Memories and Details

Memory is an important element to writing. Half of what is written is based of imagination and the other half is memory. How important is memory? Humans cannot survive without it at all. Everyone wants to remember something about their past. What is one of the best ways to do that? Human all write down everything they want to remember. Poetry is one of those many ways to help everyone remember the past. The stronger the memory, the powerful the poem will turn out. Ted Kooser wants us to rely on our memory as much as our imagination to help us write our poetry. However, a writer must be careful and not use too much of the memory in their work. Too much can drain any excitement out of a poem and leave it dull and grey. This of course comes to another important point in this exercise.

Details are everything in any piece of fiction. Without them, a story all seems too boring. Details help paint a picture to anything in the story. They help people to remember a certain object that the poet painted into their work. Kooser pretty much says to pay attention to detail when we is looking for something to write about. But yet again, be careful not overload a poem with too many details. Like a heavy flood of memories, too many details can make a poem too dull and boring to read. So, find a balance in how much memory and details are used and do not be afraid to use them for your poetry.