A first word initiates the leading line, then, what will be the construct, the meter, the length; will it be broken into parts, reflective, having line reversals; in subject, what is the theme, does it work best as a couplet or? As lines are added, length becomes determined. Rearranging phrases, e.g. "would it not" or "it would not," often is considered. There is a first draft, a read through, usually some revision, a printing to see how it appears on paper, and another edit if changes seem beneficial. Poems may originate while watching nature, during exercising, while reading a novel, or working on a crossword puzzle, at any time of day or night. May poems have begun while reclining, In those moments, I scribble on an envelope back, or, if the words keep streaming, I get a sheet of paper, usually selecting a pencil to use. When writing, I do like to continue until finished. I am not aware of time passing, I am considering alternative words, alternative phrasing, always looking at the meter, and how this affects what extent of unease I desire to convey.

My surroundings are stimuli, events common or uncommon. I have looked at world maps, considered what a landscape provides, what life is harbored, what are the moments of decision, and why actions are chosen. I seek to discover the story that has not been told, the character who becomes revealed in verse, and the emotions become apparent, often veering from the original intent.

"Writer's block" is a fear more than a reality. Writing is work, not always profitable, yet always yielding a product. The product may be trash. Yet even trash has some value when recycled. All ideas may be recycled, all words are commendable in the correct situation. To be fearful that the correct situation is not attainable, that promotes inaction, or "writer's block." I think a positive construct for "writer's block" would be the use of a square eraser and pencil: on the eraser imprint "writer's block" and use that tool as inspiration for accepting mistakes, or use th pencil for crossing them out.

I have been receiving negative comments on my creative work since the first works were either rejected or accepted. What I think is not relevant to a reviewer, just as what a reviewer thinks is not relevant to me. I write. I seek to write skillfully, empathetically, and boldly. I have a voice, one that I seek to hear, and thus I write. Some of the people can be pleased some of the time. A few can be pleased all of the time, and most will be indifferent. I seek to wash off the dirt dealt by negativity.

Persistence is a hurdle I face each time I begin to write. I have to remain disciplined to the process. I judge each word, and the deciding factor about which to use and where in the line is optimal slows me, and I would rather be sprinting through the verses.

I began writing in the Spring of 1967, not consistently, and exploring several genre. Few poems have been widely received, and there were years when that discouraged me to continue. I have bursts, spurts, and sometimes streams. Like a wadi, there have been dry spells and periods of plenty.Presently, the plenteous has endured several years.

Decide where you want to go and how you wish to tell the journey. Keep an open dictionary, thesaurus, atlas. Collect city maps, look at telephone directories if available, Select a style of writing and stick to it. Flesh out your characters, your dialog, your environments. Make "cue cards" Think thematically. Build each structure, each segment, yet leave room for additions.

Build with details, reconsider outcomes.

I think there are seven in print, three out of print. I always like the most recently written.

The latest "Unsettled," presented problems with formatting. Selections were assembled, then culled. The culling is the hard part. Were any of the poems more difficult to write than others? Yes. I read some eclogues, as well as some early John Keats, and wanted to write a dialogue poem of greater length. Deciding on the theme was easy: love sought and spurned. As the poem would be primarily dialogue, this was challenging, as I am not the smoothest speaker, yet, as I am well qualified in miscommunication, I was able to see how I wanted the seeking and sprung to unfold.

I have slotted my poetry into themes or subjects. I select a them I wish to pursue, search through my catalog of work, and decide which align. I saw that a more than sufficient number, of various lengths and forms, were facing troubles without acceptable resolutions. That gave me the title, and, as Had created a graphic about monsters under a bed for a prior written children's story, I used that graphic for the cover.

In poetry, each verse is a scene. A poem that has specific rhyme and meter is the most challenging. To determine the length of each scene and how it is to be constructed, I often write a number at the conclusion of each line, to remind me of the structure. The longer the verse, the more complex becomes the scheme for rhyme and meter.

I need isolation and quiet. At times, the opposite is required. I also need to be comfortable, not hungry or thirsty, and usually warm rather than chilled.

I would need to time travel. Hopefully my selection would be amenable to speaking with me, to giving me their time. Hopefully I could understand the inflections and word divergences. I choose William Shakespeare.

There are several people who have the same name I do. Even on YouTube there are others with the same name. Unless a search includes my initial for my middle name, as well as first and family names, the listing returns another person, quite younger, or engineers and mathematics professors. If my given name, initial, and family name are input into the search bar, the first four results are correct, located at amazon.com, LinkedIn, and two for Medium.com