Like a blushing bride, impeccable from head to toe and listening for the first strains of the Wedding March, works of art require just that: Work and time to re-work. Years ago, as a professor teaching English literature, I introduced students to examples of exquisite poetry: Victorian age poets’ William Blake “The Tiger,” John Keats’ excerpt from the “Eve of St. Agnes,” and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s from “The Runaway Slave at Pilgrim’s Point.” After we read such polished prose, my students and I flipped to the back of the book where we observed the labor involved and (I hoped) noticed the value of revision to create the best possible result.
My students may have gasped as they saw these titans of literature slash through words, draw large X’s through whole stanzas—their struggle apparent as they wrestled through drafts to perféct their works in process.
“The Eve of St. Agnes” is a Romantic narrative poem set in the Middle Ages, written by John Keats in 1819. (Norton Anthology of English Literature, 2006)
In a different age and on a smaller scale, I realize that when I write prose or poetry, I go through the same struggle: trial and error, revision—sometimes handwritten, or sometimes using the strike-through function on my WORD document (found just after the Bold, Italics, and Underline keys in Microsoft Word.)
One Saturday in late July, I sat on a white bench just on the edge of the lake behind our house. I found myself enjoying the warm breezes funneling over the lake and cooling my face though the day was hot. I didn’t plan to write a poem, but the vision of the lake and the cooling breeze persisted in my mind and fueled my imagination.
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Back in my studio, I played with various wordings, beginning with scribbles on paper. Here are my first and second drafts.
Then I worked with word and image, developing my ideas while remaining true to the 5-7-5 syllable form of the haiku. Revisions #3 and #4 below.
I’m not sure that this is the best version, but it’s what I have come up with for now.
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Where do you go to relax?
How do you find inspiration? Or, manage the drafting/revising process?
Have you written haiku, a Japanese verse form with three lines and seventeen syllables?
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Students are always surprised when I tell them how many revisions I make before I publish anything. I love the picture of the four of you. Such a lovely family. xo
Our writing may seem to be hatched fully formed. That’s probably why some readers don’t recognize the amount of work that goes on behind the scenes. They also may believe in “magic”!
Thanks, Darlene. 😀
Magic indeed!! I love that thought. xo
Good morning, Marian!
That bench by the water looks so inviting! I’d love to join you there.
I generally write on my laptop. Lots of deleting and rewriting. 😊 And sometimes I return to poems posted on my blog and revise them.
It’s fun to see how people revise poetry and historical documents, too.
The bench was a combination Mother’s and Father’s Day gift from our kids. I’d love for you to join me here–maybe to escape a cold winter week.
I too generally write on my laptop–prose, including blog posts. However, I turn to pencil/pen and paper for poetry, maybe because I find it easier to count syllables that way. Who knows?
Thanks, Merril!
You’re welcome, Marian!
Now I think I remember you posted or shared a photo about the bench.
I don’t count syllables very often, but I have to use my fingers for that anyway. 😉
Marian, as usual, your post is a joy to read. Love your haiku! Love the different photos of the bench and the last one with your family occupying it. 😊 Your students were blessed to have you in their lives.
I find inspiration looking at God’s creation. The trees are close by. Love looking at clouds also.
As for revision, I mentioned to a friend what a National Book Award winner said to a group of us years ago. The manuscript of the book that won her the National Book Award had over thirty revisions. My friend was totally shocked. I’m not sure why people think only one draft is necessary for a work. As if a poem or a short story or a novel comes out perfectly the first time.
Thank you for your kind words, L. Marie. I enjoy our trees and also the clouds, which seem more billowy at this time of year.
I’m not surprised at the number of revisions for a prize-winning book. But honestly, I don’t know how to count revisions. . . writing/revising on the computer, it seems one draft melts into an other. 😀
Writing in my diary needs no revision and I can pour out my heart The process is different when you write for the eyes and hearts of others. Thanks for sharing some of your thoughts on how you go about this.
Thanks for making the distinction, Elfrieda. Yes, I too have a gratitude book written in pen for my eyes only and I’m sure there are mistakes, but who cares.
Sometimes I make mistakes when commenting on someone else’s blog post, and there’s no way to correct it, so I have to let it ride unless the blogger does an edit–ha! 😀
I’m trying valiantly to go through various folders and boxes to find poems and stories I’ve written over the years. Some of these (mostly poems) were typed on my portable Remington typewriter. I scanned these with various settings to make the faded words clearer and then made them into a PDF.
I imported the PDF into Adobe Acrobat and ran OCR (optical character recognition). Fortunately Acrobat turned most of the words into edible text. I imported the text into MSWord. Often there were several words that I had to add or edit manually.
Then when I found some time between art projects I edited the file. Some of the writings go back twenty to thirty years, with occasional edits skipping many years in between. My wish or goal is to have all of my writings finalized and put into a collection.
The outside (lovers) bench that my son Joel and daughter Crista put together for Marian’s birthday is delightful. If there is a breeze from the west across our little lake it can be enjoyed from there.
I always learn something from commenters and now you’re the one: OCR (optical character recognition–who knew?
Thanks for commenting early today! 😀
I have to start with the fact that I read Cliff’s comment and I LOVE that your son and daughter gave you a bench and assembled it for you. That is a beautiful gift idea. And it inspires you! I sense Thoreau in what you shared. I think you should do a bench series on nature, Marian. 🙂 I’m sure it would draw something else out every single time. I don’t use paper, but I sure could relate to the discussion on revisions. I read it, either revise or move on, but then I return, and almost always revise it. It can take awhile to find and place the words in such a way that they say exactly what you want them to say. I loved it!
A Bench Series, what a great idea; I’ll have to think about. it. Maybe different seasons?
You mention reading your manuscript for revision. I wonder if you are referring to reading aloud. It takes time, but often our ears can detect what our eyes gloss over. I’m glad you enjoyed this, Melanie! 😀
I love that you love the idea, Marian. 🙂 Different seasons is a great idea. And yes, it is the manuscript. I write and then I return; frequently, haha! I do find myself reading it slightly out loud. There is a rhythm to it. Thanks Marian!
Super!
Like Melanie, I found the bench to be the most charming idea. It reminds me that many couples have a favorite spot. I recently went with one of my friends to a favorite beach spot where he released his parents’ ashes. Legal? Probably not. The right thing to do? Undoubtedly, as this location was a special place for his parents.
I imagine students seeing the editing of a piece by a famous writer must have made an impression on them. Unlike some writers, I enjoy revision. Though I’m not much of a craftsman, I see the same quality in a couple of my contractor friends.
In a movie I recently saw, children solemnly released their parents’ ashes, which blew promptly back into their faces. Not the ideal ending for such a ritual.
When I read the end of your comment, Pete, the idea for another blog post occurred to me.
How about drawing analogies between building a house and writing a story? (No pressure :-D)
A wonderful reflection, Marion!!
Thank you, Rebecca! 😀
The reply was posted too quickly, Marion!! LOL! Your post prompted me to consider the question of whether we are losing the ability to write in today’s digital age. With the rise of instant messaging and social media, many people are opting for brevity over depth, leading to concerns about the erosion of traditional writing skills. The reliance on spell check and autocorrect features may diminish our attention to grammar and style. As communication evolves, I think that we need to think about how we can preserve and enhance our writing abilities in an ever-changing landscape.
What concerns me most about the state of writing in the digital age is that writing is thinking.
LIZ, I do agree. If the left side of our brain does not light up, we are not thinking analytically–or, right brain, thinking creatively.
REBECCA, I say “Amen” to all this!
Spellcheck and autocorrect frequently overlook mistakes (homonyms), or sometimes create another error. Now I’m getting invitations online to use AI to write replies for me. I say “No”!
I love the picture of you and your family. When it comes to ideas for poetry, it’s usually a line that pops into my head and then lots and lots of fiddling /playing.
Pops into our minds–and we create, and re-create. I can relate to that.
Many times an idea for a story, a blog post, or a haiku flashes into my mind. But then, I have to tame it through multiple stages/revisions. Thanks for adding that, Liz. 😀
You’re welcome, Marian.
When I was a girl, I went to the woods or the top of a certain field where I could think and talk to God and I continued that when I went into Voluntary Service in the hills of Kentucky. I still like to walk for time to think.
Your walking practice dates from way, way back, a good thing, Melodie
Yes, walking give us time to think, meditate. It also sparks free-flowing ideas, promoting creativity. I know a writer you has a daily walking regimen; she writes a book a year. Yikes! 😀
I loved your haiku and your sharing of your thought process, complete with strikeouts, lol. That’s just how a writer’s mind works. Thanks for sharing. <3
Debby, you truly understand the inner workings of a writer’s mind–and the sometimes gut-wrenching experience of revision. 😀
Lol, almost always gut-wrenching in revisions! 🙂 x
Marian — I adore your colorful and happy family photo!
Thank you, Laurie, and have a great weekend! 😀
There’s a nice breeze here in Lititz, tonight, Marian. But I did not find your kind of inspiration. I do love looking at famous poems in draft form to see how the poet’s mind worked. And for awhile I was doing regular haiku along with photos. The inspiration was there for a while, and then it waned. I have to feel an inward tug in order to engage in creative work. The locus of that tug keeps evolving. I rather like that. I think yours does too.
Years ago when my colleagues were writing short stories and poetry, my writing was limited to academic journals. I asked one friend about her inspiration and she said, “Before I write a poem I feel like a cow with an udder filling up with milk; it just spills over. ”I don’t think she was a farm girl, so I thought that was an odd way to explain creativity.
Now, I think that the source of inspiration is a mystery. But it may be cyclical, so watch out! Thanks for sharing, Shirley. 😀
What a thoughtful gift…the bench…I love your scribbles and the fact that I am not alone ..I have scribbles all over the house well not quite my office and the kitchen and my bag(s) in case anything comes to mind on my walks then finally I have to collect and collate before I write the finished recipe…
I’m glad you can relate. You probably also have sticky notes so you can retrieve inspiration before you post a blog. I am amazed at how many recipes you post and how in-depth your articles. Thank you! 😀
The white bench is perfection. I could relax there but currently go onto our deck where I can gaze into the woods where I find inspiration.
Have you written haiku, a Japanese verse form with three lines and seventeen syllables? I have written haiku, and did so years ago describing the bloggers who were following me at the time. I did it as a way of introducing everyone to each other. I couldn’t do it now without losing my mind but back then I interacted with a handful of people so it was easy and fun.
Amazing Ally, I applaud you on writing haiku to introduce your blog responders to each other. That’s quite a feat! With the slew of followers you have now, I understand why you couldn’t keep it up.
Here’s to a week of easy and fun–with gentle breezes! 😀
Hi Marian, this is interesting. I was astonished to see Keats’ edits. I don’t write poetry like that at all. I don’t do much editing. Poems come to me in lines and I just write them down. Even syllabic poetry usually plays the game and comes in the correct syllable form
I’ve known all along, Robbie: You have a gift for creating poetry–and much more! 😀