The Next Writing Challenge?!?

Well, I’ve made it back from New York… tired and worn out, but I had a good time with family. I’ve spent the past week recuperating and considering just what the title says: I need a new writing challenge. But first, I want to share this picture from my flight:

I don’t care for flying overall, but I do love a view like that.

So for anyone who’s been following the blog or just checked out past posts, you may remember a segment I did simply entitled the Aphorism Challenge. For five weeks I wrote an aphorism every day and then selected the best of the bunch and put it up for all to see.

The main goal for that challenge was to get myself writing and, as of right now, I haven’t been pushing myself to write like I should. So to fix that I’ve decided to set myself up a brand-spanking-new challenge to force myself in front of my desk with pen and paper (or fingers and keyboard as the need arises). This time, however, I want to work in another form of poetry than the aphorism, which, though challenging in its own ways, was a simpler way of writing.

For now, I want to stick with a form I’m at least a little familiar with, so for my first new set of challenges I’ve decided on Sonnets. They typically come in two major forms, the petrarchan and Shakespearean. I’ll go into more detail next week with the first development of this Sonnet Challenge.

Anyone who knows me well will also know how averse I’ve been to writing in form poetry over the past few years. It’s a different mindset for writing, and thus I find it harder to do and only really possess a cursory knowledge of a few of the major forms out there. So I have an added request for anyone reading this post:

Is there a type of form poetry that you are particularly fond of? One that would make for a good challenge to practice writing with? If so, feel free to comment and share. I would love to hear more about different forms.

I will hopefully have some ok work-in-progress Sonnets to share in the coming weeks. Till then, I hope you all have had a fun and safe time since my last post.

Stephen R.

Related articles

• MFA Sunday School (Ten: Sonnets) (stirrup-queens.com)
• Poetry Tips (fresh1nk.wordpress.com)
• The purpose of structure (thewritingblues.wordpress.com)
• S is for Smelly Sonnet (catherinemjohnson.wordpress.com)
• Learning Poetry Terms and Forms (ahousewithabrokenheart.wordpress.com)

 

Aphorism Challenge – Week 5

With slight delay, here’s this weeks Aphorism Challenge.  With spring break and sxsw growing ever closer, crunch time is starting for most of my classes.  I’ll post when I can.  Without further ado, here’s the aphorism I picked for the past week.

Photo courtesy of Cory Hahn

Life is like an apple.  Sometimes it’s sweet, sometimes it’s sour.  But at the end of the day, you can’t resist taking a bite.
– Stephen Recker

Aphorism Challenge – Week 4

Another aphorism to share today. I hope everyone has had a great weekend. I’ve been reading a new book of poetry I recently received by James Tate, Ghost Soldiers. It’s not the typical type of poetry I tend to enjoy, but it has really been making me chuckle as I’ve read it. Other than that, I’ve been reading more Tony Hoagland and just started a book by William Stafford: Writing the Australian Crawl. I will most undoubtedly be quoting from that book/referring to it in my Honors Thesis updates. Anyways, enjoy the aphorism:

Friendship can be lost at the drop of a hat, but it’s a lot harder to pick back up.
– Stephen Recker

Aphorism Challenge – Week 3

Another week, another aphorism.  Just as an update, I will not be having a review of a poetry book up this Tuesday.  That’s going to have to become an every other week venture.  I will have some kind of other post up though, so don’t go worrying I won’t have an update.  Anyways, without further delay, here’s this week’s aphorism:

Photo courtesy of Cory Hahn

Having a crush on someone is like having a cold.  You’re uncomfortable throughout the day, you have trouble sleeping, and it’s really hard to focus.
– Stephen Recker

Aphorism Challenge – Week 2

So another week of morning aphorisms and I managed to write down at least one that I felt worthy enough to share with the world.  I am hoping to remain more on schedule this next week, but I do have a number of assignments to work on so I’ll try to keep optimistic.

I trust everyone out there has had a wonderful weekend and maybe this brief poem will help you kick off the next week.

Photo courtesy of Cory Hahn

You can’t always look both ways before crossing the street.  Sometimes you’ve got to just cross your fingers and hope for the best.
– Stephen Recker

Aphorism Challenge – Week 1

So I’ve been writing an aphorism every morning now for a week.  From what I’ve written so far I feel optimistic for it helping with my habit of writing down now.  Anyway, here’s my favorite one from the week:

Photo courtesy of Cory Hahn

Reading a good book is like a summer fling.  It’s hard to slow down, and it’s over before you know it.
– Stephen Recker

Update – Aphorism Challenge

Hey everyone,

I thought I’d fill you in on a little of what’s going on with the blog in the coming weeks.  I’m going to give myself a simple challenge for the remainder of this semester.  In a poetry workshop I am currently enrolled in, we discussed the concept of aphorisms.  For those who are unfamiliar, these are short sayings that hint at a truth of life to some degree.  The stereotypical example that always comes to my mind is Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise by Ben Franklin.

The challenge, more specifically, will entail my attempt to write aphorisms.  Starting tomorrow, I will be writing an aphorism every morning throughout the week.  On Sundays, I will select the one or two that stand out to me and post them up to the blog.  It’s a simple challenge that, honestly, is my thinly veiled plan to get my writing juices flowing more readily.

Hope they come out well and you all enjoy,

Combat Steve

P.S.  As a side-note, I went through the trouble of cataloguing my book collection I have here with me in college this weekend.  Very satisfying nerdy work that ultimately produced this handy pie chart: