Poetry is messy, artistic, unique, deep, shallow, light, dark, perfectly un-perfect, and more. It is one thing to read poetry but it a whole new thing to write your own poetry. Writing poetry can seem like it is on an unattainable pedestal because of the rhymes, the symbolism, the long words, ect that we hear in school or you read in a book, but like most things, the poets of the world had to start somewhere and little by little anyone can achieve a beautiful poem. Poetry is writing with no limits. It can be anything you wish: direct or symbolized, short or long, beautiful, strange, dreamy, a mix of those or none of those at all. You can write a three word poem or three page poem, it is all up to you. The act of write poetry can better your understanding of languages, increase your writing abilities, help you tap into your emotional side, and get your deep thoughts onto paper. For some, writing poetry can be used as a de-stressor or a way to get through tough times, for others it can be a get away or just for fun. Whatever your reason to learn how to write poetry, we are here to help you!
SIMPLE STEPS TO WRITING POETRY
1. Don't hold back your emotions: Remember when you were younger and you could do or say whatever came to mind? The first thing that you need to know to write poetry is how to tap into that young mind where you said whatever you felt like. Holding back the deep emotions or feelings aren't doing any good but putting them into a piece of art like poetry, is healthy and can help your mental health and your poetry abilities. The best poems are the ones that are so transparent that you can sense the rawness while reading it.
2. Write what comes to mind: Richard Hugo, in The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing, stated "If you are a private poet, then your vocabulary is limited by your obsessions. It doesn't bother me that the word "stone" appears more than thirty times in my third book, or that "wind" and "grey" appear over and over to the disdain of some reviewers. If I didn't use them that often I'd be lying about my feelings, and I consider that unforgivable. In fact, most poets write the same poem over and over." This quote reinforces the idea that there is no need to feel the pressure to make each poem different and hyper focus on the words and vocabulary within the poems. Write what comes to mind and don't worry if you have written about the stars over and over or if you have used the word bright five times in your poem.
3. Find a place that you feel safe to write in: This small step can make a huge difference on your writing. Writing poetry, an emotional form of writing, in a place you don't feel emotionally safe or secure, probably won't result in true, raw poetry, or poetry at all. Find a place like your bedroom, underneath a tree, or in your bath tub. Wherever you feel the most emotionally safe, is where you need to write your poetry in order to produce poetry.
4. Know it is okay to break the rules: In school, you probably were taught a few rules of writing and poetry. Rules can be constricting and hard to write with. Poetry needs to be written freely, without a rule in sight. Rules can hold you back and make it hard to know where to even start writing. If you choose to rhyme, then rhyme, and if you don't, then don't. If you want 5 syllables in every line, write it, and if you want 5 syllables in line 2 and 8 in line three, then do it. You can write poems with 5 words or poetry that fills the page. Free verse poetry is an easier place to begin writing then poetry with rules and "how to's".
5. Pick a topic and write: To be able to write poetry, you need to pick up and write. As said before, don't think too hard. To help stir up some ideas for you, we have created a few ideas.
Topic Ideas to get you thinking
Amber eyes
Blankets
Apple pie
Friends
A daisy
Five year old you
A future time
Dreams
The moon
Winter
We hope that these five simple steps can lead you to your own writing poetry. Remember that poetry is free, and rule breaking, it is imaginative, and unique. Anyone can do it because there is no "how to's" you must follow. Happy Thursday and happy writing!
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