From PROBLEM to POEM in 7 steps
the Why, Where, When, What, Who, How & Wow of writing poetry
Ai Ni and Ronaldo made this book to help poor people in Haiti, to build a school and teach them the art of a happy life.
A warning upfront from the editor:...
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You might reply: "Fame", or "Mission", or "Fun", or "Money", or "Learn something new". Stephen King answered, picky: "Do you think I have a choice?"
The answer itself isn't important, as long as it's a convincing reason. Write it on the fridge, above your bed, or on your smartphone's wallpaper. Read it often. You'll need a powerful motivation to write.
Motivation is the first step towards all the other necessary ingredients: courage, clarity, perseverance, discipline, creativity and self-critic. Writing includes lots of suffering. Poetry is a roller-coaster of emotions, from killing your daemons without mercy, via being intolerant against intolerance, overcoming pain, surviving loss, all the way to loving yourself and others.
Motivation answers many questions:
- Do you want fame? Ask what readers want and give it to them.
- Do you want to save the world? Look around what's needed and teach it to them.
- Do you want fun? Do crazy, original things, like... (ha, this is funny, you'll have to make it up yourself, of course, and not copy ideas from others)
- Do you want money? Go find a job. Nobody reads poetry and nobody wants to pay for it either. Amanda Gorman is the famous and successful proof of the opposite, but she's already Number One and you can't take her place.
- Do you want self-actualisation and self-development? Congratulations. You've reached the penthouse of Maslow's Pyramid of Needs. It implies you're satisfied with what you have (material fundamentals, social contacts and received admiration). The highest level of happiness is: doing amazing things.
