Question About Poetry Writing?

Question

I LOVE reading poetry and I would love to be able to write poetry but I'm just not very creative AT ALL, is there a book or website or something you know that could help me to be more creative so that I can write good poetry? And sorry if I put this in the wrong section, I wasnt sure where to put it.

Answer 1

If you're serious about writing poetry, you have to write and write (and throw most of it away), and read good poets and write and write (and throw most of it away).

I have one whole shelf of books on the writing of poetry. They all give you good ideas, things to try, but you gotta develop an ear and an eye for poetry, and enjoy doing it.

Three don'ts:

Forget about rhythm, meter, and rhyme -- at least for the time being.

Forget about being "creative"; just be honest about what you see that catches your breath or makes you go aha.

Forget about "how-to" books; read lots of poets and a few idea books.

Three do's:

Learn to write in lines (like found poems, haiku, William Carlos Williams). Pick a prose passage that really speaks to you. Rewrite it as a poem. How did you decide to divide it into lines? How would it have been different as a poem, if you had broken it into lines in different places?

Learn to write specific, concrete images. OK, so you went to a NASCAR race. Don't tell me how you felt (esp. which guys made you hot). Tell me what you saw, heard, smelled. Tell me what you saw, heard, and smelled that maybe no one else did, at least not the same way you did. That's heading toward being creative.

Learn to play around with language. Listen to the sounds of words. How do they feel on your tongue? When do they say more than they say? Know what I mean? One of my favorite lines from a love poem is from Shakespeare's Sonnet 116. It talks about love lasting in spite of all the changes that Time and old age (the Old Grim Reaper) bring: "though rosy lips and cheeks / within his bending sickle's compass come." Listen to the hissing and pounding; see the sweet Valentine images in the first line give way to hard reality and grim "sickle" of the second.

OK, with those do's and don'ts in mind, you might want to check out some of these books.

Start with two that are fun and simple: Susan G. Wooldridge, poemcrazy, and Paul B. Janeczko, How to Write Poetry. You might even want to go back to two old favorites that talk about getting children to play with words and images: Kenneth Koch, Wishes, Lies, and Dreams, and (one of my favorites) Douglas Anderson, My Sister Looks Like a Pear.

Now, if you're really serious, a standard textbook is Robert Wallace, Writing Poems.

And, finally, what I call "idea books": assignments and suggestions given by poets who teach other poets: Christopher Edgar and Ron Padgett, Old Faithful: 18 Writers Present Their Favorite Writing Assignments (Teachers & Writers Collaborative, perhaps the best publisher for folks interested in writing), Jack Collom & Sheryl Noethe, Poetry Everywhere (also T&WC, a book for teachers but the assignments are good ideas for anyone to try), and Bill Brown and Malcolm Glass, Important Words: A Book for Poets and Writers. Bill Brown was a high-school teacher in Nashville, TN, whose students' works are quoted freely in this book. The book has chapters on haunting your childhood, the old neighborhood, photograph albums, the family, animals, introspection, and the like. He could have done a chapter on NASCAR.

One of his chapters starts with a poem that has these opening lines. Note the lines, the images, and the playing with language. And note that it doesn't rhyme; it isn't "creative"; and it doesn't follow anybody's "how-to." It's just honest, and already it hooks the reader:

You're in a fast food place
and this plain old guy
sits down at the table across from you.

He's got on two year old Knapp boots,
soiled in the way work soils, and his coat
is like one you'd see on a 4th grader
in Buffalo, orange and green and yellow
checks, a fake sheepskin collar,
and polyfill guts spilling out down by the kidney.

(from Paul McRay, Landscape, 1986)

Some of these books are out-of-print, but you can get them from used book dealers; for example,

http://abebooks.com/

Good luck. Enjoy!

Write and write, and . . . (well, actually I never tthrow anything away, but then I would never show most of it to anybody else either)!

Answer 2

dint worry its a good question. if your not feeling creative research transcendentalism, it will help you spark your creativity without other people telling you who to do it or what sounds write or wrong.
other way is just to start to write, just relax and write, maybe keep a journal.
other way to get started is may lay out in front of you some of your favorite writers work, highlight sections of what impacts you the most. done this with a few pieces of work then try to combine the different thoughts a phrases together, it would not be your own work but it would show you what you are draw to, teach you about other authors styles that you can incorporate into your work.
also if you prefer a more structured way of learning about poetry then get a book that will teach you about all the formal elements about poetry and writing.

just relax and do over think it.

Answer 3

Poetry is not something that you learn from a book like a recipe to bake a cake. There must be some part of you that can express in poetic form the subtle nuances of inner thought. It is like being a musician, an oil painter, or sculptor. It is a inner vision that becomes external. As a last resort just sit down one night when no one is around, when there are no distractions and write your thoughts down on paper and then edit your writings. You never know you might after all be "Creative"

Answer 4

I know there's a website called Pondrin where you can read a lot of other people's poems and get ideas from reading theirs. I think that the more you read other people's poems, the more creative you will get. Pondrin.com is also a place where you can post your own poems on the website and receive feedback from other people on how to make your poetry better.

Answer 5

If you love to read poetry, that's the first step.
If you've never written much at all creatively, try freewriting first -- don't worry about form or "how to" -- set a timer for 5 minutes, and write without thinking to much about it -- do this every day for a week or so, and then, go back and just read what you've written without a critical eye -- just look for snippets of what you "like" .... try not to say "I can't do this" -- but instead, think, "What can I try"

Try reading Natalie Goldberg's "Writing Down the Bones" for more ideas of letting go and letting your inner-writer take charge.

"The Artist's Way" is also a good resource to release your creativity. (not just about "art" -- but about anything creative) the author now has a website... http://www.theartistsway.com/

let go and have fun....

Answer 6

Check out Voltage Poetry! It’s a really neat blog that posts kickass poems with epic turns, or points where everything in the poem shifts and becomes something different. They also post accompanying essays that discuss why the turns are so effective. It’s really helpful for analyzing poems and also exposed me to some awesome poetry that’s definitely worth a read.
http://voltagepoetry.com/

Structure and Surprise is another great blog that posts articles and essays discussing and analyzing poetry, especially what makes poems surprising and exciting.
http://structureandsurprise.wordpress.com/

Answer 7

You have to be creative within yourself. You play word games - right? If not - start.......that helps - some good games on www.popcap.com and other game sites are Bookworm, Text Twist, scrabble, Literai, etc...

Look at barnes and noble.com - search under poetry. Also - they have B&NU - some of the free classes you can take online are about poetry.

If you search poetry online, you can also find what you are looking for - be patient - you'll be looking at a few.

Also - log on to Yahoo Groups - there are many poetry groups that can help you as well.

You'll do it if it is in your heart to do so!! Good Luck!!!

Answer 8

Even though there are several sites, the best thing is experimentation. You don't necessarily need to go into poetry capable of producing a wide range of emotions with each poem. You should just start writing--choose a topic that means something to you and go with it. Experience and professionalism will come ONLY with experimentation. Hope I helped, and happy writing!

Answer 9

http://www.poetry.com/