false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170676648m/67599.jpg 67599 3 Richard Hugo's <i>The Triggering Town</i>, originally published in 1979, remains one of the freshest and most refreshing treatises on the writing of poetry. While you won't find formality or nicety here, Hugo has the unusual quality of being highly opinionated and yet not at all convinced that what works for him will work for you. Hugo doesn't believe that he can teach you how to write; he believes he can teach you how he writes, and by doing so, teach you "how to teach yourself how to write." And while most writing instructors claim that one can't be a good writer without being a good reader, Hugo claims "that one learns to write only by writing." Hugo's essays are strong-willed and funny and by turns full of bluster and cloaked in modesty. While "a good teacher can save a young poet years by simply telling him things he need not waste time on, like trying to will originality or trying to share an experience in language or trying to remain true to the facts," he writes, "ultimately the most important things a poet will learn about writing are from himself in the process." Above all, Hugo stresses that creative writing is creative because it is a creative act: "if one is writing the way one should, one does not know what will be on the page until it is there." So, he warns, "If you want to communicate, use the telephone." And "Think small.... If you can't think small, try philosophy or social criticism." 2248271 1979 The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing total:429|5:171|4:179|3:63|2:15|1:1| 429 1791 553 47 0 2 false false Mon Mar 24 19:20:39 -0700 2008 Mon Mar 24 19:51:28 -0700 2008
I want to write: that my copy of this book is worn and yellow; that this book is treated like a bib...more...]]> 5 0 false false Sat Feb 14 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 11:45:46 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 16 12:50:54 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 1 false false Tue Jun 24 06:21:47 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 10 10:39:58 -0700 2008 Tue Jun 24 06:21:47 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sun Feb 22 20:19:21 -0800 2009 Sun Feb 22 20:22:13 -0800 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false false Mon Apr 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 07 16:24:24 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 07 16:24:24 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri May 22 14:14:31 -0700 2009 Fri May 22 14:17:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 08:43:03 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 10:07:32 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Tue Apr 01 06:58:58 -0700 2008 Tue Apr 01 10:21:53 -0700 2008 more...]]> 5 0 true false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Jan 23 09:36:03 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 23 09:38:58 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Fri Feb 06 20:40:53 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 20:45:47 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Mon Jul 28 16:32:17 -0700 2008 Mon Dec 08 17:12:38 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jul 20 12:58:21 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 20 12:59:45 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Jul 15 10:10:30 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 10:11:26 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Fri Feb 27 16:23:10 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 27 16:24:54 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Tue Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 08:27:43 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 20 08:29:12 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Fri Jun 12 09:43:01 -0700 2009 Fri Jun 12 09:43:46 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 12 07:31:06 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 12 07:31:31 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Feb 15 09:39:49 -0800 2009 Wed Aug 12 21:39:46 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Jan 08 16:06:00 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 16:07:01 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sat May 24 11:44:41 -0700 2008 Wed Jul 30 05:05:32 -0700 2008
Here's a small example of what you're in for wh...more...]]> http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=67599