It’s Day 100 of the Haiku Challenge.
I now have over 1,000 haiku of indeterminate quality. Some of them aren’t haiku, some are senyru. Some are more like fragments, or notes. And many of them are merely bad.
Having taken all that into consideration, was it worth it?
Undoubtedly. I’ve learned a lot from the experience, including that in any 100 day challenge you are going to come to hate what you are doing. Whether this holds true for my new challenge remains to be seen.
I first came up with the idea from reading this this post whilst browsing the net for haiku-related posts. I then moved on to reading this article, which is a lot more ambitious.
My “rules”, garnered from the article, were simple. Ten haiku a day for 100 days, avoiding too much censorship and writing extra to catch up if I couldn’t manage ten one day. As the article admitted that experienced writers were only getting one good haiku out of ten or twenty attempts I felt justified in taking a laid back attitude.
So, what did I learn?
Well, I became more fluent in my writing and found ideas came more easily.
I became addicted to writing and couldn’t rest if I didn’t write at least ten a day. Apart from the days I needed a rest, because there were several days where I hated haiku so badly that I couldn’t write one. That did happen a couple of times, but I soon got over it after a day off.
I also ran out of nature several times. Despite becoming more observant and making better notes as time went on, I found I was struggling with enough nature observations to keep myself going. You don’t see much nature when you are just driving through town to work and back, and magpies and bare branches are simply not enough to feed a heavy haiku habit.
Towards the end of the time I noticed I was writing three line poems with the rhythms and vocabulary of haiku.
That last point is quite important. I started with a lot of long words and details which aren’t really needed in haiku. A three syllable word in a haiku, remember, is three thirteenths of the syllables needed for a modern haiku (seventeen is now considered old-fashioned). Three thirteenths of a sonnet is near enough three lines, so you can see how condensed a haiku is, and why you can’t waste a single syllable.
That was probably the most important thing I learned.
Now, it’s time to take Number Two Son to work.
Over the next few weeks I will do some rewriting and may show you a few poems.
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Practice, practice, practice! Look forward to reading your poems.
I’d better get editing!
I do think immersing yourself in something – especially over 100 days – is a grand way to get better. I also know that stopping completely is a grand way to get worse. So keep at it – even at a slower pace you will still keep your skills. Looking forward to reading some!
Agreed. I’m feeling better about things after the 100 days. It took me over two years to begin writing poetry again once I decided to start again.
I’m fascinated by creativity – what sparks it and what kills it. And are we all susceptible?
Interesting question. This, of course, is a way of saying I don’t have a clue. I wrote poetry with some mild success about 15 years ago, gave up and then decided to start again – probably three years ago. It’s taken me all that time, writing most days, to get back in the groove. I’m afraid my creativity is more about hard work and practice than about natural talent.
“Put your butt in a chair and write. And nevermind feeling blocked. Everyone feels blocked all the time.” – Anna Quindlen
“There is no such thing as a great talent without great willpower.” Honore de Balzac
I have read a lot from famous writers about writing – and it is work – not magic. But if you work at it enough – you learn how to access the magic. So, keep at it Simon.
I wish I’d known this fifty years ago. 🙂
Sounds like good, enjoyable work in progress, Quercus. Looking forward to reading your poems.
I will polish a few up for public viewing.
Interesting point about using long words.
I’ve often used short words in the car, but hadn’t thought of using them in poetry. Different ones of course, the ones I use towards other drivers wouldn’t look good in a poem.