Flow.
An Ode To The Writers 014
An Ode To The Writers,
Who am I to decide what words should go on paper
as if I hold the cards
as if I know what words will travel afar
to meet the eyes and ears of those who need them most
my job is to receive them
bundle them up
deliver with love
the carrier of words
who am I to put up barriers
water flows where it wants to go
who am I to say it ain’t so
with the flow I must go to find the source
with the flow I must go to feel the force of creativity.
Through these poems, I aim to communicate my direct experiences. ‘Flow.’ expresses some important learnings I discovered this week.
I reflected on how I have slowed down in my generation of new poems. Previously to this trend, I wrote at least 5 poems a week. I had a set time and environment that enticed me to maintain the habit. I used whatever thought arrived at that moment as the idea for the poem and went with the flow.
I wrote a lot of poems. Some I loved, others were okay, and the rest I felt were crap.
But then I made a mistake…
I stopped being consistent with my writing habits. 5 a week became one to two poems maximum. Some weeks were barren.
Until today, that is the cadence I’ve followed, which has led me into difficulty.
Being inconsistent puts my commitment to sharing a weekly poem in doubt. Publishing is an experience I enjoy so I am putting that at risk too. Continuing this trend isn’t sustainable.
Throughout all this reflection, a question struck me…
Who am I to decide what poems are good, mediocre, or crap?
I am not the audience. I am not the one who judges the work.
I receive the idea, follow it through, and publish it. Nothing more, nothing less.
This realisation is liberating because it removes the burden of feeling like I am running out of poems.
After this insight, another thought closely followed.
The best way to write great poems is by also writing mediocre and shitty poems.
The more I write the better my odds are of striking gold. It removes the pressure of staring at a blank page with the intent of writing a great poem. Writing without shackles. Writing with freedom.
I noticed that when I regularly wrote whatever came to me, I naturally produced poems I was happy to share. It’s like I have to write some not-so-good poems to get to the ones that are. I also noticed that when I write poems consistently, more ideas flow. It’s a win-win.
To sum up what I learnt:
Write often
Follow the flow of creativity
Don’t be a gatekeeper
Live Free,
Niall
Reader Stories:
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This is so true!! Once you open the tap, more comes. And you're right, it's not our place to judge whether it's good or not. We're the messenger. The receiver will see/hear/read through a unique lens that we'll never know or understand. And the words will resonate with whom they're meant to.
Hi Niall, it's really refreshing to firstly, come across a writer who is putting their poetry out there and secondly, to come across someone who is openly reflecting on the unique conundrum that comes with writing and publishing shorter creative pieces. I often ask myself- "how much of my poetry should I be publishing?"
Although I am aware that sharing any form of writing takes courage, there is something quite uniquely daunting about publishing's one poetry. Personally, I question whether this type of expression will appeal to anyone other than myself.
I am in the midst of developing a collection called "Sonnets for The Soul", where I encourage myself to writing completely in flow state. This is an attempt to bypass my usual thought processes which tend to obsess and overthink every single line of my expression (this comment alone is taking me far to long to write haha). However, I've found myself holding back from embracing "moments" to write poetry as I keep questioning whether these moments are "inspirational enough". Thus far I have written a couple of pieces, but have only had the courage to publish one as a long form post.
This line: "The more I write the better my odds are of striking gold. It removes the pressure of staring at a blank page with the intent of writing a great poem. Writing without shackles. Writing with freedom." really spoke to me, so I am now committing myself to write in moments where I second guess the potential for inspiration. I guess then will I only really commit to my subscription to writing poetry in flow!
Good luck with your Flow, I look forward to reading more from you!