"Don't confuse difficulty with being wrong." I really need to remember this. I like to tell the writers I work with about two poems I wrote that became "successful." (Humble brags ahead. I hope they're useful.) One was "Vermin" which I had published in Poet Lore (a dream journal for me). I wrote it in 15 minutes and edited it in about 10 minutes. My other most "successful" poem at the time was called "A Walk Through the Parking Lot at Midnight," which won the Robert and Adele Schiff Prize. That poem had taken me months to write, rewrite, revise and cut down. Many times I felt like Leonard Cohen, on the floor, banging my head against the tile, thinking the poem would never be done. The level of difficulty you have in writing a piece does not have much bearing on the quality of the finished piece. If a poem comes easily, be happy about it, but if one feels stuck, that doesn't mean it isn't good. It might just mean you're trying too hard, or you need to take a break or learn a new technique or ask a new question or look at the poem from a different angle. Stop hitting your head against the tile and try hitting the poem against the tile, metaphorically. Cut it open, see what is inside, or just go read other things until something sparks. The "answer" is out there!
Thank you very much for your insightful comment and also the comments on other posts (which I will soon reply to but I have been so behind). It’s lovely to hear a story from a published poet about undergoing the same dichotomy between yesterday/hallelujah, and it’s a great example of how great work can be perfected but also sometimes just comes quickly—which is a huge blessing. Congratulations on your success, it must be exceptionally rewarding to see your work published in great journals. I think it’s always inspiring to hear the success of others and I’m very happy you found the article helpful and that it resonated with you. Thanks so much and let’s all hope our next poems/songs/creative endeavors come easily, but if they don’t that we have the fortitude to keep going and still create work we love.
"Don't confuse difficulty with being wrong." I really need to remember this. I like to tell the writers I work with about two poems I wrote that became "successful." (Humble brags ahead. I hope they're useful.) One was "Vermin" which I had published in Poet Lore (a dream journal for me). I wrote it in 15 minutes and edited it in about 10 minutes. My other most "successful" poem at the time was called "A Walk Through the Parking Lot at Midnight," which won the Robert and Adele Schiff Prize. That poem had taken me months to write, rewrite, revise and cut down. Many times I felt like Leonard Cohen, on the floor, banging my head against the tile, thinking the poem would never be done. The level of difficulty you have in writing a piece does not have much bearing on the quality of the finished piece. If a poem comes easily, be happy about it, but if one feels stuck, that doesn't mean it isn't good. It might just mean you're trying too hard, or you need to take a break or learn a new technique or ask a new question or look at the poem from a different angle. Stop hitting your head against the tile and try hitting the poem against the tile, metaphorically. Cut it open, see what is inside, or just go read other things until something sparks. The "answer" is out there!
Thank you very much for your insightful comment and also the comments on other posts (which I will soon reply to but I have been so behind). It’s lovely to hear a story from a published poet about undergoing the same dichotomy between yesterday/hallelujah, and it’s a great example of how great work can be perfected but also sometimes just comes quickly—which is a huge blessing. Congratulations on your success, it must be exceptionally rewarding to see your work published in great journals. I think it’s always inspiring to hear the success of others and I’m very happy you found the article helpful and that it resonated with you. Thanks so much and let’s all hope our next poems/songs/creative endeavors come easily, but if they don’t that we have the fortitude to keep going and still create work we love.