GETTING YOUR POEM ACCEPTED BY A LITERARY PRESS

Your family, friends, reading groups, writer’s circles all love your poetry.  Why is it so difficult to get your work accepted by a literary press?

Part of the problem is that literature works are art, and therefore, subjective.  I have been writing for so long that I know I have a feel for what it takes to write a stellar poem; and yes, many of my poems are not stellar in the public’s view.  I know that.  But I wrote them out of the earnest desire to express a view.  I do have a folder of unpublished poems – I cannot let go of the creative ideas birthed within those writings, but I cannot publish them, either.  They are not very good.  Most of them were written when my vocabulary and skills were nascent.

What I do when submitting poetry to contests or literary presses:  I choose the poems that have the best “hook.”  Writers know that novels require a hook – great poets know that the first three or four lines also require a hook.

I’m happy to report that this poem, “Black Velvet with Diamonds,” will be published in “Poetry Quarterly.”  As any poet can attest, it is a great feeling to know that someone else liked your poem enough to feature it in their journal. The poem came to me as I was sitting in my back yard one night, admiring the clear view of the desert sky (I live in Las Vegas, Nevada).   I began to wonder why God would create this view, and penned:

BLACK VELVET WITH DIAMONDS
The rained pummeled His roof
for days and days
When the leaden clouds parted
He was lifted from His haze

So He built an impossibly long table
draped it with black velvet
and littered it with diamonds

The newborn twinkling stars
surely never shown so bright
The nascent moon
surely never looked so kind
as they did on that first cloudless night

God reclined on his couch, satisfied
took a nap
and dreamed up man
to be a willing audience,
to appreciate His nocturnal nativity

To submit your work in “Poetry Quarterly,” follow the guidelines on their website:  http://poetryquarterly.com/


Which of your poems have the best hook?

Good luck!  Keep writing & keep sharing – Cronin Detzz

EASTER'S RISING

He is not rising

Because he never fell

He gave us everlasting thirst

So that we drink from The Well

He gives us hot sunshine

To appreciate the rain

He gives us religious pillows of comfort

For all our worldly pain

The spear of Longinus

Did not kill The King

When we finally surrender to His Will

We lose our egos and receive everything

-Cronin Detzz

POEM: WATER AVATAR'S DREAM

724,000 years ago, I stood near my lake

I longed to drink, but had no thirst to slake

I gazed at my reflection, shimmering back at me

Blue of skin, like the sky and sea

My dharma was water

My dharma was to sustain

My power: locked in the waves

My power: released in the rain

~~ Holding the cosmos together

through the gift of water ~~

In those peaceful, misty days

I grew restless in the watery haze

My dream of being human thus burst

to feel the damp!  to swim with fish!

to quench a thirst!  my only wish!

The Bringer of Light granted my desire

And I was born into a fire

A bucket of water dampened the blaze

My soul briefly few back to halcyon days

But again and again I was reborn

stuck in the wheel of earthly form

My water lords and my astral kin

dessicated the water that cleanses my sin

“I long to return to my sparkling cave,

and leave far behind earth’s watery grave”

the Lord of Lords heard my plea

threw me into a poet’s aching body

sent me away to distant, dry lands

tossed me onto Nevada’s scorching sands

Never again

will I stray from home

Always, amen

bathe in the wonderful waterfall of Om

-        Cronin Detzz

Inspiration:  during a meditation, I imagined regressing into a past life as an Avatar representing water.  I don't know where the era of 724,000 years came from, but it is best to trust your muse and write whatever surfaces without censoring thoughts too much.  One of the important tactics in overcoming writer's block is to honor the creative process and write the words that come to you.  Don't get stuck in edit mode for too long.  Keep writing & keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz 

SIX TIPS TO RHYME LIKE A PRO

What can you do when you are in the flow, writing a killer poem, and you get stuck because you can’t find the right rhyme?  This is classic poet writer’s block.  Below are my tried and true tips, along with links to rhyming resources.

 

Roses are red, violets are orange… nothing rhymes with orange!

TIP #1 – USE A DIFFERENT WORD

Rewrite the line. The orange violet example could become: “Roses are red, violets are cool, my rhyme schemes will make you drool”

TIP #2 – CHANGE THE ORDER

The classic “Roses are red” poem rhymes the 2^nd and 4^th lines.  This could be rewritten as: “Violets are blue, roses are red, sugar is sweet, she loves me, she said!”

TIP #3 – CONSONANT COMBINATIONS & PREFIXES

We usually make a quick run through the alphabet.  If we were striving to rhyme the word “red,” we would quickly find:  bed, bled, cred, dead, fed, and so forth.  I also recommend that you add the following combinations and prefixes to your rhyming arsenal:

Sl            Bl                 Ch                Br                 Pl

St            Br                 Cl                 Fl                 Pr

Sh

 

Tr            Con              Dis               Ex      Mis     Pre

Th           De                En                In       Non    Re               

         

TIP #4 – THERE’S AN APP FOR THAT

          I personally do not use rhyming apps, but you can find free rhyming apps for your smart phone.  Droid has B-Rhymes which includes suggestions for near-rhymes.  For the iphone and ipad, RhymeNow has a free edition with over 55,000 words.

 

TIP #5 – NEAR RHYMES AND HALF RHYMES

Simple words like “red” and “you” have scores of rhymes, but other words are more difficult.  A near rhyme will often suffice; for example, a near-rhyme for “orange” is “challenge.”

 

TIP #6 – NEW WORDS

What is even more fun is to create your own new word.  My mother was masterful at this technique.  In a poem about children enjoying a snowy day, the children warm themselves with “steaming cups of choke-a-lot.” 

 

The primary sites that I use for rhymes are:

Rhyme Zone:  http://www.rhymezone.com/

Rhymer:  http://www.rhymer.com/

B-Rhymes:  http://www.b-rhymes.com/

 

Remember that not every poem needs to rhyme, but it can be challenging and fun.  Don’t let poet writer’s block stop you from completing a killer poem.  Do you have a rhyming tip that you would like to share?  Leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.  Keep writing and keep sharing!

 

-Cronin Detzz

POEM: ANGRY JACKET

ANGRY JACKET

photo by Cronin Detzz

wearing your jacket of anger
deploying your umbrella of denial
carrying a briefcase of shame
trudging to work with a stiffened smile

You smother your feelings
with your thermos of hatred
drinking it lustily as it burns your tongue

wondering when, exactly, life slipped sideways
This wasn't how it was supposed to be

Slip on your leaden shoes
and drag your heartache around
scream inside your head
until you are deafened to love's sound
Or
Draw the bows from your quiver
aim at your traumatic past
and finally kill your demons

Burn your angry jacket
in the bonfire of vanities

Wear rose colored glasses
and peer into tomorrow
see it embroidered with possibilities

Until at last
through heart-felt gratitude
you can freely run naked
in the satiny, silky present

-poem by Cronin Detzz, 2013

NEW POEM: The Way of the Ant

THE WAY OF THE ANT
The byzantine way of the ant
is slow and arduous
tedious and treacherous
Marching onward with his grain of food
hoping that he knows the way home

We hear the rain pattering on the roof
while the ant hears ant-sized water droplets
pummeling his armor
flooding his path home

Like a warrior, he marches on
tunneling in the dark, if he must
still carrying his parcel
dodging the horrific cannon balls of rain drops
never losing faith that he can make it home

O! If I had the faith of that ant
pressing on, dodging the difficulties of my life
carrying the parcel of my soul
believing that I am armored and protected
knowing that I am never alone, wherever I roam
and I could, finally at last, reach my beloved home
11/28/13 - Cronin Detzz

Photo copyright David Cobbold

5 TIPS: SLAY THE BEAST - GETTING YOUR BOOK FINISHED

5 TIPS: SLAY THE BEAST-GETTING YOUR BOOK FINISHED

Woo-hoo! I set a goal of one book per year, and my next book, "Supernatural Poetry," has just been released and is available at Amazon.

How do you slay procrastination the double-headed monster of procrastination and writer's block? How should you motivate yourself to finish your writing projects?

"FINISHED IS BETTER THAN PERFECT"

Click here for link to Amazon

Procrastination is a huge hurdle in writer's block. Below are a few ideas to help you slay that beast: 

1. Set a realistic deadline and have someone hold you accountable. This has worked for me thus far. I made an announcement to my dear relatives in Chicago, who live 1,500 miles away, that I would have a new book done when I visit each year. I do not want to let them down.

2. Write down your goal. It must be in writing. Make it realistic and specific, such as: "Write four chapters by the last day of this month." Put this goal in a visible place.

3. Write yourself 5 motivational notes such as, "Get that chapter done by next Monday." Have fun with it.  Imagine starting off your day with a note that reads "I believe in you!" Put those 5 notes in unusual places around the house. You could try the refrigerator, the bathroom mirror, a lampshade, inside your slippers, and on your computer.

4. Reward yourself when you meet a goal. This does not have to be expensive or elaborate, simply memorable. For example, you could stash five Snickers bars away and only allow yourself to eat one after you accomplish your goal. 

5. Most of all, remember that finished is better than perfect. Your grammar and punctuation must be perfect, but the inner content does not need all the rewrites that we writers suffer through.

Huzzah!  My latest book, "Supernatural Poetry," is a fusion of my photography and poetry.  It is such a great feeling to slay that writer's block beast and get it done! It is available at Amazon. You can peek inside by clicking on the following link: http://www.amazon.com/Supernatural-Poetry-Nancy-Kennedy/dp/1492388947/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1382294012&sr=8-1&keywords=cronin+detzz

Keep writing and keep sharing! - Cronin Detzz

POEM: BLACK VELVET WITH DIAMONDS

BLACK VELVET WITH DIAMONDS
The rained pummeled His roof
for days and days
When the leaden clouds parted
He was lifted from His haze

So He built an impossibly long table
Draped it with black velvet
And littered it with diamonds

The newborn twinkling stars
Surely never shown so bright
The nascent moon
Surely never looked so kind
As they did on that first cloudless night

God reclined on his couch, satisfied
Took a nap
And dreamed up man
To be a willing audience,
To appreciate His nocturnal nativity
-poem by Cronin Detzz

Keep writing & keep sharing!