Among the choices I made recently as a writer was to set out to develop a much stronger engagement with poetry. I had at the back of my mind the idea that doing so might led to better writing of prose. I have to admit I have been impressed by the results. My prose texts have improved substantially, and there is a growing sense of crossover between the two endeavours. Attending to poetic images and forms means becoming more sensitive to nuance of meanings and text that sounds better. Remember this latter was one of the points LeGuin emphasized in her own writers' notes in her book Steering the Craft. - in fact is was the first lesson. Furthermore, I notice that when poetry is introduced into a prose text, the latter takes on a very different flavour - becoming more luminous and textured. In a sense, poetry brings a kind of spiritual grounding to writing. This is true whether the subject is light.... or dark. Now, whether my poetry is any good remains to be seen. However, I love how it makes me feel to invest time in this endeavour!
