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im a beginner and i would like some suggestions on books that i can get at the library that will teach me the basics of writing poetry and how to learn how to write in meter. thank you

2006-07-30 17:32:56 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities Books & Authors

12 answers

To be able to write poetry - its not something you can learn, it's like an art, you either have the talent or you dont. I suggest you just try on your own, write about whatever you feel, like, dont like, people places things.....you'll be surprised. If you need then keep a thesaurus and a dictionary handy, to help you out with spellings, and different words.
Read alot of poetry too, and read it all, from the canterbury tales, to the modern stuff, it will give you insight into the many different ways poetry can be written...there's no such thing as a "correct" style.
Writing poetry is like artistic license, you can put the words where ever you like, you dont have to use things like capitals and punctuation, except where you feel they need to be.

a great website to visit is http://www.inspirationpeak.com they have a fantastic forum on there with poetry etc....read, you'll see how so many people today define poetry.

Good Luck,

2006-07-30 18:01:20 · answer #1 · answered by Kismet 3 · 3 3

There is plenty of material available at the library. I don't read books about poetry so when I write it; it is unique to me. There is no right or wrong way of doing it. It is a form of expression. When you find a way to express what is inside you; then you have created poetry. This keeps it fresh and original...for there is very little that hasn't been expressed before.

Some like to rhyme, some make statements or observations, while others tell stories. I think of it as an art form that deserves a free expression of it. If you like what you create, then it does not matter if another likes it...only your opinion truly matters. When others tell you they like it; then you receive a form of validation for your work.

I've been writing poetry for over forty years...some of it lost to me forever...some of it written anonymously and copied. It doesn't matter to me..."I got to say it" and it meant something to someone, somewhere. I know it will live on...and this brings me my deepest satisfaction. Some of my best work was produced very quickly after a dream, or insight...while I struggle with some of it over a period of days. Just do it. You get better at it over time.

2006-07-30 17:50:46 · answer #2 · answered by riverhawthorne 5 · 0 0

I recommend
-- James Wright (Above the River),
-- Mark Strand (Reasons For Moving -- one of my all-time favorite poems),
--Rita Dove (On the Bus With Rosa Parks),
--Sharon Olds (she can be quite explicit but is very down to earth; her book is The Gold Cell),
-- Richard Hugo (The Triggering Town, Making Certain It Goes On),
-- Fred Chappell and others. These are all contemporary American poets.

Paul Fussell has a book on poetic meter; he's quite a good author and academic. I believe he is a professor in Pennsylvania.

I'd also recommend Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, as well as Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott.

Hope this helps. I did my MA in English creative writing and my thesis was a book of my own poetry. I'm a teacher and have been for 14 years but I still write poetry and very occasionally a short story. Hope this helps.

Cheers, K

2006-07-30 17:45:22 · answer #3 · answered by Kate 4 · 0 0

Why would you write in meter? Class issue? Modern poetry is different. Read some 20th century poetry to get an idea. I am a creative writing major, acing poetry class. I prefer Sylvia Plath.

2006-07-30 17:37:00 · answer #4 · answered by gone 3 · 0 0

For help with sonics try Robert Pinsky's "The Sound of Poetry," he breaks down sound to a really basic level, and it's a great refresher of esoteric poetry jargon.
For help with the process, I really like The Poet's Work, edited by Reginald Gibbons. It has a lot of essay's by poets and critics that bring specific parts of the writing process to life. The Randall Jarrell essay where he talks about the inspiration and the creation of "The Woman at the Washington Zoo" really helped me with creating charachters for poems, and freed me from my confessional poetry rut.
Good luck, it's nice to see people taking up the craft.

2006-07-30 17:46:48 · answer #5 · answered by Bubba 2 · 0 0

Read lots of poetry, not books telling you how to write it. Write what you feel and know and don't be afraid to make mistakes or write badly, that is what editing is for.
Read:
"On Writing" by: Stephen King
"Leaves of Grass" by: Walt Whitman
Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe & every other book that falls in your path.

2006-07-30 17:39:53 · answer #6 · answered by sage 5 · 0 0

I don't think you need a book to being writing poetry. I just think you need some motivation. Email me and I can help you further.

2006-07-30 19:19:29 · answer #7 · answered by Sarah 1 · 0 0

You should read Maya Angelou books because her books teach you a lesson and that you can really learn from and her poems tell about how she grew up and she just inspires readers.

2006-07-30 18:19:09 · answer #8 · answered by badgul94 1 · 0 0

Ralph Fletcher has written some books on writing...check those out

2006-07-31 04:56:11 · answer #9 · answered by Library Eyes 6 · 0 0

try my favortie,
THE COMPLETE STORIESAND POEMS OF EDGAR ALLEN POE.
very creative,
Godd Luck.

2006-07-30 17:38:15 · answer #10 · answered by bleacherbrat34 6 · 0 0

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