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Poem titles – How to write one

The only thing more important than writing your poem is coming up with an eye-catching title. It should not only sound good but should be catchy enough to gather your readers’ interest. But writing a title for your piece of poetry can be tricky, hence you should follow these rules while writing one:

The only thing more important than writing your poem is coming up with an eye-catching title to pique your readers’ interest and seize your audience before you’ve even started writing. A title can make or break the chances of your poetry getting noticed, so you need to keep in mind the following points when choosing a title:

1. Use suggestive language

Your poem’s title should reflect the emotion and tone of your piece of writing. This allows the setting to be established including the time and place, which can prevent any confusion from the reader. People are more likely to read your poem if your title shows true emotion and evokes an emotional response.

2. Your poem title should aim for emotions

You don’t need to ‘sugar coat’ your title if your poem is too forward and directed towards a sensitive topic. Usually, the reader can determine the tone and gravity of the poem just from the title (even if it is just one word).

3. Archetypes

This technique may sound unfamiliar, but archetypes allow a ‘short-circuit’ to a reader’s response. An archetype is a common recurring image or ‘motif’ in the arts, with strong connotations that cause a reaction. For example, poems with well-known fantasy creatures can already have the reader understand the characters and the setting.

4. Optimal length

If you are going to make a title using only one word (which can be very difficult to do effectively), choose a word with such strong connotations that evokes any emotion, even confusion, that will make the reader want to look at your work.

5. Your poem title should use a name

This is not limited to your character’s name. If any character or place in your poem has an obscure name which, in itself, sparks curiosity, then you should definitely find a way to incorporate it into the title. You can also choose to focus your title on a place; the setting of the poem or where you want your reader to picture in their heads. This could help with the interpretation and understanding of the poem overall. Moreover, if the title contains a strange name, the reader will be more curious and inclined to look into the story.

Writing any type of poem can be hard to do without the correct help and guidance, especially if you are just starting in your writing career. Thankfully, the WriteSome community is here to help you. It is a group of passionate writers who love to share and discover poetry and stories on the WriteSome App.

Currently, the app is available for download on android and, for iOS users, we are launching soon. To be notified of our launches, you can register to the WriteSome mailing list.