More in Searching for Something: On how I write poetry.
Searching for Something: On how I write poetry.
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Too bad I can't give it two thumbs up. In fact, if I was all thumbs, I'd give it 10!
It's part of the American ethos to believe in the amateur - that the expert is no better than the Bruce Willis type of anti-authority, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, good ol' rough-and-tumble American. Guts over brains, feeling over cogitation. I believe feeling should be one of the guides - in writing and much else in life. However, it quite simply shouldn't be at the head of the pack; it should merely be consulted, to keep us headed in the right general direction.
In WWI, the French believed in elan, which was spirit, courage, a stout heart. The Germans believed in machine guns and well-considered fields of fire. In the early days of the war, a huge number of Frenchmen died charging the German lines. Today we believe that tough spirit and a positive attitude can be substituted for planning, knowledge, and calculation. Instead, we've had failures in Iraq, New Orleans, Boston (The Dig), the CIA, the NSA, our schools and the list goes on and on. In writing, as in the real world, good results come from a combination of good ideas and feelings, good abilities, and hard work. There are few Beethovens in the world; there are even fewer Mozarts. Kudos, Stephan.
It's part of the American ethos to believe in the amateur - that the expert is no better than the Bruce Willis type of anti-authority, fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, good ol' rough-and-tumble American. Guts over brains, feeling over cogitation. I believe feeling should be one of the guides - in writing and much else in life. However, it quite simply shouldn't be at the head of the pack; it should merely be consulted, to keep us headed in the right general direction.
In WWI, the French believed in elan, which was spirit, courage, a stout heart. The Germans believed in machine guns and well-considered fields of fire. In the early days of the war, a huge number of Frenchmen died charging the German lines. Today we believe that tough spirit and a positive attitude can be substituted for planning, knowledge, and calculation. Instead, we've had failures in Iraq, New Orleans, Boston (The Dig), the CIA, the NSA, our schools and the list goes on and on. In writing, as in the real world, good results come from a combination of good ideas and feelings, good abilities, and hard work. There are few Beethovens in the world; there are even fewer Mozarts. Kudos, Stephan.
by Alcuin of York on Apr. 10 2007