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How an a collection avoid being a journal?

in Poetry Discussion

How can a collection avoid being a "journal"?

I have heard many mention the experience of some poetry books can be too much like a journal.

Is there a more specific explanation of that experience? Can it be avoided with techniques? What techniques are to be Avoided.

4 answers0 replies

Comments (4)

nicki

Nov 02, 2021

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My poems are quite journal-y in nature (I call myself a diaristic writer) but I think you can avoid a collection feeling like a journal by ensuring that the poems stand alone, aren't a run on from each other if that makes sense? A lot of singers write about their personal lives, but because their album is a series of snapshots, it doesn't feel like you are reading their diary. You can write a collection of poems about love, for example, but not detail every moment in a relationship. Birthday Letters by Ted Hughes is a great collection that is deeply personal, but doesn't feel like a journal.