Saturday, August 28, 2010
Pedagogy - Week 2
The process of revision is a little daunting. To be purposeful in the revision takes discipline. A discipline I have never really had. In the past, I've just written a poem and left it alone. Since no one was going to be reading it, I figured it was good just the way it was. After revisiting some of my older poems; however, I realize the revision process is an absolute necessity. Using the exercises discussed in class and in the texts, I began rewriting one particular poem by incorporating it into my improv entry this week. Even though time has given me a different perspective on it and I almost feel like a stranger wrote the original, I am struggling to rework this darn thing. For now, the revision has made my brain hurt and I'm going to go do something that does not require so much concentration. Don't worry, I'll get back to it. Eventually.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Yes, revision--regardless of what Ginsberg says--is quite valuable and mostly necessary. The early drafts can be wild, should be wild. Still, what I often miss in those Ginsberg poems is compression. I love the speed with which poetry operates. It's velocity is often its most startling quality. Look how much information Komunyakaa squeezes into "Facing It" or Plath into "Morning Song."
ReplyDelete