Blog #108; Free giveaway of Swimming Among the Olympians (digital version) for the next three days; some thoughts on the literary genres

 

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As you can see from the title of this blog, starting 1/30/24, for the next three days, I am giving away a collection of stories with a nonfiction memoir included.  Many of you have already bought or read this collection, but I am offering it for free for all who are interested.

Today, I would like to vent my spleen about narrow-minded thinking in the creative world.  But first, sometimes a bit of stereotyping can be useful.  If a reader or viewer is looking for a cozy mystery, they generally know where to look.  Same with Sci-Fi, Sword and Sorcery, etc.  The same basic guidelines to good writing apply in all genres of fiction.  (See some of my earlier blogs regarding Aristotle and others' thoughts regarding conflict, plotting, character development, motivation and the like.)  But what I have found very recently is a genre beyond fiction that I haven't explored much in my writing life.  Poetry.  I have always been interested in writing poetry, but was never quite sure if I would be any good at it.  Most of the poetry I have written before now has been personal and unrelatable outside my private life's context.  But recently I heard from Irreantum that they would like to publish one of my poems, and suddenly a door opened where there wasn't one before.  My whole adult life (in grad school, teaching college, etc.) I always thought creating and publishing poetry was a particularly insider's game.  A kind of  mysterious academic club whose secret password would always elude me.  That is why this first poetry acceptance means so much to me.  I feel I am free to explore another genre, an ancient and noble craft.

I like the attention to language and detail poetry involves.  I love playing with words, with imagery, with meaning, with sound quality.  I am learning.  It is quite an adventure...