Poetry

How to write a good poem

Writing a poem isn’t difficult. Writing a good poem is.

Writing your heart out through a poem is something you get better at with practice and time. Even though there is no specific way to do it, following some rules may help you write good poetry.  These rules will not only make your poems better but will also make you a better poet.

• Start by reading a lot of poetry

  Before you jump in to write poems, try to read a lot of poetry first. You can do this by reading some poems by poets that inspire you. For example, you can reflect an Edward Hirsh poem to know the underlying meaning of every sentence that has been written. Dive into William Shakespeare’s verse to familiarise with rhyme. The important thing is, as much as you read poetry from a well-known poet, you will understand the emotion that poured into every word of the poetry.

• Go to live poem recitations

  Aside from reading a lot of poetry, the experience of consuming live poetry is sure to inspire and help you. When you attend poetry readings, you get a sense of hearing the snappy consonants of a poem loudly, the stressed and unstressed syllables, a well-placed rhyme, breaks, and so many more.

• Start small with a small poem

  Do not mistake quantity for quality in writing poetry. A short, simple rhyming poem might be more attainable rather than trying to write a narrative epic poem. It is simple and can be a non-intimidating way to start writing poetry.

• Do not get captivated with your first line

  If you don’t feel you have precisely the perfect sentence to open your poem, don’t stick there. Keep writing on your verse first, then come back to the first line when you are ready. After all, if we describe poetry as an art, then the opening would be just a piece of it, don’t be obsessed with it and focus on the big picture itself.

• Use dictionaries and thesaurus

  Many professional writers also use a thesaurus and rhyming dictionary to complete poetry, do not feel bad about using them. Just be sure you understand the true meaning of the words that you chose because some synonyms listed in thesaurus have several different meanings.

• Beautify the poetic form

  Like any form of creative writing, the message can be beautified by using metaphors, imagery etc. in your poetry. Do not shy away from using them

• The poem must express big ideas

  You can express some big ideas such as philosophical and political etc in your poetry. Regardless of the length of existing ideas of philosophy that you have, you can express the same in very few words with poems if you choose the words carefully.

• Read multiple forms of poetry

  You need to thrive within the boundaries of the type of poetry that you have getting into. Having a lot of knowledge in multiple types of poetry is a valuable skill. You can dive into each different form, which has its own requirements such as rhyme scene, number of lines, meter etc.

• Connect with other poets

  As a poet, you can connect with other poets via readings, writing classes, and online writing communities. By connecting with others, you can understand and share thoughts about each other’s work. This kind of interaction will provide you with feedback on your first draft from the others. Join a poetry group or community with many types of poetry form. A supportive community will help you to thrive as a good poet by brainstorming ideas together and share poetry exercises that might help other members to produce great poetry.

With the WriteSome app, you can read different kinds of poetry and share your poems with its large writer community that can help you become a better poet.  So what are you waiting for?  Download the WriteSome app today.