Readings for 21JAN10

Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones" so far has been interesting to say the least. Reading the first couple of chapters, I get the idea that I'm probably reading the correct book to help with my writing. The author's demeanor is not the same as if she was going to be writing a text book, and for this I am thankful. I found the story about her waiting in line at a buffet extremely humorous, also she brought up a good point. Why is it that whenever we study some kind of literature it's written by someone who's dead? I suppose it's simply the amount of time that the book has been out for it to gain some kind of following, or something.

I like her approach to writing, or I should say, her approach at getting me to write. The overwhelming block that you have to leap over before actually writing something is huge. Luckily she's able to pacify it with a simple answer... just write. It doesn't matter what you're writing about, or who you're writing to, just that you write. The idea that writing is something like a sport, one that requires practice, is probably the best point that I've heard to this point. The time spent simply writing is a practice event, and it really doesn't necessarily have to be the next War and Peace. What it does is loosen that person up to be able to write the next War and Peace when the time comes.

As for the Sonnets, I honestly believe that they were the most difficult read that I've faced in quite some time. I'm not a fan of poetry in of itself, considering that it leaves open so many blanks. I've heard the expression of comparing the written word to a painting and how they're both works of art. I understand completely and actually perpetuate that imagery when I speak of the written word. To me however, poetry seems like a modern art masterpiece (Even though it's been around for a long time) in that it's just a blank canvas that leaves the viewer (In this case reader) to fill in the space. Perhaps I'm missing something, but I would rather have that person tell me a story, not have me put what I believe the story should be into some kind of Mad Lib interpretation of what the story is.