Poetry operates by hints and dark suggestions. It is full of secrets and hidden formulae, like a witch's brew.
Interpretation
Poetry conveys deeper meanings through subtle hints and obscure imagery.
This quote by Anthony Hecht suggests that poetry is not merely a straightforward expression of thoughts but rather an intricate craft that relies on suggestion and insinuation. It highlights the complexity and depth of poetry, comparable to a mysterious concoction, rich in unseen layers and hidden meanings that invite interpretation and exploration.
In practice
This quote is perfect for a poetry workshop discussing the nuances of writing.
A lot of the fun lies in trying to penetrate the mystery; and this is best done by saying over the lines to yourself again and again, till they pass through the stage of sounding like nonsense, and finally return to a full sense that had at first escaped notice.
We who make stories know that we tell lies for a living. But they are good lies that say true things, and we owe it to our readers to build them as best we can. Because somewhere out there is someone who needs that story. Someone who will grow up with a different landscape, who without that story will be a different person. And who with that story may have hope, or wisdom, or kindness, or comfort. And that is why we write.
It’s a curious thing. I suppose most people think of artists as impatient but I don’t know of any first-rate artist who hasn’t manifested in his career an appalling patience, a willingness to wait and to do his best now in the expectation that next year he will do better.
The conscience of an artist worthy of the name is like an incurable disease which causes him endless torment but occasionally fills him with silent joy.
If you set out to write an adjective novel, you're setting out to write a mediocre novel; your allegiance is to the adjective, not to the story, and then that just sucks all the joy right out of it.
I guess I have a talent for humiliation, a place within me that experience can't reach, which is terrible in real life but something that comes in handy in writing. It seems as though humiliation has become a career for me.
The best stories come out of the truth.
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