Connecting with Patry Francis

My three-year-old daughter smells like soap and toothpaste as she crawls into bed next to me. It’s ten o’clock at night and I’ve just returned from the Intensive Care Unit where I kissed my husband goodnight on the forehead. My daughter knows daddy is sick, but in her mind he’s suffering from the flu.

It’s not the flu, though. It’s a rare but reoccurring blood disease. So rare, in fact, it has yet to be diagnosed.

In 1982, his father walked for miles—from an apartment in Havanah to the church of Saint Lazaro in the Cuban countryside. He went there to pray for his two-year-old son, who was dying from a mysterious blood disease. He would make the trip again two years later, when my husband was only four, and again at six. During each episode, doctors would begin a barrage of tests, ruling out one disease after another. Every member of the extended family went in for genetic testing. Still, his condition remained unexplained

This is his sixth stay in the hospital. His symptoms are not as severe as when he was a child, but his condition is still critical. But through it all, we are grateful. This rare blood condition is very similar to so many others, other diseases that are fatal, diseases that create lethal toxins and destroy organs. Yet, my husband continues to recover.

He also hopes doctors will be able to discover something new during this episode, something that may help others with the same condition. Perhaps they can learn something about how his body manages to self correct, why this disease goes into complete remission. Perhaps it could lead to a cure for similar diseases that are fatal.

Facing mortality can be frightening, but it can also be liberating. It reminds you what’s truly important. You also learn the importance of community, as you are forced to rely on others for help. It is in this spirit that I send out my prayers to a fellow writer Patry Francis. Patry Francis is the author of Liar’s Diary, a colorful murder mystery that has filled in the drab hours of waiting in uncomfortable hospital chairs. Patry is facing her own medical ordeal right now, diagnosed with an aggressive cancer just a few weeks before Liar’s Diary was due for its paper back release. In her blog Simply Wait, there is a glimmer of the awe and insight that mortal awareness brings. I hope her recovery is successful, and in the spirit of community I extend my support, for her health and her creative vision.

I will continue to carry my copy of Liar’s Diary with me, and as soon as I finish it, I will post again with a detailed review. But now I must get some sleep, an hour has slipped by since I started this post and my snuggly bundle of soap scented love has just fallen into a deep sleep.

Feminism and SF: Reading with a Critical Eye

When I first started blogging back in May, my meanderings across the web lead me to Feminist SF—The Blog, a blog that questions the representation of women in Science Fiction.

Sci-Fi (or perhaps its now being called Speculative Fiction) is one of my guilty pleasures. Why is it my ‘guilty’ pleasure? Well as an English major, not many SF titles fall into academic reading, so anytime I read SF it’s purely self-indulgence. Since I often approach SF with an escapist frame of mind, I’ve never really looked at it with a critical eye before; much less explore the representation of women within the genre.

I have the ladies over at Feminist SF for raising my awareness. Armed with this new perspective, I was intrigued by excerpts of Nina Munteanu’s new novel, Darwin’s Paradox.

I discovered Ms. Munteanu’s blog, The Alien Next Door, about the same time I discovered Feminist SF. Her blog demonstrates a passion for science, the environment, and for the evolution of a cooperative coexistence, a combination I found quite captivating.

Munteanu’s most recent SF book, Darwin’s Paradox, incorporates all of these elements along with strong female characters, as the excerpts found on darwinsparadox.com illustrate.

Having just finished Darwin’s Paradox, I would be interested in hearing what the women over at Feminist SF think of it. Tomorrow (Monday, November 19), I will be posting my review of the book, followed by an interview with the author on Tuesday.

Creative Circles: Picasso, Matisse, Stein and Hemingway

If you study art history or literature, then I am sure you have noticed an interesting reoccurance: the creative circle. Study any period and you will find like-minded individuals gathering together, later becoming the creative force of their generation. While studying modernism, I recently made the following observation that I thought I would share with you. After reading this little piece and how these individuals influenced each other, ask yourself, “who’s in my creative circle?” If you don’t have one, build one. You have a lot to learn from, and contribute to, the creative lives of others.

Thanks to Gertrude Stein and her brother Leo, 27 Rue de Fleurus was the hub of modernist art and literature from 1903 – 1914. Steins Parisian address became a gathering spot for painters like Picasso and Matisse, as well as expatriate writers like Hemingway. The influence of this creative atmosphere is evident in the cross germination of ideas found in the works of those who passed through 27 Rue de Fleurus.  

When comparing the works of Stein and Hemingway, one can see the influences of Picasso and Matisse respectively. During her residence at 27 Rue de Fleurus, Stein began to experiment with a technique known as “verbal collage,” as evident in her collection Tender Buttons. It was also a period in which Hemingway began to utilize the “iceberg technique.”   Both of these writing techniques mirrored artistic movements of the period. 

Stein’s “Picasso” is an example of this “verbal collage.” Utilizing a few primary words and images, Stein arranges and rearranges them to create linguistic texture. Stein was interested in word association and sound, cutting and pasting syntax together to create works that mirrored Picasso’s Collage Phase.  According to American Poet Judy Grahn, Stein’s work during this period focused on six elements:

1. Commonality
2. Essence
3. Value
4. Grounding the continuous present\
5. Play
6. Transformation

 In “Picasso,” Stein manipulates nouns like “one,” “something,” and “meaning” as well as verbs like “following,” “working,” and phrases like “coming out of” to create juxtaposing images just as Picasso did with his cubist collage. In fact, Stein breaks from her pattern of rearrange these words only long enough to expose the true nature and intent of cubist collage: 

This one was always having something that was coming out of this one that was a solid thing, a charming thing, a simple thing, a clear thing, a complicated thing, an interesting thing, a disturbing thing, a repellant thing, a very pretty thing. 

In this sentence Stein captures the reaction of those viewed collage, on canvas and on paper. Cubist collage was an attempt to capture reality from all angels at once, to represent three dimensions on a two dimensional surface. It was an art form that had the effect of being both charming and simple, and complicated and disturbing.Hemingway, on the other hand, seems to have taken his artistic inspiration from Matisse. Matisse and Picasso were both friends and rivals. One of the distinguishing aspects of their work can be found in the source of their inspiration. Picasso worked mainly from his own imagination while Matisse drew his inspiration from nature. The same distinction can be made between Stein’s “Picasso” and Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.”  

While “Picasso” utilizes the abstract sound and meaning of language to create an impact on the reader, “Hills Like White Elephants” uses setting and interpersonal dialogue to create an impression.  

During the period of Gertrude Stein’s Paris salon, Matisse favored bright colors, flat shapes, and controlled lines, in a style that was expressive but lacking in detail. This is a description that could also be applied to Hemingway’s “Hills Like White Elephants.”  

Hemingway opens the story with a description of the natural surroundings: “The hills across the valley of the Ebro were long and white. On this side there was no shade and no trees . . .” (Hemingway 613). From this description, the reader visualizes a sweeping block of color. The later comparison to white elephants is very expressive, but still lacks detail.  

Even the conversation is expressive yet controlled as the two main characters discuss the very controversial topic of abortion, while avoiding the word, the details of the operation, the baby, or their relationship. Like his descriptions of the landscape, Hemingway’s dialogue merely focuses on blocks of color:

The girl looked at the bead curtain. “They’ve painted something on it,” she said. “What does it say?”

“Anis del Toro. It’s a drink.”“Could we try it?”

The man called “Listen” through the curtain. The woman came out from the bar.

“Four reales.”

“We want two Anis del Toro.”

“With water?”

“Do you want it with water?”

“I don’t know,” the girl said. “Is it good with water?”

“It’s alright.”

“You want them with water?” asked the woman.

“Yes, with water.”

“It tastes like licorice,” the girl said and put the glass down.

“That’s the way with everything.”

“Yes,” said the girl. “Everything tastes like licorice. Especially all the things you’ve waited so long for, like absinthe.”

(Hemingway 614)

On the surface this dialogue creates a sweeping visual of two individuals ordering drinks. Note that Hemingway leaves out the detail of the waitress going back inside the bar and returning with the drinks. The dialogue moves from her confirmation that they do indeed want water to the girl drinking the Anis. It is also important to note that absinthe was a drink writers and artists associated with romance. This gives the dialogue new meaning that is not evident on the surface. The exchange emphasizes the experience of the man and the inexperience of the girl. It is also significant that the couple waters down the Anis, giving an indication of the nature of their relationship. The girls agreement that all things initially taste like licorice (especially when you wait a long time for it) indicates the awareness that this initial thrill does indeed dull.  Works Cited: Grahn, Judy, ed. Really Reading Gertrude Stein: A Selected Anthology with Essays by Judy Grahn (Crossing Press, 1989). Hemingway, Ernest. “Hills Like White Elephants.” The Norton Anthology of Short Fiction. Ed. R.V. Cassill. New York. W.W. Norton & Company. 1981. 

Stein, Gertrude. “Picasso.” Portraits and Prayers. New York: Random House, 1934.

Need For a Female Narrative? A Question for Contemporary Women Writers

Yesterday, I posted an observation on contrasting narrative elements found in the works of James Joyce and Virginia Woolf. I also made a brief reference to the social environment from which it evolved. Today, I would like to pull these two elements together and discuss the relevance to contemporary women writers.

In yesterday’s post [Evidence of a Female Narrative?], I illustrated how Woolf manifested her believe in the ‘feminine’ voice through her own narrative technique. Of course, I also implied that Woolf’s experience within Victorian Society most likely influenced the development of this uniquely feminine voice. This draws our attention to the gender development  debate of nature vs. nurture.

For contemporary women writers, it is the ‘nature vs. nurture’ argument that has become the greatest obstacle to the female narrative. For Woolf, the lack of female voices within literature, and in publishing in general, made her argument far more self-evident. Contemporary women writers, on the other hand, not only have a representative voice in literature, but a developing literary tradition of their own. So why should we still be concerned with the ‘female’ narrative? Because, it is a unique perspective that has a lot to offer our collective community . . . if we can move beyound the ‘nature vs. nurture’ debate.

Although Woolf advocated the development of the female voice, some insist that there is no such thing. Opponents argue that gender is merely a social construct. This is the basis of the nurture argument. That is, if an individual matured in a gender neutral environment, they would exhibit gender neutral behavior. Therefore, Woolf’s feminine narrative is not inherently ‘feminine’ but merely the result of her environment.

The opposite argument is that of nature. After all, women give birth and men do not. Obviously there are biological differences between the male and female members of our species. Some argue that these biological differences influence our social behavior. But again, without a gender neutral environment, it’s impossible to estimate to what extent.

To complicate the issue, there are also theories that suggest environment may actually manipulate biological hard wiring. If this is a possibility, then biology may be supporting gender specific behaviors that have been environmentally imposed upon our biology.

Are you beginning to see why the ‘nature vs. nurture’ argument has become such an obstacle to the ‘female’ voice? It’s a distracting circle of theoretical arguments. Some feminists insist that women are inherently unique due to our biology, (nature), while others insist that, despite physiological differences, women are no different from men (nurture). Meanwhile any discussion of the ‘female’ narrative gets caught in the quagmire of “what is feminine?” So let’s remove the gender issue.

I mentioned this concept in one of my earliest posts [Replacing the Terms "Masculine" and "Feminine"] . Rather than discussing masculine and feminine, let’s discuss rational and intuitive. In the past, these concepts were often tied together. To be masculine was to be rational, while feminine behavior was viewed as naturally intuitive. Whether or not there is significant tie to gender we can acknowledge that there are intuitive and rational ways of experiencing the world.  We can also acknowledge that rational ways of being are viewed as more concrete—more legitimate, while intuitive ways of being are often viewed as frivolous.

At the time that Woolf called for the development of a female narrative, the gender identity of women was still closely aligned with this intuitive way of being. In essence, it is the intuitive narrative the Woolf advocates, and that is still a viable objective. It is also an objective that can be pursued by either gender. However, it’s women who favor intuitive ways of being who have the hardest time being heard, because this intuitive nature still carries the stigma of weak mindedness.

Women are still underrepresented in many fields. Those who are the most successful are the ones who have adapted well to rational ways of being. So our current challenge, as contemporary women writers, will be discovering ways to honor intuitive values and narrative while navigating an industry dominated by those who value rational ways of being.

Evidence of a Female Narrative? Viriginia Woolf vs James Joyce

Virginia Woolf once insisted that when women became the interpreters of life, not only would the subject matter and point of view of literature change, the very sentence structure of literature would change.

Woolf believed women processed information differently and expressed themselves differently. Woolf insisted that women, given the freedom to write as they think and speak, would give rise to a new narrative form: a female narrative.

At the time that Woolf proposed this idea; Victorian society was clearly defined by two spheres, the masculine sphere which involved politics and commerce, and the feminine sphere of the home and family. Gender roles and experience were strictly segregated, which lends credibility to Woolf’s argument, and we certainly see evidence of this emerging ‘voice’ when we compare the works of Virginia Woolf with another contemporary, James Joyce.

James Joyce, like Woolf, utilized a method known as stream of consciousness, a narrative method that allows the free flow of thoughts, sensations, and associations at multiple levels of awareness. Stream of consciousness focuses on the inner reality of characters rather than external events. By exposing the psychological realm of a character, modernist writers were able to address perception. This was the perfect vehicle for Woolf’s ‘female narrative’.

Comparing a passage from Mrs. Dalloway by Woolf and The Dead by Joyce, we can see how each writer utilizes stream of consciousness in a unique way, despite the very similar circumstances.

In Mrs. Dalloway, Clarissa is unsettled by the visit of her friend Peter Walsh:

What an extraordinary habit that was, Clarissa thought; always playing with a knife. Always making one feel, too, frivolous; empty-minded; a mere silly chatterbox, as he used. But I too, she thought, and, taking up her needle, summoned, like a Queen whose guards have fallen sleep and left her unprotected (she had been quite taken aback by this visit—it had upset her) so that any one can stroll in and have a look at her where she lies with the brambles curving over her, summoned to help her the things she did; the things she liked. (Woolf 44)

In The Dead, Gabriel is unsettled by a comment from his friend Miss Ivors:

He did not know how to meet her charge. He wanted to say literature was above politics. But they were friends of many years’ standing and their careers had been parallel, first at the University and then as teachers: he could not risk a grandiose phrase with her. He continued blinking his eyes and trying to smile and murmured lamely that he saw nothing political in writing reviews of books. (Joyce 31)

How are they different? First let’s look at the use of punctuation. Woolf uses punctuation to create a “spiraling” effect in her stream of consciousness, while Joyce uses punctuation to splice linear thoughts together.

In Mrs. Dalloway, the narration seems to begin with an external trigger (Peter and his knife) and move deeper and deeper into Clarissa’s internal world. Note how the first line is an opinion of Peter’s physical behavior, while the second line is Clarissa’s interpretation of Peter’s implied behavior. The third line metaphorically describes Clarissa’s response to Peter’s implied behavior (broken momentarily by a glimpse of HER physical behavior) followed by an explicate description of her emotional response. It is interesting to note that the core emotion is off set in parenthesis. This is the core of the paragraph. Structurally Woolf uses commas and parenthesis to shift perspectives and spiral down into the well-guarded emotion of Mrs. Dalloway, and then begins the process of backing out and focusing on the external world again.

In The Dead, Joyce uses commas in a much more traditional way: splicing and creating compound sentences. In the passage above, Gabriel is perplexed by a disparaging comment of a close friend, Miss Ivors. It is another situation where the external behavior upsets the protagonist. However, Gabriel’s response is more intellectual than emotional. He does not feel abandoned or “unguarded” as Clarissa does, but sees her comment as a head on challenge to his authority. Gabriel considers how he will “meet her charge.” Joyce does not take us deeper into Gabriel’s emotional core, but deeper into his intellectual core. Gabriel considers his response, considers the value of their relationship, and the impact of his response on that relationship. In the final sentence Gabriel acts, manifesting the response he finds logically appropriate.

Using metaphor to express the internal emotional experience and using grammar in a way that draws the reader further away from the external, into this introspective realm of women, Woolf succeeded in creating a new narrative perspective—one in Victorian England could indeed be termed ‘feminine.’

With the diffusing of these segregated roles, however, is the pursuit of a ‘feminine narrative’ still a valid concern? I’ll let you think about that until my next post.

TriciaAres.com

Well today is a very exciting day. Not only am I participating in my first podcast interview, TriciaAres.com has just launched. That’s right, I now have my own website dedicated to my professional and creative writing. Fear not, I will continue to blog here at Modern Matriarch, where we are build an awesome community of like minded individuals. As always, my focus here at MM will be on empowering the female narrative, and there is still plenty to talk about.

TriciaAres.com will house my writing portfolio, overview of my experience and background, and updates on current projects and publications.  The contact page encourages others to reach out for more information on projects and services.

Feel free to stop by and check it out.

Well, I have to run, I don’t want to keep them waiting over at Wordsy.com.

Free Non-Fiction Writing Course

Good Morning readers. I have another busy day ahead of me, but before I jet off to my next virtual conference, I wanted to share something I discovered on Wordsy.com. Fiona Veitch Smith, a.k.a. the Crafty Writer, is sponsoring a free (yes you heard right–FREE) eight week non-fiction writing course. 

Ms. Smith is a freelance journalist, author, playwright and writing teacher based in Newcastle, England. WAIT! don’t click away, yet, location is not an issue. Although the course began on October 5th, YOU CAN STILL PARTICIPATE. Ms. Smith is offering the friday sessions on her blog where you can join the workshop online. (You can also review the sessions you’ve missed.) I know I’ll be there.

These are the topics she’s discussing:

1. Opportunities for non-fiction writing, finding ideas, letters to the editor.
2. Non-fiction writing styles: journalistic vs narrative prose. Keeping it brief.
3. Blogging and other internet opportunities.
4. Writing from life. Autobiography and opinion pieces.
5. Articles for specialist magazines.
6. Travel writing.
7. Writing a non-fiction book proposal and approaching editors.
8. Copyright, libel and finance.

See you there!

Women’s Media Summit Day 1

Good Morning Everyone (* said in a hushed whisper). Well, at least it’s morning as I write this—6 am to be exact. It’s still dark outside and even in this Miami suburb, the world is shrouded in a blanket of semi-silence. The steady chirp of crickets is broken only occasionally by the sound of a drowsy automobile rolling off to an early start.

As a freelance writer who works from home, this is my moment of Zen. I try to get the bulk of my writing done during these lulls, even if it means waking up at 5 am everyday.

Soon my day will be filled with the constant influx of communication: email, cell-phone, fax, even the UPS man delivering gallies or review copies. While I am attempting to juggle the calls and correspondence with the utmost professionalism, my three-year-old daughter shares her latest picture of daddy and chases the cat under the table.

This is the face of the changing workforce. Women, often frustrated and underrepresented in the corporate world, are choosing to go it alone. Taking their hard earned knowledge and experience, they are starting their own businesses, setting up shop on their own terms. This new work force even has a name—Mompreneurs.

Just because you’ve decided to head out on your own doesn’t mean you have to do it alone. In fact, you can’t do it a lone. You have to get your name out there, exposure yourself to the community. It’s not just enough to network (although that is vital), you have to generate a media presence in order to establish your credibility and really drive your business.

As a freelance writer, writing alone is not enough. My writing has to actually reach people. Writing skill and fabulous content mean nothing without an audience. As a writer, building a relationship with the media is crucial. But were do we start?

The Women’s Media Summit, has the answers. The Women’s Media Summit gathers exceptional media, PR, and marketing professionals together in one spot: you’re home office! That’s right, no airfare, no expensive accommodations, no child care issues. For only $57 (no that’s not a typo), Mompreneurs from across the country will attend four days of virtual presentations.

The Women’s Media Summit is multimedia and interactive. What I learned from the first speaker alone was well worth the investment.

Yesterday, Kirsten Osolind, CEO of Re:invention Marketing, opened the summit with a presentation on “Being Notable and Quotable.” Her statistics on the under-representation of women in the media are astounding:

• Women make up only 21% of all people featured in the news
• Women represent only 14 % of all company spokespersons and 17% of all experts quoted in the news.
• Women are most often presented in the media as voices expressing personal experience
• Women are twice as likely as men to be portrayed as victims in the news.
• Women represent a mere 14 percent of all Sunday morning political talk show guest appearances.

So with the odds stacked against Momprenuers, how do we get in the media? In her presentation Osolind, provides tips on how to become more notable and quotable using the Re:Invention BNQ model and how to build credibility through the Terrific Trifecta and online resources.

If the Women’s Media Summit sounds like something you want to participate in, there is still time to register, but hurry! Presentations begin today at 3pm (Eastern time). You can also order audio files or CDs of the Seminar, as well. Just visit www.womensmediasummit.com.

To learn more about Re:Invention Marketing go to: www.reinventioninc.com or visit their award winning blog at www.reinventioninc.blogspot.com

Oh! One final statistic: Although women make up 50% of the blogging community only 13% make the top 100 list among national advertising agencies . . . hmmmm. Looks like I have some more work to do.

Cooking Up New Ideas: Multi-tasking Your Way to Creative Nonfiction

Yesterday, I spent most of my day at the computer, pushing myself to reach various deadlines. Juggling both short term and long term goals, I often find myself working on many different projects at once. Although it takes a lot of organization (and a lot of caffeine), I manage to get it done. Like an experienced chef, you learn how to time everything to come up at once and how to stir many pots at the same time. For some it may look like spontaneous magic. For others it may look like a well rehearsed dance. But the chef (and the writer) knows it’s the combination of practice and improvisation.

One of my favorite things about cooking is the aroma, the smell of all those ingredients in each dish melding together. That melding together of ingredients happens when you’re a writer, as well. And just as that process of cooking inspires new recipes, juggling multiple writing projects inspires new ideas. It doesn’t matter what genre you’re writing in. In fact, it’s helpful if you’re writing in more than one at a time.

Most readers polarize writing into two general categories: fiction and non-fiction. They equate fiction with creative writing and the imagination and non-fiction with the organized presentation of fact. Writers realize that the world of writing is not really that black and white, though. That genres blend and merge like aromas in a kitchen, inspiring new recipes.

In her essay, “But Tell It Slant: From Poetry to Prose and Back Again,” Judith Ortiz Cofer opens with the example of the same experience told two different ways. First she expresses it as a poem. Ortiz notes that “[t]he poem is closer to my emotional memory of this incident.” Then she writes about it in prose, “an exploration that began with the facts of the event.” Both of these are mere versions of what really happened.

Personal essays, journals, memoirs, biography, meditation and nature writing are all forms of creative non-fiction. Just as good fiction is organized and often well researched, good non-fiction is entertaining. This takes creativity.

When you start writing fiction and non-fiction simultaneously, you’ll begin to see that they have a lot in common. Your fiction and non-fiction will begin to inform one another, inspire one another. So don’t be afraid to take on multiple projects. Learning to stir all those pots at once will take a little practice, but the melding of ingredients will fill your mind with new possibilities and the results will be satisfying.

A Poet Longing to Write Prose

In yesterday’s post, I reminisced about my favorite creative writing teacher, and the impact he had on my poetry. Although, I still have room to grow (learning how to utilize form and meter to my best advantage), I appreciate all of the advice he gave me and the valuable time he dedicated to his critiques.

Now, I am in debt to new teachers, as I make the transition from poetry to novel writing. My first hurdle was just convincing myself I could write enough to fill a novel. For me, poetry is instant gratification. Generally, I write the first draft in one sitting, or over the course of one day. From there, I can revise. But even in this rough form, it’s a complete idea.

Poetry is like the one night stand of the literary world. Each self-contained piece is new and exciting. You can approach poetry with the heat, with the passion, of newly discovered lovers, devouring each other. Once ravished, you can set it aside and indulge in the afterglow.

Writing a novel is a commitment. I wake to the same manuscript, day in and day out. If I fail to give it quality time, it stares at me blankly. It accuses me of not putting enough effort into the relationship. But just as your novel can fall into a predictable rut, so can it rebound with exhilarating energy and you remember why you first began wooing your novel in the first place. The novel is a lot of hard work, but immensely satisfying.

My second hurtle in the transition from poetry to prose, lies within the language. Accustomed to thinking in images, it’s hard to let poetic language go. The first chapters of my novel were adjective heavy, slowing the pace to an excruciating crawl. (You can see evidence of this in my flash fiction story “Summer of the Fairies,” submitted before I learned this important lesson.) Fellow writers tell me of similar struggles with adverbs. Although I shy from modifying my verbs, I’m sure that is due to some diligent high school teacher who broke me of the habit.

Having a degree in English doesn’t necessarily help one write a novel. In the course of obtaining that degree, I have read a lot of classic literature. Reading Bronte or Dickens a dozen times will eventually affect your writing. You may wonder what’s wrong with that, they’re classics. True: and the classics are worthy of in-depth study. The 1926 silent film The General is also a classic, considered the best of its genre, but you won’t see Quentin Tarantino rushing to copy it. To compete in a saturated market, a novel, like a movie, must have commercial appeal. It’s important to set aside the great writing styles of our predecessors and write for the contemporary audience, just as Dickens did in the 1800’s.

The final lesson has been form. As poets, we can often snub our nose at form and say, “I am a modern poet, a beatnik, an imagist” and fain that our lack of form is intentional rather than a lack of training, but novels are not so forgiving. Or should I say published novels are not so forgiving. Certainly you can write a novel anyway you wish, but getting it published requires more discipline. There are formal expectations that you must adhere to, so take the time to master it.

And there you have it reader: the difficulties of my transition from poetry to prose. Like a newlywed settling into marriage, some things simply require a little adjustment.