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Putting the feelers out - Viv Wigley's Blog

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Putting the feelers out

Blog Posted:4/1/2015 12:09:00 AM

Hi. First blog, so I thought I'd give it a bizarre title that bears no relevance to my physiology.

I left a comment for Rhonda-Johnson Saunders on my poem 'Millpond daybreak', regarding my experiences when composing a poem, about sometimes you struggle, scribble, edit and question, and sometimes you're in the zone and it flows easily or, as in the case of the poem in question, almost appears like a developing photograph. I know recently, thanks to owning a Blackberry phone, I can use the notebook to record a thought or phrase for future use (it's getting out of hand now- I think I'm a hoarder) and in some cases compose a verse on the move (Haiku- 'Spider web') which is a real boon. I know with some competitions on radio and here on Soup, I can stare at a blank screen for ages like a Radio operator waiting for a response from the Titanic, and get nothing. It's not so much about distraction- I've generated stuff whilst doing the hated ironing, so I don't know. Maybe inspiration is a constantly moving tide like the Van Allen belt, and it washes into the psyche at leisure. I find that doing too much research on disciplines and grammar clutters me and takes a chunk out of creative freedom. Maybe I'm just worrying to much over nothing. Anyone out there care to stick their oar in? Thanks in advance for your input. Warmest regards, Viv

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D.W.
Rodgers

Date: 4/2/2015 9:40:00 AM

I agree with most of what has already been said but must note that we all are individuals. While I agree that establishing a routine and inertia are important to my life, from exercise to writing, there are times when I discard routine to focus on a deadline (often income generating) activity. Like you Viv, my poetry is often started from a single line which I'll jot down.,although I use a pencil and paper not my blackberry. Later I'll look at it, try to read my writing and see if it can be worked into a poem.

D.W. Rodgers
Date: 4/2/2015 5:18:00 PM

Thanks Viv - but I must correct my misdirection - I forgo writhing and verse when facing a work related deadline

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/2/2015 3:51:00 PM

Thanks, Dave, and I'm impressed that you can fulfil something as ethereal as verse to a deadline, and get a result. High five! Regards, Viv

Debbie
Guzzi

Date: 4/1/2015 7:44:00 PM

Yup I love sticking in oars - do what you do! No matter how when or where you do it. The most important thing is to give your writing a priority and keep it. Say you can only spend an hour a day at it- OK- that's fine -just do it daily! [No matter the outcome!] Later on after the the idea or the motion is formed in words then you can go back and think about the grammar [PS I hate it! Who doesn't] After awhile though you will find the verse itself is better for having cleared up the grammar & that IS pleasing!

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/2/2015 1:04:00 AM

Thanks, Debbie, I've started leaving work-in-progress for a day or two, to come back with fresh eyes, as I do with my paintings (which I've left for a while- must get back in the saddle). Viv x

Robert
Lindley

Date: 4/1/2015 6:25:00 PM

Write with the heart, let the head rest and on certain poems come in later to tidy up! Poems I keep in my private stash I wrote and never dared to "tidy up". Sometimes the uncut gem is the sunshine as it is.. with no filtering rays applied... My oar just hit the waters.....my boat is large as I like room to stretch my legs.. Welcome and great first blog!

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/2/2015 1:01:00 AM

Thanks, fellow hoarder- a little chaos is no bad thing. Regards, Viv

Constance
La France

Date: 4/1/2015 6:20:00 PM

Viv, you are not alone, take comfort in that, I go no where without pen and paper, I never know when something will impress me to write, so I must be prepared, when I am creating a poem, I start with a blank page and just write whatever comes into my head, sort of rambling, then I take the best of what I wrote and write that on a blank page then I mould that into the theme I am going for on another blank page and then the hard part, moulding it into a particular form on another blank page and I love every moment of the process, I am usually surrounded by dictionaries and paper by the time I am finished, of course I could use the computer but I am a paper and pen kinda girl . .

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/2/2015 1:00:00 AM

Obviously your techniques is effective, judging by your lovely creative output. I've used the multi sheet paper method a few times, and the ones with my initial thoughts hastily written look like they were scribbled on a rollercoaster :) . Thanks for contributing. Viv x

Casarah
Nance

Date: 4/1/2015 5:44:00 PM

I know what you mean, I get inspired at the weirdest times, like in the shower, or trying to sleep. I carry a notebook constantly. But sometimes I sit and force a write by rule and measure and that result is spectacular, while other times I let my fingers dance on the screen and poetry forms, either way, or any way it come---capture it! :)

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/2/2015 12:51:00 AM

It obviously works, Casarah, because I love your work. Must challenge myself facing a blank more often, then. Viv x

Robert
Stoner Jr

Date: 4/1/2015 2:05:00 PM

I agree with Frederic ,well said Fredrick. I know I can over write sometimes thinking of form. If I create a piece from immediate muse I'll save it and rewrite in the form I had in mind, sometimes I save both versions. That may include a rhyming piece I rewrite into a verse. It's a playground try all the toys and save everything. I wake in the night and get up to write a few lines of inspiration and return to them next day. When I write I blast the words out as they come and return when finished to do all the errors capitals punctuation etc. ,the flow is important to me.Many times I write the end of a piece and work to that. Muse is everywhere and nowhere just depends on me :o)

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/2/2015 12:49:00 AM

Thanks Robert- I too tend to awake in the early hours, punch some ideas into my phone and then let them rise, like yeast, for a day or two before playing with them- saved me from some shoddy work, I can tell you. Regards, Viv

Frederic
Parker

Date: 4/1/2015 11:36:00 AM

I believe that poetry is the soul communicating through the head.Inspiration comes when they are in sync.Anything can cause that connection..a leaf spinning through air..a bird floating above..the look from a loved one...sadness..happiness..anything..frustration comes when one tries to hard to connect the head and the soul..there is also the companion heart..I've read many a poem that was structured in its form but lacked the heart of a poet..my oar has been placed in.

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/1/2015 12:40:00 PM

Thanks for paddling in, Frederick, yes the heart's the engine room. Regards, Viv

Jan
Allison

Date: 4/1/2015 2:40:00 AM

I think of writing as like going to the loo Viv - sometimes the words flow .... like verbal diarrhea - other times your brain is constipated LOL . All I know is I carry a notebook around with me all the time - when i first started writing I had to stop driving home one when inspiration hit and I simply had to get the words down:-) Hugs Jan xx

Jan Allison
Date: 4/2/2015 2:14:00 AM

lol

Debbie Guzzi
Date: 4/1/2015 7:45:00 PM

cool metaphor [syringed] wow Viv!

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/1/2015 7:39:00 AM

You'd have made a dreadful taxi driver. Interesting how our database of words and phrases ends up like a game of scrabble. Sometimes, a line just gets syringed into your head. I carry a pack of tissues, just in case. Viv x

Rob
Carmack

Date: 4/1/2015 12:23:00 AM

I totally agree with limiting Grammar's touch upon poetry.

Rob Carmack
Date: 4/1/2015 1:55:00 AM

Yes, or in some cases, chains instead of strings.

Viv Wigley
Date: 4/1/2015 12:38:00 AM

A bit like tying a string to a toy glider to make it a kite. Now it's a kite, it's not a free flying glider any more. Thanks, Rob. Viv

My Past Blog Posts


A strange emptiness Date Posted: 11/8/2023 6:41:00 AM
Just a word........ Date Posted: 9/9/2018 10:46:00 PM
Pick a theme contest finalized Date Posted: 9/2/2018 2:33:00 AM
Five senses- finalized Date Posted: 8/14/2018 8:10:00 AM
One, nine, sixteen V3.0 finalized Date Posted: 7/24/2018 1:17:00 AM
One nine and sixteen V 3.0 Date Posted: 6/24/2018 8:02:00 PM
One nine and sixteen upgrade finalized Date Posted: 6/20/2018 11:06:00 PM
One nine and sixteen upgrade contest- clarification Date Posted: 6/3/2018 11:01:00 PM
I wish I was a finalized Date Posted: 5/7/2018 12:26:00 AM
One, nine and sixteen finalized Date Posted: 5/2/2018 3:27:00 AM
What's in a name contest finalized. Date Posted: 6/7/2017 2:46:00 AM
WARNING- finalized Date Posted: 11/5/2016 2:31:00 AM
Viv's missing lttr contst- finalizd Date Posted: 10/12/2016 9:43:00 PM
A body of work contest- finally finalized Date Posted: 10/7/2016 12:12:00 AM
Body of work- Update Date Posted: 9/11/2016 1:20:00 PM
Body of work contest- a clarification Date Posted: 9/11/2016 12:38:00 AM
Problems with pictures in your poems? Date Posted: 9/7/2016 6:31:00 AM
In memorium- salute a fellow poet Date Posted: 9/6/2016 12:03:00 PM
My abiding memory contest- the results Date Posted: 2/1/2016 12:08:00 AM
Cautionary tale- AAAARGH! Date Posted: 1/6/2016 7:00:00 AM
My abiding memory contest- a clarification Date Posted: 12/24/2015 12:31:00 AM
Funny old language, innit? Date Posted: 10/25/2015 1:59:00 AM
It's all about perspective Date Posted: 7/27/2015 10:41:00 PM
Old friends Date Posted: 7/11/2015 8:53:00 AM
Putting the feelers out Date Posted: 4/1/2015 12:09:00 AM

My Recent Poems

Date Posted	PoemTitle	Form	Categories
1/31/2024	Commitment	Rhyme	relationship,
7/23/2022	A Wedding Is Announced	Rhyme	celebrity,
3/18/2022	Happy Couple	Rhyme	humor,relationship,
3/4/2022	Cat In a Box	Rhyme	cat,humor,
2/1/2022	A Funeral	Rhyme	funeral,
1/30/2022	Resolution Graveyard	Rhyme	new year,
1/16/2022	New Me	Rhyme	health,
11/3/2021	Cold Start	Rhyme	age,humor,
10/19/2021	Take Me To Your Leader	Rhyme	humor,space,
8/21/2021	Ambush	Sonnet	animal,
8/15/2021	To the Young	Rhyme	beauty,youth,
8/13/2021	Saint Mum	Sonnet	mother,
8/5/2021	Idle Olympics	Rhyme	humor,sports,
7/22/2021	July Summer Sky	Free verse	age,
5/16/2021	Artificial Intelligence	Rhyme	humor,technology,
4/30/2021	Requiesce In Pace	Rhyme	heaven,humor,
2/21/2021	The Lotus Eaters	Rhyme	age,humor,
2/1/2021	Arms Race	Rhyme	humor,
10/26/2020	Halloween 2020	Rhyme	halloween,
10/25/2020	The Sack	Rhyme	humor,
10/10/2020	Behind the Mask	Sonnet	beauty,
10/10/2020	Clock Watching	Free verse	age,
9/28/2020	Victim	Free verse	abuse,
9/28/2020	Relatively Creaking	Rhyme	house,
9/6/2020	Little Friends	Rhyme	insect,
9/6/2020	Slow Down	Rhyme	age,
9/4/2020	Donald Trump	Clerihew	political,
8/29/2020	Conkers	Rhyme	childhood,
7/25/2020	Odd Jobs	Rhyme	humor,work,
7/7/2020	Two Sides	Sonnet	character,
5/10/2020	Greed	Couplet	bird,
4/22/2020	Lockdown Week Three	Rhyme	humor,
3/24/2020	There Will Come a Day	Free verse	hope,society,
3/18/2020	Covid-19 the Upside	Rhyme	humor,
2/19/2020	Good Deeds	Free verse	blessing,
2/12/2020	Man of Ages	Sonnet	age,
2/9/2020	A Passing	Rhyme	death of a friend,
1/1/2020	Thats Settled Then	Rhyme	food,humor,
11/27/2019	Stuck In a Christmas Globe	Rhyme	christmas,
9/7/2019	Together Apart	Rhyme	caregiving,
9/4/2019	Pigeons	Rhyme	bird,
4/14/2019	Thermos Flask	Rhyme	age,humor,
3/28/2019	Thicker Than Water	Rhyme	health,
3/20/2019	Spectrum	Rhyme	color,life,
3/20/2019	Rocket	Rhyme	humor,space,
3/18/2019	Naked Butlers	Rhyme	humor,
3/9/2019	The Man At Number Ten	Sonnet	humor,marriage,
3/9/2019	Early Light	Sonnet	spring,
1/3/2019	December Farewell	Rhyme	death,
12/28/2018	New Year	Sonnet	day,
11/14/2018	Hello	Sonnet	friendship,
11/4/2018	Books	Free verse	books,
10/28/2018	In the Bin	Rhyme	age,humor,
10/25/2018	Try Something New	Rhyme	humor,jobs,
10/24/2018	Rainbow	Sonnet	rainbow,relationship,
10/17/2018	Tributes	Rhyme	sorrow,
10/1/2018	A Sonnet On Ageing	Sonnet	age,
9/23/2018	Seasonal Affected Disorder	Rhyme	autumn,sad,
9/22/2018	In the Beginning	Rhyme	creation,god,
9/18/2018	The Ockbrook Incident	Rhyme	dog,
9/15/2018	Somewhere In the Arctic	Rhyme	autumn,
9/13/2018	Bad For Business	Rhyme	business,
9/12/2018	Shush Did You Hear That	Rhyme	fear,
9/10/2018	Booby	Limerick	animal,humor,
9/10/2018	Prove It	Rhyme	faith,
9/10/2018	Third Light	Rhyme	war,
9/9/2018	Night Horror	Rhyme	pain,
9/9/2018	Describe Heaven	Rhyme	heaven,
8/26/2018	Shopping Scenters	Rhyme	senses,
8/26/2018	The Haunted House	Rhyme	house,
8/25/2018	Eat, Drink and Be Merry	Rhyme	food,
8/22/2018	Who Do I Think I Am	Rhyme	appreciation,humor,
8/19/2018	The Deal	Sonnet	love,
8/12/2018	Everyday Angel	Rhyme	angel,
8/11/2018	Pick N Mix	Rhyme	beauty,humor,
8/8/2018	A Rattling Rhyme	Rhyme	humor,sensual,
8/5/2018	Clair De Lune	Free verse	night,peace,
7/31/2018	Seaside	Senryu	beach,
7/29/2018	Step In the Past	Rhyme	dance,memory,
7/25/2018	Be Not Sad	Epigram	death,
7/25/2018	Waiter There's a Fly	Rhyme	insect,
7/22/2018	Last Train	Sonnet	marriage,
7/21/2018	Everything Will Be Fine	Rhyme	loss,
7/15/2018	Baby Joys and Tears	Rhyme	father daughter,
7/15/2018	A July Dawn	Sonnet	summer,sun,
7/12/2018	After the England Semi Final	Rhyme	football,humor,
7/10/2018	An Incomplete Love Story	Rhyme	loss,love,
7/1/2018	My Feet	Senryu	age,
6/28/2018	On the Pull	Rhyme	desire,humor,
6/26/2018	Childhood Fun	Rhyme	child,
6/25/2018	Nine Seventeen	Free verse	time,
6/24/2018	The Sun Will Shine Brighter	Rhyme	love,
6/21/2018	Say What	Rhyme	humor,life,
6/10/2018	What I Learned From Old Music	Rhyme	life,music,
6/5/2018	These Are the Days	Rhyme	endurance,thanks,
5/9/2018	First Encounter	Rhyme	humor,
5/7/2018	The Hangover of 1985	Rhyme	humor,pain,
5/6/2018	Intruder	Rhyme	fear,
5/3/2018	Three Ghosts	Rhyme	humor,
5/2/2018	Dating Advice For Women	Rhyme	humor,love,

My Photos

Fav Poems

PoemTitle	Form	Categories
Blossoms and Bubbles	Sonnet	flower,garden,
One Green Leaf	Verse	color,green,holiday,image
Dream Come True	Sonnet	blessing,
Death To the Mockingbird	Rhyme	dark,jealousy,
Everything's Okay	Quatrain	emotions,feelings,hope,hu
The Song of Wisdom	Terzanelle	character,growing up,wisd
Night Burns	Quatrain	fear,moon,night,
Love Passing By	Rhyme	love,love,pride,
Fire Star	Free verse	inspirational,mystery,spa
Too Many Yesterdays	Free verse	lonely,time,
Do You Remember	Free verse
The Crone	Quatrain	courage,dedication,fantas
Scripted Tears	Blank verse	emotions,feelings,hurt,lo
Bright Last Quarter	Quatrain	dark,moon,morning,
The Color of Silence	Free verse	imagination,morning,sound
I See You	Couplet	confusion,corruption,emot
Ask Not Why You Reap Such Ills	Sonnet	allegory,conflict,cry,dar
Horsing Around	Rhyme	humor,
Sol Squints	Quatrain	beauty,imagery,imaginatio
Strange Redemption	Sonnet	tree,
Inside My Head	Sonnet	introspection,
Quietude and Boom	Free verse	devotion,mother daughter,
Gait Keeper	Free verse	dog,love,relationship,
Quietly In the Night	Free verse	anxiety,dark,death,fear,n
Everything Froze	Rhyme	storm,winter,
Lost Echoes - For Contest	Free verse	environment,pollution,riv
Crack Like Fissures	I do not know?	angst,beauty,dedication,
Raindrops On My Window	Rhyme	grief,
I Want To Believe	Quatrain	faith,feelings,god,religi
I Soar	Free verse	nature,
A Timeless Love	Rhyme	love,tree,youth,
The Conscience	Sonnet	conflict,
- Peace, Love, and Gods Greatest Gift -	Terza Rima	celebration,christmas,dec
October's Crown	Sonnet	light,nostalgia,seasons,
Blessed Be	Verse	nature,
Echoing Thoughts	Free verse	life,muse,
Breakfast of Good-Bye	Free verse	emotions,lust,
Without Lament	Sonnet	introspection,
Remnants of Time	Rubaiyat	absence,hope,
When Winter Comes, Remember Me	Quatern	assonance,autumn,heartbre
Broken People	Free verse	people,
Love Affair	Quintain (English)	butterfly,
Chasing Pandora	Epic	hope,
The Morn's Alive With Skylarks Singing	Verse	tribute,writing,
Half of a Heart	Concrete	health,heart,
The Wintered Soul Among Wisteria	Sonnet	grief,
Probabilities	Haiku	creation,earth,life,math,
Mary's Shrift	Free verse	devotion,discrimination,
- Yearning -	Light Verse	farewell,i miss you,
My Grandmother's Diary	Prose Poetry	age,family,grandmother,id
Spiritual Joy	Abecedarian	joy,love,spiritual,
A Mother's Envy and Pride	Free verse	art,child,love,metaphor,m
Fallen Star	Quatrain	earth,hate,heaven,life,li
Goodbye Song	Free verse	bird,break up,heartbreak,
A New Year - Time For Love	Sonnet	romantic,time,
Like Feathers, Fly	Choka	appreciation,journey,life
Shadow To Shadow Revised	Monorhyme	abuse,anger,assonance,bet
To Never Cry	Sonnet	poetry,
One Brief Moment	Rhyme	imagery,nostalgia,
Yellow Shoes In the Darkness	Couplet	adventure,perspective,yel
One Lone Oak	Free verse	introspection,poetry,
If I Could	Quatrain	true love,
Sold	Didactic	bible,christian,corruptio
What Is a Moment	Rhyme	appreciation,change,ident
Questions	Prose	poetry,
Prickly Heat	Haibun	lost love,
on tranquil lake -	Rubaiyat	earth,introspection,natur
Winter Blues - I Cry For Color	Free verse	depression,loneliness,lon
Dream Sustained Friendship	Lyric	confusion,dream,friend,fr
An Early Morning Walk On the Beach	Free verse	beach,holiday,ocean,stars
Horse of the Highlands	Rhyme	animal,horse,mystery,natu
Fiddleheads On the River Walls	Italian Sonnet	life,
The Tempest	Pantoum	lost love,
Thought Changer	Sonnet	beauty,change,color,
Mind the Paint	Sonnet	international,
The Daughter of the North Wind Sings In Soprano	Imagism	passion,snow,winter,woman
When Again We Meet - Sijo	Free verse	absence,appreciation,deat
The Flowers In My World	Free verse	flower,
To Dream	Sonnet	dream,loss,love,
Butterfly Dance	Lyric	beauty,
To All the Pens I'Ve Lost Before	Lyric	humor,
Flying Over Vietnam, 1974	Rhyme	allusion,conflict,loss,re
Spring Luna	Sonnet	grief,heartbroken,hurt,mo
A Song For Autumn	Sonnet	autumn,
There Are Days When	Dramatic Monologue	remembrance day,
Observations From a Messmate Stump	Lyric	nature,
Double Sided	Lyric	anxiety,emotions,lost,
Pipe Dreams	Free verse	analogy,symbolism,travel,
Beautiful Mystery	Sonnet	autumn,love,mystery,
Finding My Way	Quatrain	blessing,faith,hope,
Forgotten Words	Free verse	poets,

Fav Poets

Poet	Country
William Gray	United Kingdom	Read
Jan Allison	Isle Of Man	Read
Barbara Gorelick	United States	Read
Peter Lewis Holmes	Viet Nam	Read
Paul Callus	Malta	Read
Rob Carmack	United States	Read
Casarah Nance	United States	Read
Andrea Dietrich	United States	Read
Emile Pinet	Canada	Read
Jack Ellison	Canada	Read
Lindsay Laurie	Australia	Read
Laura Leiser	United States	Read
Rhonda Johnson-Saunders	United States	Read
Eileen Manassian	_Not Listed	Read
Edwin Hofert	United States	Read
Frederic Parker	United States	Read
John Williams	Australia	Read
Njeri Hunjeri	Kenya	Read
Julia Ward	France	Read
Brian Baumgarn	United States	Read
Judy Konos	United States	Read
The Grahamburglar	United States	Read
Leon Enriquez	Singapore	Read
Robert Lindley	United States	Read
Dorian Petersen Potter	United States	Read
Anne-Lise Andresen	Norway	Read
Lawrence Eberhart	United States	Read
Lee Carter	United States	Read
Duke Beaufort	United States	Read
Suzanne Delaney	United States	Read
Darlene Gifford	United States	Read
James Inman	United States	Read
Connie Marcum Wong	United States	Read
Kp Nunez	Philippines	Read
Debbie Guzzi	United States	Read
Sandra Haight	United States	Read
Richard Lamoureux	Canada	Read
Constance La France	Canada	Read
Keith Bickerstaffe	United Kingdom	Read
Arthur Vaso	Canada	Read
Caycay Jennings	United States	Read
Jean Murray	Ireland	Read
Susan Gentry	United States	Read
Harry Horsman	Australia	Read
Robert Stoner Jr	United States	Read
Becca Teagan	United States	Read
David Smith	New Zealand	Read
Eve Roper	United States	Read
Anthony Mark	United Kingdom	Read
Carrie Richards	United States	Read
Indiana Shaw	United Kingdom	Read
Agnes Krampe	United States	Read
Rhoda Tripp	United States	Read
Tom Cunningham	United Kingdom	Read
Line Gauthier	Canada	Read
Jan Terry	United States	Read
Space Cadet	United States	Read
Joan Donnelly Ellis	Canada	Read
Carole Duet	United States	Read
Carol Eastman	United States	Read
Sherif Goda	Egypt	Read
Lycia Harding	United States	Read
Muhammad Imtiaz	Pakistan	Read
Gail Lewis	United Kingdom	Read
Paloma P	United States	Read
Vijay Pandit	United States	Read
Freddie Robinson Jr.	United States	Read
Kishan Sharma	India	Read
Sonny Ransom	United Kingdom	Read
Ashok Kumar Mishra	India	Read
Sneha Rv	India	Read