2013

Forming Poetry: Parodies


Helvetica cattle

Helvetica cattle (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Parody Poems

 

“Imitation is the best form of compliment” or so they say.  A Parody Poem emulates or copies a known style of poet.  Special attention is paid to tone, diction, rhythm, meter—basically getting the poet’s style so that it is recognizable.

 

Here are some parody poems using the famous “Purple Cow” poem:

 

 A Purple Cow

 

By Mr. Gelett Burgess
I never saw a Purple Cow,
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one.

 

 

 

And here are the parodies:

 

Edgar Allen Poe

 

Parody by Susan and David Hollander
One lonely, gloomy, windswept eve
A mournful sound did I perceive.
I cast my eyes beyond the pane
And to my horror down the lane
Came a sight; I froze inside
A spectral cow with purple hide.

Emily Dickinson
Parody by Susan and David Hollander
On far off hills
And distant rills,
Sounds a distant moo.
A purple spot
I think I caught,
Yes! I see it, too!

In Bovine majesty she stands,
Her purple tail she swings,
The amethyst cow,
To my heart somehow,
Perfect joy she brings.

And yet the thought of being
Of that race of royal hue,
Though glowing like the violet sweet,
It really would not do.

William Wordsworth
Parody by Carolyn Wells
She dwelt among the untrodden ways
Beside the springs of Dee;
A Cow whom there were few to praise
And very few to see.

A violet by a mossy stone
Greeting the smiling East
Is not so purple, I must own,
As that erratic beast.

She lived unknown, that Cow, and so
I never chanced to see;
But if I had to be one, oh,
The difference to me!

Rudyard Kipling
Parody by Carolyn Wells*
In the old ten-acre pasture,
Lookin’ eastward toward a tree,
There’s a Purple Cow a-settin’
And I know she thinks of me.
For the wind is in the gum-tree,
And the hay is in the mow,
And the cow-bells are a-calling
“Come and see a Purple Cow!”

But I am not going now,
Not at present, anyhow,
For I am not fond of purple, and
I can’t abide a cow;
No, I shall not go today,
Where the Purple Cattle play.
But I think I’d rather see one
Than to be one, anyhow.

Challenge alert:

Do any of you feel the pull of purple cow within your poetry muse?

 

Posted in creativity, Literature, Poetry, Writing and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
22 Apr 2013

Shaping Up Poetry: Metaphor Thirds


 

joyous heart

joyous heart (Photo credit: Leonard John Matthews)

 

 

I’ve made this a part of our sophomore poetry curriculum and I am always taken by surprise at the superlative poems students produce with this format.  I found this form in  the book Risking Intensity by Judith Rowe Michaels.

Metaphor Thirds

1. Fold a piece of paper into vertical thirds

2. In the first third write five emotions, then fold back the paper

3. In the second column write five colors—these can be basic ones like red, blue, yellow or a bit more imaginative like periwinkle, chartreuse, silver-gray—then fold over this section

4. In the last column write objects or animals

5. Open out all the sections and read directly across

anger                    red                            door

sad                        periwinkle              mirror

 joyful                  chartreuse              star

loneliness         indigo                       blanket

nervous             brown                      rabbit

6. Read each line across to make five metaphorical statements. For example: Anger is a red door, sad is like a periwinkle mirror, joyful as a chartreuse star, loneliness is like an indigo blanket, nervous like a brown rabbit

7. Choose a metaphor statement and begin to think about the feeling, the color, and the object. What associations come to mind? Brainstorm some of what comes to mind with the image.

8. Begin to work the metaphor statement into a poem, either placing the statement as it is written or work the image into a conceptual piece. The metaphor thirds poem actually works best in a free verse form, although internal rhyme works well.

Chartreuse Leaf

Chartreuse Leaf (Photo credit: teresia)

multicolored splendor
that’s just how my day
has been
confetti bits of happiness
round about me
dancing
bright lights
of promise
like spring after
a tedious winter
A happy day filled
with greens, and light
Joyous like a chartreuse star
-(first draft of the poem found on the Triptych of Daffodils post)

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20 Apr 2013
11 Comments

Shaping Up Poetry: Found Poems


Found Poetry is another one of those amazing forms that tweak our known ideas of what poetry should look like or what it should be. So, today let’s look at finding poetry in unexpected places.

What is Found Poetry? (thanks Wikianswers)

A found poem is one in which words and phrases are taken from various sources and then strung together to make sense.

It is named because the elements which compose the poem are “found”. The words or phrases “found”, although they were written in totally different contexts and not meant to be used together, all have some kind of common theme. When placed together, they make a poem that makes sense.

Directions:

1. Grab any prose source (newspaper or magazine articles, ad flyers, instructions, directions, even textbook passages) and select a passage of 100 words or less.

2. Go through and find words and short phrases that have a “poetical” sound or are unusual or simply seem unique or interesting.

3.  If possible cut these out from the source, and if this is not feasible (some schools and libraries are picky about cutting up their books and magazines) write them down.

4.  Collect about 50 words and set them aside (roughly “find” about half of the original count 100=50).

5. Begin moving them around until the poem finds its way on the page.  One idea is to create the basic idea of the original piece. Found Poems can be typed out or formed into a collage.

Of course, these are basic guidelines and there is lots of flexibility to finding your own poem.  Here are a few examples demonstrating the creativity of this form:

First of all, go to Poets.orgto read a “legit” Found Poem.

Now, for some collage styles:

 

This is an example of  blocking out the words in the source (be source it’s okay to do so!):

One other example is taking prose, in this case an excerpt of a short story,  and finding a poem within it: (my rendered interpretation)

From “the Osage Orange Tree” by William Stafford
On that first day of high school in the prairie town where the tree was, I stood in the sun by the flagpole and watched, but pretended not watch, the others.  They stood in groups and talked and knew each other, and standing near the corner looking everywhere but at the crowd.

First Day
She stood lonely
as the tree
in the school courtyard.
Everyone busily
moving
and
greeting
one another
bridging summer into fall.

She stood alone,
like the tree.
I saw her.
She didn’t see me.
As you can read I didn’t follow my own directions of cutting the words down to half.  That’s the loveliest aspect of poetry–it’s aching to have its own rules broken.

Hoping you will find your own poetry in whatever prose you come across.  Finding a poem hiding within the everyday stuff words are made up of is a bonus.

Happy Poetry Month!

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