give me some poetry writing tips?

Answer 1

helo
Poetry Writing Tips
Show, don’t tell
Do more with less
Start with basics – not rhyme
Match sound with meaning
Use rhythm & line breaks
Compare with similes and metaphors
Create vivid imagery
Be specific
Use memory
Exploit the senses




Don't be afraid to write from a different point of view. Write a poem that says exactly the opposite of what you believe, and do it without irony.

When you can't write, lie on the floor a while. (thank you Jon Anderson)

Write in different places. Keep a notebook. Write in a park or on a street-corner or in an alley. You don't HAVE to write about the place, but it will influence you whether you do or not.

Listen to talk radio while you write. Listen to the people who call. Great characters and voices emerge that way.

If you don't like a poem or poet, figure out exactly why. Chances are, it reflects something you don't like about your own poetry.

When nothing is coming, start writing very fast-- any word, phrase or sentence that comes to mind. Do that for about a minute, then go back to your poem. (I call this flushing.) Whether to use anything you flushed is up to you. You can, but that's not the purpose.

Make a list of poems you can remember specific lines from. Go back and read those poems. Figure out why they stuck with you.

Keep a dream journal. Dreams are your mind at it's most creative so listen to it. Don't feel you have to write a poem ABOUT your dreams. If you want to, fine, but the main goal is to see what thoughts the dreams lead you to.

When nothing is coming for you, try analyzing someone else' s poems. (or even one of yours) Figure out what works, what doesn't work, and why. Think about what you would have done differently.

Use humor, irony, and melodrama, just don't abuse them.

Write the worst poem you can possibly write. Use clichés, pretentious words, and beat your reader over the head with your point. Felt good, didn't it? Now get back to work. The point is, don't be afraid to write a bad poem. If it takes a hundred bad poems before you can produce a poem you like, fine, get that hundred out of the way.

Dirty limericks can be fun too.

Every great poet has written a bad poem, probably hundreds, possibly thousands. They kept writing though, and so should you.

Every line of a poem should be important to the poem, and interesting to read. A poem with only 3 great lines should be 3 lines long.

Poems should progress. There should be a reason why the first stanza comes before the second, the second before the third, and so on.

Listen to criticism, and try to learn from it, but don't live or die by it. When I was in college, I would always take my best reviewed poem from the previous class and submit it for review in the next. Invariably, the next professor hated the poem, and could provide good reasons why it failed.

When you write a good poem, one you really like, immediately write another. Maybe that one poem was your peak for the night or maybe you're on a roll. There's only one way to find out.

Follow your fear. Don't back away from subjects that make you uncomfortable, and don't try to keep your personal demons off the page. Even if you never publish the poems they produce, you have to push yourself and write as honestly as possible.

Submit your poems. Sooner or later you have to send your babies out into the world to find their way. Emily Dickinson was a fluke, most people who don't publish while they're alive will never be seen or heard of --- no matter how good their poems.

Buy books of poetry, especially books by current writers working in the field and subscribe to poetry journals. Give back to the poetry community by reading (and paying for) the works of others. If you don't, what right have you to expect others to do it for you?

Go to poetry readings. Check your local arts publications, almost any sizable town has readings every week or every other week. This is a great opportunity to meet poets and people who care about poetry.
When you go to readings, donate money and buy books if you can.

Answer 2

Oooh...a hard one. The thing is, like you said, poetry is a state of mind. And , again like you said, you seem to have trouble attaining that. So... -Take a break. Staring at a paper is not going to help (And it's bad for eyes too!) -Talk with people. This might seem weird, but sometimes talking helps... -Read! Reading good poetry (Keats', Wordsworth's, Yeats', Tennyson's...) helps me. A lot. -Just be. Poetry isn't going to be good if it's forced. You have to let it flow. Be yourself. I'm sure that'll help! -Do things you love to do, or normally write about. It'll stimulate your mind. -Think. Argue. Discuss. Use your imagination. -Freewrite. Write whatever you come up with-just put pen to paper. -Practise. If you haven't written for a long time, you're probably out of practise. -Music, art, books. These all help to get into the 'state of mind' -And finally, believe in yourself. Whatever you write is amazing, because it's part of you.

Answer 3

# A poem with Love in the title (or Destiny, Hate, or other HUGE themes) already has two strikes against it (and I like love poems).
# The bigger your point, the more important the details are.
# Say what you want to say and let your readers decide what it means.
# Feel free to write a bad poem.
# Develop your voice. Get comfortable with how you write.
# Don't explain everything.
# Untitled poems are lazy. They're like unnamed children. Obviously their parent doesn't care about them.
# People will remember an image long after they've forgotten why it was there.
# That one perfect line in a thirty line poem may be what makes it all worthwhile, or it may be what makes the rest of the poem bad. Keep an eye on it.
# There are many excuses not to write. Try using writing as an excuse not to do other things.
# The more you read, the more you learn. The more you write, the more you develop.

Answer 4

My opinion is to write from the heart. When you're at the height of an emotion-- whether it's sorrow, joy, depression, or whatever--write then. When you're writing at this time--then--you're bearing your soul. For instance: breaking up with a lover, falling in love, falling out of love, getting a new job, getting fed up with nosey neighbors, losing your job, chasing a dream, changin your life...

Don't limit your writings to this either. Always carry a little notebook and pen with you. Whenever you see something or hear something that sparks a poetic verse (like while you're walking down the street,, sitting at a graduation, waiting for a reprimand from your boss, waiting for a bus, whatever) you can write it down and work with it later.

Another thing that I find helpful, is sitting in a scenic environment. Personally, I love to go to our beach in the summer and watch the sunset. That very beautiful scene generates so many verses.,

Remember, too, good poetry doesn't have to rhyme. In fact, many of our poetic greats wrote poetry that didn't rhyme at all. However, it should always (rhyming or not) retain a certain metric (a beat or tempo).

Attending poetic reading and hang out with ENCOURAGING friends.

Well, those are my tips. I hope they were helpful.

Good Luck!!!

Answer 5

To write a poem well,
one must tell,
a rhyme and a story in one.

Never be dull,
keep them reading,
a love story, hearts bleeding.

A comedy will get a laugh,
but always make a draft,
and review,
to make better,
a poem for public view!

Show you work and toil,
Political correctness gone wrong,
making people boil.

Use the Net, and I'll bet,
You will gets some tips,
from peoples lips,
safe search on, or it could all go wrong.

Try looking at work by those gone by,
like the poetry of good old Poe.

He's the best as poets go.
but each to his own I guess!

(rhyming poem as above is easier, below a more freestyle poem shows the writers personality. )

But to ask,
to get an answer,

the right one?
Or madness of another?

Ranting on the web,
poisoning my ears,eyes,
turning me against my screen.

but help is at hand,
cutting through the madness,
a shining poet, heart beating on his cuff,

like a galloping horse,
he rides to me,

and answers what I need.
happychappers1
come to the aid,
rhyming at hand , not afraid.

( I have my own poerty site, but is down at the moment as am moving hoasts from a free host to a fee paying one as need to expand. My tips are use the net to research poets, the "poetry" I have wrote above I have typed without writing. So it will look rubbish. But if you review styles and find your own you will naturally get better. )

Reallity IE: Heart bleeding, a pool of blood seeping, peirced by her scorn.

Or

Fictional rhyme IE: Hey diddle fiddle, the cat jumped over the moon.....

look up the international poets socity in google.
read up on the subject, and good luck and remember:

be origanal, and individual. Not a copy cat.

Answer 6

you write when you feel real bad or real good. Never first time in the morning or before going to bed.