Questions

. Mentally i know this is not true but my instincts tell me i should be prepared. I always keep at least 10 concealed weapons in my house and i always check common places of hang out for items that can be used as weapons. Why you ask? because i think that there is a strong possiblility zombies will exist and the human race will become extinct. Its not a fear so much as a hope, for release from my boring everyday routine. Does anyone have a diagnosis for this?
- Liz

If you decide that you want to be a writer, then poetry is a good place to start. Where do you start? How is American poetry different from Urdu poetry? Why write poetry? You may be asking yourself these questions and more.

Where to Start

When you decide you want to write poetry you should decide if you are planning on writing any other kinds of literature. This will help you to know if you are going to want to stay only with creative writing and help you to figure out if you need to research other kinds of poetry such as Urdu poetry. You can write poetry on any subject if you really want to.

How is American Different from Urdu Poetry?

There really is not that much of a difference because it is all poetry that we can learn from. You may not be able to understand this when you are writing because you may not even know what Urdu poetry really is in the first place. You may need to take the time to research what you want to write weather it would be Urdu poetry or American based poetry. If you are multicultural then you will be able to understand the Urdu poetry better then if you are just reading American based poetry. Urdu poetry is a great place for a person that is going to start writing poetry to start because it will help you to respect what others before you have written as well as what other cultures may say. Take the time to learn Urdu poetry for you and your writing. This will help it to get better in the long run.

Why write it?

There are many reasons that you may chose to write poetry but the main reason is that you just want to write. Many people will not follow their instincts when it comes to writing. They don’t understand that it’s really a feeling and it’s not just something that you can learn to do. You have to be born with a creative edge so that you can easily write your words. If you feel that you are not the best writer but still feel that great need to write then you can take classes to learn how to write your grammar better so that your poetry makes more sense to you and your readers.

When you start with your poetry writing you need to think about what you may have already read before you started writing the poetry. This may include the Urdu poetry that you may have heard about from your family or from your college classes. You should take the time to read these so that you know what people in the past have written as well as knowing what style you may want to write in. The more styles that you read, the more that you will learn and the better writer you will become. Take the time to understand the writing that is around you so that you can be the best writer that you can be.


- Basit Habib

Do you think that creative writing can be taught?

First, let me say that I have taken only one creative writing course in my life. And so, my experience is not extensive. But, having written for many years, I can tell you what I’ve observed.

Teachers can help you hone your craft. They can even teach you tricks to overcome obstacles to the creative flow. But I doubt they can teach you to be creative.

If I worked very hard with a good teacher, I might gain respectable proficiency at the piano. I might even learn musical theory and composition and pass every course with honors. And yet, I’ll never compose a piano sonata, which stirs us to the depths, without that amazing ingredient creativity. It can’t be taught.

Why not? Because creativity is a gift. It comes from within, and is personal to the individual. You either find it within yourself and work with it or you don’t. It’s much the same with writing or painting. Only a tiny handful will ever write a novel, which is truly original or creative.

If a writer does manage such a feat, he or she likely created it only after many years of hard, lonely struggle. It’s a private task, which doesn’t much benefit from exposure in the classroom. After all, don’t you do your very best work in a quiet spot, late at night when the daily minutiae have faded to a dull roar? And then, consider if you have ever read a novel written by a committee?

Carl Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist and father of psychoanalysis, speaks of the creative instinct along with other instincts, such as the urge to activity and reflection. These are innate instincts, which cause human beings to strive, build and create. So, if it’s a human instinct, isn’t it available to all human beings? Apparently not. If it were, all of us would all be able to write that sonata or novel which speaks to untold generations.

Jung also says that the creative artist is one who has unusual access to the subconscious.

If so, maybe there’s a way to access that mother lode. I’ve been reading a fascinating book, The Tao of Photography. With many beautiful photographs, it’s written by Dr. Philippe Gross and Dr. S.I. Shapiro, both psychologists and photographers. Sometimes, I really enjoy camera work as it helps me concentrate on my surroundings, which I find helpful in capturing a mood for writing.

The book applies the teachings of the Chuang-tzu, a collection of writings from the fourth, third and second centuries B.C.E. to the art of photography. It speaks of Little Understanding and Great Understanding. I love how those states of being are described:

Great understanding is broad and unhurried;

Little understanding is cramped and busy.

Chuang-tzu

It seems to me that our daily lives are filled up with ‘little understanding.’ Just look at my daily list of errands and things to do! Here we are running around with our heads down [cramped and busy] concentrating on the little inconsequential stuff. What if we look up and around ourselves and even inside ourselves? Great understanding is broad and unhurried. Just think what we might see and what doors we might open.

When we slow down and shift our focus not only to observing everything about life, but also looking inside ourselves, that’s when we have a chance of tapping into the creative spirit. Unless we do, no amount of concentration on technique [which can be taught] will ever help us listen to our inner voice. After all, aren’t writers always told they must find their own voice? I say to do that, we have to learn to listen and pay attention to the outer life surrounding us as well as our own inner life.

Suppose you do actually get past that cramped and busy stage. [The Tao of Photography has numerous excellent suggestions as to how to accomplish that.] What will you find? Maybe nothing special. But if a writer is lucky, he might just tap into something wonderful…his true creative spirit. If we can get out of our conscious way and let the images, words, music, ideas and emotions flow, then we just might have something to work with.

In writing, I think that’s what the first draft is all about. Then the more rational, analytical part of the brain takes charge and refines what has been created. Then a teacher can help you by showing you the techniques of your craft. Maybe a first draft of a novel should be a prerequisite for entry into a creative writing course. What do you think?


- Mary E. Martin