Synergy

I think one of the coolest things about being a writer, and being in writing classes is the idea of workshopping. I know I’ve talked before about how much I’ve enjoyed workshopping and for what reasons, but this time around, something unique is happening. It’s my first time doing workshop on a college campus, and this is the first time I’ve noticed that I am actually starting to be influenced by the writing techniques of others. Likewise, I’m noticing that others are starting to be influenced by my own literary idiosyncrasies.

I’ve mentioned in class that rhyming poetry has never been my favorite, as I often find the way form poetry can limit one’s intended meaning simply because a certain word must match another to be unfortunate. Many individuals in my workshop group, however, are fond of rhyming, and each class they bring in a poem with rhymes that really make me stop and think -- that convey both meaning and add a nice literary technique. To put it simply, I’ve become phenomenally intrigued. This is one of the main reasons that I chose to write a villanelle for my last poetry assignment – and trust me, I learned a lot from the experiment!

Upon trying to craft, “Chelsea’s Poem,” I discovered personally just how difficult it is to convey both rhyme and meaning at the same time. I found myself struggling to find the right denotative and connotative meanings words, and to, at the same time, make sure that they complimented each other. This time, however, I felt differently about the struggle. Instead of condemning form poetry, I have begun to appreciate just how amazing it is when a writer actually manages to craft a rhyming poem such as a villanelle well. And, for the first time, I’m entertaining the thought that perhaps it’s better to learn the “rules” before starting to break them. We’ll see, I suppose! Regardless, though, I’m excited to start playing around with rhyming more in my poetry, and to try out a lot of different formats for expressing my creativity.