Writing Media, what's your pick?

Poetry, prose, and non-fiction are the three areas in which we place writing.

What medium do you prefer?

When I was younger fiction was the only genre I would approach; I would dismiss the other two categories saying “poetry was weird” and “non-fiction was boring.” When you’re a young child in elementary school the fragmentation found in poetry isn’t as easy to follow as a piece of fiction in which an active imagination takes over. And, the only non-fiction that I remember my elementary school library stocking were autobiographies, encyclopedias, and the cart full of books used for reports.

Though my appreciation for poetry and non-fiction grew over time and study, I was closed off to the idea of writing any pieces in either category. It wasn’t until I was forced to write poems and narratives in classes that things began to click. Theoretical comprehension and appreciation of non-fiction was much easier, I had to get away from the mindset that non-fiction is equal to reports and autobiographies. Poetry, though, was bit more difficult—it has a different structure than prose and non-fiction usually have.

We’re currently studying poetry in class, and the best advice I can give shares the tone of an afternoon special: read lots of poetry, analyze poetry, and write lots of poetry. By the time a few weeks have passed your opinion on poetry will have changed. I ended up gaining a slight liking for poetry and not minding having to read or write poems. Sure, you could go off into the other end and not want to look at a poem again, but it’s better to criticize something if you’re knowledgeable about the object.

Best of luck, I hope our trip through the next two media help to further your appreciation rather than cause a desire to tear pages.

~Nitesh Arora