Poetry is a form of creative writing through which you can communicate your feelings, experiences, and thoughts to the world. Moreover, with poetry, you can also make your readers feel what you are feeling. But, in order to write an excellent poem that is impressive to your readers, you must be aware of the essential poetry writing tips and the basic steps involved in the preparation. Suppose, you have no idea about how to write a poem, then continue reading this blog. Here, for your convenience, we have explained the steps for writing an engaging poem along with some key tips. Follow them all to come up with an attractive poem on any subject.
What is a Poem?
It is a form of creative writing in which a collection of words is arranged in a particular way to convey a feeling, idea, or emotion. Poems can also be defined as literary compositions that demonstrate the power of language and imagination.
Poems rarely follow the conventions of speeches or prose. Instead of paragraphs, it will be written in verses with complete or incomplete sentences. Although it is not required, a poem will typically place a greater emphasis on sounds, imagery, rhyme, and effect.
An Overview of Poetry Writing
Poetry is one of the creative ways to share your emotions, ideas, and experiences with others. In general, there are different styles to compose a poem and from that, you can choose any style of your choice. Mostly, famous poets use certain literary techniques and methods for composing all types of poems.
Remember, there are no defined guidelines for writing poems. As a poem is a free form of writing, you can very well use your imagination and unique words to create a novel piece. Moreover, you need not follow poem-writing guidelines, when sharing about your experience. Simply, writing what makes you happy without interfering with the thought process is enough. But, when composing a poem in a literary context, make sure to adhere to the standard formats and styles of poem writing.
Steps for Writing an Engaging Poem
Poetry writing is not a simple task. It is one of the challenging creative processes that require strong creativity, knowledge, and writing skills. In case, you are scared about how to write a successful poem, then simply execute the steps that are presented below.
Step 1: Get to know the purpose of a poem
Before you start writing your poem, first, analyze and get to know why you like to write a poem and what you want to present in your poem. Generally, having a clear understanding of the main purpose of your poem will help you to easily find out the format, length, style, language, and type of your poem.
Step 2: Determine the subject of your poem
Every poem must have a unique subject. A subject is nothing but the core theme or soul of a poem that defines what the poem is all about. So, you should make sure to conduct deep research and identify a subject for your poem.
Usually, for poetry writing assignments, your instructors will share some interesting poetry prompts. But at times, they will give you the liberty to choose your poem’s subject on your own. In such instances, you can pick the poem subject of your choice.
Here are some subjects that you can consider while composing your poetry – an animal, person, place, object, time, emotion, or feeling.
Step 3: Brainstorm and gather ideas
As soon as you confirm the subject of your poem, imagine that subject and take notes of all the significant words, people, objects, and several other things that come to your mind. Next, analyze all those gathered ideas from different perspectives. Finally, with the results of your brainstorming process, begin writing your poem.
Step 4: Find out your poem format
To compose a good poem, a specific format should be followed. Basically, readers can understand your ideas only if you format your poem properly. In general, the format of a poem is influenced by the subject and tone.
As you are a beginner, right now, you need not confuse yourself with the poetry style and format. Simply choose any poem type of your choice and stick to the format that is convenient for you.
Some popular poetry types and styles for beginners include free verse, narrative, I am, haiku, acrostic, and rhyming couplets.
Step 5: Compose your poem
As soon as you get a clear understanding of your poem’s purpose, subject, and format, begin writing your poem. Especially, at the time of composing your poem, firstly identify a single line and then using either a forward or backward approach complete the remaining lines in your poem. The line you define first can be an opening line, a closing line, a title, or a middle line.
Simply focus on your words. Don’t worry too much about the formatting, while you are working on the first draft. You can format your poem after you complete writing all the lines in your poem.
Step 6: Proofread and Edit
Lastly, after you finish preparing your poem, proofread the entire content and edit if your draft has any spelling, punctuation, or logical errors. Also, get feedback for your poem from your friends or family members and then make modifications as per their criticisms. Note that, the final copy of your poem should be original, flawless, and well-structured in a standard format.
At the end of the day, it is your poem. So, you can make as many changes as possible until you get complete satisfaction. The poem is said to be completed only if you have a good feeling about it.
Till now, we have seen how to write a poem. In the next section, let us have a look at the important tips to follow while composing a poem.
10 Essential Poetry Writing Tips for Beginners
Basically, it is not an easy task for everyone to write an impressive poem. In general, poem writing is a kind of art that needs more creativity and knowledge. But if you are struggling to write an appealing and engaging poem, then the below-mentioned poetry writing tips would be helpful to you.
1. Study the literary works of great poets
In case, you wish to improve your poem-writing skills, then make sure to read the poems that were written by notable poets. Usually, going through the literary works of contemporary poets will help you to get a deeper understanding of their poetry styles, techniques, and languages. Mainly, exposing yourself to a fresh voice would assist you in developing your poetry skills.
2. Try writing several poem types
Commonly, poems are classified into several types. If you like to tune your poetry skills, then try writing all the different types of poems such as free verse, haiku, nursery rhyme, etc. Regular practice will help you to identify the poem type and style that is suitable for you. As soon as you find out your strengths in poem writing, you can concentrate on those areas and transform into an established poet after making some improvements.
3. Look for new poetic devices
To craft a magical poem, use the different poetic devices and literary techniques available. Implementing numerous poetic devices logically in your poem will help you to make your poem stand unique in the crowd.
For example, to include a new sound effect in your piece of writing, you can either use alliteration or assonance. Additionally, for generating a new meaning, you can examine and add new poetic devices such as synecdoche or extended metaphor.
4. Rule out clichés
Overused phrases or opinions that ruin the originality and meaning of a poem are referred to as a cliché. While writing poems, avoid using clichés. The poem you compose will be considered original only if you ignore using clichés in it. Try to express your opinion in a creative and unique style instead of using clichéd opinions.
5. Present Images
Creatively play with words while you draft a poem. In specific, your poem should stimulate the senses of your readers such as touch, smell, taste, sight, and hearing. So, try to stay imaginative and include new images in your poem. If you stay imaginative, your poem will originally reflect your ideas.
6. Include Similes and Metaphors
Be sure to use metaphors and similes in your poem to build imagery. A metaphor is a poetic device that pretends one thing to be something else. On the other hand, a simile is a powerful poetic device that defines one thing as similar to another thing. For a poem, comparison, inference, and suggestion are significant. Hence, to enhance that, use similes and metaphors in your poem.
7. Play with Rhyme
For a poem, rhyme is also a significant poetic device like simile and metaphor. In general, rhyme gives a special musical effect to a poem. If you use a rhyming scheme in your poem, then it will be easy for your readers to memorize and remember your poem. Note that, using the wrong rhyming scheme would affect the poem’s quality. Therefore, carefully choose a rhyming scheme that is ideal for your poem.
8. Work with Meter
The stressed and unstressed syllables from line to line in a poem are referred to as meter. If you want your poem to be rhythmically interesting, include different meter types in your poem. Trying out several types of meters in your poem will help you to increase the value of your work.
9. Reduce the choice of words
While explaining concepts that are complex and have intense meaning, avoid using abstract words and flowery language. Since you are a beginner, in your poem, just use simple language with clear and concrete images. Also, avoid taking new words for your poem from a thesaurus. Be simple with what you compose. If you feel you are overwriting, then just tone down your language and use simple verses.
10. Revise unlimited times
A brilliant poem is composed only after several rounds of revisions. Therefore, as soon as you complete writing your poem, revise and edit it numerous times until you are completely satisfied.
Basically, not everyone can pen an outstanding poem. Even, at certain times, some well-known poets fail to come up with a good poem. So, tune your poem-writing skills and prepare a poem by following all the poetry-writing tips shared above.
Conclusion
If you are a student who is pursuing a course in Literature or English, then as a part of your assignments you will be asked to submit a poem. Hopefully, following the poetry writing steps and tips mentioned in this blog post will help you to create an extraordinary poem. In case, you are unsure of how to write a poem successfully, reach out to us quickly.
