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Topic #464
What has been the hardest format to write in for you?
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Being a writer is hard: spelling, grammar, form, storybuilding, etc. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. There’s a lot to remember and it’s even harder to bend the rules and do so with success. What Shakespeare did in his day is still viewed as epic today. He created many words that didn’t exist until he penned them. Some writers have added to our lexicon since, but not with such an impact.
Keep in mind that the language Shakespeare spoke isn’t the same as what we speak today, not even in his native England. Languages are ever changing. Webster’s adds several words annually, because slang sometimes sticks. It is viewed as good and useful for our communication (whether the stodgy like it or not). But, does form change?
The forms of writing add another layer of difficulty. There is an expectation mixed in that can set a reader’s teeth on edge when you defy them. While keeping your writing relevant matters, so does choosing the form of that communication, which can serve as a deal breaker when not selected well. Think of some of the great songs you heard. Did they create an image in your mind, like a short film, perhaps? What if it had been in prose or a play, or a less lyrically conducive form of poetry? Would the impact of those words been the same?
Song lyrics are a form of writing, that I feel is akin to poetry, if not entirely a poetic form. There are those who want to keep lyrics separate, but I don’t back this thinking. Many lyricists feel similarly, as they express a desire to have their work taken serious literarily. That said, what if those lyricists had tried to write a play or novel, or something else with those ideas they had penned into lyrics instead? It just would not have worked the same. Perhaps, the only way it might work is if they had created a screenplay and filmed the short. Literary folks also like to pretend scripts aren’t literature, too.
Why is form so important? Form conducts the resonance, in a way. It is quite powerful. This is why we study those who came before us, to understand how they accomplished this and figure out if it works for us, too. That said, as rigid as folks are about new words entering the lexicon, they are also rigid about form. They have expectations, and will use whatever power they have to maintain them.
Of course, someone is always around to make others feel less than, aren’t’ they? Yes, this plays into how things change over time, as well. For instance, if you are independent, your writing is deemed less worthy (despite books having their beginnings in independent creation, free of gatekeepers), your type of writing is viewed as not literary if it is labeled outside the expected format. Classic forms of plays, poetry, and prose take the lead, often held rigid in format by those who wish to retain power for things as they have always been. An independent artist has an uphill battle stretching the forms to experiment with their art. Shakespeare would not have been respected in today’s publishing climate, regardless of how those gatekeepers feel about him today.
Yes, I do like writing books in prose as so many beforme, right in alignment with publishers. They have brought me a lot of joy in life. Yes, I like to also write in typical prose. I find it serves my style and storytelling well. No, I don’t think it is the only way to convey an idea, story or whatever communication. If we cannot stretch the forms, or create more forms, are we even doing anything worthwhile? Lyrics included. So many songs paint a clear picture, tell a compelling story. They have impact! We cannot omit them from literature.
This brings me to the idea of changing the format of some of my owns stories. If I could write epic poems to tell my Trailokya tales, I may have written like the Romantics. To be specific, Mary Tighe and her poem Psyche (1805 Posthumously). I literally kept my textbook on the English Romantic Writers because of this piece. (It was very expensive back in the 1990s, but you can pick up a copy pretty cheap today. I recommend it!) Not only did the story of Cupid and Psyche resonate for me in this format, it compelled me to keep writing my own work in a format that I found worked for it. I’m not breaking barriers, but I am still using my voice.
Why did I not try? There is a big difference in enjoying a format of writing or wishing to emulate it and succeeding. No matter how much I studied the Romantics, I could not do justice to the form of poetry. The writing is concise to a point beyond which even Hemingway could aspire. While I have tried a few poems, and included them in my publications, they’re not epic pieces of literature. That said, they also make me feel too vulnerable to wish to carry on. Writing prose has never made me feel so out in the open as poetry has. I applaud those who can write in this format and live with that sense of vulnerability. That cannot be easy.
Honestly, I see this same kind of vulnerability in lyrics. If it is not poetry, then what? And, I am happy to leave this writing to poets and lyricists, because they are gifted with that ability. I’m going to stay in my lane, but cheer them on.
I wonder what formats the other authors find difficult? Click on their links below to find out. Before you go, drop your email address in the box so this hop finds you each Friday. See you next time!
Writing of any sort is a vulnerable art. Good post! @samanthabwriter from
Balancing Act
Thank you! I guess it really is. That feeling is never so sharp as it is with poetry, for me, though.
Back in the day, I wrote long-form poems, although they didn’t follow any particular rhyming or syllabic scheme. It was pure story telling, but I don’t think they were very good.
The problem with rules in writing is that there are far too many. They’re set by those who see themselves as superior and there aren’t enough people prepared to break them to see what happens.
I don’t agree with that. I think there a lot of folks who think they know better than those who have dedicated their lives to the art, and want to excuse bad writing as authorial license. The rules mostly exist to ensure clear communication. That breaks down when it is not met. There are expectations in language. What Shakespeare did is introduce new slang terms into the language that became common speech from years of usage. That’s why Webster’s inducts new words annually. An addition of a word is one thing, rule destruction is something that takes a great understanding of communication and the language and cannot be accomplished by just anyone. Anti-intellectualism isn’t a good thing and usually just rises from resentment in the anti intellectual. What is wrong with spending time studying? Thank gahd someone does it or we would never know progress. I honestly do not understand the hatred of people who know things.