“CREATIVITY IS FLEETING IN THE MOMENT. SEIZE IT!”
So you want to write poetry, but think you can’t? There’s no such thing. My mentor and friend, John Michael Flynn, former Carl Sandburg Resident Writer and author of many books, the latest of which is “How the Quiet Breathes,” he once told me to write! Write every day! Doesn’t matter what. Just take a moment to write. Suddenly, having practiced the skill, when the moment hits you, BAM! Write it down. I don’t care if it’s two in the morning. I don’t care if your spouse just called you to dinner. Do it! Do what? Write! Jot it down. Put the creative spirit on paper or whatever, but do it! And for God’s sake don’t bother with punctuation or that infernal rhyme for now. seize the moment - Write!
There now, how hard was that? You did it. You did it and polished it up later, perhaps then, perhaps after dinner. Was it a poem? Yep. Was it fun? Oh yeah! Do you want to publish it? Whoa! Not so fast. If you’re writing to publish, it ain’t gonna happen. If you are writing from the soul of the moment, when inspiration hits you - Yesss!
Share it? Of course and listen very, very, very carefully to the reader’s comments. Read it out loud too. Then (the ultimate writer’s secret) have someone read it out loud to you! Trust me. You’ll get it.
Oh, and you know the best thing an author ever told me - “THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS WRITER’S BLOCK!!!” You couldn’t pay me to sit down and write a poem. That’s misery. But I may write two before the day’s out as serendipity plays its devilish game.
I’d like to hear from you. And what’s the first question I’m gonna ask? Are you writing everyday? Are you seizing the moment of creativity. The more you write, the more you write.
Everyone is a poet, and some don’t know it,
Tom Tenbrunsel Author😎
PS: Ask me where I got the title quote😉
Photo of John Michael Flynn and me