--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, the process of writing poetry is…" description: "\"Now, the process of writing poetry is very messy. Not systematic, never quite the same\" — Edward Hirsch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/edward-hirsch-1614_messy_now-the-process-of-writing-poetry-is-ver_2960731.png" --- # Now, the process of writing poetry is very messy. Not… ![“Now, the process of writing poetry is very messy. Not systematic, never quite the same” quote by Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/edward-hirsch-1614_messy_now-the-process-of-writing-poetry-is-ver_2960731.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/edward-hirsch-1614_messy_now-the-process-of-writing-poetry-is-ver_2960731.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f49/edward-hirsch-1614_messy_now-the-process-of-writing-poetry-is-ver_2960731.png) > “Now, the process of writing poetry is very messy. Not systematic, never quite the same” [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Poetry writing is inherently chaotic, resisting systematic methods and embracing spontaneity and personal voice. **In simple terms:** Poetry is messy, not formulaic. Key Takeaway Embrace disorder in creative process. Themes creativity process messiness expression Mood contemplative artistic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - writing retreats - creative workshops - personal journaling Key Concepts literary theory psychology artistry Questions to Reflect On - How can structure coexist with poetic freedom? - What techniques balance chaos and clarity? A Different Perspective Some may seek structure for productivity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Messy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messy/) [Messy Systematic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messy-systematic-4507558/) [Never quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never-quit/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Poetry is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-is/) [Poetry Messy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry-messy-4507557/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Process Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process-writing-360997/) [Systematic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/systematic/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) [Writing poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing-poetry/) ## Related quotes > [I find great consolation in having a lot of poetry books around. I believe that writing poetry and reading it are deeply intertwined. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-find-great-consolation-in-having-a-lot-of-poetry-books-around-i/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I think that the dark side of MFA programs is that they're generating more poets than the culture can absorb and there are more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-think-that-the-dark-side-of-mfa-programs-is-that-they-re-generating/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Writing poetry is such an intense experience that it helps to start the process in a casual or wayward frame of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/writing-poetry-is-such-an-intense-experience-that-it-helps-to-start/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [The idea that a poem was a made thing stayed with me, and I decided then that I wanted to be an artist, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-idea-that-a-poem-was-a-made-thing-stayed-with-me-and-i-decided/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I think the culture can absorb so many people writing poetry and trying to earn their living in poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-think-the-culture-can-absorb-so-many-people-writing-poetry-and/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [The mysterious thing about writing poetry is that when you're - when things are going poorly, when you're not thinking well, even making two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-mysterious-thing-about-writing-poetry-is-that-when-you-re-when/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I started writing poetry as a teenager in suburban Chicago out of emotional desperation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-started-writing-poetry-as-a-teenager-in-suburban-chicago-out-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [So, the process of revision, it's not systematic. But for me, I mean, I know a lot of poets who write out a draft…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/so-the-process-of-revision-it-s-not-systematic-but-for-me-i-mean-i/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [In playwriting, you've got to be able to write dialogue. And if you write enough of it and let it flow enough, you'll probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/in-playwriting-you-ve-got-to-be-able-to-write-dialogue-and-if-you/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [I still enjoy the process of writing. If I ever feel like I am going through the motions because I can sell anything at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/i-still-enjoy-the-process-of-writing-if-i-ever-feel-like-i-am-going/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [The process of writing a poem represents work done on the self of the poet, in order to make form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-rukeyser/the-process-of-writing-a-poem-represents-work-done-on-the-self-of-the/) [Muriel Rukeyser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-rukeyser/) > [I don't enjoy any of the process of writing. I enjoy it when it goes on if it zings and it has great warmth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-serling/i-don-t-enjoy-any-of-the-process-of-writing-i-enjoy-it-when-it-goes/) [Rod Serling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-serling/) > [It's sort of one ongoing process where writing ends and directing starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-durkin/it-s-sort-of-one-ongoing-process-where-writing-ends-and-directing/) [Sean Durkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-durkin/) > [“The process of writing can be magical — there times when you step out of an upper-floor window and you just walk across thin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-process-of-writing-can-be-magical-there-times-when-you-step-out/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I write every day. I'm always in the process of writing my last book, until the next one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farley-mowat/i-write-every-day-i-m-always-in-the-process-of-writing-my-last-book/) [Farley Mowat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farley-mowat/) ## More by Edward Hirsch > [And my experience is the best titles, for me, emerge in the process of writing. They don't usually come at the very beginning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/and-my-experience-is-the-best-titles-for-me-emerge-in-the-process-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“I did not know the work of mourning Is like carrying a bag of cement Up a mountain at night The mountaintop is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-did-not-know-the-work-of-mourning-is-like-carrying-a-bag-of-cement/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Fall" Fall, falling, fallen. That’s the way the season Changes its tense in the long-haired maples That dot the road; the veiny hand-shaped leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/fall-fall-falling-fallen-that-s-the-way-the-season-changes-its-tense/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I find great consolation in having a lot of poetry books around. I believe that writing poetry and reading it are deeply intertwined. I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-find-great-consolation-in-having-a-lot-of-poetry-books-around-i/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I had feelings that I didn't know what to do with, and I felt better when I started writing them. I thought of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-had-feelings-that-i-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-and-i-felt-better/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [I think in terms of educating a group of readers, MFA programs are very good. I just think the model of MFA programs in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-think-in-terms-of-educating-a-group-of-readers-mfa-programs-are/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [“Jonson wrote a poem and called his son His best piece of poetrie A lovely line a little loathsome I loved that poem once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/jonson-wrote-a-poem-and-called-his-son-his-best-piece-of-poetrie-a/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [It does demand a certain space in order to read it and I think that space is somewhat threatened by the lack of attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/it-does-demand-a-certain-space-in-order-to-read-it-and-i-think-that/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [...I put down these memorandums of my affections in honor of tenderness, in honor of all of those who have been conscripted into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/i-put-down-these-memorandums-of-my-affections-in-honor-of-tenderness/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Poetry is a vocation. It is not a career but a calling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-is-a-vocation-it-is-not-a-career-but-a-calling/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [You're shadowed by your own dream, especially as you get older, of trying to create something that will last in poetry. And so, you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/you-re-shadowed-by-your-own-dream-especially-as-you-get-older-of/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [The attention deficit disorder of the culture is very distressing in America now and I think it puts a lot of things at risk,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/the-attention-deficit-disorder-of-the-culture-is-very-distressing-in/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Now, as I've gotten older I've been able to write more quickly. Sometimes I get in the space of something and I can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/now-as-i-ve-gotten-older-i-ve-been-able-to-write-more-quickly/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) > [Poetry takes courage because you have to face things and you try to articulate how you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/poetry-takes-courage-because-you-have-to-face-things-and-you-try-to/) [Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) [Explore all 222 Edward Hirsch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/) ## More Messy quotes > [“It’s the difference between dancing along the eggshell crust of acquaintance and diving into the messy center of a relationship.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/it-s-the-difference-between-dancing-along-the-eggshell-crust-of/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [I'd think the house was the source of great sadness or pressure. I knew it wasn't. I knew it was just where I lived.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-granduciel/i-d-think-the-house-was-the-source-of-great-sadness-or-pressure-i/) [Adam Granduciel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-granduciel/) > [You can’t bake a cake without getting the kitchen messy. Halfway through surgery it looks like there’s been a murder in the operating room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/you-can-t-bake-a-cake-without-getting-the-kitchen-messy-halfway/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [People are messy and complex, particularly in the homosexual world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milo-yiannopoulos/people-are-messy-and-complex-particularly-in-the-homosexual-world/) [Milo Yiannopoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milo-yiannopoulos/) > [Any replacement to the current copyright position (life plus 70 years) needs to have an answer lined up for this, and similar, messy edge cases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-stross/any-replacement-to-the-current-copyright-position-life-plus-70-years/) [Charles Stross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-stross/) > [“Relationships are messy and painful, and hard to maintain. It takes time build, but only seconds to destroy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-tiger/relationships-are-messy-and-painful-and-hard-to-maintain-it-takes/) [Alexis Tiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-tiger/) > [Messy love is better than none, I guess. I am no authority on sane living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/messy-love-is-better-than-none-i-guess-i-am-no-authority-on-sane/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Do people always act this way around you? (Kiara) You should have seen the reactions when I wore a League uniform. Those were actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/do-people-always-act-this-way-around-you-kiara-you-should-have-seen/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [This is why I loved the support groups so much, if people thought you were dying, they gave you their full attention. If this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/this-is-why-i-loved-the-support-groups-so-much-if-people-thought-you/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Mom, my friends don't care if my room is messy. They just care if we have food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/mom-my-friends-don-t-care-if-my-room-is-messy-they-just-care-if-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What fiction offers us is an intimacy shorn of the messy contingencies of human existence - gender, race, class or age. Those moments of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-self/what-fiction-offers-us-is-an-intimacy-shorn-of-the-messy/) [Will Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-self/) > [“Don't cry over the same thing twice. Get it all out the first time, even if it's loud and messy. Then it's over.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-emmie-lang/don-t-cry-over-the-same-thing-twice-get-it-all-out-the-first-time/) [Ruth Emmie Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-emmie-lang/) > [“Living is messy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/living-is-messy/) [woody allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [When you see a tumour in the brain, it's an ugly looking thing. It's kind of black, grisly and messy. Or it can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nesbitt/when-you-see-a-tumour-in-the-brain-it-s-an-ugly-looking-thing-it-s/) [James Nesbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nesbitt/) [Browse all 672 Messy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Now, the process of writing poetry is very messy. 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