Why I'm not a poet...

I used to love writing poetry.

My first attempt to get into the UR's poetry class was fully rebuffed. (Of course, so was my attempt to get into the Creative Writing Fiction, but that's because I was only a Freshman).

As it turns out, I backdoored in. While the usual professor rejected me, the one who filled in for a semester loved my work and welcomed me in. (Wait, creative writing is subjective?)

Because I'd taken the first course, I was allowed into the advanced class with the usual professor. There was only about six of us. I was the ONLY member of the class to not place in the Dean's Prizes for poetry. (I got honorable mention for Creative Writing Fiction that year.)

I went to support the class and the professor asked me to join them for their group picture "just because." I declined.

When I told one of my filmmaking professors I was thinking about getting an MFA in Poetry, he asked "what's the going price on poems these days anyway?" In effect, wholly discouraging me from taking that route.

It's okay.

I'm a better screenwriter than I am a poet.

I'll let you know when I get to the going price on scripts...