We who give in to the terrible urge, the horrible desire to write poetry, are faced with the same problem every other writer faces--how to publish?
In a way, things are better than ever. Anyone with Internet access can publish poetry for free, and even have it seen and commented on by family and friends. Free publishing! Since the days of campfire recitations, there has been no greater development! A poetic golden age!
No. All these things are very nice, but there are several obstacles to a poet's success. Firstly, it is always hard to get paid for writing poetry. Always. If you have made so much as a dollar with your verses, then no matter the quality of your work, you deserve to have poems written about you.
Second, online poetry is an ever-rising tide, with the best and worst standing shoulder-to-shoulder, begging for equal attention. It takes a lot of searching for a reader to find just the right poem. (Wouldn't that be a wonderful world, where poetry could be available in any store, sorted according to need? "Going camping up North? Here's our Robert W. Service section--careful, now! Some of it's pretty sharp!") It may have been harder to get a poem published before, but readers knew the poetry had at least passed muster with a publisher!
A third problem has been occurring to me for the past year or two--contests. In every poet's heart, there's the desire for money and recognition as a poet. Those of us who want to do it professionally are even more likely to submit to contests. What do we send for consideration? Our very best. We spread our treasures out before them, hoping for a glint of gold in return.
Most contests demand fresh poems, polished in secret, kept from the open air! A poet is torn. To put a splendid new poem out online to gather admirers and hits, or use it for the small chance of a cash prize and a few minutes' glory?
Some folks just like to write stuff, and that's alright. But it's good to remember that the lines you see in a poet's blog might be only the edges of a hoard of hidden work!
In a way, things are better than ever. Anyone with Internet access can publish poetry for free, and even have it seen and commented on by family and friends. Free publishing! Since the days of campfire recitations, there has been no greater development! A poetic golden age!
No. All these things are very nice, but there are several obstacles to a poet's success. Firstly, it is always hard to get paid for writing poetry. Always. If you have made so much as a dollar with your verses, then no matter the quality of your work, you deserve to have poems written about you.
Second, online poetry is an ever-rising tide, with the best and worst standing shoulder-to-shoulder, begging for equal attention. It takes a lot of searching for a reader to find just the right poem. (Wouldn't that be a wonderful world, where poetry could be available in any store, sorted according to need? "Going camping up North? Here's our Robert W. Service section--careful, now! Some of it's pretty sharp!") It may have been harder to get a poem published before, but readers knew the poetry had at least passed muster with a publisher!
A third problem has been occurring to me for the past year or two--contests. In every poet's heart, there's the desire for money and recognition as a poet. Those of us who want to do it professionally are even more likely to submit to contests. What do we send for consideration? Our very best. We spread our treasures out before them, hoping for a glint of gold in return.
Most contests demand fresh poems, polished in secret, kept from the open air! A poet is torn. To put a splendid new poem out online to gather admirers and hits, or use it for the small chance of a cash prize and a few minutes' glory?
Some folks just like to write stuff, and that's alright. But it's good to remember that the lines you see in a poet's blog might be only the edges of a hoard of hidden work!
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