Writers Block

I like how the attitude comes through in this. Most things about writer’s block sound kind of whiny, but this has a nice, frustrated, almost indifference to it. It’s more realistic.

I also really like the ending. Both a statement of something factual, but also kind of optimistic. It sounds like your picking a starting point for another poem.

I know some people consider it a little old-hat, but something that helps me with blocks is to find a rhyme and rhythm scheme that I’m comfortable with, and think of a sentence that fits the scheme.

It works in reverse too. Most of things I’ve written were based on a single sentence.

One thing you know, and can therefore write about, is what you feel. And even at times when you don’t feel much, you can write what you’ve felt before.

If you like something, think about why, and how, and all reasons it’s good or bad to like such a thing. Same with things you hate.

I love this. I also love that you quoted your dad. What a smart man. So write about textbooks. And keep writing poems like this one. I like it.

This is great! Write what's true huh I'm gonna do that and see what happens!

This is great! I think it’s creative and well spoken! It all kinda flows together in its own way, a great style!

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Hi shreddit, I like this one a lot. The quote insertions from your father and Hemingway are strong, poignant. The ending has a beautiful melancholy to it. As a whole it's very cohesive, but I think there are some ways it could be improved.

All the best writers
Write what they know

I like these opening lines a lot. They're not necessarily something I think of as tautologically true--I think the best writers can write well about what they don't know--but you immediately force the reader to inhabit a certain perspective, and that makes for strong poetry. These next three lines however narrow the perspective a ton. Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Bukowski: all three 20th century, white, american authors and, to a certain extent, you could say all three wrote about loss, love, and drinking. You do get more specific later on with "no bullfighting, no barstools" but better to start off strong, right? Why not have those next lines be "Hemingway wrote about bullfighting, Bukowski wrote about barstools". And you could get even more specific--if these are the three writers you know best then... show us that, get intimate with your imagery.

I think there's an opportunity to make this poem more emotionally stirring. This "when the truth isn't worth writing" line is really strong, but you could prime us for that earlier in the poem. Show us the decay in your hometown, the contemporary turn away from social solidarity, the doldrums of secondary education.

Hope that helps :)