Dave makes a
very good point about the cross-pollination of ideas in the sprawling big thread. Several of my offerings this year were triggered by an odd phrase or line in someone else's work. The rest came from roaming the streets or looking out of the window, or overhearing conversations. A few came from digging deep into my own memories, and occasionally even making sense of them after many years. (The latter sometimes surprises me.)
But the cross-pollination is a very important thing. When I taught creative writing classes several years back I could see ideas sparking across the room between my students. There was something hugely beneficial about being part of a group of like-minded individuals.
We 'creatives' tend not to' bubble joyously' amongst those who we feel 'won't understand'.
Psychologically it's easier to you let your guard down a bit amongst people with a shared interest or passion. You share things you'd normally keep to yourself. You are also more open to ideas and inputs which you might normally reject.
The impromptu 'prompts' that naturally occur within a group like this are generally far more valuable -
and usable - than anything clever a tutor or teacher may dream up to try and motivate your poetic impulses.
=====
I can think of one very good reason for not having individual threads, and that is another bit of writer's psychology I witnessed time and time again when teaching. If a student missed just one class they'd probably carry on again afterwards. But if they missed two consecutive classes they nearly always dropped out.
Because they felt they were being left behind and their creative side simply shut down.
Think about this for a minute. Within Napo month you have thirty days to shine if you're the sort that responds to such an 'in your face' challenge. But there are also thirty opportunities for that inner voice to tell you you're no good if you miss a day. We have powerful imaginations, and deep emotions, and sometimes they will work against us.
To some people having an individual thread would be like a slap across the face every day they
don't write something. In a sprawling thread they can hide for awhile, read others' work and tell themselves that because they're
reading poetry they're still poets, and maybe find a spark of inspiration there.
To be honest I've almost talked myself out of the individual thread idea
It seems more
efficient, but poetry isn't about efficiency, it's about effectiveness, which is an entirely different beast.
I am not a psychologist, but I've studied other writers, and myself, with great interest over the years. We're a fascinating bunch, with more in common than our widely ranging interests and attitudes might suggest.
Gyppo
