The Writer's Connection, SM
a publication of The Virtual Writing Coach SM


"The Creative Process of Writing is a Liberating and Therapeutic Experience"

www.virtualwritingcoach.com

February, 2010

In This Issue:

1. Preview
2. Publisher's Note
3. Classic American Love Poems
4. Helpful Hints

1. Preview

The Writer's Connection explores the creative process of writing and the interplay between thoughts, feelings, and actions. We are an interactive community of authors and readers who share ideas to enhance our knowledge, skills, and experiences in writing fiction in any genre, but our emphasis remains mystery and suspense thrillers.

Published monthly, the Newsletter offers writing tips for authors, coaching suggestions, editing, and marketing information.

Topics are presented from the perspective of Keith Barton and represent only his ideas on producing your first manuscript, and are provided to the general public. Because we are an interactive community of writers, other viewpoints are welcomed and may be printed in future monthly newsletters with permission from Keith Barton.

2. Publisher's Note

February, 2010

Dear Writer's Connection Subscriber,

This month features classic American love poems which stand the test of time.

3. Classic American Love Poems

Anne Bradstreet, Phillis Wheatley, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Edgar Allan Poe are some of the great American poets who have left a legacy of heartfelt love for those falling in love. In my meager attempt, I tried to put together a collection of my love poems, Silly Little Love Poems, that was self - published by iuniverse.com several years ago. Looking back at my work and now re - reading some of the Greats, I am embarrassed.

Hippocrene Books re - published love poems in 1999 that covered the 17th 20th centuries. As stated in the Preface, "the poems address the many and varied facets of love with all of its joys and heartbreaks...and transformed conventional styles and forms to forge a unique American poetic voice through their art." The book is a testament to time's temperate caress for lovers everywhere.

A few of the sample verses follow from this great compilation from each century:

Early Affection by George Mose Horton (1797 - 1883)

I lov'd thee from the earliest dawn,
When first I saw thy beauty's ray,
And will, until life's eve comes on,
And beauty's blossom fades away,
And when all things go well with thee,
With smiles and tears remember me.


True Love by James Russell Lowell (1819 - 1891)

True love is but a humble, low - born thing,
And hath its food served up in earthen ware;
It is a thing to walk with hand in hand
Through the every - dayness of this work - day world.


The Kiss by Sara Teasdale (1884 - 1933)

Before you kissed me only winds of heaven
Had kissed me, and the tenderness of rain -
Now you have come, how can I care for kisses
Like theirs again?


Ebb by Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892 - 1950)

I know what my heart is like
Since your love died:
It is like a hollow ledge
Holding a little pool
Left there by the tide,
A little tepid pool,
Drying inward from the edge.


My First Love by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940)

All my ways the wove of light
Wove them half alive,
Made them warm and beauty - bright...
So the shining, ambient air
Clothes the golden waters where
The pearl fishers dive.


Refusal by Maya Angelou (1928 - )

Beloved,
In what other lives or lands
Have I known your lips
Your hands
Your laughter brave
Irreverent.
Those sweet excesses that
I do adore.
What surety is there
That we will meet again,
On other worlds some
Future time undated.
I defy my body's haste.
Without the Promise
Of one more sweet encounter
I will not deign to die.


Helpful Hints:

1. Write a love poem to someone special; how did you feel writing your poem and how was it received if you dared?

2. A rhyming dictionary is a must for those who wish to write poetry; any bookstore will have one in the reference section.

3. Is it more difficult for you to write a love letter or poem and why? Try placing the contents of your letter in free verse without articles, adjectives, adverbs - stick to noun, verb, object to shorten your prose.


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Contact Information

Keith Barton, Ph.D.
Voice: 281 - 583 - 5005
Fax: 281.583 - 5008
Web: http://www.virtualwritingcoach.com
E - Mail: keith@virtualwritingcoach.com
(c) Copyright 2003 A. Keith Barton, Ph.D.
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The Writer's Connection SM Mission:

The Writer's Connection SM is dedicated to helping first - time authors create their first manuscript for publication and to offer an exchange of ideas and opinions from our readers who might be interested in becoming authors.

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Archives

You can read previous issues of The Writer's Connection SM in our archive section which is located at the top right section of this page.

About Keith Barton, Ph.D.

Dr. Barton received his Ph.D. in 1972 from the University of Texas at Austin and has been a practicing therapist for over thirty years. He is currently enrolled in MentorCoach and is accepting new clients. He has been an adjunct professor at the University of South Carolina, consultant to Fortune 500 companies in executive development, founded and managed Texas Community Living Ventures, Inc., in 1986 for providing group home services to persons with mental retardation, and for the past 13 years founded and runs a clinical practice in Northwest Houston. He writes part - time with the goal of completing one novel a year. His desire to coach others derives from his passionate interest in helping others become attuned to their creative powers of storytelling.

Dr. Barton has training in coaching, cognitive and family therapy and health psychology. He has published articles, made presentations and conducted workshops about:

Anxiety and achievement
Stress management
Self - esteem
Communication skills
Marital/relationship enrichment
Wellness issues
The relationship between psychology and spirituality

Copyright by Virtual Writing Coach (SM) and Keith Barton, 2001 - 2008.