I discontinued writing for ten years. I was young and coming from a very conservative background (Utah), I decided to explore life. My first published title was a cover story for a small (now defunct) music magazine. It was exciting to see my name in print for the first time. This experience put me back on track and I switched from poetry to short stories. Poetry came quick and easy, when the inspiration flowed. I could whip out a poem in less than 10 minutes at times.

Fast forward 20 years. I dabbled with the novel. I was overcritical and based my opinions solely on an unfinished rough draft. I would stop and find something new to write about, hoping it would be better, and again stopped. It wasn't until I published my first book that I learned about hard work, constant rewriting and dedication. Up to this point, in retrospect, I realized I had always been a rather lazy writer. So it took me some 20 years to find out. Better late than never.

Flashback: I did submit 4 poems and received several terrible rejections that included the term "A Dead Horse On The Market". This is where my trouble derived when I posted my question. I wanted to hear from other poets and their publishing experience. I know there was little money to be made, but the response to my poems on this site gave me an idea to update (where needed) and publish a very slim book of verse at a future date.

So folks, this "dead horse" comment was not mine, it came from some rather nasty magazine publishers. I have great difficulty writing poetry now. I am so firmly anchored in the fictional novel genre, poetry does not come easy anymore. I had to replace all the lyrics I was using for chapter headers in my first published novel "Fill My Eyes", because I could not obtain copyright approval for use. It was a nightmare because I am a writer without connections or clout. So I subsituted these headers with new poetic stanzas. At times, it was extremely difficult, but I got through it. And some of the headers are better than others. I'm still so rusty. My second novel will be published  during the new year. I also have a half a rough draft of my third book that needs to be completed before I consider publishing a book of poems. But this is something I would like to do.

This is why I asked you great poets on The Den about your experiences. Sorry if I was misleading. Poetry is a very condensed and difficult art form. Much needs to be said in so little space. I always set up a scenario before writing a poem and it worked out rather well. This helped enormously.

I have deep appreciation for this genre that deserves a greater readership. I always wrote about other's experiences and never about things or places. My gig was the human condition. And as a result, many of the poems deal with love, good and dysfunctional. I am a romantic but I am also a realist. Therefore, I have never written anything that was idealistic or unrealistic.

To all you poets out there. I would love to hear of your experiences. The Author's Den, has been my greatest source of pleasure for promoting my work. Thank you all for your support and comments. Keep them coming. I can use all the help I can get!!!!!

Terry D. Robertson

Author of FILL MY EYES and THE BACKSIDE OF YESTERDAY