Festering

Do your thoughts ever decay out of repetition,
Or maybe because of overthinking too much?

Do they rot by sitting in one place of your brain for too long?
That when it comes back, it is nastier than how you once left it.

Is there a damage control for the other emotions it affects?
Or perhaps a disinfectant for the growing fungus.

Do you ever want to throw it out of it’s shelf and into a bin?
To make space for beautiful, flowery ones;

Hoping it will heal the infected parts of you.

Do you wonder how your life would be right now?
If you hadn’t let those thoughts fester.

Reviews

[JayG]

In your work, for the most part, it’s you talking about things meaningful to you. Therapeutic, I’ll guess, but, look at it as a reader. How many people on this site woke up this morning wondering what kind of day you or I were happening?

And, how much of the answer to the rhetorical questions you ask here require the reader to know what prompted the question. Take the first sentence:

• Do your thoughts ever decay out of repetition, Or maybe because of overthinking too much?

My first reaction? “What do you mean by decay?” Certainly, you have intent for the meaning, but…don’t I have to understand what itt means to YOU before it can have meaning for me? You, uniquely, have both context and, intent for the meaning. But does your intent make it to the page? No. As a reader, I have only what the words suggest, based on MY life-experience, which doesn’t match yours.

And as a minor point, how much overthinking is too much? You know, but once more, we’re into my lacking necessary data and experience that you take for granted. And doesn’t the amount of "overthinking" permitted change, depending on what’s being thought about, and why?

David Sedaris put it well with: “The returning student had recently come through a difficult divorce, and because her pain was significant, she wrongly insisted her writing was significant as well.” We all have inherent emotional references for what we say. But when writing for others to read we must make the words meaningful in terms for which the reader has reference (or give them that reference).

So here’s the fix: Instead of telling the reader of things meaningful to you, make them meaningful to that reader. Supply context to place them into the situation. Instead of the fact-based and author-centric approach we’re taught in school, perfect the emotion-based and character-centric approach of poetry and fiction. Instead of telling the reader how a character feels, make them feel it.

For example, if I use the phrase, “the screams of happy children at play,” I don’t have to explain, because everyone has been there, and will be placed there, again, by those seven words. So it’s a shortcut to evoking a given situation in the reader’s mind. And there are so many such tricks that, when mentioned, make perfect sense, but have never been mentioned, because they are unique to the needs of those in the profession, and we must seek them out.

And that, finally, is my point. You’re writing as you do because it’s how we’re taught to write, as they give us the skills that most people need on the job, like writing reports, essays, and letters, in the case of writing. And you won't see a problem because the words are already deeply meaningful to you.

Fiction and poetic technique? Once, only poets needed them. So, they’re not taught, other than as specialized courses taken in addition to the normal school subjects. But with the advent of the Internet, lots of people have decided to write poetry, never knowing, or looking for, what they’re missing. So of course, they end up falling into the trap of using their nonfiction writing skills and wondering what’s wrong when the result doesn’t seem to be working as well as they want it to, for others.

So here’s the way out of that trap, and it’s obvious: dig into the tricks of writing poetry. Simple, right? Of course, simple and easy aren’t interchangeable words. But since learning what you want to know is never a chore, who cares?

Use the link below this paragraph to download Mary Oliver’s, A Poetry Handbook. The lady will amaze you with things you never suspected about poetry—and language in general—like why we tend to use the word “rock” to refer to jagged stone and “stone” when it’s smooth.
https://yes-pdf.com/book/1596

Try a chapter or two, I’m betting you she will make a huge difference in how you approach the act of writing.

So…I know this was pretty far from what you were hoping to see, but don’t let it throw you, because you have a LOT of company. And, since we’ll not address any problem we don’t see as being one, it’s something you probably want to know…even if you didn’t know you wanted that.

So jump in. And while you do, hang in there, and keep on writing.

Jay Greenstein
https://jaygreenstein.wordpress.com/category/the-craft-of-writing/the-grumpy-old-writing-coach/

[Saptaparna]

I really value your advice. I’ll read the book you recommended. Thank you for explaining it to me. I thought the first question was self explanatory but I read your explanation with an open mind and I will definitely make changes to improve the way I convey my feelings through the poems in a manner where people can relate to it, that is exactly what I want to achieve.