Response to Lorrie Moore

In "How to Become a Writer" by Lorrie Moore she shows that when one writes you strike out many times. In order to write you have to not truly know what it is that you are writing. Writing is meant to be subjective, at least in poetry. In a short story there's supposed to be a line that the story follows, its called a plot. But there is to be no clear cut meaning to what you are writing. I'll be honest, I forget what 90% of my poetry is about but I think I do a decent job making it something that can be interpreted. I've had it interpreted to mean that I was deep or had serious issues, all in the same poem. I think what she was saying was just that. Writing is an obscure art with NO clear lines. I think she is saying that for us to succeed at learning that art we must fail and fail at it. I remember all through out middle school I was told I had the tools to be a good writer but just wasn't using them properly. I remember in ninth grade when I found what I percieve as a voice in my poetry, half inspired by Lynyrd Skynyrd (For those who now it, it is the poem I call "The Breeze"). I think what was being said is that others may hate your writing but then you will eventually find your voice either by accident, coincidence or inspiration. I think the second thing was that you won't make much money untill after you die. So often are great voices unheard of untill after they die, like Emily Dickinson's. There are many great writers who don't get the attention they desrve and the writing eventually takes over your life. But this is because its fun, fun to see inspiration in every speck of dust, every grain of wood, every eye (another refrence to a poem of mine).