Difference between performance and written poetry

[Leonie]

It’s often said that a performance poem can be a little more liberal with the rules than a written piece, which suggests, rightly or wrongly, a kind of lower standard, but once it’s posted on a forum (which they often are) isn’t it really in effect now a written piece? Or is that oversimplification?

[william williams]

intersting question Leonie imageine this. Just because she prim and proper she is still the same person. Now because it is written in perfection does not always make it a performers piece yet they are both the same story so words are changed to enhance telling it.

Bill the old Battler

[Bob Pacey]

Spot on Bill. Sometimes the piece looks great on paper but when it comes to performing it can seem to lack impact.

I have books of poems by well known performers and cds as well and some time even they vary the words slightly so as to creat impact.

Cheers Bob

[Kym]

Hi Leonie,

I think that performance poems and written poems are the same but different, if you know what I mean. You can read them both, you can perform them both - some are just more effective or successful in different situations. The stringent rules re metre and rhyme only apply to poems entered in written competitions. Performance pieces are more flexible because the performer can hide the "imperfections" such as an extra syllable or missing syllable, or less than perfect rhyme. The average person in the audience isn't going to notice that sort of thing (though some of us would pick those bits up and cringe a little). Performance pieces are for entertainment. You can read out a spot-on-the-dot-absolutely-perfectly-written poem, and see the audiences' eyes glaze over. (The boring factor is also taken into account when judging a written comp too, so don't jump on that comment everyone.)

Some people get a bit too pedantic about perfect rhyme and metre. It depends on what you want to achieve with your poetry. Do you want to record a special memory for yourself? Do you want to be able to perform in front of a group and have them snorting with laughter or so drawn into the emotion of the story that they are crying? Do you want to get certificates in the mail for placing in written competitions? Lots of people are cupboard-writers and never even show anyone their work for fear of a negative response. (yeah, that was me for many years).

Look at Bob's poems for example (sorry for dragging you in here as my victim, oops, I mean example, Bob, but you won't mind will ya). He's the first to admit he's not perfect with metre, but that doesn't matter. He has his audience crying with laughter. The problem with that is, they miss half the poem cos they are too busy digging around in their pockets for a tissue to blow their nose and wipe the tears from their eyes. But his poems fit his goal perfectly. He is getting the response he wants and if he attempted to "bash" the poem into perfect metre, he may lose some of the hit-'em-in-the-funny-bone effect. Thanks Bob, you can sit down now.

Basically, what I reckon is - there's no point stressing over exact metre unless you're aiming to place in a comp really. Some of my older poems (before I learned a lot from our Miss Glenny aka Joelene) are far from "good" but I still like them, because they still convey the story or the emotion effectively. Hey, if it can bring an audience to tears, you know the poem is working.

Don't stress over perfect metre if that's not what your goal is. More stress = less fun. Less fun = won't write any more, which means we've lost a potentially brilliant poet. Improvement comes with practice, so don't stress people! I've seen too many people give up writing poetry because someone had a snipe at them about a bad syllable, unnatural emphasis or not perfect rhyme. Write for fun. (unless you are entering a written comp of course.)

There, that was a bit long winded, but I've had my say so I'll go away now. Sorry folks!!

[Kym]

I'm back! Didn't take long did it?

I don't know if I answered Leonie's question after all that, but it took a long time to type all those random thoughts, so I'll leave it there for now (says the Queen of Deleteitlater).

Anyway, I was just washing up and that seems to be my best thinking time - my brain gets bored and goes skipping off to la-la-land). It struck me as strange that Leonie thought that performance poetry was the lesser of the two, yet I've always considered written to be. If you read the results after each competition there is a mile of performance results and sometimes the winners of written section don't even get a mention!

However, I DO think that writing is easier than performing, cos I've got a memory like a holey fishing net and am absolutely useless on stage, but others think that writing is the hard part. Just as well there are different kinds of us, hey? We need writers AND reciters.

Performance poetry or written??? Neither is inferior, neither is superior - they each serve a different purpose and we need 'em both.

Bye again ...

K.

[Bob Pacey]

Bloody Hell Kym I typed all that and then you jumped back in and I lost it. Now I'm really coming out to access eight ( see fixed that Kym ) It's not that far you know. Not really going past to watch my grandson play footy. Anyway you got it right I write because I enjoy the act of putting a story to rhyme and entertaining people. As our local radio jock says I'm a media tart !!!.

I was pretty good at english at school but I did repeat a grade and fourth grade is pretty hard you know.

Still my poetry keeps me sane in an unsane world.

Footys on gotta go

Yahoo Broncos Bob

[Maureen K Clifford]

WELL SAID KYM...Stand up girl and take a bow... (we need an applause of standing ovation smilie Mannie) That explains it in a nutshell...I know others have also said similar in the past but that really does explain it perfectly. Especially the bit about loosing good poets because of an ill placed remark....Unless any one out there is making a really good income from poetry where you perhaps have to write to order, IMO it should always be done for your own pleasure and to have a bit of fun along the way. Try to not get too precious about it or anything else in fact...life is far to short.

Cheers

Maureen

[Heather]

Nuff said. You are very wise Kymmie.

Heather

[Mal McLean]

Agreed Kym. on all accounts.

As I only"perform" my poetry for family and friends I am hardly an expert, however......

There is an awful lot in the delivery of a line. Do it one way and it's just words. Deliver it with an inflection an action a look and you have people smiling laughing crying...

One of my poems (How the Roadhouse got it's Name) is a bit long and tedious but when I turned it into a drinking poem with audiance participation with actions and reactions learned from the experience of finding out what's right and what doesn't work, then it's a cracker.

Now I have two folders on my computer containing my finished (maybe) poems. One contains those for "written competitions" and the other is entitled "Performance poems". Both folders contain the same poems but the "Performance Poems" are altered to obtain what I hope will be the best delivered effect, including changes in words, rhythm and even rhyme and line length along with notes to my self on how I should deliver the poem.

I don't know if this is any help. Probably not.

One day, one day.....

Mal the Oldfart

[Kym]

It's ok people ... Bob isn't mad at me ... I just rang him and he's still talking to me so it's all good! Phew ...