"Loving in Truth" by Sir Philip Sidney

LOVING in truth, and fain in verse my love to show, 
That She, dear She, might take some pleasure of my pain; 
Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her know, 
Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain; 
I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe,
Studying inventions fine, her wits to entertain; 
Oft turning others’ leaves, to see if thence would flow 
Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sunburned brain. 
But words came halting forth, wanting Invention’s stay; 
Invention, Nature’s child, fled step-dame Study’s blows;    
And others’ feet still seemed but strangers in my way. 
Thus, great with child to speak, and helpless in my throes, 
Biting my truant pen, beating myself for spite. 
“Fool,” said my Muse to me, “look in thy heart, and write!”

--Sir Philip Sidney



Sir Philip Sidney wrote a book called In Defense of Poetry. I love this poem for the same reason I love the first poem here from the planner - it is about the process itself. How to be a write? How to write? I've read several author's comments (Gary Larsen, Agatha Christie, Jo Rowling, Orson Scott Card, Neil Gaiman) that one of the most common questions they get is where their ideas come from. Depending on the writer, the answers are funny, flippant, or self-deprecating, but no one really has an answer. This poem of Sir Philip Sidney's is my favorite depiction of the agony of writer's block and how to set about conquering it.