Language, Linguistics, Literature & Lore

What is Structure in Poetry and Prose?

In poetry, structure refers to the physical layout of the poem on the page, including elements like stanzas, line lengths, rhyme patterns, and meter. It guides the reader through the poem and influences its tone and mood by creating a visual and auditory experience. Poetic structure can be free-form (open form) or follow specific rules (closed form), impacting how the poem sounds and what it conveys.

Here are TEN awesome writer tips for you!

1. Make a schedule to turn your writing into a tangible goal. 2. Don't focus solely on word count; value all forms of progress in your writing. 3. Write wherever you can, even if it's on your phone or in a notebook. 4. Allow your characters to be imperfect to create relatable and complex stories. 5. Start your story wherever you feel inspired; you don't have to begin at the beginning. 6. Give yourself space and time away from your writing to gain clarity and objectivity. 7. Write about what interests you -this helps to maintain passion and authenticity in your work. 8. Withhold information from readers strategically to keep them engaged in your story. 9. Experiment with simple sentences and mix up your writing style for variety. 10. Protect the time and space dedicated to your writing, keeping distractions at bay.

This is a subject I am EXTREMELYYYY passionate about! (Especially because I am currently in the process of creating my own conlang for my books and have gotten pretty far already !!!)

What is a "conlang" ?

A constructed language or "conlang" is a language which has been intentionally created, rather than one that has naturally evolved.

Authors create conlangs for various reasons, often to add depth and richness to their fictional worlds. These language serve to enhance storytelling and world-building, providing a unique linguistic backdrop for characters and cultures.

Conlangs are not as widely used as natural languages, but they play a significant role in science fiction and fantasy genres, contributing to the immersive experience for readers and viewers.

Conlangs allow creators to explore linguistic creativity and structure beyond the constraints of natural languages.

Essentially, conlangs are a fascinating intersection of linguistics, artistic expression, creativity, and cultural expression.

Some examples of popular conlangs are:

In poetry, the persona is a dramatic character, distinct from the poet, who serves as the speaker of the poem. This persona can be a fictional identity, historical figure, or even an object through which the poet conveys their message.

By adopting different personas, poets can explore diverse perspectives, experiences, and emotions beyond their own. Persona poems, also known as dramatic monologues, allow poets to speak through assumed voices, creating a compelling narrative that engages readers.

Point of View in Literature:

Point of view or "POV" refers to the perspective from which a story is told. It impacts how readers interpret characters and events. There are three main types: first person, second person, and third person. First person involves the narrator sharing the story from their own viewpoint, using pronouns like "I" or "we." Second person directly addresses the reader as "you." Third person narrators tell stories about others using pronouns like "he," "she," or "they." Each type offers unique benefits and influences reader engagement with the narrative.

This literary device plays a crucial role in shaping the tone, emotions, and depth of storytelling in literature.

Point of view in literature is crucial as it determines how a story is narrated, influencing the reader's understanding and engagement with the characters and events. The choice of point of view impacts the narrative style, character development, and overall storytelling effectiveness. For example, first-person point of view offers immediacy and intimacy by sharing a character's personal experiences directly. On the other hand, third-person limited provides a broader perspective while still delving into a character's inner thoughts and feelings.

The significance of point of view lies in its ability to shape the reader's perception, create emotional connections with characters, and guide the storytelling process effectively. By selecting the appropriate point of view, writers can enhance the believability and relatability of their narratives, making the world they create more engaging and understandable to readers.

Writer's block and a writing slump are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct differences:

1. Cause: Writer's block is typically caused by a mental block or fear of failure, while a writing slump is often due to external factors like exhaustion, distractions, or lack of motivation.

2. Duration: Writer's block can be a long-term issue, while a writing slump is usually a temporary phase.

3. Creativity: Writer's block often involves a lack of ideas or inspiration, while a writing slump may be characterized by an abundance of ideas but difficulty in executing them.

Understanding these differences can help writers identify their challenges and implement appropriate strategies to overcome them.

Theme is a device in literature utilized by authors to ensure their piece focuses on particular ideas and concepts. Similarly, it is a device used by readers to decipher the overall messages of the text that the writer is trying to communicate.

A piece may embody one or more overarching themes, and/or more "subject-specific" themes, and although the writer may have their own concept/idea of the overall theme of the piece, it is interesting to note how readers' perspectives can shed light on underlying concepts and ideas which may not have been previously considered, based on their own experiences and perspectives.

Themes may assist writers in deciding the genre (previously discussed) of their piece, but it is by no means limited to that, as themes can present themselves in any format and genre of literature.

Themes often encourage societal/social discourse and discussion, sometimes narrowly dividing opinions and sometimes bringing them together.

Personally, some of my favourite overarching/general themes to discuss are morality/immorality, mortality, relationships, culture, language, empowerment, self love, personal development, and gender.

Genre is important to storytellers; poets, fiction and non fiction writers. Genre is an important tool used by those seeking to target a specific audience. For marketing purposes, it is important so that the book is categorized by niche/genre in order to reach the right readers and maximise sales. However, despite this categorization, books cannot merely be summarized into one "genre" in all contexts. Books tend to weave multiple genres together, and this must be done in order for it to be impactful, detailed, realistic, and of course, relatable. Take the fantasy genre, for example. One does not simply write about magic. Fantasy authors write about relationships (a key element of the romance genre), or perhaps they might discuss a mystery worth unravelling (mystery is yet another separate genre). It is important to remember that there are layers to a good piece, and that it shouldn't be taken lightly at first glance as "just another romance story" or "just another book about magic." A well rounded story has multiple elements, pieced together from multple genres to bring across a cohesive and powerful message. It isn't just black and white, but all the lovely shades of grey in between. I believe that the types of genres one prefers to consume also says a lot about their perspective/outlook - on life, in society, about themselves, etc. Personally, my favourite to genre(s) to consume is a mix of fantasy and romance, and as a palate cleanser, a well executed slice of life/contemporary piece. Of course, I can't forget poetry, as I feel that poetry is one of those types of written/spoken work that really hits you hard where it hurts -in a blunt and powerful manner. Needless to say, it's no surprise why these are also the genres I prefer to write. To me, consuming as well as writing these genres offers a beautifully blended experience of reality, emotional and intelllectual stimulation, and distraction. I can be swept to another world entirely, yet feel right at home and nod to reality, and question things deeply. It feels like somewhat of a safe space, where my mind is left to its devices to bloom to its full potential -growing and developing, yet content.

What is Metamorphosis?

Metamorphosis, in the world of poetry and fiction written by (yours truly) Ciara Attong, is a compelling call to examine individualistic existence and reimagine relationships. 

In order to better understand the messages hidden within the written texts, you must first come to the understanding that there is significance in viewing existence and relationships from varying points of view -and potentially points of view unlike what you've already established them to be in your own mind. 

When you grow a mental habit of examining (and re-examining) your own individualistic existence, you allow yourself to have the space to grow, and open up to the possibility of change, instead of completely shying away from it.

In the same way, by reimagining relationships -with yourself, with others, and with concepts or things around you, you make space for growing wisdom, discovering incredible opportunities, and becoming more enlightened about pretty much all things in your life. 

Let me take you through some of the basic examples (using the current poetic publications) :

(1) butterfly breaths: A Collection of Poems

This collection of poems is about the relationship with the self - it is a journey (made up of four sections or "seasons" as I like to call them) in which the individual experiences life and expresses knowledge in the form of thought processes, exploring internal conflicts and growing wiser and stronger with each new season. Each season leads to a wiser decision maker in the next, and by the end of the poetic exhibition, you've read a collection about an individual who has grown from one (low) point in their life, and metamorphosed into someone different -stronger, wiser, more capable.

(2) euphorically chaotic dystopias: A Collection of Poems

This collection explores relationships with others. The motif of a "seasonal" growth (representing a certain degree of metamorphosis through 4 sections) is also present in this literary publication, as experiences with others and circumstances expressed through thought processes allow for the persona to navigate through tough situations with others and grow to improve these interpersonal relationships. This idea of personal growth within this collection especially allows for the individual to develop emotional wisdom. 

One well-noted piece of unspoken advice to take away is that in order to improve one's relationships with others, one must be in a state capable of clear reasoning, with an ability to make improvements (knowing how to do so well enough before even engaging in other relationships other than with the self). This is quietly presented by the chronological order of publications as butterfly breaths is the predecessor to euphorically chaotic dystopias. Readers first learn how to improve the relationship with themselves in the former, before reading about how to do so with others in the latter.

(3) Soul Strings: A Collection of Poems

Continuing with the idea of seasonal metamorphosis, Soul Strings then takes readers on a journey through more intense and meaningful relationships, and explores how to navigate your way through them. It opens up readers to the deeper meanings and opportunities in life, to the idea of religious or spiritual beliefs, and even carries on into running themes about existence as you begin to wonder just how tightly these relationships with others can hold on, or where they may have stemmed from.

Again, this publication is a masterfully compiled exhibition in which the persona is wiser than they were in the first two books, and begins to explore other facets of wisdom -trying to find and establish a deeper understanding of what is already known, what can be known, and the vast unknown, as pertainant to the self and to relationships with others. There is a sense of the hope of possibilities which can be heard within the voice of this persona, as though coming to better understandings have begun to lead them into a calmer and more mature tone.

(4) The Hollow Aches: A Collection of Poems

This collection takes readers through a very different trail of thoughts now, reimagining the relationship between a person and darkness - or a series of negative emotions and experiences. 

In short, this collection is meant to help readers understand that by viewing their negative emotions and experiences as a relationship that they have with their own forms of darkness rather than just fleeting emotions, allows them to move through that darkness progressively, and find a way to grow into a stronger version of themselves that can redirect the negative things into something that shines light in their life. It's a process (hence the seasons of metamorphasis) just as anything else is a process in life. By viewing it as a relationship, you can better understand how to improve your experience with it.

(5) The Matter of Existence: A Collection of Poems

At this point, the once naive persona who endured struggles to grow through personal development, relationships with others, navigate through intimate relationships, spirituality, religion, ideologies about existence, emotions and life, and find progressive ways to improve the inevitable relationship with negative emotions and overall darkness, has become a much more enlightened person than they were at the start. Now, the deeper diving begins, as the persona revels in ideals and themes about overall existence, questions the significance of purpose, passion and the soul. They experience a philosophical breakthrough and enter new mental/intellectual territory in which they are free to explore opinions, bias, discover core beliefs and firm instincts of their human and spiritual nature, and more. With experiences to dip into as references ( from internal struggles and interpersonal relationships, as well as with relationships with the bad and the good in life ), this individual can now form solid ideas about what they believe -and what they want to believe, and has begin to do so through the thought processes within this exhibition.

The Take-Away:

Even with all this metamorphosis that has been presented so far, there will always be room to grow -as long as we allow ourselves to continue to indulge in a habit of exploration -examining individualistic existence, and reimagining relationships.

In a nutshell, I suppose I could say all of this applies to all of us, at every point in our lives, and encapsulates all growth and development processes, but moreso through these writings I have strived to encourage well-developed minds to ponder upon the idea of further progressiveness, as sometimes we settle into our ideas and become too comfortable, restricting ourselves from allowing further change and growth to occur. 

When I began my writing journey over a decade ago, the idea that some day I would publish one, or two, let alone SIX books at least by the time I was 23, was completely unfathomable. Needless to say, all this writing's got to have some spark. All of it has to have come from somewhere. I have written so much simply to express myself; to cope, to ease pain, to intensify emotions, to stop time, to remember, and the list of factors go on and on.

When I began to publish, my only wish was to be able to say I'm a published author. I was always just doing this for fun! I thought, perhaps if someone does happen to read my work and hold on to it, then that's a bonus. Somewhere in that process, inspiring others and wanting to reach out and touch hearts in an authentic way from my personal standpoint became another desire that fuelled my career in writing.

As the compilations came together, and my novel drafts increased and overflowed, I realised I wanted to have some say in the overall impact of all of my work, so that I could focus my vision on something much deeper than might ever be cared about by anyone else but me. Because before any of this is anyone else's, it is mine. Writing is all I know and want to do for the rest of my life.

My work is raw; authentic. My poetry and stories speak to the honesty in circumstances - the depth of emotive experiences, the internal conflict we endure, the physical, the psychological, the spiritual.

So how would I advise you to approach it all? Sit with it. In warm light. Fill your surroundings with comfort and quiet your heart. Read. Let it brew. Allow the candle to flicker and the coffee to go cold! Look deeper -and deeper yet. Do you find yourself in it? It is for you, just as much as it is for me.

So what is Metamorphosis?

In order to receive/accept beneficial feedback in a positive way, and in a way that will allow you to really take actionable steps and make developmental progress through your work, there are a few steps you can take to prepare yourself for the comments you might receive.

Prepare mentally and stay open-minded

Approach criticism as a valuable opportunity for growth. Mentally prepare yourself to receive feedback, both positive and negative, with an open mind.

Filter constructive feedback

Distinguish between helpful criticism and unproductive comments. Focus on specific, actionable feedback that offers insights for improvement while disregarding vague or purely negative remarks.

Reflect, Act, and Engage Positively

Take time to reflect on the feedback you received, identify actionable steps for improvement, and re-engage with your work positively. Use criticism as a tool to refine your writing skills and enhance the quality of your literary work.

Inevitably, people will comment on your work. These are some steps you can take to prepare yourself for criticism.