Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday: Ups and Downs of the Writing Life

March 8, 2024 /
Laura Purdie Salas is our host this week! Hop on over there for the roundup. 
 

Growing from the Ups and Downs of the Writing Life

 
This week has been full of ups and downs in my writing life.
 

Ups

  • 3 writing things completed and turned in before their deadlines
  • Taxes turned in to my accountant (this year was especially tedious)
  • Two poems accepted for The Dirigible Balloon 
 

Downs

I received a scathing “review” of a trio of haiku that I submitted to a contest. I can take critiques. In fact, I’ve spent part of this week going through critiques for two different projects. I made lists of ways to tackle these projects and make them better.
 
But this critique/criticism/review was different. It seemed to have an axe to grind. Luckily, the correspondence said that everyone in the contest received a “review.” It could have been titled “a long paragraph on all the ways you are a bad poet.”
 
I’ll be the first to admit, I have a LONG way to go as a poet. I’m still learning every day. But this was hard learn from. Beyond this blog, I haven’t sent many haiku out in to the world. I’m still committed to “showing my work” as Austin Kleon encourages, even if it’s “in progress.” This review didn’t give me any tangible things to make my work better. 
 
My area of growth this week is trying to put away the criticism for a week then come back to it. Maybe by then I’ll be able to see it with different eyes. If not, then I’ll just shred it.
 
I wasn’t the only one who seemed discouraged this week. I have received several messages from friends that have also received discouraging news. It’s part of the writing life. It seems like often there are many more downs than ups. It takes a lot of noes to get to a yes. It takes years of hearing hard things before hearing something good. Often there are doors that just get shut (or slammed) right in front of you. I’m grateful for community that understands the downs of this business.
 
I keep coming back to the fact that I’d still write whether it was going to be published or not. It’s part of who I am—ever since I was a kid. And, in the grand scheme of things, a scathing review of a poem isn’t that bad. I just always like to learn something from the criticism.
 

New Poems in the World

 
In case you want to see my poems at The Dirigible Balloon, here are the links:
 
One of the things I love about this site is that it’s free and accessible to teachers and students. It’s a great repository of poems to help with poetry units or to sprinkle in poetry all year long. We often use it for our “Poetry Friday” feature on our morning news show. 
 

Haiku of the Week

 
wind-crisped petals
faded in winter sun—
year-end frazzle
 
Photo Taken: December 21, 2023 at Green Spring Gardens
Haiku Written: January 19, 2024
 
 
 
 

Poem as Picture Book

by Lisa Rogers
Illustrated by Il Sung Na
Anne Schwartz Books, 2023
 

This is a 447 word picture book biography written as a poem about John Cage.

Poetry Connections

  • Repetition
  • Refrain
  • Second Person POV
  • List Poem
  • Strong verbs

Links

 

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28 Comments

  • PATRICIA J FRANZ

    March 8, 2024 at 9:24 AM

    Congrats on the poems for Dirigible, Marcie! – AND getting taxes in while meeting your writing deadlines! Tell THAT to that stinkin’ reviewer! Sigh…
    Yes, the downs sting. And yes, we’d write anyway.
    But what the heck? Why can’t feedback be constructive??

    Here’s to writing on!

  • Tracey Kiff-Judson

    March 8, 2024 at 9:26 AM

    Marcie, I can’t imagine such harsh criticism for your work. Your haikus are stunningly beautiful. I love your two poems for Dirigible Balloon. When I saw the title, “What To Do At The Airport” I immediately needed to know! You did not disappoint. : )

  • Rose Cappelli

    March 8, 2024 at 2:12 PM

    Well I for one have learned a lot from reading your work, Marcie. Your haiku are great examples for everyone. Congratulations are your two published poems. I especially love “What to Do at the Airport” – so engaging for kids and fun to read out loud.

  • Jone

    March 8, 2024 at 9:15 PM

    Congrats on being accepted by The Dirigible Balloon. I am mad at myself for missing the deadline (even it I was sick). I am sorry about the scathing critique. Putting it away for a while is smart. I am really glad you shared this post. I need to be remind that the downs can be weathered by the ups.

  • Alan j Wright

    March 8, 2024 at 9:41 PM

    This writing life certainly delivers both mud and flowers at times, Marcie. We need the hide of elephants and the persistence of beavers at times like these. Celebrate the good news and only allow the bad news to impact once, before casting it aside. Criticism that lacks any constructive advice is the work of those who regularly sip on vinegar. The Dirigible Balloon postings are a balm for the soul. Haiku on! Writing can exhaust us ,but rarely does it disappoint us.

  • Sarah Grace Tuttle

    March 8, 2024 at 10:16 PM

    Yes– writing is quite the whiplash business. Honestly, sometimes a good wallow with a cup of hot chocolate feels like a business expense! But, those good moments are just SO good… congrats on all your good news! And for the phrase “year-end frazzle,” which describes my garden exactly. Al the weed stalks were left for… overwintering insects. Yeah. That’s it!

  • Denise Krebs

    March 8, 2024 at 11:13 PM

    Marcie, congratulations on all the Ups of your week! The Dirigible poems are each fun and unique. They are great examples of how important a title can be. The Down section was hard to read. I’m so sorry that feedback wasn’t more constructive. I like your plan to shred it, if after a week, it doesn’t sit better and show itself to be helpful. Did you read Irene’s “How to Rebound from Rejection”? I thought it was really good. https://smack-dab-in-the-middle.blogspot.com/2024/03/for-writers-how-to-rebound-from.html

  • Laura Purdie Salas

    March 9, 2024 at 7:55 AM

    Boo to rubbish reviews. Not to reviews that say your work is lacking, but to reviews that are, essentially, rubbish themselves. Poetry is SO varied and personal, it can be really difficult to critique in a meaningful way. Sounds like the reviewer failed spectacularly in this case. Meanwhile, your image and haiku totally capture what I felt like by the end of December! xo

  • Linda Mitchell

    March 9, 2024 at 5:44 PM

    oooof! Sorry you had to feel those downs. That’s never any fun for anybody. I so enjoy your haiku cards. I’m amazed at your productivity. Keep on writing, kid! You’re awesome.

  • Molly Hogan

    March 10, 2024 at 8:11 AM

    Marcie, congrats on having your poems in The Dirigible Balloon! I really appreciate how honestly you wrote about the criticism you received. Non-constructive feedback is the pits. It sounds like your plan–wait, return, reconsider and potentially shred– is a solid and healthy one. As always, I love your haiku photo pairing and, as I should be writing report card comments right now, I totally appreciate the word “frazzle”.

  • Michelle Kogan

    March 12, 2024 at 1:10 AM

    Loved Alan’s comments to you, especailly about the vinegar. Constructive criticism is important, along with your thoughts of putting it aside and coming back to it. I’ve resubmitted to places in similar situations and gotten to the other side, gotta keep going, especially if you love writing. Wonderful descriptive haiku and pic, you captured frazle well. Congrats on the Dirigible Poems, love your “lollygag–favorite word of mine,

  • Karen Edmisten

    March 14, 2024 at 9:29 AM

    Congrats on the ups, including getting the tax stuff sent off. The downs sound particularly harsh this week, which certainly says more about the “reviewer” than about your work. Helpful critiques? Yes, please. Slams for the sake of slamming? Not helpful, thanks.

    Keep going! ❤️

  • Bridget Magee

    March 18, 2024 at 7:40 AM

    Sending you a commiserate rejection hug, Marcie. I just got rejected from a daily email haiku site for the ELEVENTH time. (that’s 5 submissions per open period x 11 times: 55 rejected poems over the course of about 5 years) I read the daily emailed poems from this publication, contemplate why each one got picked, yet none of mine, and conclude I have no idea! Despite there being zero dollars or physical anthology, I will continue to submit to this publication. Just to spite them! Ha!