Such a profoundly moving piece of work, the breadth of understanding, the knowledge it breathed. The sparkling, razor sharp clarity of word meant, with the sentiment, few would disagree. And that’s when the doubts crept in, was he really so sure this was right? A delight, a crowd pleaser, for sure, but there, in his stomach, the fright. From a sound and clear thought, he polished, coerced and demolished. Cleared the rubble of truth and integrity, left nothing but triviality and embellishment Look at me, said the verse, I’m the business clever, risky, dangerous, insidious. With a charm and swagger of class and the menace of a bar broken glass. He drew up the paper, one final look crushed, squeezed and mashed it up, tossing the offending garbage back in to the only place for this vile nonsense.
Cornwall, June 2023. Nikon d750
Below is a quote that you won’t forget, for it settles the question of what to do, when pen and paper are at odds with your thoughts, you wait, then start anew!
“The secret of being a writer: not to expect others to value what you've done as you value it. Not to expect anyone else to perceive in it the emotions you have invested in it. Once this is understood, all will be well. (She wants to think!)”
Taken from Joyce Carol Oates latest excellent Substack article, “An Unexpected Intimacy,”
I'd welcome the writer to MY WORLD. I have yet to write anything, even a PARAGRAPH, that I didn't look at & judge to be utter garbage, even if it was judged reasonably good by others. I can be my biggest critic. I want to be a male Emily Dickenson. Or channel Hemingway, but it's highly unlikely.