Hi, Take Pen to Paper Readers!
This week’s newsletter comes to you from my family’s beach vacation. I’m having a little change of scenery, which is perfect for this week’s topic.
In this newsletter:
Creative ideas are yours to choose.
Be inspired by someone who’s experienced.
Start where you are.
“I Can Do That”
How many times have you thought that?
Crafts, cooking, building, and decorating are among the many areas where you can find Do-It-Yourself projects. Sometimes, I’ll see something in a store or on TV and think, “I can do that.”
Whatever your interest is, you can spend time creating, practicing, and building your skills. The deeper your passion, the more possibilities you are exposed to, and the more skills you can expand.
I experience this with writing, journaling, and arts/crafts. These areas draw my attention when I’m online or reading. Another book on journaling? Why not? That’s how I ended up with a subscription to Breathe magazine, which I referenced in last week’s newsletter.
Choose Experience Over Expert
In my Question-&-Answer a Day 5-year Journal, each October 22, I’m prompted to write a haiku. I attempted this for three years, and one year, I just skipped it. I wasn’t thrilled with my results.
Poetry has never been my thing. I often have difficulty understanding the poems I read.
I understand the basics of a haiku: a topic, a first line of five syllables, a second line of seven syllables, and a third line of five syllables. If you can count syllables, that's no problem, or so you would think.
If you’re like me and you want to learn to write a haiku, you read about haiku before you tackle one. That can be a mistake. In Japanese tradition, haiku is much more than counting syllables. Once you read the details of writing a haiku, you change your mind because you realize how difficult writing a haiku is.
Enter a role model who’s proficient but not an expert.
If you look up author Penny Reid, you will find she writes romantic comedies and romance novels. When I’m looking for a lighter read, her books are a nice break. But one of her books, Beard with Me, is more of a coming-of-age story with trauma and triggers (she warns the reader). It also has a character who writes haiku.
Reid has her high school-age character write haiku messages to a friend. They're simple and easy to understand. Reid isn’t trying to write a traditional Japanese haiku. She’s having fun. Reading them made me think, “Maybe I can write a haiku.”
Rule #1: Use someone with more experience than you, but not necessarily an expert, as your role model.
I scrapped the idea of writing a haiku in the traditional sense and decided to have fun.
Starting Place: Here
“Haiku are short, imagistic poems about things that make people feel connected to nature.” - William J. Higginson, “Guidelines for Writing Haiku in English”
When you read Higginson’s guide, you get a sense of how challenging haiku as a poetic form is. Famous haiku are descriptive in a symbolic way. They are lyrical. But even those descriptors limit what a haiku can be.
With the definition in mind, I decided to concentrate on two elements of haiku: the topic of nature, which I appreciate, and syllable count, which I can do.
The complexities of writing haiku are too many to master quickly (or ever?). I chose the elements I thought I could improve on first and have fun with.
I’ve been practicing after my morning walk when I usually take a picture of something in nature I find beautiful or interesting. The picture helps me reflect on what I saw. Now that I think of it, that may be a problem. I have a tendency toward the concrete, which haiku are not.
However, concrete, syllable counting me is where I am now. If I practice the rhythm of the words that I choose about my topic, I will get a feel for one element of the haiku.
Rule #2: Step into the experience by starting where you are.
Muted steps on brown
Wind overhead crashes green
Shade enfolds and cools
- by S.G.S. Abel
I’m just having fun with my new creative outlet. I’m grateful that my experiences have taught me that fun, not perfection, can be the goal.
This week, I have a different natural environment to inspire my practice - the beach.
7 Days, 7 Thoughts on Gratitude and Good:
Are you new to haiku? Here is a link to Higginson’s guide.
I enjoyed Kirsten Luckins’ pointers on writing haiku.
It’s good to take the thought “I can do that” and turn it into an action.
I’m grateful for all the ‘I cans” I’ve tried. Whether I succeeded at it or failed, I’ve learned something about myself.
A quote: “Learning a new skill can change hundreds of millions of cortical connections.” - Michael Merzenich
If you want to learn a new skill, ask a friend who’s done it before. They don’t have to be an expert. They need just enough experience to get you started.
Do you want to try your hand at poetry? Here are five types to try.
Thank you for reading. This week, take time to remember your favorite summer activities and maybe indulge in one.
📩👀**And check out my invitation to any interested journalers at the bottom of this post!
Until next time,
💚
Susan
What skills have you been learning or expanding? How did you get started? Leave a comment and tell me about them.
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I have a 2nd newsletter about journaling. If you are interested or know someone who would be, check it out at From The Pen’s Nib: A Commonplace Book About Journaling.
📩👀**Do you have a habit of taking pen to paper, or do you want to start a habit? Would you like to join me and other journalers online for a casual conversation about journaling? I am forming a group that would be perfect for you.
If you are interested, you can leave a comment or respond to the newsletter email. If you know anyone who would be interested, pass this along to them.