Confidence In Writing?

This is one of my favorite writing pieces of all time. It may not make
complete sense to me, but it is amazing how this writer can create
the flow of words / imagery to be so vivid.  

Confidence is a characteristic that many people struggle with. Personally, I am not a confident person at all. I'm not confident in myself or in my writing. However, as a writer, you have to be bold or else your poem will fail. Lockward in The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop, says, "sometimes poems fail because the poet is being diligent in all the wrong places; the poet patches over any open spaces that might have allowed the unfamiliar to enter. The poem that results is static, a small, obedient poem, sadly complete in a limited sense" (Lockward 217). Lockward says that a good way to become more confident with your writing is by revision.

There are three steps to revision. Lockward envisions step one as a spider web, step two as a fishing net, and step three as a hammock (Lockward 216).

1) The Spider Web-
Spider webs are sticky. When you are revising, you want to find where your poem is sticky in the worse sense. When poems are sticky, dead flies among your words cling to the poem. Where does the poem get sticky in the best sense? This is where the imagery gets caught and redeemed.

2) The Fishing Net-
Fishing nets can be tossed out into the waters multiple times. Don't be afraid to revise multiple times. Lockward says, "haul up the last stanza of the draft and make it the beginning of a new draft. Start from the point that seemed to be the end. Knot parts of the poem by adding more consonant sounds or making the poem muscular by using graphic verbs. Another possibility: Shrink the poem" (Lockward 218). Writers have to be bold and make choices that are out of their comfort zone. Revising a poem can also lead to new ideas and new poems/stories, as well.

3) The Hammock-
A hammock is a net or a web secured above ground between two points. Lockward compares the final step of revising to a hammock because getting in and out of a poem can often leave one flailing. She says, "getting out of a poem is far harder than getting out of a hammock... concentrate or you'll flip... Ask: Where is the body in this poem? What senses are active? What metaphors call up bodily images? How is the poem meticulously balanced or provocatively unbalanced. Test the poem aloud repeatedly" (Lockward 219). In order to have a revised and finished poem, a writer has to make sure that the poem doesn't leave the reader flailing. All of the points in a poem or a piece of writing must work together to create a single concise image.

The trick to becoming more confident in your writing is to revise and realize that you have put your blood, sweat, and tears into your work. Writing is all about expressing yourself and your emotions. Basically, writing is an outlet through which your emotions are released. Lockward has given me priceless information about becoming a better writer.

All in all, I have learned how to:
1) Convey my thoughts better by using diction, literary devices, and imagery
2) Write different styles of poetry
3) Draw from different sources of inspiration
4) Become more confident in writing by revision

I hope that this blog has benefited your writing and I leave you with one final question:


Are you confident in yourself? Why or why not?


Citation: Lockward, Diane. The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. Nicholasville, KY: Wind Publications. 2013. Print.