Caseybold

@sir-leeds and @anne-of-lothlorian

After reading my post above I don’t entirely agree with everything I said. You see, I think I have what could be called “sophomore syndrome” and “foot-in-mouth disease”: I have strong opinions that I don’t necessarily pause to think long about before I express them (strongly), and have a tendency to think I know…[Read more]

Anne, I really liked Midnight Thoughts. It was very dreamy and full of a pleasing sort of fancy; I like how you explored the different sorts of thoughts that cross your path, say, at midnight.

Cainon, I was so enthralled with the idea of your poem, Boo Radley! The picture of poems “spreading their wings” and doing without you and that of some…[Read more]

@taylorclogston

Thank you so much, this was super helpful! I hadn’t really ever heard of the genre of ‘spy fiction’. You’re right, I have no point of divergence from real world events because even though this is an obscure part of the real world in my brain, that’s never really presented in the story. I think I’m going to call it a spy fiction…[Read more]

@rusted-knight Even if that historical event has nothing to do with the real world history? The events in this book and the events that trigger a change in leadership in the country are not from the real-world at all. I’m not even taking a real world event like World War II and changing it to see what would have happened if we lost. (which…[Read more]

@anne-of-lothlorien That’s a really hard question =P

First and foremost, spy fiction is a genre. You should look into that.

The rest of your description doesn’t sound like historical fiction to me. HisFic needs to interact with the real world in some way. If the only possible way a reader could tell the story took place in an alternate version…[Read more]

While we’re into sharing poems, here’s one of mine! (I’ll get back to your other posts, but it will take me a lot of time to type out the answers, and I don’t have a lot of that right now. 🙂

Watch the Rain

When life is dark with gloom,

With teardrops falling fast,

Splitting your heart with doom,

In darkness overcast,

Sit still and watch…[Read more]

@anne-of-lothlorien
This is what we call “threading the eye of the needle.” I think this is a historical fiction as long as there is a trigger event were history changed.

@sir-leeds

Wow. Just… uh… wow… 😯😭

That poem was amazing. Astoundingly simple in execution and deep in concept. My favorite line was ‘baptize themselves into the church of publication’. This right here… this is my favorite kind of poetry, the kind that makes me tear up because it touched a place in my heart I didn’t know could be touched and r…[Read more]

Thanks for the compliments @anne-of-lothlorien !

And yes, it is in reference to “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Here it is. Hope you enjoy it (and that the forum formatting doesn’t mangle it too badly)!

Boo Radley

By Cainon Leeds

Some of my poems have adjusted well.
They can tie their own shoes and walk out the door
and down the streets of…[Read more]

@sir-leeds

Thanks! 🙂

Boo Radley as in the character from To Kill a Mockingbird?? I have never heard him referenced by anyone else in conversation! XD Would you mind sharing the poem? I’m intrigued!

Tankas sound cool! I should try to write some. 🙂 I loved your October one! Too bad it’s too short. Just today I was walking around campus and…[Read more]

Hey @anne-of-lothlorien , cool poem, and congrats on publication! It kind of of reminds me of one of my own titled “Boo Radley”.

As for the tanka, it’s a short Japanese style of poetry that’s defined by its use of syllables, as well as certain themes if you’re being strict about it. It has 5 lines, with the 1st and 3rd lines consisting of 5…[Read more]

@sir-leeds

Yes, I’d definitely agree that if the traditional poem was better and more honest, I’d go with that, but if the free verse touches more people and is more honest, I’ll go with that. Personally, I find the vehicle of free verse easier to share emotions in almost any day, likely due to the lack of confinement. Not to say that all free…[Read more]

@emily-waldorf I’m also intrigued… what would you define as a theme that poetry was not meant to cover? How would one determine whether or not a subject should be used for his poetry, if certain subjects were taboo? What if you were able to use a difficult subject for a poem that had perfect rhyme and meter, but it wasn’t that great of a poem?…[Read more]

Also, I would like to hear about one of these topics or themes that cannot or should not be found in poetry. I do enjoy a good challenge 😉

Hey @emily-waldorf , welcome to the discussion! I think you raise an interesting topic for discussion. What is the heart of poetry? I think it’s a good question to be asking ourselves and I’ll pass the question along to anyone else in this thread as well.

I don’t know as though I would say that genuineness is the heart of poetry; but I have…[Read more]

@sir-leeds, I agree with you that poetry should be genuine, but I disagree with your diagnosis. If you’re sacrificing meter and rhyming scheme for genuineness, all you’re left with is genuineness–no poetry at all. There are some themes that poetry was not meant to cover: some topics/themes that cannot be both what you describe as genuine and also…[Read more]