Of Things Romantic

One of the most-read themes in the world of poetry today, as throughout the ages, is romance.

Nothing quite captivates a reader's attention, stirs their emotions and leaves them with a thirst for more like romantic verse. If the proper tone is set and the scene pictured effectively, romantic poems can induce tears or elevate senses of elation, association, sadness, joy.

Romance is one of the most identifiable and popular forms of literature in the marketplace today. Why? Because it is an experience, in one form or another, good or bad, that most people will go through and probably impact a person in the most profound ways.

The key to effective writing of things romantic is like any other form of writing, to paint a vivid picture in the reader's mind illustrating clearly the emotions or situtation subject in the piece. The situation must be believable and told in such a way that it will be readily identified with for the reader, a desireable situation, or one to learn from.

Most people go through a difficult relationship at least once in their lifetime, one which usually ends up in in temporary or permanent separation from their partner. Others are blessed with lasting relationships to last a lifetime. Being able to identify with the situation can be powerful for the reader, acting as a healing experience, or one that the reader can at least experience a greater understanding of their own situation and feel a sense of hope that love will strike again for them!

Here is my poem "By Candle's Light", shown in its entirety, a short piece that has had considerable emotional impact on my devoted readers, with many heartfelt responses and requests for more of the same:


BY CANDLE'S LIGHT

Passion's embrace by candle light...


Gentle breeze past window flows
Curtain swayed by wind's caress
Scent of musk perfumes night air
Stirred desires, heart quickening

Candle flicker, silhouettes
Skin perspired in movement haste
Teardrops shed in ecstasy
Rapture caught in symphony

Yearning tender, sweet release
Heated movement lovingly
Emotion's waterfall, cascade
Passion's torrent, long embrace

Copyright 2005 by Don MacIver


A poem does not have to be long to be effective and a pleasing read. Even a piece as short as one stanza has been known to stir sufficient emotion for its reader to savour its content and bookmark for repeated reading. Look at at any website forum or in any online poetry group, and indeed in hardcover books, and see which forums or themes are most widely written about and read/responded to favourably...romance is always right at the top of the list...or a close second.

The trick is to target an aspect of the theme that is somehow unique and not generic that everyone and his brother is writing about. That is the key to writing success, to set one's writing apart from other authors.

"By Candle's Light" will have its special place in my second book, as yet untitled and a work in progress. To preview my first book "Journeys In Verse" please visit my book storefront at http://lulu.com/whereeaglessoar and click on the title above book cover illustration to go directly to the preview page.

Put a little romance into your life today!

Don MacIver
author, Journeys In Verse (copyright 2004, Lulu.com)

Visit My Website: A POET'S VIEW
http://apoetsview.wsmcafe.com

The Splendor of Poetry

I remember the days in my elementary and high school years when an integral part of English class study included an element of poetry. This was a subject matter that very few students could get into. It was like Shakespear - dull, confusing and deemed of little value or use later on in life.

Now in mid-life I find myself seeking new beginnings, alternate ways to entertain myself and those close to me, ways to enrich my life and challenge myself to achieve something that I perhaps never would have imagined pursuing.

I have found lately that the good old standby, the television, just isn't doing much for me any more...so much violence, negativity, vulgarity, much to excess.

I have made a concerted effort over the past year to get back to reading again. Through my early years in the workforce following college and into my mid-forties I found that work consumed almost all of my waking hours and there was precious little time to kick back and relax. My social life was nearly non-existent and the absence of free personal time spent with family and friends began to take its toll.

After a very difficult divorce (when are they not difficult?) I eventually met with the lady who is now my better half, my significant other, my wife and loving partner for life. During our dating period I began to write little poetic verses in greeting cards that I gave to her. The feedback that I started to receive from those who read my early efforts in poetry was most complimentary and bewildering at the same time. People were actually moved by my writing!

And so it was that through the encouragement of loved ones and friends I began to share my writing by joining a large poetry forum on the internet where I remain a regular contributing member and moderator over one year later. The experience of sharing one's writing with fellow writers, and a growing and devoted reading audience, has been a truly amazing journey.

Poetry is a powerful literary medium that advances the reader's senses and emotions to levels that can be very profound indeed. The delivery of a skilfully crafted work of poetry captures a reading audience in ways that cannot be equated to any other form of writing.

True, there are many forms of writing that stir the reader's emotions but with poetry there is something so much more personal about its style, its audience, its subject matters. Poetry is an interaction of some of the most highly personal experiences that one can convey to the reader. The subject matter is often that of real life experiences of the author, genuine heartache, pain, joy, elation, bewilderment, introspect, or a myriad of other emotions that the writer is or has experienced at one time or another.

If the experiences the author conveys are first-hand the poem will have credibility and appeal that is unsurpassed by any other form of writing. The response that a poet receives from his/her reading audience can be as emotional as the written piece itself....truly amazing.

Today, poetry still has its niche audience, not the overwhelming readership that is commanded by novelists and other forms of published writing, yet poetry is growing in popularity. It is an opportunity for the writer and reader to share in something real, something so very identifiable that most people experience at one time or another during the course of their lives, that sets it far apart from any other form of reading enjoyment or entertainment medium.

It is because of this powerful shared emotional experience that I have come to love writing poetry. There are endless opportunities now to publish one's writing, on the internet and in hard copy. The greatest challenge pre and post-publication is the promotion of the published work which really is an ongoing process for any writer.

Despite the challenges of developing the skills to command a reading audience and the promotion of one's work in an effort to be "discovered" writing of poetry, or any other genre of writing, must first and foremost be undertaken for the love of writing. Focus on the art of writing well and the rest will come as it may.

For samples of my writing and links to my websites please visit
http://apoetsview.wsmcafe.com and while there please sign my guestbook!

Read a poem today!

Don MacIver
Author, "Journeys In Verse"

The World Through A Poet's Eyes

When I first started writing poetry it was for personal reasons, that being romantic poetic verse for my (then) loving fiance Andrea. I was shocked to discover that what I crafted not only seemed to bare resemblance to actual poetic form but it also triggered emotional response from its reader!

Imagine, putting heart-felt words into verse and finding that the reader is so profoundly impacted emotionally that they weep crocodile tears! From that starting point I began to receive very compelling feedback not only from my fiance but also family and friends imploring that I expand my audience. With that in mind I began to dig online for a poetry website where I could post my poetic musings and seek comment and critique from writers of experience to see just where my writing stood alongside authors of renown.

Just the mere thought of posting my poems in a medium of such mass exposure, with the poetry website exceeding 45,000 members, and the anticipation that many of the members were published, successful writers in their own right, was daunting to say the least. Before I clicked on that submit button for the very first time my heartrate quickened and my index finger on the mouse quivered. But then I suddenly reflected upon the heartfelt appreciation that I received from my (to that point) limited reading audience and suddenly what resulted after clicking that submit button seemed less terrifying and more of curiosity than any blind pretense that my writing would be of the slightest interest to poetry lovers.

So I clicked the submit button and logged off with the plan to sign in a few hours later to see if any response had been forthcoming. Before signing on again to check for replies to my first post I again had that uneasy sense of anticipating what lay ahead. Could there be a savage diatribe thrashing my creative endeavor awaiting me? I tentatively logged on and sought out my post. Lo and behold there were fifteen replies posted. What?? I opened my post and to my shock found post after post praising my write, some going so far as to say they had shed many tears and could not wait to see more!

And so it began. A journey into the art of poetic verse, an exploration of my own thoughts, emotions, opinions, likes, dislikes, and how I could transcribe those thoughts and images onto the page, as a painter does with a brush on canvass, giving my reading audience their own experience into a world seen through my eyes. What a profound experience it is for the writer to receive positive feedback, indeed accolades from peers in the writing community. And even more exhilarating and rewarding is the emotional response received from poetry lovers who come to feel a sense of devotion and return time and again to read and experience what I write.

The thing that attracts me so much about poetry is that although it has its traditional forms and subject matter, the simple fact is that for contemporary poets the subject themes are virtually limitless and not only traditional poetic form but also many variations, and indeed freestyle, has become the accepted approach to poetic writing.

I guess the lesson that one can take from this article is that if you have a sense that you have creative presence, if you can create vivid imagery with words, if you can stir a reader's emotions with what you write, then share that writing with the world. Everyone starts somewhere and if you're willing to be open-minded, learn from others who write with success, then you will develop skill in this craft while still maintaining your own individual trademark or writing style.

Not that long ago I had no inclination to write for the purpose of publication yet my works have been published extensively online, in a anthology book, and most recently in my own book offering a large collection of my early poems.

In subsequent articles here I will explore the many aspects of poetry writing and how I have come to receive global recognition for my works. It has indeed been an exciting, challenging and rewarding journey...to be continued.

Please take a moment to visit my websites through the links below:

A POET'S VIEW

MY BOOK STOREFRONT: WHERE EAGLES SOAR

JOIN MY FORUM: A POET'S VIEW POETRY FORUM