On "Images".

Okay, so finally, we have another blog coming from my side of the computer screen…
Regarding “Imaginative Writing” and “The Image”:
After reading the selection from “Imaginative Writing” by Janet Burroway I decided the statement made with which I did not agree and opposite was actually one in the same.
“Artists in other media than literature are clear about the media of their process, because they work with material that is fundamentally of the senses.”

In one sense, I disagree, because I find literary art’s fundamentals in the senses just as any other medium of arts. The difference is that most all other art is visual in one way or another; writing sparks the imagination to delve into that visual environment. And it was this thought that brought me to realize that I also agreed with this statement. Because I see that Burroway is saying that the actual material used by the artist is what is fundamentally of the senses. Writers have no paint, or clay, or physical movement, or camera, they merely have a pencil and paper. And this pencil is not used to merely give you a picture (as in drawing), but it’s there to form a bridge with words to pass into your thoughts and pull out an idea. The imagination is the source of all imagery; regardless of the art form.

In the section by Ezra Pound on “The Image”, I must be honest, and say that I did not initially find one statement that needed challenging. And then, after reading it over and over, I found one small brick of his structure I would pull out and look at again before mortaring.
I disagree that when beginning to write you should say “the immediate necessity is to tabulate a list of don’ts”. I believe the best thing to do is just to write, and to write whatever comes into your head and then go back and weed the “don’ts” out with much care and fertilizer for the original thought. If you start with the “don’ts” you will restrict your thoughts and worry will keep you from writing something truly great. “Don’ts” are wonderful, but employ only after there is something with which to work.
And yet, I especially agree with Pound’s statement:
“It is better to present one image in a lifetime then to produce voluminous works.”
As I have preached before in this blog, “QUALITY OVER QUANTITY.” I think that is exactly what Pound is conveying and exactly what the current focus of the Trillium editorial staff should be.