I'm in the middle of an absolutely brutal class on formal poetry, and after a semester's worth of composing a poem a week, I worry that I am beginning to hate poetry itself (especially my own). I have a feeling that this will pass as soon as I get through the class and the deadlines and restrictions are lifted, but still... The burnout is worrisome. Anyone have any experience/wisdom in this sector? Thank you!

All Answers To Questions

I can't tell you about beyond the class... I was a writing minor (literature major), but yeah... it killed any pleasure I had in the craft. The demanding schedule of MUST GET THIS MUCH DONE rather than honing the craft of writing or expanding stories or using devices (devices were used forcibly). I don't know. There's something to be said for sitting through the classes and learning the technique. I don't write anymore, but I think that has to do with being a lit major-- Everyone I've read is so brilliant, I kind of go "What's the point?" By the way: formal poetry can be exceptionally brutal. What really helped me was not thinking of it in terms of writing something spectacular, but rather writing with the notion that my poems were already written. I just had to put the pieces of the puzzle back together. I don't know if that makes sense or not. Good luck!