Wednesday 12 August 2015

Poets on Facebook: the nightmare of the news feed

I know it's my own fault virtually all my "friends" on Facebook should be poets, but that doesn't change the terrifying nature of my news feed at times, especially when I'm feeling vulnerable about the value of my own verse.

People are variously delighted to have work included in an anthology, so pleased to be publishing two poems in a magazine, reading at an event next week, bringing out a new collection in 2016, finishing off a new poem, celebrating having been shortlisted, linking to their new title on Amazon...

...what's wrong with you, Stewart?! Just look at what everyone else has achieved while you've been redrafting that poxy line for the fourth time. And deep down, you know it still isn't right even though you're urging yourself to fall in love with it enough to send the thing off this afternoon. If you read any more of that stuff on Facebook, you probably will.

5 comments:

  1. Ignore FaceBook! Get to work! ;-)

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  2. Dear Matthew

    My advice would be to unfriend all your poet 'friends' on Facebook and find some new ones who are blissfully ignorant about contemporary poetry. And if you want to produce more, try being less of a perfectionist!

    Best wishes from Simon R. Gladdish

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  3. It's a tricky one, isn't it? A few thoughts here - http://anthonywilsonpoetry.com/2015/07/19/guest-blog-post-on-literary-envy-by-robin-houghton/

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    Replies
    1. Hi Robin,

      Thanks for commenting. I very much agree: awareness of social media can easily turn into an obsession!

      Best wishes,

      Matthew

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