Journal 3 by Mikaela Marshall

Something that stood out to me from chapter nine of The Triggering Town was, “To be a poet you must live with an intensity five times, nay a hundred times more furiously than that of those about you. There is no scene, no experience which should not contribute to your poetic appreciations and culture” (Hugo 100). I really appreciated this quote for more than just writing. As someone going into the art field I felt this could be applied to that as well. I am constantly looking at the world around me and imagining the different ways to transform it into a unique work of art. This quote was a good reminder for my writing that I can apply my same artistic process into my writing.

One thing I took away from The Triggering Town was, “How you feel about yourself is probably the most important feeling you have. It colors all other feelings, and if you are a poet, it colors your writing” (Hugo 67). This takeaway also impacted me as a reminder to stay vulnerable on the page. I think being reminded to keep in touch with your emotions is clearly beneficial to writing, but beyond that is just a healthy way to take care of yourself. By being open and honest about your emotions creates enriched writing as well as some clarity in your life.

Another thing that impacted me in the book was the quote, “Writing is hard and writers need help” (Hugo 52). This was a helpful reminder that writing is not easy and won’t be done perfectly every time, and definitely not on the first try. It is ok to reach out to other writers and ask for both positive and negative feedback with your work. This helped write many of my poems because it reduced the pressure of trying to make a perfect poem by the due date.