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or not read their own work, have a little self-respect
― j., Thursday, 10 April 2014 02:19 (ten years ago) link
I consider myself to be an above average reader-aloud. I was a drama geek in high school and have even written a few speeches for local politicians. But being an English teacher is not the same as being "a writer".
My dad was an English teacher and a pretty good vocal performer (he especially was drawn to Robert Service). He also wrote and could spin off a decent limerick or anecdote, but his writing never rose to a level much above general proficiency. He never had the luxury of studying the art of writing in great depth or detail. My maternal grandfather was the head of a university literature department, but he had a tin ear and his writing constantly trended toward turgidity. I've got a boxful of it in the basement to bear witness.
Real writing talent, fully-developed, is plenty rare on its own. It takes massive numbers of hours to polish and perfect. Learning how to use dramatic flair and timing in front of an audience also takes dedication and practice. Most writers never get around to learning both. Just how it happens.
they should get better at it over time
That only works if they want to get better and pay sufficient attention to the craft. If readings are just a nuisance they put up with or just a fun lark that will always be secondary to writing, they'll never improve.
― Aimless, Thursday, 10 April 2014 02:38 (ten years ago) link
three months pass...
I get the irritation, but what I think that article misses is that "poet voice" is not just an affectation, but much more deeply ingrained: it has become the voice poets hear inside their heads as they write their poems. Even the Muse clears her throat these days.
I write poetry. I refuse to use the 'poet voice' when I read my poems aloud and I damn well don't hear it in my head as I write them. I've long thought the 'poet voice' was an abomination. It is perpetuated by poets who don't write in a voice so much as a style or a manner.
― dustups delivered to your door (Aimless), Tuesday, 22 July 2014 06:17 (nine years ago) link