Keep Your Pen Up

It’s work shopping time in Creative Writing for CreCommer’s first short story. It’s always an interesting experience, handing over words to be tasted, chewed, and sometimes digested. Other times, regurgitated.

It can dishearten any normal, heart beating, pulse pounding, and somewhat human writer; but CreComms are aware that failing is just one spell check away. The beauty of writing is that there is no failure, per se.

Just a ton of drafting and revision if you want success.

 So in honor of writers, artists, and overall cre.ators – keep your head up. I found a poem I wrote out of frustration after a few months of my work just being, well – torn apart. A lot of the language I used was from an example editing draft we got of our teacher’s work, overdone with errors to the exaggerate our faults. Needless to say, I’m definitely not as attached to first, second, fourth, and tenth drafts as I was a year ago when this one was penned. 

Cre.ature Tip: They’re just words. Cross them out if you don’t like them. Like the word Fungus. Doesn’t mean we don’t like you.

Disposable Copy
by Daniella Ponticelli

You just can’t read about
EXPLOSIONS!
forever, of course not.
You have other,
more important
things to do in life.

Like write. Let’s right that.

It’s a rare moment when words surprise you
DOPPELGANGER
that one took you by surprise.

Hollywood long laid claim
excitement-via-explosions!
But it’s a writer’s fear
rejection-via-silence.
The comments all too similar
“A strong beginning”–
It starts with an
EXPLOSION! of sorts. No ending, a limp finish spud.

No pop or sizzle
No left behind firecracker dust
Foolish powder
    is needed here.
Tolkien had the best luck.

The EXPLOSIONS will have to be
all in CAPS, just to show
to pointedly illustrate
When they happen, when least expected
of course they are.

[Insert EXPLOSION! here]

So far the author
offered a good deal of excitement.
What an indictment.
“Reader Disagreement” scribbled
In the margins.
Too much of a set up.
Too overt of a writer’s stumbling block. Of a writer grappling with the subject.
Too much too soon

KABOOM!

All hail thou Editor.
Apparently, upon mere happenstance,
another
EXPLOSION!

Paper scraps fluttering all around
words are so heavily loaded
although one never notices.
Hopes you exploded.

*

About these ads