Fung: I am realizing that I should save more drafts as I so rarely write on paper
anymore (not just for poetry!).
Then when you see old word choices, it’s easier to justify when the new ones are so much better or why the ‘old’ ones might work less well.
Speaking of word choices & pet peeves: I don’t like it when people use ‘expected’ words in clumps. Like if they are talking about the ‘rain’ and somewhere in the poem ‘wet’ also appears.
Your poem “Industry” never mentions blood but it’s everywhere! Love how you made that happen
Erica : Thanks! I agree with the clumps of expected words. I think the opposite can be
frustrating, too. When you have clumps of unexpected words...as a reader, I can
lose my footing.
Fung: That’s true - the ‘randomness’ has to be relevant or threaded in some way.
Wright: Exactly.
Fung: Although maybe that’s why I didn’t veer toward fiction where a plot must follow some order.
Wright: Plot! What a nightmare! I really don’t know how fiction writers do it. I’m in awe of good novels.
Fung: Completely agree there. Ok, so any last lingering pet peeves? What is a red flag to you as an editor [at Guernica Magazine] reading slush?
Wright: Sometimes poets go wrong in the cover letter. Too much information. I don’t want to use any specific examples in case people recognized themselves, but
really something short and sweet is ideal. I read the poems no matter what the
cover letter says a person has or has not accomplished.
Fung: Right. It would almost be easier if that info were after the submitted poems.
Wright: By the way, do you miss reading slush/picking poems?
Fung: A little bit. Reading in general always tends to get my brain prompted to write.
Wright: Well, I’m glad you’re the Managing Editor [of Guernica Magazine]. You keep us all on task.
Fung: Ha. I’m behind though. In fact, I should probably get going.
Wright: Great. This was fun, Tiffany.
Fung: I agree!
I think we just Email this to ourselves?
(never done that)
Wright: I’ve never used this before...
How do you save it?
Fung: Oh wait - it’s already in our gmail accts and saved (search for some key words and it’ll come up in gmail).
Brilliant.
Wright: Awesome.
Fung: So we can ‘edit’ it and send it to Doody. Or do we just send it?
Wright: I think he said just to send it. But I’m happy to edit it first, if you feel better about that.
Fung: I trust you - send whatever works for you!
