It is important to remember that my opinions are not law in any way, shape, or form! Not everyone has the same experiences as I do in this field but it is valuable to share opinions on topics to try and help others!
Today I will be discussing poetry and how I managed to make the UniSlam team in just over a year of writing poetry! - Of course there are basic bits and bobs like practising but there are other things that I found important in reference to how much progress I managed to make during a short space of time!
The basics that need not need an extended justification are the following:
The basics that need not need an extended justification are the following:
- Keep writing - every poem you write adds another experience to your list - you only gain from writing them!
- Practice - I gained a lot of confidence through the process of performing in an active routine. It was once I had confidence in my pieces that I began to expand my performance venues etc. My goal for the academic year was to perform at every single spoken word event in Derby at least once, and I managed to do that by the end of October, a feat I was ever so proud of!
Now for the actual substantial advice:
1. Make sure you have a small notebook on hand at all times to write strong lines you come up with on the fly - it is always a great moment when you are stricken by an idea and even better when the concept is backed up by a killer line! The best way to store these lines is in a small notebook that is practical enough to be carried along with you at all times! I currently have two - one which every single line is placed in and a second, bigger notebook, where the strongest lines are filled in!
2. Perform wherever and whenever you can - this was a piece of advice I was given by a fellow poet in Derby, Jamie Thrasivoulou. He encouraged me to go to as many events as possible in order to learn from poets from different scenes in the city! Prior to him giving me this advice, I had primarily performed at Twisted Tongues, and by the time Jamie provided me the advice, I had also performed at Poetry Speaks, She Speaks and LGBQWERTY. After he gave me this advice, I attended and performed at Subverse, City-Zen and Word Wise before going off on a limb and deciding to audition for the Derby Slam Team!
3. Take on as much feedback as possible - I will not pretend that the auditioning for the UniSlam Team was an easy experience; when I went into the process, I was made aware that almost every judge had heard every single piece that I had ever performed throughout my spoken word career. I was also aware that I was in a position that my fellow competitors could have been at a greater advantage due to this. In order to strive for the best audition possible, I attended every single pre-audition workshop that the team captain hosted prior to the audition. I found myself being under scrutiny due to being an exemplary party to reflect upon. The captain already knew my weaknesses and made sure I knew of them. In response to them, I did my best to better myself and perform strong pieces that went against most of the issues I had acknowledged. I was later praised for being a team member that could take on correction very quickly.
4. Don't be afraid to try something new - In reference to my slam team audition, I produced a piece of spoken word poetry on the day of the audition from the perspective of a fictional character on one side of a complicated romantic relationship. I used their voice to convey stronger emotions and used as many of my experiences as possible to make the piece sound as if the entire piece derived from my emotions - I found myself doing well as I acted out the poem as a character! It was a really interesting experience!
Thank you for reading! I hope these tips helped you in any way, shape or form!
And remember:
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
Per Ardua Ad Astra!
- Imogen. L. Smiley
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