No irony. Nothing makes me feel worse than turning
out competent lines. I finished a libretto last year
which caused me much grief because I couldn't unlock
myself from competence - I had to throw the lot away
and start again before I could even begin to feel
happy with what I was doing (this particular hell
lasted about two years). I would much rather write
badly, which at least has life in it. And
consequently, alas, often do.
Best
Alison
--- [log in to unmask] wrote:
> I have a different take on "writing competently."
>
> Two friends of mine -- poets -- have, over the
> years, said they *hate*
> writing. That it is a *big chore*. Despite this,
> they continue to do it.
> They are what I would call "competent" poets: poets
> who write *only* in a
> way typically recognized as "skilled." Because of
> this refusal to write
> only in a way that is recognized by others as
> skillful, these poets are,
> well, utterly boring. The urge to be competent --
> to be recognized as a
> competent poet -- is what makes so very many poets
> just deadening.
>
> Here's to incompetence. -- Gabe
>
> On Sun, 12 Mar 2000, Mairead Byrne wrote:
>
> > Alison,
> > There seems to be a measure of irony in your
> comment, though I may be
> > mistaken. It could be taken in two ways of
> course. The way I'm taking
> > it is: writing competently is a form of despair.
> Great books, e.g.,
> > Kavanagh's own best favorite, Moby Dick, was
> written out of
> > acknowledgement of that.
> > All the best,
> > Mairead
> >
> > On Sun, 12 Mar 2000, Alison Croggon wrote:
> >
> > > >
> > > Indeed, indeed. There is nothing like the
> despair of
> > > writing competently.
> > >
> > > Best
> > >
> > > Alison
> > >
> > > >
> > >
> __________________________________________________
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> > >
> >
>
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