The other day I had my husband read a few of my poems. I gotta say, he's the best critic/supporter I could have! After reading one of the first ones, he stood silently looking the poem over for awhile. Then he began telling me how great the metaphors were--and what they were accomplishing, very specifically, for the poem. I just looked at him, my jaw hanging.
-You got all that?
-Yeah, it's great!
-But I mean--I didn't even get all that!
We had a good laugh about it. I just decided to pretend that I had intented to be as clever as he thought I was being all along.
When he read the next poem, well...he grimaced. Yes, grimaced.
-What?...What?
-I don't know...it's just kind of...crass.
-Crass?!
I looked at the poem. Read it over a good thirty more times.
-Damn you. It is crass.
He chuckled -But I get what you were trying to do.
-Ha. Thanks.
I'm grateful for my hubby, because he's my biggest fan, but he isn't afraid to tell it like it is. I need that. I love it that he loves poetry and is reflective about it's function in our society. He and I revised one of my other poems together later, and we discussed the many layers of meaning a poem can have. This led to a discussion of mid-twentieth century politics, and so forth, and the end result was a poem that was a much improved version of its original, that I couldn't have produced on my own.
Every writer needs a support group. My husband is part of my support group, as are the many creative writers and poets I've met through this blog and others! I'm blessed, indeed!
-You got all that?
-Yeah, it's great!
-But I mean--I didn't even get all that!
We had a good laugh about it. I just decided to pretend that I had intented to be as clever as he thought I was being all along.
When he read the next poem, well...he grimaced. Yes, grimaced.
-What?...What?
-I don't know...it's just kind of...crass.
-Crass?!
I looked at the poem. Read it over a good thirty more times.
-Damn you. It is crass.
He chuckled -But I get what you were trying to do.
-Ha. Thanks.
I'm grateful for my hubby, because he's my biggest fan, but he isn't afraid to tell it like it is. I need that. I love it that he loves poetry and is reflective about it's function in our society. He and I revised one of my other poems together later, and we discussed the many layers of meaning a poem can have. This led to a discussion of mid-twentieth century politics, and so forth, and the end result was a poem that was a much improved version of its original, that I couldn't have produced on my own.
Every writer needs a support group. My husband is part of my support group, as are the many creative writers and poets I've met through this blog and others! I'm blessed, indeed!
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You're so lucky to have that! Sometimes I wish people would be more critical of my work. My parents can't really be objective (because, let's face it, they're completely biased)and my teachers only check for grammar. My followers have definitely been a lot of help though!
ReplyDeleteI really am lucky, it's true! And the online community is definitely a boon!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet hubby you have! It's great to be able to share your writing and have that support for both improvements or compliments. I enjoyed this story so much:-)
ReplyDeleteGreat story! I learned of your blog through the She Writes First Novel group, I'm glad to have discovered it. Looking forward to following! :)
ReplyDeleteJulie! So glad to see you here, and I'm glad we're in the novel group together as well! Happy writing!
ReplyDeleteI love this post. Made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to have a nice, literary supporter to tell you these things.