My biggest challenge in my writing is clutter. I use too many words and too many fillers, or at least I used to. I’ve worked on refining my verse quite a bit, but it’s exhausting! Hell, sometimes I want to overuse adverbs and let my rant run free, no matter how inarticulate the finished product.
Lately I’ve been writing in stream of consciousness form. I don’t judge. I don’t edit. I don’t stop. I just write. This piece was the first. I didn’t change a word.
Happy Saturday!
–Leanne Rebecca
She's in Prison 
Very true. It can be really frustrating to try and get things to fit a “poetic” structure. At the same time though, what makes poetry so great is that it’s not meant to be necessarily as structured of rhythmic as standard verse. My own opinion is that you keep the clutter, since at the end of everything, that’s as much a part of your message as the ‘fancier’ parts (something you rightfully pointed out!).
I like the clutter too, which is the beauty of free verse! That’s my favorite part of poetry–that we can do anything we want. There’s still an element of wanting to refine my writing though, and I do find that I strip away a lot of bulk when I edit. It’s a never-ending process. Thanks so much for your thoughts!
Well that summed it up amazingly.
I’ve always struggled with trying to make things fit – sometimes its a fun puzzle, othertimes it is very tiring and seems very forced, purely based on how my mind is working on any given day.
Thanks! Yeah I feel the same way. I love poetry with my whole heart but sometimes it’s exasperating.
Your writing is amazing… sharp and deeply felt. I’m guilty of using too many words, building too many ideas and images from a single thought. I’ve become very patient over the years, and try (try!) a more minimalist approach. I love minimalism, but the words have to support all that slender weight.
Wow I’m honored. Thank you so much! Minimalism is impressive and sometimes the shortest of poems can say the most. There’s no right or wrong. Thats the beauty of it all.
I know what you mean. I have the same problems sometimes.
The very thing we love can feel stifling at times!