Friday, October 13, 2006
A writing exercise.
I have given myself a writing exercise (and maybe I have phrase it in legalese). The purpose of the exercise was to give my new voice some direction. However, I would really appreciate other's input/answers to this question.
What are a writer's duties and/or obligations?
Feel free to email me or post your answer as a comment.
I have given myself a writing exercise (and maybe I have phrase it in legalese). The purpose of the exercise was to give my new voice some direction. However, I would really appreciate other's input/answers to this question.
What are a writer's duties and/or obligations?
Feel free to email me or post your answer as a comment.
Comments:
MartÃn Espada (quoting someone else I think): To make the invisible visible.
Whitman said (of the poet): To cheer slaves and horrify despots.
Rich Villar (of no particular poetic ilk yet): To tell the truth, even if you have to lie.
Without sounding like too much of a jackass, I think the ultimate obligation of the writer is to write. More specifically, your obligation is to your own voice. Sounds so simple, but too often we writers do everything else BUT write: "life" can be a real pain in the ass that way. One lesson I've had to learn is that "life," whatever form that takes for you, should be your impetus for writing, not the impediment. A writer must experience as much of life as possible through her/his writing. That's how you devolop a voice, your unique outlook on whatever you choose to write about; and that's also how you keep your writing muscles sharp. And it looks like you've been doing that anyway.
You're an intelligent, unquieted, socially conscious young attorney. You're Puerto Rican, you're married to a great dude, you're part of many different communities, you're a daughter, a sister, a woman. You might think all these poems have been written already, but trust me when I tell you that there's an entire universe of your making still waiting to unfold on your pages. Stay true to that, and you'll be gravy.
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Whitman said (of the poet): To cheer slaves and horrify despots.
Rich Villar (of no particular poetic ilk yet): To tell the truth, even if you have to lie.
Without sounding like too much of a jackass, I think the ultimate obligation of the writer is to write. More specifically, your obligation is to your own voice. Sounds so simple, but too often we writers do everything else BUT write: "life" can be a real pain in the ass that way. One lesson I've had to learn is that "life," whatever form that takes for you, should be your impetus for writing, not the impediment. A writer must experience as much of life as possible through her/his writing. That's how you devolop a voice, your unique outlook on whatever you choose to write about; and that's also how you keep your writing muscles sharp. And it looks like you've been doing that anyway.
You're an intelligent, unquieted, socially conscious young attorney. You're Puerto Rican, you're married to a great dude, you're part of many different communities, you're a daughter, a sister, a woman. You might think all these poems have been written already, but trust me when I tell you that there's an entire universe of your making still waiting to unfold on your pages. Stay true to that, and you'll be gravy.
