I really appreciate you joining in this week's discussion.
>>The works on which I cut my teeth, the ones that were part of the common knowledge in my country and those that I came to know and love later<<
I grew up with classics like Rudyard Kipling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, and Shel Silverstein. Then I got into school, looked at the books, and said, "Wow, this is CRUD. There is no music in it." I could tell quickly that the poems were flawed or lacking in rhyme or meter. It took me a lot longer to identify and articulate the many other techniques used by master-linguist poets. But one of the sweetest compliments for my poetry that I've ever received was "Heinlein by way of Kipling" in regards to "One Ship Tall."
Not all poetry has to be narrative, but it does need to speak clearly to the reader. There's a difference between mysterious and muddy. It can be about the everyday or the epic, but it should have meaning. You look at my book of nature poetry, about half that is inspired by where I live or places I've personally visited, and the other half is places I've read about or researched otherwise. You look at my narrative poetry, it's full of details or plotlets that people have told me, like gathering wool from a fence to spin into yarn.
There are lots of reasons to write poetry -- for personal amusement, for memory, for art -- but if you want it to be powerful then it has to distill the world into a tight, strong ply that won't unravel at the first tug. Most contemporary poetry is just ... fluff.
>>I realize the implications of national myths and their use in propaganda, and the backlash of the Second World War and the horrid misuse of the ancient legends, all legitimate reasons for wanting to move away from them.<<
Everything powerful can be abused. Theology is no less susceptible than entheogens and the results are about as bad.
>>Some might find a shared world too confining, I love the interplay, the conversations that spark different ideas in everybody involved<<
I think it depends on the project and the people. Some are too confining for my taste. Others are more flexible or just more knowledgeable. Ellen Million designed Torn World using her experience of what worked and what didn't from previous projects. I suggested parameters for Silk Road Allies using that, plus my previous research into shared worlds, but also considering that we just happened to have several high-caliber experts -- not a resource that many shared worlds enjoy. So each one is going to be unique, and that's a good thing. You can't force it, and you can't copy it; that never works out well. You have to think about your resources and what things you enjoy, then try to create a framework that will support that.
I've really enjoyed hearing about your journey from reader to patron to poet, too!
Thank you!
>>The works on which I cut my teeth, the ones that were part of the common knowledge in my country and those that I came to know and love later<<
I grew up with classics like Rudyard Kipling, J.R.R. Tolkien, Dr. Seuss, and Shel Silverstein. Then I got into school, looked at the books, and said, "Wow, this is CRUD. There is no music in it." I could tell quickly that the poems were flawed or lacking in rhyme or meter. It took me a lot longer to identify and articulate the many other techniques used by master-linguist poets. But one of the sweetest compliments for my poetry that I've ever received was "Heinlein by way of Kipling" in regards to "One Ship Tall."
Not all poetry has to be narrative, but it does need to speak clearly to the reader. There's a difference between mysterious and muddy. It can be about the everyday or the epic, but it should have meaning. You look at my book of nature poetry, about half that is inspired by where I live or places I've personally visited, and the other half is places I've read about or researched otherwise. You look at my narrative poetry, it's full of details or plotlets that people have told me, like gathering wool from a fence to spin into yarn.
There are lots of reasons to write poetry -- for personal amusement, for memory, for art -- but if you want it to be powerful then it has to distill the world into a tight, strong ply that won't unravel at the first tug. Most contemporary poetry is just ... fluff.
>>I realize the implications of national myths and their use in propaganda, and the backlash of the Second World War and the horrid misuse of the ancient legends, all legitimate reasons for wanting to move away from them.<<
Everything powerful can be abused. Theology is no less susceptible than entheogens and the results are about as bad.
>>Some might find a shared world too confining, I love the interplay, the conversations that spark different ideas in everybody involved<<
I think it depends on the project and the people. Some are too confining for my taste. Others are more flexible or just more knowledgeable. Ellen Million designed Torn World using her experience of what worked and what didn't from previous projects. I suggested parameters for Silk Road Allies using that, plus my previous research into shared worlds, but also considering that we just happened to have several high-caliber experts -- not a resource that many shared worlds enjoy. So each one is going to be unique, and that's a good thing. You can't force it, and you can't copy it; that never works out well. You have to think about your resources and what things you enjoy, then try to create a framework that will support that.
I've really enjoyed hearing about your journey from reader to patron to poet, too!