The Orange Couch

Lauren [Writing Center tutor] was very kind and I appreciated her giving me feedback on my poems. I only changed one thing, which was taking out the “we are the poets…” to “we are poets.” I feel like that small detail makes a difference. She also mentioned to go into further detail with describing how the ocean reflects dreamers’ thoughts and why the sky is their savior. I personally like the unspecificity of why. I think it allows for people who consider themselves dreamers to reflect on moments when they zone out or think deeply. For me, I think a lot when I am in nature. It’s also in nature that I find my creativity the most and inspiration.

A big part of my writing process was not just finding rhyme but finding the rhyme that rang true to my experience. My favorite thing to do when writing a rhyming poem is to find one word I know I want in my poem, and then write a list of all the words that rhyme with it. I go through and cross them off as I write so I don’t accidentally reuse them. There was no set meter for this piece, but I wanted it to feel like it was speeding up as it went so if words or phrases were too clunky or awkward; they were cut, rephrased, or condensed.

The feedback I received gave me a lot of insight into how others read and interpreted my words. I was able to see patterns in my poem that I could improve upon. I have been going to Writers Guild for quite a few months and, just based on the feedback that has been given to other people, I’ve learned so much about how I can be a better writer. Getting feedback from a larger group made it helpful to know what things worked for some people and not for others.

[Writing Center tutor] suggested I use a repeating “the” at the beginning of a few lines, which I loved, and asked for clarification about the entrails line, which I now feel is more specific to what I am trying to convey. My word choice was the main thing I looked at for this piece. Honestly, I think it helped me get over my fear of showing others my writing. I rarely share things like this, so it feels vulnerable and real to put these works into publication; to have poetry that details such intimate feelings in a magazine is scary! I am glad I submitted it, this has helped me grow as a writer and reflect on why I write.

The feedback helped me see my work from the perspective of readers and see where some word choices might be less clear or where excessive wordiness might detract from the piece.