Commentary – Reveries That I Call Poetry

How can one learn to write proper poetry (I write poetry but it’s bad)?

This is a question I answered on Quora, and I think it’s worth sharing:

You learn to write proper poetry by consistently writing “bad” poetry, reading “proper” poetry, and discussing it with peers. Along the way, you’ll develop a natural sense for what works and what doesn’t.

Reading is essential to refine your writing, but writing itself is even more important—after all, the goal is to write. For every poem you read, aim to write two or three.

Read more. Write even more.

The gap between the quality of your inspirations and your creations will gradually close.

Balancing self-criticism and self-confidence is crucial: too much self-criticism can undermine your self-confidence, while unchecked confidence can blind you to areas for improvement.

In the beginning, it’s important to write freely, without excessive restrain. You start bold and confident as never, as you are assessing the terrain. Embrace the inevitability of failing, and enjoy the process.

At first, you’ll likely end up with a pile of digital drafts (or a wastebasket full of crumpled papers if you’re oldschool), but over time, you’ll hone both your craft and ability to evaluate your work objectively.

Here’s a metaphor for the balance I mentioned earlier: think of it as a tug of war between self-criticism and self-confidence.

←criticism —.— confidence→

The middle point represents equilibrium.
When the forces are perfectly balanced, you risk stagnation, producing little of value.

Self-confidence needs to win this tug of war, but by a small margin. My hypothesis is that the best outcomes occur when self-confidence slightly outweighs self-criticism—just enough to allow movement and keep you in sight of areas for improvement. Think of it as one side exerting steady, consistent force.

Test the balance for yourself, and over time, you’ll find what works.

A Brief: Straddling the Line between Metatextual Playfulness and Critical Linguistic Rigor.

They’re watching you. Be your ‘theres’ not theirs—you get and got to own what you write. There are rules you can break— only if you know them—; rules you can’t; rules you shouldn’t.

Sometimes perseverance/ Barely even makes a sound/ Underground

It feels like it takes a time and all the energy you have… to find success.

Perseverance: it doesn’t mean banging one’s head against a wall, or as I would depict it “Bare hands/ against a knife/ punching harder and harder”. Sorry for the strong image, only here to be disregarded. I can’t visualize it, but I trust you when you say you can.

But, back to the lines, my all time favorites:

Sometimes perseverance
Barely even makes a sound
Underground

Perseverance, often seen as a strong and vocal force, can sometimes be quiet: hidden (in the confines of one’s mind), subtle, unackowledged… Perseverance is not always relentless force; it can be quiet resilience, shaping outcomes slowly but surely. It can feel like “gentle waters/ kissing the shoreline.”

And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming. Here, listen to this:

How I Format Poetry with inline CSS

Poetry looks beautiful in books, but how does it fare on websites?

To date, we haven’t found a sensible way to format poetry online. What do we do when our verses are so long that they spill over to the next line? How do we visually cue the reader that the continuation is part of the same verse and not a new one? We solve this by indenting the overflow to the right. That’s what’s called hanging indent. Read https://epubsecrets.com/well-hung-poetry-ebooks-and-indents-part-one.php for additional context.

General guidelines suggest using the 
tag for paragraphs and the tag to break the paragraph into verses when formatting poetry with CSS. However, here I use the tag for verse separation instead of the as it provides more freedom to style the verses.

For the desired effect, I use three CSS properties: ‘padding-left’ and ‘text-indent’ for the tag and ‘margin-left’ for the tag. Here, I apply 3em of space.

The ‘padding-left’ property sets the space between the content and the left border, while the ‘text-indent’ specifies the indentation of the first line in a text-block. I then use the ‘margin-left’ to indent the other lines of the text-block.

To illustrate how the css code would look:

<h2>So you sit to write</h2>

You are well versed on how this single verse works
An added verse and that’s a whole nother story
These ‘oneliners’ need to talk to each other
At times they just need to listen to themselves

This produces the following output:

So you sit to write

You are well versed on how this single verse works
An added verse and that’s a whole nother story
These ‘oneliners’ need to talk to each other
At times they just need to listen to themselves

I recommend reading this in a browser (that’s where you should read this blog) to see how it works, and avoid using the Jetpack app reader. Otherwise, my verses might lose impact because I vary the way I structure them, and you might miss the clear separation scheme I intended for a particular poem. Sometimes, they might even look messy due to the app’s built-in styling choices.

If you’re on a mobile device, I suggest you try portrait and landscape page orientation to see how it affects the reading experience. As long as you read in a browser, it should look fine both ways.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on how poetry formatting works best for you online. Your feedback is invaluable in refining these approaches and making poetry more accessible and engaging in the digital realm.

Feel free to leave a comment and join the conversation!

Exploring the Challenges of a Nonet to Summarize the Challenges of Poetry in General

As poets or creative writers in general, we often embrace constrained writing, with its self-imposed limits. While writing freedom is cherished (even considered paramount), constraints can spark creativity, whereas absolute freedom, without a critical intuition for what makes good writing—especially in poetry—can have the opposite effect.

To explore constrained writing, poets have developed various forms, like the nonet. Some forms are more justified than others (well-accepted by poets and readers of poetry), as certain structures may become too rigid, potentially suffocating emotion and meaning.

While constrained poetry often focuses on syllable count, word count can be an equally intriguing challenge. My poem ‘Ink Over Blood,’ the first I wrote seriously in English, plays with this concept. Here I transcribe it, but please follow the link and read it in its original post:

Ink Over Blood

Rain down the reign
Wash away royal blood
The old king’s dead
Long live, new king
Provided the kingdom remains

Gold rule, dark days,
Poet lies, folk sway.
Word wars, fake lore,
King dead, none lead.

See, these four-word verses
Like the four-letter words
Picture a wicked world;
Curse all the kings
For the poet’s takeover.
[The poet takes over.]

This poem remains a personal favorite of mine, as it represents a significant moment in my writing journey. But let’s return to the main point: demonstrating the challenges of constrained poetry, specifically the nonet—a form that, while deceptively simple, presents significant challenges.
This form highlights the tension between freedom and restraint, and I take avantage of the opportunity to raise a question about what truly makes good poetry. Is poetry, and creativity at large, ever truly free from constraints?

Hear me out, ‘mnot saying it out loud
I’d rather whisper it to you
It’s not a word for this crowd
Pack it up everyone
Go and have some fun
Oh, you’re still here
Expecting
Something
Big?

Some might see this arrangement as clever—I would not call it a solid poem—, but it’s important to acknowledge the difficulties presented by the form and this piece’s deficiencies. The nonet’s rigid structure often forces compromises, like breaking sentences unnaturally, especially if you’re unfamiliar with words (as concepts) that are succint and yet have multiple layers of meaning.

One thing I avoid is overly relying on enjambment and slicing up sentences just to fit a form, especially if it dilutes the message or meaning. I’ve seen the extreme of taking a particular common saying or any line of thought not inventive enough, slicing it into three or four verses and calling it a poem. More power to anyone who wants to venture into poetry, and make it more accessible as everyone starts somewhere—but let’s not level down what is [good] poetry.

The final four lines—’Oh, you’re still here / Expecting / Something / Big?’—only work in some way because the earlier lines establish a complete thought in a single verse, but it’s only natural to accomplish that more easily with more syllables or words (becoming significantly difficult as we limit the syllable count). Capitalizing the first letter of each verse also helps them stand alone, masking the form’s constraints and the challenges they present.

While poetry can at times thrive on the principle of ‘less is more,’ it’s crucial to find a balance. Overly constrained forms can limit expression just as much as excessive freedom can dilute meaning. The challenge is to navigate these extremes to create poetry that resonates.

Let me hear your thoughts.

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The Poetic Because

What is a word you feel that too many people use?

The word is what I call “the poetic for”, because… Nah, I don’t know what for. Ba dum tss.

I haven’t read a modern or contemporary poem with the word “because” (a subordinating conjunction) in quite a while. Instead, the somewhat dated “for” (meaning because) doesn’t go out of style, be it for the sake of prosody, the old-fashioned feel, a play on words… the use cases are many, and the word “for” is very versatile as it stands. That said, I don’t condemn the modern or contemporary poet for abusing the word “for” in literary-creative contexts — but I miss “the poetic because”. We might start building its way.

I might use the word “for” in the described context, even in prose, but for a parodic effect (sometimes a deliberate “formal feel”).

Is Aphantasia Actually Bliss?

I’m an aphantasic, and this means I can’t visualize. I can remember, recall, and recollect verbal descriptions of people and things, but not the associated mental images. Either there is no image or the monitor is malfunctioning.

However, I’m much better with “sound”, having been considerably trained in music. I have an inner monologue, but no actual auditory internal sound.

When I read a book, I might take longer breaks between chapters than the average reader (presumably not aphantasic, as aphantasia affects no more than there or four percent of people) just to process all the information . I’m good with descriptive language, as long as I don’t stress myself trying to picture the scenery. But I prefer it concise; too much information thrown together is tiresome, and I suspect it is for non-aphantasics as well.

Questions like “Where do you see yourself in X years?” exhaust me. While I can’t speak for others, I can speak for myself: you can’t expect a chessmaster’s mind from someone too absorbed in the present moment. Aphantasic (or not?).

Although I am not a master of mindfulness, I’ve trained considerably my focus (on the present moment, by definition). This training, along with breathing exercises, has helped me manage my anxiety and become more energy efficient.

Speaking of energy efficiency, I wonder if all the imagery in hyperphantasics’ minds don’t consume a lot of energy, while aphantasic brains spend much less. I also wonder if aphantasics aren’t naturally skilled at abstract/conceptual thinking, as it’s their primary tool.

ADVANTAGES
While some might view aphantasia as a limitation, there are possible advantages to consider. For instance, being unable to visualize may mean fewer distractions. It’s easy to focus on the task at hand without mental images cluttering my thoughts, but I don’t know the other way (if only I could toggle a switch on and off to test that). If there is a connection, it’s particularly beneficial in fields that require intense concentration and problem-solving skills.

Additionally, my reliance on verbal and auditory information has sharpened my ability to understand and remember complex concepts through words and sounds alone. This skill has proven invaluable in my musical training, where I can concentrate deeply on auditory details that others might overlook.

DISAVANTAGES
Of course, living with aphantasia isn’t without its challenges. One significant difficulty is the inability to use visual aids for memory and learning. While others might use mental images to remember faces, places, or events, I have to rely on other strategies.

Moreover, the common societal emphasis on visualization, seen in phrases like “picture your success” or “visualize your goals,” can be frustrating. These concepts are often alien to me, and adapting them to my experience requires creative thinking and adaptation.

EMBRACING APHANTASIA
Despite these challenges, I have come to embrace my aphantasia. It has pushed me to develop unique coping strategies and has fostered a deep appreciation for other senses, particularly sound. My ability to live in the present moment, without the distraction of mental images, has also enhanced my mindfulness practice, helping me manage stress and anxiety effectively. But then again, I don’t know the other way (for a true comparison). It would be no more than anedoctal evidence, anyways.

In conclusion, while aphantasia presents certain challenges, it can also offer unique advantages. By focusing on these strengths and developing strategies to overcome the difficulties, I have found a way to thrive. So, is aphantasia actually bliss? For me, it has become a unique part of my identity.

You don’t have to see it, or picture it to imagine it, despite the “image” metaphor being used in the word (concept) imagine. But it’s good that you can do it. While I can’t.

A Quick Reminder

If you read my blog vertically, you might miss my horizons the broader perspective.

This blog, like many we cherish, is best experienced on a desktop or at least in landscape orientation. While we make efforts to adequate our blogs for every reading scenario possible, verses can get wildly long and difficult to tame. Verses should not, for instance, hyphenate, but even for this matter WordPress can’t forgo his own format decisions for the sake of our stylistic choices and needs. The verse block, said to be the perfect way to display our verses? What a joke! What was they thinking when they came up with that?

Unfortunately, WordPress doesn’t offer a perfect solution for formatting poetry. Men landed on moon, and we still can not design solutions for that! The perfect scenario would be that of hanging indent, but the best we can do is to align “hard right” and have unbalanced text.

We, authors, can experiment with, again, right alignment, preformatted text, and various CSS techniques, but these don’t always capture the intended layout. To get the full experience, try landscpe mode viewing on your phone or using a desktop for reading poetry whenever is possible.

Yet Another Nod to the Crickets

‘Nobody cares*‘, and I write. You know, for the crickets. I am probably going too fast with the frequency of posts here, but I’ll always write when I feel like doing so, as long as I don’t run out of gas soon, or writer’s block hits me hard. Posting is the least of the problems (if it’s a problem at all). Either WordPress says, “fine, you won, now spreading your posts to the grasshopers”, or things remain like they are now. It’s a win-win (because I can’t afford to lose).

I don’t feel like sharing my stuff on social media or the likes, where nobody typically cares for what you write but the image you project, so either people will discover this blog by chance or yay, the crickets will rule this.

Important to note, don’t expect me to write often pieces other than for art’s sake, although there is nothing inherently wrong with writing utilitarian art. Anyone’s entitled to write for social change or the likes, for instance; and I am entitled to focus mainly or solely on aesthetic, the natural world, the language itself, mundane experiences, etc. All while taking advantage of metalanguage, metaphor, imagery (although I can’t, myself, visualize), diacope, etc.

Some are just born with the mojo. I was born with the tenaciousness.

You’re few, but you’re the good ones. Feel free to leave a comment

*I literally mean it ‘in quotes’.