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Writer's Notes - By Jeanne Dininni

WritersNotes.Net: Helping Writers Follow Their Dreams Through Information, Inspiration, and Encouragement!


An Inspiring Artistic "Discovery"

While away on a church women's retreat last weekend, I visited a quaint little tea shop, where a framed print of a serene yet sturdy oak tree hung on one wall. I was attracted to the text displayed at the bottom of the print and began to read. After only a brief sentence or two, I was hooked. I knew that this artist's musings would resonate with me and decided to stand there as long as it took to read the entire verse.

I liked the writer's sentiments so much, in fact, that I determined right then and there to commit her name to memory so that when I got home I would be able to locate the verse on the Internet and pass it on to others (like you), who I hope will benefit as much as I have from reading it.

I've since discovered that this print and verse combination is available in numerous online venues and also adorns a set of note cards and no doubt various other items, as well.


The Story Behind Both Verse and Painting

Here's what the artist, Bonnie Mohr, has to say about this work on her website, Bonnie Mohr Studio:

When we completed building the studio showroom for Bonnie Mohr Studio on our farm, I decided to stencil the high sidewalls with something decorative. I wrote and stenciled a verse of the things I believe in and hope to teach my children before they leave home. Visiting customers liked it as well, and after many requests for a copy of the verse....I painted an image to go with it, and "Living Life" was born.


Link to the Verse

I hope this verse will inspire you to embrace your dreams and live life to the fullest, using your God-given creative talent to bring beauty into the world.

Here's a link to the Living Life Notecards page on the Bonnie Mohr Studios website. On this web page, you will be able to read the verse in its entirety and also see the oak tree picture Ms. Mohr painted to accompany her verse when the verse first became popular. Enjoy!


Here's to sharing the inspiration!

Jeanne


Please Note: This is not a sponsored post. My purpose in linking to the Bonnie Mohr Studio web page above is not to sell her note cards but simply to give you the opportunity to read her inspiring verse.


Which lines or phrases of "Living Life" speak to you most strongly? How has this verse influenced or resonated with your own thoughts, beliefs, values, or creativity? How has it helped build your resolve to get the most from each day, from your art, your career, and your life?



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Happy Mother's Day to All the Moms Who Read Writer's Notes!

To wish all the moms who read my blog a Happy Mother's Day, I'd like to post my poem, "Mothers." (As soon as you begin reading it, you'll recognize immediately the famous poem on which it's based.)


Mother and Infant


MOTHERS

I think that I shall never see
a brush surpass the artistry

That brings to bud the eve or morn
a helpless little babe is born

The delicate maternal bloom
that sheds a fragrant new perfume,

That nurtures with the nectar of
a sweet and freely flowing love

And fills her field with beauty spread
by outstretched arms and sun-turned head.

Art can tap one well or other,
but only God can make a mother.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


You may have read Mothers on the Orble Poems blog. It's posted there, though on that blog, it's formatted slightly differently.


If you'd like to read some modern quotes about motherhood, here's a link to my post, Cleverly Contemporary Quotes on Motherhood.


Have a very Happy Mother's Day!
Jeanne


Mother and infant thumbnail image comes from the Karen's Whimsy collection of Public Domain Images. (Image also available in larger size.)



Did you enjoy this post? Have anything to add? Know any poems or quotes about moms? I'd love to hear from you!



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Acrostic Poetry: A Potentially Powerful Art Form

Acrostic poetry is an unusual poetic form, yet one that holds great potential for conveying the poet's ideas in a particularly compact way. By the same token, when its words are chosen carefully and wisely, an acrostic poem can present its message with real impact.

A while back, I participated in an exercise in acrostic poetry in which I wrote four different poems, all of which were built from and based on the word "discrimination." It was a fascinating philosophical exercise as well as an interesting study in choosing and using the right words to convey an idea when word choices are limited not only by the intended thought but also by the list of appropriate words a given poet can devise which contain the correct initial letter. It can be a challenge--though a very intriguing one!

My four poems follow a brief topical introduction, in modified Q&A form. Perhaps these samples of acrostic poetry will inspire you to attempt this form if you haven't before or revisit it if you have.


First, A Few Thought-Provoking Questions & Answers

Why do people use stereotypes?

People stereotype because it's neat, tidy, and simple, because it requires little thought, because it confirms their personal prejudices, and most importantly, because it doesn't require them to get to know the person in question as an individual.


Why do people judge others? Do they think they’re perfect?

People judge others precisely because they themselves aren't perfect. If they were, they wouldn't.


Next, A Few Thought-Provoking Acrostic Poems

I felt that the following exercise in acrostic poetry yielded some powerful ideas; so I thought I'd share these four poems here. These were a few of my thoughts on discrimination, with each line of each poem consisting of one word which starts with a different letter from the word "discrimination." A very fascinating poetic form, since so much meaning must be packed into so few words! (You'll note that my first attempt was a bit more abstract and somewhat obscure; whereas the others were more precisely focused on the topic.)


Desperately
I
Sit,
Cultivating
Random
Imaginings,
Mental
Illusions
Noiselessly
Answering
Trembling
Impressions
Of
Nothingness.


Direct
Insults
Separate
Closely
Related
Individuals,
Ministering
Instability,
Negativity,
And
Tension,
Instead
Of
Nobility.


Deliberately
Insisting
Someone
Cannot
Really
Inherently
Meet
Individual
Notions,
"Acceptable"
Targeting
Infiltrates
Our
Nature.


Dangerous
Illusions
Sabotage
Carefully
Reasoned
Ideas,
Meandering
Intrusively
Nearby,
As
Truth
Is
Obligingly
Negated.


Why Not Give Acrostic Poetry a Try?

Of course, acrostic poetry doesn't require such a negative or dramatic topic. This was simply the exercise I chose to work on at the time, since it had been presented on a website I was visiting. Should you decide to try it, feel free to change the topic, if you like--that is unless you'd enjoy the challenge of trying your hand at this one.


Pensively,
Jeanne



Did you enjoy this post? Ever try your hand at acrostic poetry? Would you like to? What do you think of this poetic form? Please feel free to share your thoughts!



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"King Lear": A Literary Masterpiece!

The following article is one I wrote some years ago. I've decided to resurrect it here for all the ardent admirers of William Shakespeare who may be among my readers. It is an in-depth analysis of the literary device of Inversion, as it has been so ingeniously used by Shakespeare to craft "King Lear" into the dramatic literary masterpiece that it has unfailingly proven itself to be over the centuries.

If you have never read this play, I highly recommend it! (To read it online, click this link: "King Lear" - The Free Library.) It is absolutely incredible just how deftly conceived and masterfully written this Shakespearean tragedy is! (As you read the quoted passages which follow, you will glimpse the power of Shakespeare's prose and the intricate weaving of the play's thematic elements into the overall storyline, enjoying a delightful preview of what you can expect from the remainder of the play.)


Inversion Sets the Stage

In the play's opening scene, King Lear sets the mechanism of Inversion in motion by dividing his kingdom between his evil daughters, Regan and Goneril, disowning his good daughter, Cordelia, and banishing his loyal servant, Kent.

In so doing, he "divests" himself of those persons who represent goodness, honesty, loyalty, and nobility (Cordelia and Kent--though Kent later returns disguised as Caius) and those things which represent dignity, power, security, and prosperity (his kingdom, rule, wealth, position).

At the same time, he "invests" his authority and substance in those individuals who symbolize greed, malice, insincerity, deviousness, insensitivity, disloyalty, ungratefulness, disrespect (Goneril, Regan, and Cornwall), and moral weakness (Albany).

The word "divest" is highly appropriate here, and is intended by Shakespeare as a very purposeful foreshadowing of the figurative nakedness that Lear unwittingly brings upon himself as a result of his impulsive and unreasonable actions. "Since now we will divest us both of rule, interest of territory, cares of state...” (1.1, lines 47-48).

His corresponding use of the word "invest" is equally deliberate and also very apt, expressing as it does Lear's "clothing" of his evil daughters with the "vestments" of power and authority, the willing removal of which is the cause of their father's pitiful "nakedness." "I do invest you jointly with my power, preeminence, and all the large effects that troop with majesty" (1.1, lines 129-131).

The clothing/unclothing metaphor is adeptly sustained through Scene 1 and slipped into Scene 4 as a reminder of Lear's humiliating predicament.

The divestment of his power and property is referred to in lines 216-217, in part, as a "dismantl(ing of) so many folds of favor" in regard to his loving daughter, Cordelia; and his investment of these is alluded to in Cordelia's declaration to her evil sisters that "time shall unfold what plighted (or pleated) cunning hides" (line 279).

The Fool also reminds us in Scene 4 that "E'er since (Lear made his) daughters (his) mothers [another example of Inversion], (he gave them) the rod and (put) down (his) own breeches" (lines 165-167).


Tragic Irony Reigns Supreme

In addition to his innate ability in the sustained use of metaphor, Shakespeare's lines are executed with poetic power and vivid emotional impact, which he skillfully utilizes to create and maintain the play's tragic mood and firmly establish its exalted character.

Lear's heart-rending oath to Cordelia is an excellent example of the sheer tragic power of Shakespeare's prose (1.1, lines 109-119):

"The mysteries of Hecate, and the night; / By all the operation of the orbs / From whom we do exist and cease to be; / Here I disclaim all my paternal care, / Propinquity, and property of blood, / And as a stranger to my heart and me / Hold thee from this forever. The barbarous Scythian, / Or he that makes his generation messes / To gorge his appetite, shall to my bosom / Be as well neighbour'd, pitied, and relieved / As thou my sometime daughter."

The King's reaction to the inexcusable treatment he receives at the hand of Goneril (Scene 4, lines 256-260) likewise displays Shakespeare's powerful command of language:

"Detested kite! thou liest. / My train are men of choice and rarest parts, / That all particulars of duty know, / And in the most exact regard support / The worships of their name.--"

The rest of his angry diatribe--first over Cordelia, in remorseful self-recrimination for the way he's wronged her (lines 260-266), and then against Goneril, after finally recognizing her for what she truly is (lines 269-283)--and his new outburst, after losing 50 of his followers (lines 296-309--not quoted), are further examples of this power:

260-266: "O most small fault, / How ugly didst thou in Cordelia show! / Which, like an engine, wrench'd my frame of nature / From the fix'd place; drew from my heart all love / And added to the gall. O Lear, Lear, Lear! / Beat at this gate, that let thy folly in / And thy dear judgement out!--Go, go, my people."

269-283 (in reference to Goneril): "Hear, Nature, hear; dear goddess, hear! / Suspend thy purpose, if thou didst intend / To make this creature fruitful; / Into her womb convey sterility; / Dry up in her the organs of increase, / And from her derogate body never spring / A babe to honour her! If she must teem, / Create her child of spleen, that it may live / And be a thwart disnatured torment to her. / Let it stamp wrinkles in her brow of youth; / With cadent tears fret channels in her cheeks; / Turn all her mother's pains and benefits / To laughter and contempt; that she may feel / How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is / To have a thankless child!--Away, away!"

France's lovely and emotional acceptance of Cordelia (not quoted) also exemplifies Shakespeare's ability to express beauty and use language to elevate a scene above the mundane and into a more exalted sphere.


A World Turned Upside Down

Essentially, Inversion, expressed powerfully and with great beauty, is a key element in the play's first two acts. The following potent examples of Inversion indicate the strong part the literary device plays in this tragic drama:

-Children in authority over parent
-King ruled by his subjects
-Good punished-evil rewarded
-Flattery triumphing over honesty
-Greed triumphing over unselfish love
-Impulsiveness triumphing over reason
-Anger triumphing over mercy
-Cold rejection kindling ardent respect
-Fool becoming wise-King becoming Fool


Perhaps the most pointed (and also the most powerful) example of Inversion in the first two acts occurs in Scenes 4 and 5, when the Fool becomes the voice of reason for the King, who has unwittingly relegated himself to the status of Fool. The words of wisdom spoken by the Fool in this portion of the play represent prime examples of the inverted status between Lear and his Fool; and the Fool's manifold vocal jabs also evoke a poignancy born of his deep love, loyalty, and concern for his master (lines 207-210, 217-218, 224, 228).

Shakespeare has, in "King Lear," skillfully and systematically created a universe turned upside down--a topsy-turvy world fraught with injustice, irony, and pathos--a world by which only a "marble-hearted fiend" of the likes of a Goneril, a Regan, or an Edmund could possibly remain unmoved.


If you've never read Shakespeare, give his work a try! It is definitely writing of a most exalted kind--the kind you won't soon forget!

Dramatically yours,
Jeanne


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Here's a short article I've written about poetry. Hope you enjoy it!

Poetry can be somewhat elusive, and therefore, difficult to define. Yet, throughout the centuries, mankind has unceasingly attempted to capture, through the written or spoken word, the essence of verse.

Simonides defined poetry as "speaking painting," vividly illustrating one important aspect of the art. Poe called it "the rhythmical creation of beauty," aptly describing yet another of its facets. Coleridge dubbed it "the communication of pleasure," highlighting still another subtle difference in its manifestation. Carlyle called it "musical Thought," bringing to mind a slightly different picture of its attributes. Painting it with a somewhat broader brush, Shelley referred to it as "the expression of the imagination," pointing out a characteristic that all poetry undoubtedly shares, albeit a general one.

More recently, Judson Jerome has called poetry "order threatening to become chaos," which is perhaps an appropriate description of poetry in some of its more modern experimental and avant garde forms--or possibly simply an expression of the potentially explosive energies inherent in each carefully measured and intricately crafted line.

Wordsworth has said that "poetry is, like love, a passion," highlighting its emotional aspect, which is the golden cord that ties poetry of every type together. Perhaps he expressed it better still when he stated that "all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings...(in) a man who (has) thought long and deeply..."--combining, as he does, the concepts of feeling and thought.

To be sure, neither Wordsworth's nor any of the other great poets' definitions make any reference to poetic "form"--which can be as diverse, from one poem to the next, as each poet's individual life experiences are. And this diversity of form, perhaps more so than any other element, makes a complete, one-size-fits-all definition of poetry impossible. Yet this is precisely what makes poetry the rich reservoir of self-expression that it is.

As intriguing as all the above definitions may be, and as much as we may enjoy exploring the various aspects of the art by attempting to put them into words, we do so knowing that every definition we conceive must fall short in one way or another. But the good news is that we needn't be able to fully define poetry to recognize it--or to enjoy it! We simply sense it when we are in the presence of poetry--at least good poetry. We feel its power, or its sweetness, its simplicity or its grandeur. And it is an encounter that affects us in ways we'll never be able to fully describe--much less understand.

In short, whether or not we can define poetry, describe or even understand it, we nevertheless go away from it knowing that we have come face to face with its magic; and instinct tells us that, as a result of that fortuitous meeting, we will never be quite the same again.


Happy writing!
Jeanne



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Here are a few more quotes by writers on writing. Some are thought-provoking, some brutally honest, some inspiring, and some simply clever--but whatever your thinking about the art or the craft, you should find something here that will catch your fancy!

Here goes:

There is only one trait that marks the writer. He is always watching. It's a kind of trick of mind and he is born with it. ~Morley Callaghan~

Nobody reads a mystery to get to the middle. They read it to get to the end. If it's a letdown, they won't buy anymore. The first page sells that book. The last page sells your next book. ~Mickey Spillane~

Autobiography is an obituary in serial form with the last installment missing. ~Quentin Crisp~

A poet's autobiography is his poetry. Anything else can only be a footnote. ~Yevgeny Yevtushenko~

Books are...funny little portable pieces of thought. ~Susan Sontag~

I never desire to converse with a man who has written more books than he has read. ~Samuel Johnson~

Journalism is literature in a hurry. ~Matthew Arnold~

Literature is the question minus the answer. ~Roland Barthes~

Literature is recognizable through its capacity to evoke more than it says. ~Anthony Burgess~

A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author. ~G.K. Chesterton~

To be a poet is a condition rather than a profession. ~Robert Graves~

The poet marries the language, and out of this marriage the poem is born. ~W.H. Auden~

A poem begins in delight and ends in wisdom. ~Robert Frost~

It's easier to write a mediocre poem than to understand a good one. ~Montaigne~

In a poem the words should be as pleasing to the ear as the meaning is to the mind. ~Marianne Moore~

Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings...in a man who has thought long and deeply. ~William Wordsworth~

You write by sitting down and writing. There's no particular time or place--you suit yourself, your nature. How one works, assuming he's disciplined, doesn't matter. ~Bernard Malamud~

I put a piece of paper under my pillow, and when I could not sleep I wrote in the dark. ~Henry David Thoreau~

When I stop (working), the rest of the day is posthumous. I'm only really alive when I'm working. ~Tennessee Williams~

Words are loaded pistols. ~Jean-Paul Sartre~

Words are like leaves, and where they most abound,
Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found. ~Alexander Pope~

All the fun's in how you say a thing. ~Robert Frost~

The greatest possible mint of style is to make the words absolutely disappear into the thought. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne~

I do not understand this chronic illness. I wish I had gone to law school. ~Darryl Pinckney~

The best time for planning a book is when you're doing the dishes. ~Agatha Christie~

I talk out the lines as I write. ~Tennessee Williams~

If I could, I would always work in silence and obscurity, and let my efforts be known by their results. ~Emily Bronte~

If writers were good businessmen, they'd have too much sense to be writers. ~Irvin S. Cobb~

Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go. ~E. L. Doctorow~



Hope a few of these provocative thoughts have set your own creative juices flowing!


Happy writing!
Jeanne



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