Sunday, February 26, 2006

Poetry Writing: Embracing Technology

The writer of today has a rapidly evolving array of technology at their disposal for the composition, publication and promotion of his or her writing projects.

One of the most talked about forms of publication and promotion on the internet in recent times is this very forum, the weblog...or the blog...or the web journal.

Irrespective of the extent of exposure one may or may not gain from this means of publication on the internet, the weblog is a wonderful tool for showcasing one's written works. Like a website, this form of instanteous posting of written material on the internet for a potentially massive audience is an incredible vehicle for the illustration of one's writing, free of charge no less.

The first hurdle, of course, is to get past the anxiety of posting to such a potentially vast audience and the related angst of what feedback one might receive to such personal postings. The key to getting your feet wet, so to speak, in the arena of internet posting is to realise how virtually painless posting to the internet really is.

Of course the most important criteria for the posting of one's work is to first and foremost write for the love of writing. Never mind what critique may result from your writing efforts. There will always be someone out there that knows more than you do, who feels they are more qualified, more educated, more skilled at writing. That's all fine and dandy, the bottom line is that if you feel you have something valuable to communicate, whatever the written genre, write and publish it with enthusiasm and renewed conviction day after blessed writing day. Reafirm your conviction to writing daily.

In addition to the praise, the accolades, and downright unbelievably positive and supportive feedback that I have received since beginning to write, there has been and always will be arrogance, conceit, self-serving and destructive criticism of your writing form, style, content and purpose.

In order to achieve success in writing the author must seek to view critique, however positive or negative, as a learning tool, a means to an end, to learn from constructive and learned opinion as well as from misguided or misdirected jealousy, anger, and sometimes downright vindictive comment that serves no more purpose than to satisfy the writer's insatiable thirst for the destructive attack of another's written works in the absence of substance of their own writing.

Today we have the rapid advancement of technology, the information super-highway, the internet, email, messenger, chat utilities, websites, weblogs and so much more.

Take advantage of any form of self-promotion that technology brings your way. What better opportunity than free services such as these to post actual examples of our writing for potentially the whole online world to see!

What have we got to loose? Well, perhaps the negative response alluded to here, perhaps non-response. Ok, deal with it and get past it. You write because you love to write and feel that you have something of relevance to say....so write and keep on writing! Imagine where, in the writing world, we would be today if the Keats and Brownings of this world caved in to negative opinion or reaction to the incredible works that they produced?...on second thought, don't imagine this.

Writing is communicating. Writing is a compilation of thoughts, expressions, ideas, whims, opinions...and so much more. We as writers have a reading audience, no matter how large or small, and we owe that audience, and ourselves, the sharing of our written expressions for what they are intended to be...communications.

The weblog may come and go, as will many other "new and improved" forms of internet communication vehicles. The challenge is to embrace this change, as come it will, to take advantage of the potential benefits that may arise from using such mass-communications vehicles, in order to realise some degree of recognition, some level of acceptance or appreciation for what we do as writers...the sharing of ideas, opinions, observations, fantasies.

So why wait for the world to pass you by? Post a blog today, create a website, post to forums, submit to ezines. Unless you have a dream, embrace that dream and utilize all the many electonic means to share and promote your written dreams, in today's world they cannot become a reality.

Write on and post often. Best of luck in your writing endeavors.

Don MacIver
Copyright 2006 at A Poet's View Blog.

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