My first 422 professor, said that if you know someone and you're a writer, they have to realize they're fair game. She then proceeded to ask if we told people when we wrote about them. She liked/likes to write about her mother and said she will show her the work but never says who it is about.
For the most part I don't tell people. It makes sense in most cases because randomly sending someone you never speak to a message saying "I wrote a poem about you," doesn't tend to go off well. Also, I don't think most people are ready to see how you view them, even if it is one element of them magnified to the nth degree. I think there's a good amount of people who would jump up and say "that's not how things really are." Fair enough.
But I'm curious, would you want to know if someone was writting/had written about you, even if it was an unflattering piece?
1 comment:
Was just consiering that myself. I almost sent the guy I'm into the poems I wrote about him last night... but I was hasitent, and he finally said he doesn't want to see them.
I guess someone's given an answer to that question.
As for myself... I think I'd rather not know. Poetry can be a private expression (not if you're aiming to be a professional, I suppose)... and whether or not it's shared is up to the creator.
The subject might be you, but the PIECE, the sentiments, the prisms through which you're reflected into that piece, belong to the writer.
I guess many writers will find it easier to take that stance though, cause, you KNOW when you've written something, but whether or not someone else has written about you is often a question mark. It's easier to give the rights to the side you KNOW you belong to. :-p
I still think it's true though. It's up to the writer.
-Bella
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