Category Archives: Poetry

Writing and Age

Posted on September 14, 2023 by knlistman

As writers get older and improve at their skill, they sometimes bemoan the lost years of youth—time when they had more energy and yet were not writing. There are excuses that we give ourselves. Getting an education, working to pay … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Generational differences, Literature, Novels, Poetry | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Traveling Swan Roads in Books

Posted on April 27, 2023 by knlistman

While reading Beowulf in a modern translation I encountered a person called a breaker of rings. In my mind I could see a burly man hacking gold rings apart, possibly a thief destroying the identity of his latest heist. As … Continue reading →

Posted in allusions, Creativity, Literature, Poetry, Showing versus telling, Style and voice, Trends in books | Leave a comment

Present tense prose

Posted on February 2, 2019 by knlistman

Since the popularity of The Hunger Game series and the awards won by All the Light We Cannot See, a trend is fiction is the use of present tense. This style is touted as making the character’s actions more intimate … Continue reading →

Posted in Literary devices, Literature, Poetry, Style and voice, Writer's resource, Writing trends | Leave a comment

What makes a classic, a classic?

Posted on November 11, 2014 by knlistman

When a person refers to classic art, you automatically assume it is the style derived from classic Greek art. This style is associated with city-states on a small Greek peninsula beginning about 500 B.C. and ending 323 B.C., at the death … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Education trends, Literature, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Delusion and Imagery

Posted on October 28, 2014 by knlistman

Imagery is one of the harder to pinpoint concepts in writing. What exactly is the difference between describing something in detail and creating imagery?  This concept is not always easy to explain.  So I looked at what some experts in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Poetry, Writer's resource | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

What makes poetry, poetry?

Posted on October 21, 2014 by knlistman

As a young child I assumed poetry must rhyme.  Meter was beyond my comprehension. It was only that constant repetition of ending sounds that mattered. In fifth grade, the teacher encouraged us all to enter a poetry recitation contest.  The … Continue reading →

Posted in Poetry, Teaching writing skills, Writer's resource | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments