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Things to Take to the Writers Conference
by Bruce W Niedt
laptop
journals
shirts and slacks
shoes
notebooks
business cards
dictionary
thesaurus
a bag full of imagery
willingness to schmooze
desire to work hard
desire to have fun
desire to improve my style and craft
acceptance of criticism which is 1/3 worthwhile
enough expertise to constructively help others
tolerance of poets who write rhyming verse on puppies, butterflies and flowers
tolerance of poets who write free verse on suicide, darkness and despair
ability to interact with respectable writers who can be patronizing and full of themselves
fortitude to withstand at least one workshop leader who tells me to write from the right side of
the brain
reminder to nod when some elbow-patched professor-type tells me my work is promising
but
courage to accept that (a) I may never be considered better than a good writer, and (b) that
I will probably never make the New York Times Bestseller List
underwear
socks
01/15/2003 Posted on 01/15/2003
Copyright © 2024 Bruce W Niedt
| Member Comments on this Poem |
| Posted by Chris Sorrenti on 01/16/03 at 06:02 PM Well done! Love the way you tuck the writing section in-between the more practical. I think you're one of the best poets on the Internet; definitely one of my favorites. I've learned through interacting with enough egg heads that a university degree (even in English) does not guarantee one to be a great poet. That's only half of it. The rest comes from genuine born talent, and the willingness to tear one's own heart out and drop it pumping on the page. |
| Posted by Mara Meade on 01/20/03 at 08:16 PM -chuckle- I'm learning vicariously from this...! |
| Posted by Laurie Duncan on 09/26/09 at 05:47 AM Bitingly delightful. |
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