A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

The better the line, the more likely it is to be somebody else's.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

Poet is another way of saying unemployed.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

lattice, fishnet, hessian, careen, gunny, hopsack ... the poem began to totter under the weight of its own pretention, searching in vain for the modesty of table, chair, pomegranate, sex.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

No writer is ever 'blocked'; they're just on their way to becoming someone new. Like a postal worker.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

Studying the classics is the quickest way to kill off a writer's last lingering hopes of originality.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

If you can explain a poem, then it isn't a poem. If you could explain a poem, you wouldn't have to write the damn thing in the first place.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

The truer the statement, the more you get kicked in the teeth for it.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

Writing a good line is like setting fire to your heart and watching it burn. That's why so many experienced writers keep a marguerita on hand.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

The best advice is always about as welcome as goat droppings in your bathroom. If it sounds good to you, don't trust it.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

There is no such thing as a disinterested reviewer. The chief responses of the reviewer, in order of likelihood, are apathy, loathing and enthusiasm. Beyond those parameters, there is only a desire to get paid.

Aphorisms after all -- at Frances Leviston's Verse Palace

Still haven't got round to posting up some aphorisms here, but if you feel the need to enaphorise yourself - I just made that verb up, in case you were unsure - I've got a whole series of them on the topic of Poetic Authenticity over on Frances Leviston's essay blog, Verse Palace.

They've just gone up today, all fresh and snowy-white for the Christmas season.

A Short Season of Aphorisms and Other Nonsense

In the run up to Christmas, I've decided it might be a fun idea to post up some short thoughts, aphorisms and, as I put it, other nonsense, on Raw Light: related to writing, hopefully, but the connection can be tenuous if necessary.

By the way, after numerous emailers have sent me wonderful - but not original - aphorisms in response to this, I want to stress that the aphorisms should be your own by preference, i.e. please make them up YOURSELVES!

If you have something to contribute in that way, and already know me in some vague manner, please email me with your gem. (Email address in sidebar if you scroll down.)

If it ain't a gem, I reserve the right to cough politely and send it back. But of course it will be brilliant, so that's unlikely to happen.

Anonymous or with your name, as you prefer.

And if you run a blog yourself, please do spread the news about. I need all the help I can get.