Summary

The article discusses the therapeutic benefits of writing haiku, particularly its ability to help the author cope with a breakup and maintain a daily writing commitment amidst a busy travel schedule.

Abstract

The author has recently taken to writing haiku as a means to fulfill daily writing commitments despite a hectic travel schedule. Haiku's simplicity and brevity allow for quick composition, which fits into the author's limited time. This form of poetry has also served as a cathartic tool, providing therapy during a recent breakup by forcing the author to condense emotions and thoughts into a structured format. The author notes the unexpected benefit of haiku writing in dealing with pent-up rage and a diminished attention span post-breakup. Additionally, the haiku has become a strategic way to engage with other writers and readers on Medium, potentially serving as a gateway to the author's longer works, such as novels. The instant gratification of publishing haiku, as opposed to waiting for longer pieces to be accepted by publications, has proven to be both encouraging and somewhat financially rewarding, even if it's just earning cents per piece.

Opinions

The author finds haiku writing therapeutic, especially for processing emotions following a breakup.
Haiku's quick composition aligns well with the author's need to write amidst a busy lifestyle.
The strict syllable count of haiku (5, 7, 5) is challenging yet addictive, providing a sense of discipline and focus.
Publishing haiku allows the author to maintain a presence in writing publications while waiting for longer works to be accepted.
The author views haiku as a potential bridge to attract readers to their more substantial fictional works.
There is a sense of community and support among writers on Medium, as haiku pieces are quickly read and appreciated.
The financial return from haiku is minimal, but the author values the non-monetary rewards such as reader engagement and personal satisfaction.

The Blessings of Writing Haiku

An article about the goodness of haiku that has no haiku because I already did that piece.

So, I’ve been writing a lot of haiku lately.

I’m not going to lie. The primary reason is they’re simple and I can write them quickly.

I’ve been traveling a lot lately. Some days I’m slammed and don’t have much time because I have to drive. I can crank out a haiku of multiple stanzas in less than 15 minutes, find a picture, and post it.

Thus my daily commitment of posting to Medium has been met.

Now that I’m trying to get some attention in publications, haiku serves an even more vital purpose in that I can get a piece out there immediately, while waiting to see if a much longer piece will be accepted. And it will be some days before I find out, and before that piece will be out there.

American Haiku will either ride or die within hours. I just found them. Wish I’d known about that publication earlier.

Anyway, I digress.

An unexpected benefit has arisen from writing haiku. I found out that it’s good therapy.

And here’s a link to that haiku I wrote about it.

What surprised me the most was writing haiku made me let go.

The precise rules of the 5, 7, 5 syllable count forced me to streamline in a way that my verbose self doesn’t come to naturally.

It’s a relief to write with such precision. It’s actually kind of addictive.

I can write haiku even when I can’t concentrate fully because the process doesn’t require much time or effort.

Having gone through a breakup recently, I have a lot of pent up rage and thus, my attention span suffers.

I’m livid with my ex, but that pales in comparison to the anger towards myself— for staying in a dead-end relationship for too long, for abandoning my values, and betraying the principles I hold dear by being in partnership with somebody who is the anti-thesis of everything I love.

So yeah, there’s lots of feelings, and haiku creates a discipline — whether I want it or not — to focus and whittle and get straight to the point.

From a selfish perspective, I also figured out that other writers will generously read haiku pieces because they know it won’t take more than seconds, yet they still get credit for reading and clapping for other writers.

I wonder if this is a great way to introduce my fiction, and my fictional characters. Maybe I will entice a new audience to my actual work of writing novels.

https://readmedium.com/ella-bandita-in-haiku-5dbb517a6a63

For a haiku from a new writer to Medium, it did pretty well and that’s encouraging.

So even though I only earn cents, not dollars, for each haiku I write, I kind of dig it.

No, I more than dig it.

And I’m curious to see how this goes.