[Critique Group 2] Leonard's comment's re: Brad

[tuchyner5 at aol.com]

This is achallenging piece of work.  



I think you’vedone a supurb job in describing the process, 



though I have somesuggestions and questions.   



I found it to be athought provoking  essay. 



It is academic innature. 



Consequently, itis not a spellbinding, can’t-put-it-down kind of work. 



Yet, you’vemanaged to make it exciting and worth the effort to to study the essay.



It’sworth severalreads, and should be published.




 


Thoughts On ThePoetic Process: an essay

© By Brad Corallo

Word count 825


 


Linda Gray Sexton wrote: “writing is magic. Because itharnesses the energy generated by the chaos within.”(1) So, what is a poet buta lightning rod of the human condition? The desirability of being a lightningrod is questionable. Psychological thunder storms are a needed source of one’senergy. Thus a certain amount of violent and exquisite pain must inspire andinform the poet’s work. In addition to sharing the magic of the strike ofelectrically created luminescence, a lightning rod also conducts and safely dispersesenergy. This process may be seen as the basis of the poet’s creative spark andwith artfully channeled energy a poem may be quickened. 

Everything in thisparagraph is so far beautifully written.  



Electrifying , onemight say.




 


For some, this process can be cathartic and eventherapeutic. Of course, there is a price to pay for catharsis and therapy.Endurance, intensity and hard work are often required. 


 


In this writer’s experience, things that are lessspectacular than lightning strikes often are the events that nudge theevolution of one or more word sequences toward the development and birth of apoem. Almost anything: a song, a cat rolling over in a patch of sunlight, anunpleasant bus trip, observing people interacting, an unusual odor and an icecream cone to mention a few can cause the creation of a seemingly significantphrase or word sequence. When this happens the poet must get it written down insome fashion as soon as possible. After this occurs, a complex creative processmay be activated. Sometimes these phrases and word sequences can ignite afrenzy of ideas which are written down rapidly and even feverishly. At thisstage, the poet is not concerned with perfecting language. Rather it is moreimportant to capture connected ideas or images before they get away. 

 Great  description. This is (one) example of howa  poem may be generated.



It certainly fitswhat is most often my process.




 



 


Other times, thoughts and images may slowly constellatearound the initial seed i.e. the seemingly significant phrase or word sequence.In this case, shifting around the various components may facilitate poemdevelopment. 

I believe you aresaying that non-vocalized sensations can inspire  a poem in the same way that words andlanguage can. 



Of course, sinceit is a poem, these impressions have to be translated into words.




 


For some, once the process is activated, God help anyone oranything that interrupts or interferes with it. Other poets can start and stopthe process; finding that periods of time away from the developing organism canenhance its flourishing and growth. 

It often worksthat way for me.



*

Approximately five years ago, when I had a first poempublished, I was deeply invested in trying to figure out where poems came from.I wrote the below then and have resurrected it as I believe it is seminal tothe current effort. I am not sure if there need to be eight steps in theprocess. Some may be combined. But I do think that the below does accurately putinto words a process that still can amaze me after all the poems and all theyears. Truly, it still does and I think it always will.


 


1. Idea/inspiration: this occurs when I feel the “itch” fromwhich a poem can come. It might start from something I hear, observe orexperience or it can come like a flash from somewhere unknown. 

One source notmentioned is when you try to find  theinspiration or idea without it coming unexpectedly. 



People who writeon a schedule, need to develop that source.




 


2. Incubation: this takes place in the mind. It is a processin which the idea/inspiration gathers crucial bits which will be importantparts of its expression. 

Here, exampleswould be helpful.




 


3. Initial burst: frenzied compulsive writing about theincubated idea/inspiration.

Although I amfamiliar with this step, much of my writing does not go through a frenzied,compulsive step.   



It’s nice when itdoes. 



A lot of writingis just slogging through wetlands.




 


4. Irrigation: this involves feeding the main emergingthemes of the proto-poem.

Examples needed.




 


5. Crystallization: this is the forming of the basic matrixof the poem.

Is this likeoutlining.  



Is this justgetting a clearer idea of where the poem is going and what it will be about? 



I’m pretty sureyou don’t mean this. 



I think you candescribe this step more clearly.




 


6. paring: this is eliminating whole lines, repositioningwords and lines and generally cutting out the deadwood.

Absolutely.   Clear.




 


7. Polishing: this is taking the pared piece and doing finetuned word substitution, smoothing phrasing, refining lines and pauses anddetermining desired punctuation. 

Easily understood.



Absoluelynecessary.




 



 


8. completion: this is that moment when you know that forbetter or worse the poem is indisputably DONE!!! Some writers have told me that“8” can be indefinite for them. For me “8” is when the “itch” in “1” is fullyand comfortably scratched and the cat purrs.

Sometimes thisnever happens, yet the piece is ready for presentation.




 


NOTES:

(1) Linda Gray Sexton

Searching for ADDRESS:
Mercy Street
: my journey back to my mother Anne Sexton,

 Little Brown andCompany

1994 (audio version) section “Companionship.” 


 


2. The portion above the star was written August 27, 2019totally independent of the section below the star and was influenced by myemersion in Anne Sexton’s life and work. 


 


3. The section below the star was written September 20, 2014and was inspired by an interview with Margo Lagattuta from Books and Beyond inwhich she discussed her piece “The Seven Elephants of Creativity.” As statedabove, I was about to be published for the first time around 9-20-14 and wasobsessed with the question of where poems came from. I wrote the second sectionbelow the star accept for the bridging paragraph at that time. Originally therewas no thought of fitting it into the current piece. However I somehow rememberedit,reread it and felt it was well thought out and worthy of inclusion. 


 


jamesstarfire at gmail.com


 

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