how do you really write?

[hmmnmm]

there's much to love in this poetic reply, hmmnmm

Heh.
Well, not meaning to sound cantankerous but I tend to balk at the idea of writing, because I ain't very good (or interested) in the 'writing about' stuff. What gets me revved up is thinking in terms of fields or orchards or river banks, etc, just kinda mosey out there, maybe carry a camera (literal or not), or a sketch pad (literal or not), and just take a sit somewhere in the shade or by the water, just look around, close eyes and listen to sounds, etc, maybe pluck a handful of berries off their bushes, or pebbles from the shores, come back to the shack, throw the items on the table, and just start experimenting with their arrangements. Shapes and spaces. So instead of 'what's it mean' or 'what's it about' it's more like: how does it feel, how does it look, how does it sound, etc, and each movement could be questioned as to whether it is the best or if it advances or retards or cools or livens; and of course it's all subjective perceptions which are subject to change every moment, so there's really no end or finish in sight, just a matter of deciding when and where to stop for the day and whether or not to show any given arrangement at its given stage to anyone beyond this shack's porch. In other words, and as I've said many times: if I could draw or paint I'm pretty sure I would not spend too much energy or worry with the attempt to write.

 

[EroticOrogeny]

I write my poetry in my notebooks, often just one, but sometimes a couple so can have more of the words in front of me at once, without having to flip pages. Some get finished, others are abandoned, at least for now.
I know what I intend to write about, taht justs is in my head - only the words on paper.
If its free verse its generally just a typing exercise, for form I'll run it thru my meter program. I extended the program to be interactive, rather than just taking a .txt (or .doc) to .html so I can better play with the meter.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

I write my poetry in my notebooks, often just one, but sometimes a couple so can have more of the words in front of me at once, without having to flip pages. Some get finished, others are abandoned, at least for now.
I know what I intend to write about, taht justs is in my head - only the words on paper.
If its free verse its generally just a typing exercise, for form I'll run it thru my meter program. I extended the program to be interactive, rather than just taking a .txt (or .doc) to .html so I can better play with the meter.

I was with you until you got to 'interactive' then you lost me completely!

 

[EroticOrogeny]

I was with you until you got to 'interactive' then you lost me completely!

You type in a line and it prints out the line with colors to indicate accents:
Here's an example:

Line:could restore me to sanity
could restore me to sanity pyrrhus trochee iamb pyrrhus (4)
Line:

The underlined blue is the prompt, the magenta is what I type, and it prints out the red (accented) and black text.
This allows you to iterate with your words.
It also asks you about words it doesn't know so you can fix a typo or update the dictionary.
In its non-interactive mode you'll type something like
> meter poem.txt
and poem.html is generated, which you can look at in your browser.

 

[DeepGreenEyes]

I hold an idea in my mind and let it grow. Once it's a sapling, I transfer it to a webmail file. That way I can work on it anywhere, little by little, and save drafts within the mail program.

Then I kick it out into the world.

 

[UnderYourSpell]

You type in a line and it prints out the line with colors to indicate accents:
Here's an example:

Line:could restore me to sanity
could restore me to sanity pyrrhus trochee iamb pyrrhus (4)
Line:

The underlined blue is the prompt, the magenta is what I type, and it prints out the red (accented) and black text.
This allows you to iterate with your words.
It also asks you about words it doesn't know so you can fix a typo or update the dictionary.
In its non-interactive mode you'll type something like
> meter poem.txt
and poem.html is generated, which you can look at in your browser.

mutters to self WTF ..... erm great yeah thanks for that

 

[butters]

i'm a big fan of chocolate and nuts

salt included.

 

[The_Fool]

i'm a big fan of chocolate and nuts

salt included.

Bridge mix. Turtles.

 

[Palba_Noruda]

Sometimes I put on just the right kind of thing on the tv and get some singing going on the computer and put a book in the typing stand next to the computer and just try to channel different lines or images that stand out and then add in whatever bubbles up from my own insides at the same time.