By: Marilyn L. Davis

 

Poets are Apple Writers

“Don’t always be appraising yourself, wondering if you are better or worse than other writers. “I will not Reason and Compare,” said Blake; “my business is to Create.” Besides, since you are like no other being ever created since the beginning of Time, you are incomparable.” ― Brenda Ueland, If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence, and Spirit

I’ll get this out of the way; I have poet envy. Poets get to use: assonance, metonymy, onomatopoeia, simile, and synecdoche. They use symbols, paint pictures, and use metaphors to develop the topic and convey their passion.

I like to call them apple writers. Think about all the varieties and colors of apples, or the many things we can do with apples:

1. Bake them
2. Make a pie
3. Shine one and give it to a teacher
4. Keep the doctor away
5. Dry them for your holiday trees
6. Stick cinnamon gloves in them to scent your home
7. Make a Pandowdy, Grunt, Crumble or Clafouti

Then There are the Orange Writers

Orange Writing is narrative nonfiction. We get to develop the facts. That even reads boring compared to the apples and poets. However, there is still room within this for creativity.

Barbara Lounsberry, in her book, The Art of Fact, helps redefine facts with, “Verifiable subject matter and exhaustive research guarantee the nonfiction side of literary nonfiction; the narrative form and structure disclose the writer’s artistry; and finally, its polished language reveals that the goal all along has been literature.”

Even with the blessings to be creative, I have struggled with:

• How to convey passion to the reader?
• What words engage the reader?
• Is there a way to reach a wider audience? 
• Can I nuance this piece to be more interesting?
• Is there a unique perspective that will educate or entertain the reader? 

Different Styles of Passion: Poetry and Prose

We convey our passions differently, not just between poetry and prose but within narrative nonfiction. If I write as though I am talking and listening to one person, I write better, or the writing feels friendly and inviting. I ask questions of the imaginary reader to:

1. Connect with your readers on an emotional level.  

I recently edited a computer newsletter. While I’ve had a computer since the days of the Mac 512K, I am not an expert. I told the site owner that the information was excellent; however, it was too technical for his newsletter to his customers because, like me, they didn’t need to know how it worked, just that it did what they wanted. 

He agreed that 99% of them were users, so I asked if the newsletter wouldn’t be more helpful if it approached his technical information from a personal perspective. I used his expert advice and explained the problem from the standpoint of a user’s fear of the Blue screen of Death.

2. Learn from your reader’s comments.

I do not profess to know all there is about being a successful writer, either. I am still learning. When I write about something I have just learned or researched, I hope that it comes across as, “Wow, I just learned this, or I figured out how to do this and wanted to share.”

You may already know the information, so it might just be a reminder for you; however, most of us need reminders from time to time, and often the reader’s comments reflect that while the subject wasn’t new, my perspective on it was. Therefore, I’ve accomplished one goal of the nonfiction writer; make the reader think, question, or interest them enough to comment. 

3. Show them, don’t tell them.

Writers learned that a flat sentence would leave the reader bored. However, many nonfiction writers still tell, and that’s boring, repetitious, and tedious. If we focus on the action, emotions, and descriptions of the subject, we’re more likely to capture the reader’s attention.

Action verbs, illustrative adjectives, and powerful emotions mean that readers empathize or relate to events, people and situations and, in turn, continue reading.

Apples, Oranges, and What About Those Other Delights?

How we convey our information to make it more than just the facts in narrative nonfiction might be:

1. Alliteration
2. Changing someone’s thinking with persuasive facts and personal perspective
3. Compelling, dramatic examples from the writer’s life
4. Memoir
5. Repeating sage wisdom of the ages with a new twist

Lots of Apples and Lots of Poets

Okay, I am over my poet envy. I can still use alliteration in my narrative articles or words that illustrate the heart of the post. I can capture the imagination of the reader or relate through expressive writing. And to show my lack of jealousy, here’s a list of some poets in my world.

• Alx Johns
• Anne Hart
• Anwer Ghani
• Bharti Bansal
• Carl “Papa” Palmer
• Cassie Solis
• Claudia Ricci
• Dr. Pragya Suman
• Gerry Fabian
• Jake Aller
• Joe Morris
• John Grey
• John Maurer
• L. R. Laverde-Hansen
• LAGuy
• Margaret Moore
• Mark Almand
• Mark Cayou
• Rochi Zalani
• Solomon Maikas
• Wayne Russell: 
• Yash Seyedbagheri

 

Want More Poetry from Apple Writers? 

Poetry Break at Two Drops of Ink – here’s an abundance of apple writing from our poets. And who knows, there may be hybrids out there who write poems and nonfiction posts in ways we haven’t thought of yet. 

That’s the beauty of writing; each of us will create our unique piece, and that’s enough for me today.

I hope it is for you.

Two Drops of Ink: The Literary Home for Collaborative Writing

Bio: Marilyn L. Davis

 

 

Marilyn L. Davis is the Editor-in-Chief at Two Drops of Ink and From Addict 2 Advocate. She is the author of Therapeutic Integrated Educational Recovery System (TIERS) and is a Certified Addiction Recovery Empowerment Specialist. 

Her memoir, Finding North: A Journey from Addict to Advocate, is available on Amazon along with her how-to on memoir writing, Memories into Memoir: The Mindsets and Mechanics Workbook. 

 

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