worldly possessions
lose importance as we age
and memory goes
Friday, November 29, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 29th
Word of the day: Manuka
Manuka honey
requires a special bee, but
the stings are the same
Manuka honey
requires a special bee, but
the stings are the same
Thursday, November 28, 2013
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
daily haiku, 27th Nov
word of the day: exaggerate
what do men do with
fish size and with penis size?
we exaggerate
what do men do with
fish size and with penis size?
we exaggerate
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 24th
My friend Ben, posted this haiku to facebook:
Welly's hungover
from its blindingly happy
end of year sun-binge
to which I replied:
the sunshine can cure
all of the year's maladies
and cause a few more
Welly's hungover
from its blindingly happy
end of year sun-binge
to which I replied:
the sunshine can cure
all of the year's maladies
and cause a few more
daily haiku, Nov 23rd
thousands of lovers,
all of your ancestors past
made you as you are
Well, isn't it silly that I duplicated yesterday's post? This must be remedied with this:
saintly fairies dance
upon the heads of pins where
they look like angels
Well, isn't it silly that I duplicated yesterday's post? This must be remedied with this:
saintly fairies dance
upon the heads of pins where
they look like angels
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 21, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 20th
finally
the world is good again
job offer
NOTE: I'm departing from the 5-7-5 for a bit here. I like to do the 5-7-5 haikus as well, since I need to do that for any haiku death matches that come up and I like to keep in practice, but I can try and be a purist sometimes. :)
the world is good again
job offer
NOTE: I'm departing from the 5-7-5 for a bit here. I like to do the 5-7-5 haikus as well, since I need to do that for any haiku death matches that come up and I like to keep in practice, but I can try and be a purist sometimes. :)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 19th
word of the day: egress
your eyes are gorgeous
I'd love a conversation
but I egress
your eyes are gorgeous
I'd love a conversation
but I egress
Monday, November 18, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 18th
Word of the day: capillary
I am a robot
my capillaries carry
only indifference
I am a robot
my capillaries carry
only indifference
Saturday, November 16, 2013
Haiku competition - results
On November 6th, I offered up a haiku contest. The winner is Rebecca Hawkes with the following haiku:
I spend my weekend
worrying about
what weekends are for
Honourable mention goes to Marie-Claude Plourde, who submitted an impressive pangrammatic, which uses all the letters of the English language in one haiku (harder than you might think):
Just a box for bed
News---make spells, copy letters
Freezing, she quivers
Another honourable mention goes to Natasha Dennerstein, with the single best line from all submissions - the middle line of this haiku:
Honey please don’t stay;
you smell so of yesterday;
I forget you well.
So, I will get in touch with Rebecca, and send her Stephen Fry’s “The Ode Less Travelled”. Congrats!
All entries, roughly in the order they arrived:
Rick Morrow:
So, too, trees desire—
leaves unfold to ground in whispers.
Hernan Blejer:
Nanowrimo match
every eleventh month
till the mind grows too old.
dedicated to Cape Reinga:
Foam-burnt and sun-washed,
Above rock and sea
The tree slowly erodes.
Marie Claude Plourde
A winter wind blows
Seasons keep coming around
Scarcity of time
Just a box for bed
News---make spells, copy letters
Freezing, she quivers
(A pangrammatic haiku. - all letters of the English language)
Rebecca Hawkes:
your expectations
are most unreasonable
whatever they are
I spend my weekend
worrying about
what weekends are for
Thom Botterill:
Unowned ode traveled
The lone literary sea
Verdant words for me
Santa claus is com
Haiku is corrupting me
Ho ho ho
pork is bacon
but not all bacon is pork
say no to tofo fakeon
Natasha Dennerstein:
Honey please don’t stay;
you smell so of yesterday;
I forget you well.
Coconut nightclub;
smooth moves to Hawaiian grooves:
frangipanis fall.
Karen Leslie
Fry's chocolate was,
in Moab's washpot recurring,
bittersweet goodness.
Laurel Jane May
I killed a dog yesterday
But where were you then?
You cried as I saved your life
I spend my weekend
worrying about
what weekends are for
Honourable mention goes to Marie-Claude Plourde, who submitted an impressive pangrammatic, which uses all the letters of the English language in one haiku (harder than you might think):
Just a box for bed
News---make spells, copy letters
Freezing, she quivers
Another honourable mention goes to Natasha Dennerstein, with the single best line from all submissions - the middle line of this haiku:
Honey please don’t stay;
you smell so of yesterday;
I forget you well.
So, I will get in touch with Rebecca, and send her Stephen Fry’s “The Ode Less Travelled”. Congrats!
All entries, roughly in the order they arrived:
Rick Morrow:
So, too, trees desire—
leaves unfold to ground in whispers.
Hernan Blejer:
Nanowrimo match
every eleventh month
till the mind grows too old.
dedicated to Cape Reinga:
Foam-burnt and sun-washed,
Above rock and sea
The tree slowly erodes.
Marie Claude Plourde
A winter wind blows
Seasons keep coming around
Scarcity of time
Just a box for bed
News---make spells, copy letters
Freezing, she quivers
(A pangrammatic haiku. - all letters of the English language)
Rebecca Hawkes:
your expectations
are most unreasonable
whatever they are
I spend my weekend
worrying about
what weekends are for
Thom Botterill:
Unowned ode traveled
The lone literary sea
Verdant words for me
Santa claus is com
Haiku is corrupting me
Ho ho ho
pork is bacon
but not all bacon is pork
say no to tofo fakeon
Natasha Dennerstein:
Honey please don’t stay;
you smell so of yesterday;
I forget you well.
Coconut nightclub;
smooth moves to Hawaiian grooves:
frangipanis fall.
Karen Leslie
Fry's chocolate was,
in Moab's washpot recurring,
bittersweet goodness.
Laurel Jane May
I killed a dog yesterday
But where were you then?
You cried as I saved your life
daily haiku, Nov 17th
Word of the day: credulous
I love haikus but
it's credulous to believe
haikus save the world
I love haikus but
it's credulous to believe
haikus save the world
daily haiku, Nov 16th
Word of the day: immutable
say immutable
to my face just one more time
and I will change you
say immutable
to my face just one more time
and I will change you
Thursday, November 14, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 15th
Word of the day: gormless
gormless people are
too gormless to know that they're
actually gormless
gormless people are
too gormless to know that they're
actually gormless
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 14th
Word of the day: antipathy
My antipathy
for arrogance is well known.
do I hate myself?
My antipathy
for arrogance is well known.
do I hate myself?
Daily Haiku, Nov 13th
- Word of the day: Shard
red shards are scattered
on the ground in front of me
It's my broken heart
Monday, November 11, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 12th
I've got the munchies
far more frequently now that
I am unemployed
unemployment sucks
I barely have to explain
the blow to my ego
Now, more positive -
I am writing far more now
there's no pesky work.
far more frequently now that
I am unemployed
unemployment sucks
I barely have to explain
the blow to my ego
Now, more positive -
I am writing far more now
there's no pesky work.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Daily haiku, Nov 9th-11th
The National Poetry Slam too place at Meow, Edward Street this past Saturday, which has slowed me down with my haiku. :(
On a positive note, the slam was superb. Excellent, high quality slamming all the way through. It was superb. Michael Gray from Wellington took third, and Wellington in general did really well with all three Wellington finalists getting through the first round.
The new New Zealand national slam champion is Te Kahu Rolleston from Hamilton. Michael Moore, also from Hamilton took second. The funny thing is I drove them in from the airport in the afternoon and they performed for me in the car. Haha... at the time, I didn't even know they were competing.
It has inspired me to work harder on my writing, and presenting. I want to compete in next year's competition.
I chatted with Michael Moore at the end, and apparently, his time in Hamilton was his first ever slam. He'd never done it before. Also, he hadn't done any theatre or other types of performance before. He'd just watched lots of slam poems on youtube and then gave it a go. This is, of course, an insult to all the other slammers. Hahahah... But, it does mean that we can expect even better from him going forward. I can't wait.
Anyway, on to the haiku:
Nov 9th:
No reading for me
since unemployment. Except
poetry. Of course!
Nov 10th:
That sounds like some porn.
Nudity, sex, drugs, and pain.
Nah.. it's HBO.
Nov 11th:
I'm giving away
"The Ode Less Travelled" by Fry
Win with a haiku!
On a positive note, the slam was superb. Excellent, high quality slamming all the way through. It was superb. Michael Gray from Wellington took third, and Wellington in general did really well with all three Wellington finalists getting through the first round.
The new New Zealand national slam champion is Te Kahu Rolleston from Hamilton. Michael Moore, also from Hamilton took second. The funny thing is I drove them in from the airport in the afternoon and they performed for me in the car. Haha... at the time, I didn't even know they were competing.
It has inspired me to work harder on my writing, and presenting. I want to compete in next year's competition.
I chatted with Michael Moore at the end, and apparently, his time in Hamilton was his first ever slam. He'd never done it before. Also, he hadn't done any theatre or other types of performance before. He'd just watched lots of slam poems on youtube and then gave it a go. This is, of course, an insult to all the other slammers. Hahahah... But, it does mean that we can expect even better from him going forward. I can't wait.
Anyway, on to the haiku:
Nov 9th:
No reading for me
since unemployment. Except
poetry. Of course!
Nov 10th:
That sounds like some porn.
Nudity, sex, drugs, and pain.
Nah.. it's HBO.
Nov 11th:
I'm giving away
"The Ode Less Travelled" by Fry
Win with a haiku!
Friday, November 8, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Haiku contest.... Win Stephen Fry's "The Ode Less Travelled" - deadline Nov 15th, 2013
Through a bit of a fluke with Amazon.com, I ended up with an extra copy of Stephen Fry's excellent book, "The Ode Less Travelled".
A friend of mine (thanks Thom B) suggested that I have a haiku contest, where I ask for original haikus and the best one wins, as judged by myself.
A friend of mine (thanks Thom B) suggested that I have a haiku contest, where I ask for original haikus and the best one wins, as judged by myself.
 |
| An extra copy of my favourite book on poetry. |
Rules: Submit as many haikus as you like. I am free with the format, as long as it is a 3-line, short poem. No more than 5-7-5 syllables per line though. You can submit here, in the comments, on my facebook wall (I'll be announcing it there), or via email: travis.cottreau@gmail.com.
I will judge the winner, and announce the results one week from tomorrow, November 15th, 2013.
NOTE: I am happy to send the book anywhere in the world, so feel free to share with your friends, even if they are overseas. It's worth a good haiku.
I will put the top haikus here on my blog at the end, so only submit if you don't mind them being on-line.
Thanks and happy haikuing!
NOTE: I prefer clever/funny. If your haiku can make me laugh, I'll give it high points! If you can do that an make it deep at the same time, you've got a winner. :)
NOTE: I prefer clever/funny. If your haiku can make me laugh, I'll give it high points! If you can do that an make it deep at the same time, you've got a winner. :)
Noveljutsu - the title...
I feel that I'm failing a bit on the title of this blog.
Firstly, I haven't done any novel writing to speak of. I have started this year's Nanowrimo, but really, it's a half-hearted effort. I'm far more interested in writing poetry these days.
Also "jutsu" is borrowed from "Jujutsu" or "Karate-jutsu".
"Jujutsu" is 2 pieces, "Ju" meaning "soft" or "softness", and "jutsu" meaning "art" or "technique". This is different from "Judo", which means the "way of softness", which is far more spiritual in meaning. I won't bore you with my martial arts history background, but the "jutsu" is about techniques, and the art of things. It can be applied to almost anything, including poetry, sculpting, fighting, driving a car etc...
Essentially, it is everything that goes into making something effective, not just a collection of techniques, but how to use them, drills for practicing and any way that can be used to make X effective for Xjutsu.
So, I have been lax in not having the blog live up to its name, i.e. what are some exercises, techniques and so on that will help you write.
Free Writing:
I have to say, the most useful of all the tools I've used to help with poetry is free writing. That is, just block off a portion of time, ten minutes works well, set your alarm and just write, write, write until the alarm goes off. I like to do this a few times with a break in-between.
This switches off your internal editor and lets your brain loose and your subconscious out a little more than usual. You'd be amazed what can come of free writing. Most of it is just random junk, but some of the best lines from my poems come from there. I don't get entire poems out of it very often, but usually the seed of something more.
And, if you are suffering from writer's block, this is a great way to unblock yourself. Just get something moving and it's a step in right direction.
If nothing is coming to mind, just start saying, "Nothing is coming to mind. I can see the tv in the corner, a stain on the rug... etc..." and you'll gradually come unstuck. Some books I've read on the topic say you should just keep writing, "Nothing is coming to mind. Nothing is coming to mind. Nothing is coming to mind..." until something does. There's something to be said for the fingers doing writing.
I prefer typing, since it goes even faster than writing on paper, but there's a tactile aspect to using a pen and paper, so I will use both at different times.
I will try and throw a few other exercises in future posts. I've started with what I consider most useful.
In essence, all writing exercises have one thing in common, i.e. start with SOMETHING rather than nothing. Common in writing exercises that I've seen is starting in a different place from where you usually start, so a specific word you wouldn't normally use, "crackerjack" or "root" or "shiv" and away you go in a different direction.
Firstly, I haven't done any novel writing to speak of. I have started this year's Nanowrimo, but really, it's a half-hearted effort. I'm far more interested in writing poetry these days.
Also "jutsu" is borrowed from "Jujutsu" or "Karate-jutsu".
"Jujutsu" is 2 pieces, "Ju" meaning "soft" or "softness", and "jutsu" meaning "art" or "technique". This is different from "Judo", which means the "way of softness", which is far more spiritual in meaning. I won't bore you with my martial arts history background, but the "jutsu" is about techniques, and the art of things. It can be applied to almost anything, including poetry, sculpting, fighting, driving a car etc...
Essentially, it is everything that goes into making something effective, not just a collection of techniques, but how to use them, drills for practicing and any way that can be used to make X effective for Xjutsu.
So, I have been lax in not having the blog live up to its name, i.e. what are some exercises, techniques and so on that will help you write.
Free Writing:
I have to say, the most useful of all the tools I've used to help with poetry is free writing. That is, just block off a portion of time, ten minutes works well, set your alarm and just write, write, write until the alarm goes off. I like to do this a few times with a break in-between.
This switches off your internal editor and lets your brain loose and your subconscious out a little more than usual. You'd be amazed what can come of free writing. Most of it is just random junk, but some of the best lines from my poems come from there. I don't get entire poems out of it very often, but usually the seed of something more.
And, if you are suffering from writer's block, this is a great way to unblock yourself. Just get something moving and it's a step in right direction.
If nothing is coming to mind, just start saying, "Nothing is coming to mind. I can see the tv in the corner, a stain on the rug... etc..." and you'll gradually come unstuck. Some books I've read on the topic say you should just keep writing, "Nothing is coming to mind. Nothing is coming to mind. Nothing is coming to mind..." until something does. There's something to be said for the fingers doing writing.
I prefer typing, since it goes even faster than writing on paper, but there's a tactile aspect to using a pen and paper, so I will use both at different times.
I will try and throw a few other exercises in future posts. I've started with what I consider most useful.
In essence, all writing exercises have one thing in common, i.e. start with SOMETHING rather than nothing. Common in writing exercises that I've seen is starting in a different place from where you usually start, so a specific word you wouldn't normally use, "crackerjack" or "root" or "shiv" and away you go in a different direction.
Monday, November 4, 2013
daily haiku, Nov 5th
"That was but a prelude; where they burn books, they will ultimately burn people also." ~Heinrich Heine
I would rather put
my hand into raging fire
than have my books burned
I would rather put
my hand into raging fire
than have my books burned
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Friday, November 1, 2013
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