How To: Write Poetry

Poetry to me is an expression of the sudden noteworthy inner thought, that arrives unexpectedly in an ephemeral, fleeting form. When you are attracted to the idea of creating some verses, do not sit there with the pen in your hand trying to force yourself to create poetry. If anything, you will produce something boring, you will pull words by the ear, and use too many of them absolutely unnecessarily. It is because you do not have direction, and if you think you do, than it is something too trivial or a cliche.

By no means should you try and read someone else's poetic work prior to writing. Unintentionally, and to your own regret, you will tend to write in the same style, or, even, unfortunately, feed yourself someone's ideas. That is poet's suicide! Stay true to your own ideas. You have to wait until they are born.

Avoid setting up some schedule or plan for writing a poetry. The more free you are, the better poetry will you write. The trick is to listen to your inner voice. Amidst everyday events, and turmoils of life there will be moment when you get that thought, that beautifully sounding something, a phrase, a line, a concept. Whatever you do, write it down straight away. Appearing out of nowhere, this hint, blue print, an epilogue can dissolve as fast as it came, your muse can fly away. Catch it! Find time and start a fast draft, few lines, some words, even a disorganized thread of them. If you do not have time to sit and write your verses now, then leave it as a draft and think about that idea while doing other things, come back to it here and there in your mind, you will find more words, discover rhyming combinations. Do not try to polish anything yet, at all. Just recall the mood of it, you might want to imagine it, put it in music, sing it, act it, cry over it. Repeat new verses in your mind so you do not forget them.

When you finally got time, grab the draft and start typing. Things should flow and more rhymes will come naturally. You might finish it in one set. If not, do not despair, and keep writing, more for the sake of the content than for the perfect rhyming. Read it, and then reread it. When in need for a good rhyming word, go to proper web site to find rhyming words. Choose wisely. If you do not know what some rhyming word means, check an online dictionary. If not satisfied, check also online thesaurus. Shuffle words, change the sentence, do not be afraid to redo the entire paragraph, when necessary.

Read your creation again. Notice as you read what places feel doubtful for one reason or another. Work to better those places, but do not ignore them. Imagine other people reading your poetry, or listening to it, but do not switch your style or content to please the readers, stick with your thoughts, be brave and keep your face. Happy writing.