Are We Having Fun Yet?

Craft Tip #5: Choosing Your Words

Playing? We’re supposed to be playing? I wasn’t feeling that at 9:00 last night when I was still trying to find the poem for the day. It’s only day five of this challenge, and the poems aren’t just popping onto the page. Yesterday’s strategy was to sit on the couch and wait on the poem. That didn’t go so well. Today, I am headed out into the world to see if I can find one.

Today’s craft tip from The Practicing Poet is about word choice. In this chapter, Barbara Hamby talks about word origin and diction. For me. this topic needs many days to ponder, so I don’t expect it to move my poem too much today. I’ve always been fascinated by people who are knowledgeable about word origins. It gives them so much flexibility in writing, especially in poetry.

While Hamby’s section was written to help a writer improve word choice, what caught my attention was her mention of fun. Yes, fun. In her section, she talked about the enjoyment of writing and playing with words. Fun. Yes, the point of this project is fun. It was a timely reminder.

As always, later today you will find my poem at Merely Day by Day.

The Rabbit Hole

• Seriously, I had to pull myself away from Barbara Hamby’s website. Her poetry page is full of odes. They were so fun to read. (She apparently does take her fun seriously…or she is serious about fun. Bahahaha.) I know I’ll be back for further study.

• Check out Hamby’s abecedarian: Ode on Dictionaries.

• What’s an abecedarian, you ask.

• Apparently Barbara Hamby is her own rabbit hole because in a quick search I found a million links that piqued my interest, including this interview with The Writer’s Almanac.

• If you’re look for some word inspiration, I’d recommend you stop by Mary Lee Hahn’s post today at A(nother) Year of Reading. For Poetry Friday, she has written “a haiku sequence that talks about poetry without mentioning it.” As I read about word choice, this poem demonstrates the power of words perfectly.

• It is Poetry Friday so I would be remiss not to add this wonderful community to today’s Rabbit Hole. This week’s roundup is hosted by Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.

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It’s National Poetry Month. In April, I will reflect daily on the craft tip offered in The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics, edited by Diane Lockward. You’ll find those reflections here. Of course, I will also write a poem using the craft tip in celebration - and because apparently, I like a good challenge - of Poetry Month. Each day, the new poem will be posted on my blog, Merely Day by Day. Buckle in.