An Impression: Tuesday Tryouts

7:30 a.m. — Atlanta

Hi, everyone. Let me start with what to do with poems when you write them to a prompt, as this has come up a few times, lately. 1] My thinking is that poems do best when posted on their creators’ blogs and links to the poem are left in comments. 2] When a poem is too personal, and you don’t want your Facebook world to see it, you can turn off your Facebook publishing for the one posting. 3] When a poem is too personal and you don’t want your family to see it on your blog, you may post it in the comments section of the prompt post.

by Anna Ancher

This leads to a brief aside on when. I have settings to keep open each prompt post comments section for two months. While you might get the most readers by publishing a poem the day you get my prompt, I think that enough people wander back during the week, that you are safe publishing any time. If there is a prompt and you can’t get your brain to deal with it until six weeks later, your blog readers are still going to read it and so am I. Don’t let time be a stress; pressure, yes, stress, no.

by Vincent van Gogh

As long as I am addressing stuff that has come up, while the ideal might be to write to the prompt, as given, we can’t always make our brains do so. When your brain rebels, or the prompt makes you want to flee for the hills, focus on an aspect of the prompt and write on that. You may, also, adapt the prompt. You can tell us in notes if you come up with a different way of addressing the prompt.

by Berthe Morisot

Business taken care of, now we play. Today is our image day. As I wandered through the groves of Impressionist paintings, it occurred to me that many, if not most, of the labels attached to the different schools of art have a counterpoint in poetry. I spent an enjoyable time going through the different art styles and matching them with their poetic partners. Most of the poems we write for posting are either our impressions of something, or our expressions of something. Sometimes we tack on a further style, as in a minimalist impression.

by Franz Marc

I chose four paintings. The usual guidelines to writing to images apply, including the one that says, do whatever you want:

As always, jot notes first, starting at the bottom left corner and moving up and across. No detail is too small. If you notice it, jot. You can look at the whole and write your own impression of what you see; you can focus on one small part and write your impression of what you see; you can write what you think is the story behind what you see; you can follow where your mind takes you. The form is anything that suits the content of what you write, or it can be the form you most like to write in. It might be fun to come up with a form that enhances the Impressionist aspect.

Resist looking up the paintings until after you have the draft of a poem, as the title might influence you unduly. Let the brain cells roam free.

Have fun playing with both your impressions and expressions. I shall see you Thursday for serendipity; Friday for the roundup; and next Tuesday for either the next prompt on self or, if I have a feeling everyone is vacating, the beginning of summer lite.

Happy writing, all.