This idea for the blog actually came from my daughter over Christmas break. She was a book the creative personality and how they have an order, process, even rituals they must do in order to work. My daughter is a saxophonist working toward  teaching music at high school or college levels. She saw herself in this book.

So- I was got thinking about my own. I do have them. Time of day is not important for me. The criteria there must be that am alone. TV can be on or music – just no people. From almost the beginning, I have loved the yellow legal pad (the big one preferred though any yellow in a pinch) and the old-fashioned wooden pencil. A pencil you must sharpen in a pencil sharpener (preferably standard yellow #2).  I sit on the couch. It takes 2-3 drafts on the legal pad with pencil.

Next, to the computer I go. The flow actually gets stronger as I type. Something about seeing my poem as it would look in print stimulates the poet in me at this point. New images begin to surface. I add and take away. When the poem is about 75-80% done I double space the lines, print it out, 3 hole punch it, and put it in the appropriate section in a binder.

The binder combines my tools. In the binder, I use my #2 pencil to cross out and to change poems as ideas for a poem come to mind. Some come to mind soon after going in. I then go to my computer and make the needed changes and reprint the revised poem to put back. They can sit for years in that binder. The original hand written poems are destroyed and as are typed copies once revisions complete. My reason for destroying originals is simple – if I wanted those things read by anyone, I would have left them in.

The flow of my poetry can be overwhelming at times. The step back and distance of putting them away helps me see that. Helps me see that maybe a bit too much of my sarcasm and anger was showing. I may remove it or soften it.

My son thinks my process to complicated. It works for me. My poetry entwines with so many parts of me that for it something complicated to bring a poet to it conclusion.