Living Life Twice

  Inexperienced writers don't usually afford titles of their written work much attention, investing little time thinking about or choosing a title. They are often viewed by young writers as labels or unimaginative cliches, rather than titles.   For this reason I would suggest a study of book titles across a range of genres is well worth the investment in time. As a writer, I have come to appreciate the important role titles play in any written piece. The title is a critical part of marketing appeal and for that reason publishers and writers take a lot of care with the choice of their titles.    I once spent almost two months pondering the title for a poetry anthology I had written.  All the poems were in place, but a suitable title was proving somewhat elusive. I rejected many potential titles before eventually choosing one I believed was a bit quirky and had some appeal to a reader's curiosity. I considered this a worthwhile investment in time. Some might ...

This is a message for teachers. Teachers who teach poetry, Teachers who wish to teach poetry more effectively. Take a wander through your school's library and take a closer look at the poetry collection. Have a really good look at the assembled books. Take some books from the shelves and open them and examine the poetry within the covers. If what you are seeing is a  collection of dated, unattractive titles and there doesn't appear to have been any additional texts added to the collection in over a decade -or possibly longer, then it's time to morph into a Poetry Warrior! Don't get me wrong, there may well be some great poetry hidden away within those tired looking covers. It would be sad not to bring some of that treasure to the attention of your probationary poets. However, it's time to begin agitating for more books to be added to the collection -and fast. Something contemporary. Something more relatable to the many worlds young readers inhabit. It becomes diffic...

  A Good Title Is Vital I once taught a young writer, Paul, who presented a wonderful true story he had written concerning the time he and his younger brother had been wandering through a muddy construction site in the midst of winter. Their youthful curiosity brought them to the edge of a large muddy hole. While peering down Paul (the author) managed to slip and fall into the muddy depths. He soon realized he was stuck when it proved impossible to scale the slippery muddy sides of the hole. He tried repeatedly to escape, but continually failed to negotiate his way out of the hole.  He urged his younger brother to run for help. His brother managed to enlist the aid of a security guard at the nearby shopping mall. The guard brought a ladder and the situation was immediately eased for the boy trapped in the hole. The story was well written and the young author had built the tension using a strong sense of voice throughout the text. The only problem was, he could not settle on ...