Re: [New-Poetry] An Era of Détente for Creative-Wri ting Programs

[Mark Weiss]

"A good creative-writing teacher can save a good writer a lot of 
time. Writing is tough, and many wrong paths can be taken. If we are 
doing our job, creative-writing teachers are performing a necessary 
negative function. And if we are good teachers, we should be teaching 
the writer ways of doing that for himself all his writing life. We 
teach how not to write and we teach writers to teach themselves how 
not to write. When we teach how to write, the student had best be on guard."

Right. I'm suggesting that while that might help make the incompetent 
acceptable it won't produce much new. There are no wrong paths, just 
paths explored with insufficient thoroughness. Students tend to try 
to write well. If they're going to find out what they have to say and 
how to say it they need to write worse. But that's a long process, 
too long for hiring and prize committees.

Did you know that there are presses that charge for reading 
unsolicited manuscripts? And that people are willing to pay? 
Publication is a step up the job and salary ladder. For those with 
good manners.


Mark


At 09:14 PM 7/2/2009, you wrote:
>I think he was referring to helping students not write shitty poems.
>
>----------
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