Prose Poetry

I did some work on this yesterday and I’ll be doing more today. I think I approach it in an entirely different way from my children’s and Young Adult fiction. There is still, however, that balance of “visual” writing and aural writing. Yes, I do hear the words. But I also “see the scenes and try to record them. I say “see” because I also hear, smell, taste and feel them and am aware of thoughts in my head at the same time.

I’m finding even with this I actually write it better straight on to the computer. I remember the scene and write from that. So, what use the writer’s journal? Every use in the world. I use that for making notes of those fantastic ideas I have as I drive. I also spend time in cafés plotting and planning. I like to make notes on lectures and meetings. I rarely look at them again. It’s the mere act of writing thoughts down which seems to fix them.

I’m up to 49 pages of the prose poetry collection. I’m calling it “Glimpses”. It’s a little Proustian in its attempt to recapture times, but times complete with their atmospheres. It’s impossible to tell whether I’m getting it right. My head fills the gaps so much. Those 49 pages are complete. I’ve edited and edited until it sounds right. I’m not sure I do it so much for my novels. Yes there’s the 18 edits, but many of them are just tinkering. Longer pieces become unfixable. It’s almost easier to start something new.

I intend to make the collection something over 100 pages long. I’ve started a new section – Loved Places. The first excerpt is about Nerja. There will be further sections about Bursledon, Salford, Manchester and Bangor, - or North Wales in general. I think I’ll also include a section on “People” and “Commentary” which talks about society as it is today.

Prose Poetry

As I drove back form Blackpool after seeing my second cousin, Liz, I had a piece of prose poetry going around in my head. It was actually three pieces I guess, about the three times I’d been on a beach with her. It kept on nagging at me, and consequently, I’ve had to give it some time over the weekend.
Prose poetry, or at least what I call prose poetry, is very tied to time and place. You almost need to write it whilst you’re in situ, a little like haikus. If you can’t write it whilst you’re there, it’s good to visit it with your imagination and then write with the senses. That always leads to good writing of course. But then you need to get the balance of emotional engagement and grounding in time and space right.
Well, I’ve finished one piece. I suppose I’ll do the other two later today.
I’m building up a collection called Glimpses. I’ve promised myself I’ll finish it by the end of March.
Well, my book tour will be taking me all over the place, at all sorts of times, so I guess I’ll be able to get a lot of time and place writing in.