The Writing Path Blog

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Magical Realism in Poetry – Louise Gluck

I would say that magical realism in poetry (and fiction) removes the argument of “likeness”. It simply plunges the reader mysteriously into an altered world. It offers mystery as a doorway. It isn’t always an easily entered door, but once you walk through, things have changed.

Consider Louise Gluck’s poem, “The Wild Iris”. ‘It doesn’t use metaphor or simile. The story is simply told from the point of view of a flower that is somehow conscious.

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When Clouds and Poetry Seem to Rhyme

Clouds have always intrigued me. They’re like immense art murals on giant walls that you walk past every day without giving them thought. But I give them thought all the time. I try to decipher them. I take photos, hoping that later I can crack their mysterious code. I can’t help taking them personally, learning their names and causes. The evanescent formation mystify and grab me, as if they’re trying to say something to me.…

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Magical Realism in Poetry – Alice Oswald

I’ve been reviewing a book by a favorite poet lately, Alice Oswald, and thinking about magical realism in poetry. I realized one of the qualities I love in her poetry could be termed magical realism, if that term can encompass verse and imagery that evolves into story. Oswald is an acclaimed British poet, author of the award-winning book Dart, and has published a total of eleven volumes of verse. I happened to dive back into…

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Thankfulness and Gratitude

Thanksgiving and thankfulness. I’m thankful for a life of devotion to love and giving. Love has many forms and moments.Prose isn’t well suited to capture them. Art can. Music and poetry are especially good for holding the experience. I call such experiences That. Those moments of extreme gratitude aren’t always about the person or dog or vista that sparks them. Sometimes That comes at the sight of a tiny dandelion struggling through packed dirt, or…

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Only You Can Tell Your Stories — Writing from Your Experiences

I was recently asked — what do you bring to your story that no one else can? It got me thinking. Where do my ideas for characters come from? They come from my experiences. One new character in this sequel to The Invisibles is based on my unusual family of origin. When we were in our teens, my brother and I were joined in our family home by two troubled teenagers. They were high school…

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A Word About Billionaire (and Other Scummy) Romance Tropes

Warning — this is a rant about romance tropes that get under my skin and not in a good way. Plus recommendations for good romance reading. Did I get your attention when I mentioned billionaire? That category of fiction that’s blowing through old sales records, reinventing the romance genre, and — in my opinion — leading young readers astray.

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4 Kinds of Great First Lines – Novels

I’ve been looking at lists of great first lines — in novels, poems, plays, essays. Most lists online include classics. I like the lists with a theme, such as Funniest First Lines. When I’m browsing books and looking inside, the first thing I notice is whether the first line is a hook or teaser style. Most lists of great first lines tend to emphasize that approach, summing up of the story ahead with a cliffhanger.…

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When Everything Hurts, Poetry Heals

I came across a poem today that speaks with the voice of my aching heart. I was delighted to find the author is Amanda Gorman, whose poetic voice often resonates with me. She’s a poet for this moment on earth. Young, truthful, gifted, she speaks plainly with vibrant images, simply but with rhythm, alliteration, and assonance. Amanda Gorman is the author of The Hill We Climb and Other Poems. She was the youngest inaugural poet…

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