One of the things I love most about writing poetry is the freedom offered its author. It’s said that poets see the world differently, which is why poetry can sometimes strike those more familiar with fiction or drama as challenging, even weird. I’m not sure if I believe in an essential point-of-view shared by all poets (and only poets), but I definitely think poetry is more liberated than other kinds of writing, likely due to its length (typically shorter) and, at least historically, its intentional musicality. Unlike the more daunting (at least to me) task of putting together a single piece of work which spans hundreds of pages, poems can be as short as a single line. This makes big swings, creatively speaking, easier to execute without fear of a reader becoming exhausted by a conceit.
Of course, writing in other genre can also contain the fanciful or surreal (as evidenced by writing by the likes of Antonin Artaud, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Miranda July, to name only a very small few). “Magical realism,” a genre which blends the real with the fantastical to capture a reader’s attention and guide their emotions, often experiences an increase in popularity during the rise of fascist regimes. Readers fatigued by the ongoing and chaotic news cycle may find themselves in a dystopian world completely unrecognizable as the one in which they once lived. When reality itself is startling and bizarre, use of the fantastical, the magical, the unscientific, the surprising and strange, can seem more grounded in emotional realities than the actual circumstances in which we live.
Like those writing sci-fi or fantasy literature, the best magical realist writers make use of fantastical situations which nevertheless have specific rules which they obey — that’s the “realism,” part. What magic you choose to incorporate in your work is up to you, but consider that which can make comment on the emotional state of your characters, or the mood and content of the writing itself. Interested in trying it out, but not sure where to begin? No sweat! With a little patience and some preparation, you’ll be writing enchanting narratives in no time.
Firstly, we’re going to want to create a magic hat (or box, or envelope). Grab a piece of paper and cut it into several small squares. On each, write someone or something you will never encounter — a fictional character, a mythical beast, a dead celebrity, a politician, you-name-it. Pour your squares into a vessel of your choice. The next time you find yourself stuck while writing, or find yourself worried you’re at risk of being self-indulgent or overly sentimental, draw one of the characters at random and use them to replace something in your text.
For example, say you’re writing a poem about your grandfather’s funeral. There’s a lot of emotion to pack in, and you even some really smart details to include, but the more universal you try to make your story of loss, the harder it becomes to avoid familiar or even saccharine writing. But suppose you replace your grandfather with a unicorn, or Captain Hook, or Rudolph Valentino? You can keep the rest of the poem the same, or add new details to support the new character, but either way, a dash of the surreal or absurd can bring a sophisticated and unnerving quality to the piece that your readers will be sure to remember.
The first time I wrote this way, I produced a poem, “walk on,” which of my own published work remains among my favorites (you can take a look at it here). It might take a few tries before you come up with something you can use, but if you keep at it, you’re all but guaranteed to come up with something fascinating!
— Sean Patrick Mulroy, Web Editor
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