I'd had a run of being fired up with ideas and enthusiasm to express my thoughts and feelings through poetry. I'd started disciplining myself to write a sonnet each week, and I was quietly pleased with some of the results. I hadn't felt ready to share my attempts, but saw the opportunity to get some expert feedback as a way of challenging myself to improve.
I think it's important for us, as teachers and parents, to be reminded how uncomfortably vulnerable it feels to see your writing in the hands of an expert. Deryn wasn't rude or insulting. She didn't pull apart the two poems I had carefully selected and submitted for her to read, and our discussion wasn't negative or discouraging. Her advice and suggestions were kind, constructive and, as I scribbled them down, I found them inspiring. And, yet, I came away wishing I'd kept my fledgling poems secret, instead of sending them, plummeting out of the nest before they were ready.
Yesterday, @WritingRocks_17 shared a link to an article from Literacy For Pleasure's blog:
Reading back through my notes from my 30 minutes with Deryn, the snippets I jotted down have started to chip away at my writer's block:
Immerse yourself in literature, as if you're opening your head and pouring patterns in, until they fire your subconscious.
Practise, play, experiment - as if there's no right or wrong. Everything you write will teach you for next time.
Every poem is a telegram and you pay for every word.
We all have cold starts, but you can write yourself into a very strong 3rd or 4th line.
Dose yourself up on other people's writing to find a solution.
Being a poet is like being at a party, open up a dialogue - don't be a party bore.
If you think something is a weakness, turn it into a strength: if you feel you use too much punctuation - use more!
Okay, maybe I'm (almost) ready to give this another go...