On 10/12/06, Bob Cooper <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Dear Biloxi,
>
> Perhaps you're reading this, perhaps not...
>
> But you wrote:
> "There's nothing that I regard more pointless than thinking "I wonder what
> someone else would think of this piece? Would a reader like it? I wonder
> what an editor would think of it? would it be accepted? is it good enough?"
> et cetera. I think that's evil."
>
> First: I don't believe you. Why have you posted stuff on the Web? (Surely
> not for no-one to read!)


Not at all, on the contrary, it fits. Why did I post it on the web in
some abundance and not send it to literay publications, perhaps piece
by piece? It fits perfectly.
As for why I posted it on the web, or why I'm sharing some of it, if
you look at the content of the verse you'll notice that much of it is
empathic, humane and compassionate. That's why I share it. And in
fact, that's why we write it in the first place. A lot if it are
chants and lullabies. You'll also notice that much of it is written in
simple language. It's not aimed to impress the literary elite, though,
and I have no hestiation about this, I think there's nothing more
sublime than simplicity.

Did I consider sending it to a literary publication? Yes. Why? I
wasn't quite sure how to share it. Even now I'm still in trial and
error on that.





>
> Second: And why is it evil to think that someone might like it? (a serious
> question!)
>

Let's not generalise too much. We're talking about art here, and, in
particular, "my" "art". If you're making your art for some trade
purpose, to sell, to gain some admiration, then yes, for sure, it
matters a lot what someone else thinks. However, that's not why I do
it. We do it to figure out what's true, and in such a case, I should
only concern myself with that, and make an honest description of what
I see, be it a situation, thought, or emotion, without catering for
the tastes of others. If others disagree, they can make their
descriptions. In my experience, once I start to cater for the taste of
others, I no longer see things for what they are, either in terms of
content or form.

> Then you wrote:
> "...In fact, so much so, that I don't really try to learn from others. I
> think it's best to be original."
>
> Comment on the above: If you don't try to learn from others, did you resist
> being taught to write? Were you forced to write? Why not stop?
>

Let's not generalise too much. We're talking about a specific
situation here. I feel I know enough of the essentials to just go the
rest of it through trial and error, especially so that I'm aware that
what I do, and how I do it, is different.

>
> Bob
> Who knows everyone only learnt to write after they began to learn to read.
>
>
>
> >From: biloxi andersen <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: The Pennine Poetry Works <[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: Please excuse me from "critique" duties
> >Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2006 17:15:30 +0100
> >
> >To be honest, I don't believe in "critique", at all, and I'd rather
> >not do any, as I explained to Andrew in an email between us. I think
> >it's pointless. I never seek it. I felt pressured into making a
> >critique last night as someone on this list said I'm expected to
> >"contribute" and shouldn't expect a "free ride"; meaning, explicitly
> >as he put it, that I should "critique" the work of others. That was in
> >reply to a post I had made about some little pieces I added to the
> >book, more like a news post, and I wasn't expecting a critique for
> >them. This misunderstanding might've been my fault though, as I'd put
> >a sentence on the site where the book is hosted implying a request for
> >critique in imitation of someone's else. That's it; monkey see
> >monkey do as I'd never shared my stuff before. I removed it today. I
> >don't think I would've altered any of my pieces based on what someone
> >else would've told me, in fact, I'm almost a 100% sure of this.
> >
> >See, for a long period of time this had been my attitude about verse
> >
> >Don't you please them
> >Nor appease them
> >Your words are yours alone
> >For no one else to hear
> >If anyone else would hear them
> >If anyone else it would be
> >Corruption of the mind
> >The corruption of the mind
> >The corruption of the mind
> >The corruption of the mind
> >
> >And still is. There's nothing that I regard more pointless than
> >thinking "I wonder what someone else would think of this piece? Would
> >a reader like it? I wonder what an editor would think of it? would it
> >be accepted? is it good enough?" et cetera. I think that's evil. I
> >never sought to let an editor be a judge of something that I wrote and
> >never, never will. I don't write for others and I would advise others
> >to only write for themselves. I don't think anyone is in a position to
> >"critique" my stuff, just like I'm not in a position to critique
> >theirs. I think, as far as verse is concerned, that we learn best, if
> >not only, through practice, inventing our tools as we need them, and
> >if we're to learn from others or have anything to teach to others, I
> >think it's best through example; reading their stuff, or offering our
> >stuff to them to read. Even then, we forget what we're taught. In
> >fact, so much so, that I don't really try to learn from others. I
> >think it's best to be original.
> >
> >
> >That piece we recorded for Andrew after his was done in mere minutes,
> >perhaps a handful; from reading his piece, getting the gist of it, to
> >us recording ours. We did it in one go, recited once or twice at most,
> >not written or edited, without looking at his piece again after we
> >first read it to get the idea of what it's about, and then recorded.
> >Used the fingers of one hand to count the words and told it as they
> >came out keeping to the finger count. See, critique is much about
> >editing; we don't really edit, in fact, we don't even write. We just
> >recite stuff. The best critique I could give to someone regarding a
> >piece of his to tell him to throw it in the bin, because, that's what
> >we'd do, so much so that we don't even bother writing, let alone edit.
> >
> >That's really the only "critique" I could give to someone. Just throw
> >it in the bin. That's what we do. Whether it's good or bad, just
> >through it in the bin. We only write something down to document it,
> >when we'd moved on from it and it might be forgotten, but never when
> >we're not sure about it. We make perhaps 6-7 pieces a day, so after a
> >little while, months, we could have hundreds, too much of life to
> >remember. We don't care for remembering the pieces themselves, we tell
> >them anew each time, it's just that we forget the situations
> >themselves that brought them up, and that's why we write them down.
> >
> >Of course, there are issues of craft, which I can articulate well, for
> >example, how to begin a piece, how to end it, but, again, I think it's
> >best if people find them out for themselves, or invent theirs
> >according to their needs.
>


-- 
Her Lust is Wiser is a book of verse by Biloxi Andersen and Ziad
Noureddine. It is part of ongoing diaries.
http://inkatthedevil.blogspot.com/