Even if you don't (want to write poetry, that is)--even if you're the staunchest writer of romance or science fiction or children's books--it might be worth considering incorporating a poetry practice into your writing routine.
Nearly every post on this blog is writing or motivation-related, meant to inspire and encourage writers in some way (or give them something new to try or think about). I'm fairly good at passing along things I've learned about writing over the years, but I'm not always that great about discussing the craft-related books that inspire me.
(That should change, obviously, so I'm keeping these recommendations in mind for future posts.)
At any rate, I just wrapped up The Portable MFA in Creative Writing, and while it contained a nice overview of what you might learn about fiction, essay writing, magazine writing, playwriting, and poetry in an actual MFA program, I have to say that the poetry section stood out the most, with advice for application that seemed super-practical.
This part of the book was written by Rita Gabis, and it contained an eight-week program full of poetry analysis, freewriting, and poem structuring.
"But Katie, I don't want to write poetry," you say. "I barely made it past the title of this post."
To this, I would reply: maybe you don't think you want to write poetry, and perhaps you don't want to write poetry for publication, but I can't think of any ways in which writing poetry won't help with your romance novel, children's book, or sci-fi thriller.
Poetry is writing, after all. But more than that: it's deep writing. Something about poetry pulls at our subconscious. It makes us more aware of images and rhythm and word choice. It heightens our thoughts about the underlying meanings and hidden messages in a simple phrase or sentence.
A good poem is good writing, and I just can't see how being able to write a good poem could possibly hurt a fiction writer. In fact, I would argue that it could only make you better.
So, if you're in the market for a new writing craft book, The Portable MFA in Creative Writing is a solid pick. Each section is full of advice and conventional wisdom, but it's worth the price for the poetry section alone.
Sit down with it. Try Gabis's eight-week program.
As an aside, I've bookmarked it for myself for future application, as I would never tell you to try something I wouldn't--even if I already do write poetry on occasion. My problem is that I have one more craft book on my summer reading list as well as an eight-hour writing course to finish (as a student) before my classes (as a teacher) pick back up in July.
BUT . . . if YOU have some free time remaining this summer, just for curiosity's sake, see what spending 45 minutes to an hour every day for eight weeks with poetry can do for your writing.
And always: Be Brilliant!
~Katie~
