The research I carried out during the first few months of my residency has provided me with a rich bank of ideas, which I am now delving into as I begin to craft the poems. The areas I want to explore are broad, ranging from the factory and its products, to the museum and its visitors; I want to reflect both intangible things, such as experiences and memories, and real objects, like the pen nibs themselves. I want to tell as much of the Museum's story as possible, by engaging with everything from the people and the period, to the place and, of course, the pens.
The Poem
In starting to tell the Museum's story, I found there was another, rarely considered story to be told - that of the evolution of the pen. To the ballpoint biros we use today, the steel nib dip pen manufactured in 19th and 20th century Birmingham seems an ancient ancestor. Even its descendant, the fountain pen, seems archaic in an age where pens have often been exchanged for keyboards and touch screens.
It was in reading Brian Jones's book, People, Pens and Production in Birmingham's Steel Pen Trade, that I first considered how the nib pen was, at the time of its production, an innovative and ingenious invention, the next step in an evolutionary chain that stretched back further than I had realised. This chain, beginning with humanity's early ancestors, takes us on a journey which spans across countries and cultures, and maps the development of writing from charred wood on the walls of a cave, to bone styluses in wax, to feather quills on vellum. As such, it was the perfect subject for my first poem, 'Evolution'.
The Process
Writing poetry, for me, is as much about the process as the final product. Poems become something truly special when they are more than just words on a page - when they are layered with resonances, imagery and meaning. To gain this level of depth for any poem, inquisitive research and exploratory reading are required. After this, the writing process becomes more individual, with different poets adopting different methods. Personally, I follow four key steps:
- Research
- Planning
- Free Writing
- Crafting
For research...
... I run internet searches, read webpages and articles, as well as books I can find on the subject. An idea usually comes from somewhere to begin with, so I keep digging there, and use a book's bibliography to find more content. For this poem, I came across the notion of pens 'evolving' from Brian Jones's book - this proved a useful research tool, as well as other books in the Pen Museum's library.
For planning...
... I typically go above-and-beyond what most poets deem necessary, but this is usually the point at which some of my best ideas come about. I make lists, mind maps, diagrams, timelines, mood boards, drawings, maps - anything that will help me get a clearer picture of what I'm writing about. Some methods are more appropriate for particular poems than others - 'Evolution' goes on a journey across continents, so a world map was a useful tool. I surround these diagrams with any words, images or quotes that occur to me in that moment - even the simplest word association might provide something worth incorporating!
Below is a page from my notebook: I drew pictures of each stage of pen evolution, making a note of materials and writing styles; I listed the eras and the countries/regions of each; I summarized the purposes of writing for each stage (eg: expression, religious, economic); I also made a list of words that occurred to me when I thought of each stage, but allowed them to merge, one into the next. This will help me when trying to show the evolution as a slow, gradual process rather than a series of sudden changes.
For free writing...
... I begin to work some of these words, images, facts and fictions into full sentences. Poetry is striking for its focus on word choice, its concentration of ideas down to particular images - this is why I do so much planning beforehand, to get the words front and centre before I elaborate on them. Free writing is simple - you put pen to paper and you scribble down anything that comes to mind, even if it seems terrible. Especially if it seems terrible - it's good to get these things written down so that you can move past them, onto the good stuff. I sometimes find breaking a plan down into sections, and doing a free write for each, helps focus me more. For 'Evolution', I did a free write for each stage, beginning with the prehistoric charred wood on a cave wall. Using my research and the ideas that had arisen from my planning, I wrote a narrative about a woman and her baby from Namibia, describing the sights and sounds of the cave, before exploring how she charred the wood, what she drew with it, and why. Each area I touched on led me down new paths - allow yourself to follow these paths, and keep writing as fresh and original ideas come your way.
For crafting...
... I usually come back to the work with fresh eyes. After doing your free writes, I recommend taking a break, even sleeping on the ideas you've come up with and returning to them the following day. With a fresh outlook, take the free writes and comb through them, highlighting or underlining the words and images that stand out to you, or that you're particularly proud of. You can then begin to use these to construct your poem. The form of your poem, its line and stanza lengths, its tone, metre and rhyme - these are all your choice. Do what feels best for the poem. Some forms make more sense for certain subject matters - a longer narrative form was best to tell the evolution story of a pen, and its journey through countries and cultures. Sometimes you may have decided on a form beforehand, sometimes you may see what happens when you begin to craft the poem. However the poem comes about, always keep in mind the essence you're trying to get across, but be aware that not all of your brilliant ideas may make it to the final draft. Some lines or metaphors may end up on the cutting room floor, but with a wealth of research, planning work, and multiple free writes behind you, you may well be able to work it into another poem!
My poem 'Evolution' is still a work in progress (hence the unimaginative title!), so I can't share anything just yet. However, I hope this post has been a useful insight into my writing process - though do bear in mind that there are plenty of other ways to write a poem!
If you'd like to get in touch with me, I'm on Twitter as @nelliefayecole, or you can reach me by email, at nellie.cole@sky.com.
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