A Public Service Announcement: Do Not Kill Your Friends Over Poetry/Prose
As a member of an active and passionate writers group, I have participated in many a debate over many different writing related subjects. For example, I once told a guy to check out the book How to Write a Sentence by Stanley Fish. (And I’m telling all of you to go read it too.)
On the surface, telling a writer he needs to learn how to write a sentence could be construed as being…ummmm…rude. Incredibly rude. Harsh even.
But I didn’t stab him. Nor did he stab me.
Unlike this guy.
Apparently, one gentleman asserted that prose was the only real writing. He became the victim of a friend who also happened to be a poet. The poet stabbed the prose proponent to death.
So, look, there are really only a few rules in this game:
1. Write hard.
2. Write well.
2. Remember writing is subjective — so don’t kill your friends. No matter how much you’ve been drinking.
And while I may have taken too joking a tone over this, I am well aware that a man is dead. His death was tragic and a truly terrible thing. I hope what we take away from this is that there is enough room for everyone to have their own opinions and to create beautiful things — poetry, prose, or otherwise. Rest in peace.
jenny maloney View All →
Jenny writes dark fiction that her mother hates. Her stories and essays have appeared in Across the Margin, Pantheon, Shimmer, Black Denim Lit, Skive, and others. When she’s not writing her own stuff, she’s reading mysteries for Criminal Element. When she’s not writing fiction or reviews, she’s writing/directing/performing/designing plays at Springs Ensemble Theatre.
Yikes. Perhaps the real lesson here is don't go drinking with crazy people!