Poetry People- Length? (1 Viewer)

[braindrainedAsh]

Yes... I'm stealing an idea for a thread from the short story people. Well, so what!

Anyway, those who are doing poetry.... how many words of poetry have you written or are you going to write.

I'm finished (cept for editing some more) and I have written a bit over 1600 words of poetry. I know it doesn't sound like much, but style is quite minimalistic, and it's easier to fill in the word limit if you are writing something like ballads or something..... my teacher said that is enough. I have 10 poems.

Do you think that's enough? With my 1500 word reflection statement, that's a bit over 3000 words...... the limit is less than 5000 words including reflection statement.... I feel though that if I wrote much more it would be crappy, and quality over quantity is a good mantra don't you think, especially for poetry...... Since there is no bottom word limit, you could write less than 100 words if you wanted to......

Anyway, so how many words do you have, or are you aiming to have?

 

[huck fenn]

I have 3600 of poetry, and including my reflection, I am over 5000 by about 50 words. I may just fudge my word count.

 

[braindrainedAsh]

I didn't realize we had to put a word count on it. If I were you, I would just neglect to put a word count on it.... that way they would never know.... it's not as if they are going to count the words.

What style is your poetry? Mine is very minimalistic with words so I'm only doing the 1600 words because otherwise I think I would sacrifice quality if I tried to write much more.

 

[Jethro G]

i agree that quality does not equal quantity.

however, sad as it is, unless you can justify why you havent given more than you do - reflection statement - the markers/executioners may feel it is inadequate. thats quite an illadvised comment to make on my part, because i havent exactly read it, have i? - but its just a word of warning. most people that i have run into are getting between 3000-3500.

dont mean to be |negative| again... but "sustained" is like one of the first words used in the syllabus. markers may love your work, but then just feel like they were really worked up for more.

if they are simplistic verbally - and id be right in remembering you were writing about dance, wouldnt i? - maybe try and broaded the horizon a bit, so as not to dwell anymore than you have done on the dancing - which would make your ideas about it, i think that you feel, make it "crappy", leaden it down, ... too much attention can blunt your point...
id think about talking about other issues you feel strongly about, and compare them to the rhythm, flow, spirit, whatever of dance. im not a |dancer| but i know exactly the feeling of being, um, how shall i say?, lost in the music. those issues could be anything, but it could give your poetry a little more on the wordcount side of things, and also a level of variation that can make something more interesting and deep - not saying yours isnt, but if those markers are boot-scooting line dancers, they may not |get| it... putting it in perspective with something topical always helps me convey what i mean...

you proly already have, or this is proly too late to influence your poetry anyway, but id have a read of some of things MJ has said about dancing... this is looser again than ballet or whatnot, but hes a good, albeit strange, source to rock and roll off of. f*ckin dude too. sc.

 

[Delta32]

I'm about 3550.

in a situation very similar to Hucks...