Hello house, just wanted to share this poem by this great poet mostly because I have similar thoughts about writing

If it doesn't come bursting out of you
in spite of everything,
don't do it.
unless it comes unasked out of your
heart and your mind and your mouth
and your gut,
don't do it.

If you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.

If you have to sit for hours
staring at your computer screen
or hunched over your
typewriter
searching for words,
don't do it.

If you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.

If you're doing it for money or
fame,
don't do it.

If you're doing it because you want
women in your bed,
don't do it.

If you're trying to write like somebody
else,
forget about it.

If you have to wait for it to roar out of
you,
then wait patiently.

If it never does roar out of you,
do something else.

If you first have to read it to your wife
or your girlfriend or your boyfriend
or your parents or to anybody at all,
you're not ready.

DON'T be like so many writers,
don't be like so many thousands of
people who call themselves writers,
don't be dull and boring and
pretentious, don't be consumed with self-
love.
the libraries of the world have
yawned themselves to
sleep
over your kind.
don't add to that.
don't do it.

Uness it comes out of
your soul like a rocket,
unless being still would
drive you to madness or
suicide or murder,
don't do it.
unless the sun inside you is
burning your gut,
don't do it.

When it is truly time,
and if you have been chosen,
it will do it by
itself and it will keep on doing it
until you die or it dies in you.

There is no other way.

And there never was.

Beautiful Piece Safarigirl.... really lovely.

Mehn! That Poet understood "flow and originality" when it comes to writing.

You don't give what is not within you.



The piece above is a super super truth about Writing...

The art of Writing shouldn't be one that sees one struggle to "flow".

One may need patience in certain cases, yes.... but when a writer enters "his/her own zone", he/she can write in such a manner that will see him/her shake the tree of literature and the world of "letters and words" to bring down fruit unheard of and produce "magic never before seen" respectively.

Thanks Safarigirl.... seems you and Charles may have somewhat crossed each other's paths in the Spirit world to share similar thoughts....


Nice one. *smiles*

Writing is not part of me at all, I wished, i prayed but the thing no enter my head

Oya which one we go do?

safarigirl:

Hello house, just wanted to share this poem by this great poet mostly because I have similar thoughts about writing

I thank Almighty God for being a writer since I started writing and have lived on my writings since then.
Thank Almighty God JEHOVAH for making blogging a lucrative app for writers.

A

I'm proud of you, safarilady

The truth in this poem though.

A lot of people write for the wrong reasons and when the motivation seizes they are pushed to a corner where they get blocked.

People should write simply because they want to write and not because of external motivations that can stop flowing with time.

This is a beautiful piece.

I hope to publish a book I wrote long ago sometime soon.. I still need to do a lot of editing on it though..
I wish to write more in time to come..
I have a lot of things flowing out, and my "jotter of imaginations" don already full.

These apply to painting too.
.
If the imaginations and inspirations are not naturally there, forget it.
.
If you think you know what to paint, but your hands are numb, forget it.
.
If you look at the plain sheets/canvass that you intend to paint on and still see it as plain, then roll it up. You are not ready yet

Ah, the great Bukowski. Writer and drunken master. You'd have to develop a taste for his style but once you do, my, isn't it delicious?

He's said it all...
If it doesn't scream in your head And itch your palm DON'T EVER DO IT!

wished I could

That's absolutely true and great! If it doesn't "scream", why not search for your motivations? Why not call on the old muses to warm the 'frozen zone'?
I think every writer had experienced a seizure or freeze in his/her flow of imaginations or even in facts. "Do something else", find your motivation.

safarigirl:

Hello house, just wanted to share this poem by this great poet mostly because I have similar thoughts about writing

Good piece but permit me to ask u a question. Should Editing be allowed in writing because the literary world had lost a whole lots n lots of great Ideas in the name of editing. Legendary writers i.e men of old who are the pace setters n whose work after thousands of years still influence humanity never got their work Edited by any other. Thank u

Word!!!!!

Good

Ah writing the unheralded offspring from the lineage of art. Safariday pm me I'm an aspiring writer and it would be a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

am I the only person that doesn't subscribe to this poem?

Nice stuff.

I wish these nairaland writers can send out their stories to literary magazines for publication. That's how to judge your abilities and improve your craft as a writer. At least you get something close to a professional feedback!

I stopped posting my stories on nairaland, and I have had a story accepted and published by a popular online literature blog. I have also become a better writer than I was, though I am still very far from my target. The only way to write better is by writing always, learning from our mistakes, and reading better writers.

So I should take the advice of someone who died over 22 years ago? Fail!
He died before the internet became commonplace, the internet has made the average man a potential literati if they put a little effort into it. He would hang himself if he met bloggers making it big on the internet today.

Reminds me of people who live their lives governed by the bible for everyday decisions; a book written centuries ago can not scratch the surface of contemporary living.

Ah... the feel..

if you don't get that feel.....

Please... Don't Try it at home....

Cool

U nailed the truth

You nailed it!

charix:
So I should take the advice of someone who died over 22 years ago? Fail!
He died before the internet became commonplace, the internet has made the average man a potential literati if they put a little effort into it. He would hang himself if he met bloggers making it big on the internet today.

Reminds me of people who live their lives governed by the bible for everyday decisions; a book written centuries ago can not scratch the surface of contemporary living.

An0nimus:
am I the only person that doesn't subscribe to this poem?

You are not alone. I believe everyone has a story to tell. And being able to write like WS and CA doesn't determine who a talented writer is.

Hmmmm. very deep and pure truth

So I should take the advice of someone who died over 22 years ago? Fail!
He died before the internet became commonplace, the internet has made the average man a potential literati if they put a little effort into it. He would hang himself if he met bloggers making it big on the internet today.

Reminds me of people who live their lives governed by the bible for everyday decisions; a book written centuries ago can not scratch the surface of contemporary living.

My man Charix. I miss this poster a lot.