Well . . . I did make it through the 30 Days, 30 Poems (& 30 Forms) challenge for National Poetry Month with some semblance of a brain left over—I think. And though there were many days I would come home late and still have to check in to get the prompt, I could usually figure out a form to use. Also, I’d kept a couple of short forms for those days when I knew I would be away from home.
What did I learn from doing this?
–that writing in a more formal style than I usually do can be challenging and fun.
–I found a few forms I really like a lot.
–writing a sonnet is not as horrible a task as I thought it might be.
–that some forms are awkward fits to the theme of a poem.
–some forms, esp. those that require refrains, fit other themes perfectly. (Such as “raging at the gods.” The refrain feels like one is raging.)
–a refrain has to be a great stand-alone line for it to be heard repeatedly in a poem and work well.
What did I get from doing this?
–a little more confidence in myself and my ability to work within given constraints.
–a few great lines.
–fewer good poems, but some excellent drafts that I can polish. (Some will need to have their forms changed.)
–a sense of being able to work under pressure.
–pride in having finished such a challenge with the added constraint of the forms/techniques.
–a broader sense of being part of a community of poets.
– tired fingers, tired brain . . .
–a great deal of satisfaction.
Would I do it again? You bet!
Happy Poetry . . . Keep Writing!
Shutta