As you may know, my 2021 goal is to do everything poetry. That means reading it, writing it, and learning all I can about it. It's been almost a full three months since I started, and I thought I'd share what I've learned so far about writing poetry.
Don't over think it Oftentimes, we think of poetry as a certain thing. We have an image of Dr. Seuss, for example, or we think we have to have a rhyme scheme (ABAAB or something!). Yes, those things you're thinking about are examples of poetry, but it's not the only kind! I learned from my creative writing teacher that most contemporary doesn't even rhyme! So once you know that it doesn't have to look a certain way, you have a lot more freedom, I think. Look for examples Over the past month, I've read eleven books with poetry from ten different poets, but I've also scoured the Internet for examples as well. I find that the more I read, the more ideas I get about structure, technique, and ideas for topics! I've seen poets use onomatopoeia, imagery, symbolism, personification, repetition and so much more. I love reading book in verses best because I like how several poems, collectively, can tell a story! (Also because my current work in progress is a book in verse.) You can also read craft books specifically about poetry as well. The two I've read so far are The Triggering Town by Richard Hugo and A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver. (I enjoyed the latter best!) Get specific and get personal I learned this early on (in my creative writing class), but it's something I think about every time I write a poem. I draft and then I think:
Practice play! Lastly, one of the most important lessons I've had in poetry so far is learning to be okay with play. Sure, I might write a crummy poem, but I won't know it's crummy until I write it. Most of the time, after I've written the "crummy" poem, I realize that it isn't that bad at all and/or that if I tweak it or switch a word or two, it gets better. The sky is the limit when it comes to poetry play, though! You can cut lines wherever and however you feel it makes sense. You can write in fragments, in lists, in bullets, in pictures. You can write a series of poems with the same title. you can indent. You can use italics. You can repeat the same phrase or word. You can combine subjects or ideas that aren't usually combined. You can write sounds, purposely forget to capitalize or never put any periods. Play. Play. Play! Practice. Practice. Practice! I still have a lot to learn, but I hope these first few lessons inspire you to learn to poetry or explore the poetry we have in our world. There's a lot! If you want to see my poetry, check out the poetry tab on my website. If you want to see what I'm reading, check out my Instagram posts. Happy poetry-ing!
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