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Thanks for your feedback, too. Hmm, the tenderness and regret I wanted to get across in some of the verses doesn't seem to have come through. If anything, I'll stick away from any more "no promises" sentiments, and might even try to tone down that aspect of the poem, but thanks a lot for the suggestion. Keep 'em coming if you have any more.

Much obliged,

Trevor

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Thanks for your comments, Steve. Questioning myself/the speaker, with some regret, was what I was hoping to express, along with some reaction in the opposite direction, to create a dynamic.

'Walking Separate Fields', like Harry's 'Back in the Country', is a definite contender. Thanks a million.

Hope the writing's going well for you, Steve.

T

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Thanks, Amy. I'll take that as a positive sign, rather than a negative one.

T

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Thanks very much for your input, Máire. Looking at this poem again, though, I'm not sure the sentiments expressed are all that interesting or original, so if it is to work, I think it needs a radical overhaul. Just changing the language, making it more interesting/less bland might be enough, ie. not so straightforward, with most of the poem more like the first two lines.

Your thoughts on this would be helpful, but no worries if you don't get round to it. You've been generous enough already. Hope all's well with you.

T

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Thank you very much for all your feedback, Máire.  It really is very much appreciated.

T

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Thanks, Jeanna. I do wonder if there needs to be more nature and less of the straightforward stuff, which could probably be expressed in a more interesting way via imagery of nature.

Thanks again,

Trevor

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Thanks, Colfaz.

Hmm, general pointers on getting published? Well, I think writing poems to the point of really enjoying the process and being very happy with what you've got are the most important things, but some general tips off the top of my head would be:

Strive to be original in everything you do. Every description, every character, every phrase - examine it and ask yourself: has this (likely) been written/suggested by someone else before? Can I express it in a more interesting and unique way?

Following from that, avoid cliches, unless it's a character who speaks in cliches.

Really consider your approach, the tone and the kind of poem etc you want to write. Don't just hop into it at first thought. How can this poem develop differently to other poems I've written? (especially poems on the same theme)

Make the reader see something differently, eg. compare something to another thing we'd never normally associate it with (this can take time), but don't overload your work with this. Not every description has to be attended by a comparison.

Write every day, or at worst, most days. (I've come across this piece of advice from a lot of writers.) I find giving myself a timetable (certain times for poetry, fiction, songwriting, exercise, breaks etc) works really well for me. Not sure how feasible/successful it'd be for some, though.

Think about the development of your poem. Your initial idea/theme - do you want to pose questions? Maybe explore related things (eg. You're writing a poem about your relationship with your father...Maybe do something like bring in the idea of fatherhood in general, what fatherhood should/could be...Maybe consider and describe his father before him, how he affected his ideas of fatherhood. And maybe consider their influence on you). Applying question like where, what, who, when and how to your theme can throw up some interesting developments, if you're willing to spend time at it.

Kep notes of all your ideas. Don't let any slip by. Some ideas, when you look at the again, though, might not be all that original/worth the effort.  

Don't be too obsessed with your own style. Variety is the best style, in my opinion, as long as the results of those different varieties are all fairly good, in your opinion. Then again, I suppose there'd be no point in writing very abstract poems, for example, if you weren't happy with the results after a lot of efforts. Variety of tone within a work is generally a good feature, I think, though plenty of good poems don't have big shifts in tone, I'd say.

Dealing with publishers or magazine editors: be polite; be concise; be gracious if your work isn't accepted, be thick-skinned; try other publishers; don't send until you've reached a high level of the above points, especially originality and interesting work.

Constantly consider improvement all the time, even when you're already happy with something. Put your work out there, whether online or in classes. Don't be precious or egotistical about it. If someone doesn't like what you've written, that's simply one person's opinion (just as having work accepted by a publisher/editor is often just one person's opinion - so don't get too big-headed). If a person is obviously trying to be obnoxious by giving feedback in a certain tone, ignore their personality but take the meaning of their words and ask yourself if it's something that could improve your work. But at the end of the day, it should really be something you feel would improve it.

Be happy that you're writing at all, whether published or not. Creativity is a gift. You're lucky.

I hope some of that helps.

Trevor

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Thanks, Colm. All I can say is it;'s a long slog (well, for me anyway). Most of what I wrote for the first 6-8 years or so is now in the rubbish heap. I think we do improve over time, with an open mind and a serious approach. I have loads of notes I've accumulated over the years, which those I edit/teach tend to find helpful, but I'm still learning and adding to it occasionally myself. Planning and developing the basic idea are definitely things I would stress.

Good luck with it all. Enjoy it - that's the main thing.

T 

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