Young Writers Society

For me it's like, I'll hear a line or something funny/serious that someone said, and I'll try putting that in the mouth of either myself or a character that I've created...then I go from there. Otherwise I write when I have thoughts or opinions that I feel could be expressed best in a poem.

I almost always start with an image. Though it usually comes with a good line, which always helps. Then from there, I look closely at word choice, and go to my bestest friend the dictionary to find all meanings of what I'm trying to say, swirl together, add a dash of cinnamon, and fwoosh! a poem!

i must be the strangest person in the world
i sit down with a pen and a piece of paper
and i put myself into a situation
much as you would if you were performing a script
about 15 minutes later i have a poem
some good
some not so good
i dont know
it works for me i suppose
anybody else ever tried that?

It's a little different for me... Something, a line, an idea, a phrase, pops into my head, and I clamp onto it, write it down, and go from there. Usually I'm not even thinking about what I'm putting down; I'm just moving my hand in the shapes of the letters in my head.
Not much thought, or time - or real "work" - goes into my poems... which is maybe why most of them suck. XD

Peace, love chocolate,
Muffin

The first few lines hit me and then the rest of the poem just comes naturally. I think being a poet is something that you either are or arent, and there's nothing you can do to change that. (I really like the last stanza of the poem "The Poet and His Songs" by (I forgot the author) for its description of the writing of a poem.)

I always come up with my best poetry and prose in the middle of the night. Maybe I'm a vampire.

Hehe I used to write poetry by forming rhymes first. I would think...'toaster' and 'coaster' then jump around and say "THAT RHYMES!" and then try to make a poem about it. --Wrong way to go, obviously.

I've always liked poetry, but I'm more a story writer myself. Sometimes when I'm thinking about ideas for a story, I try to think about how the characters are feeling -- their emotions and generally my own thoughts to some abstract ideas are what generate my poems.

it used to be I would think of a line or two and just write those down and build off them.

But in the past few months, I haven't been able to write unless I have a specific idea of where I'm going or if I'm feeling exceptionally emotional.

In my opinion, poetry comes from the heart. Most people use it as a way to let emotions out. Some people think of poetry as rhyming or Dr. Seuss. But really poetry doesn't have to rhyme nor be from something that really happened in your life.
When I'm writing a poem I think of what kind of a theme I'm going to use, then I think of ways to make the poem flow along, using descriptive words and catchy phrases (note: I'm saving the title for last). After you get the basic idea down, run through it a couple times making sure the edges are smoothed and it flows along nicely. Be sure to make the poem make sense so readers aren't confused. Just remember to allow poetry to come from within or it will seem corny and boring.
You don't have to be naturally gifted to write poetry. Anyone can do it. But it takes a real writer to make a brilliant poem.

I write two very different ways.

1) I randomly start 'seeing' lines of poetry. Then, I write them down and go from there. This is usually the case.

2) I sit down with a piece of paper and pencil or at the computer and let my hands do the writing. Then, after that I edit and viola! my poetry.

Sometimes, its a combination of the two. But, whatever, it works for me.

I usually have an idea that I want to write down, and turn it into a poem. Simple like that. Actually, I come up with a lot of poetry in the shower too...

You don't write poetry, poetry writes itself and vents onto paper through your mind.
Or at least that's how it is for me... I just randomly start writing, and when I'm finished, I read it. Then I'm like, "Whoa... I don't remember writing that."
Sometimes I come up with poetry when I'm trying to fall asleep...

When I feel strong or emotional about something and words come to my mind. Phrases that explain what I'm thinking. I just jot down whats in my head. Poetry is such a vast way of describing things. I love poetry.
Hooray for POETRY!

umm...how do i write poetry...little elves in my head take out an anvil and hammer and tongs and furnace and metal and start forging vague ideas. then they pass those ideas on to editers with tacky furry die in their cars. the editors decide which ideas are good and which are bad. they eat the bad ones. the good ones get passed on to a mad scientist and his three assistants. they experiment with the idea, trying to create chemical bonds between the good ideas and the words of the english language. then after that it gets posted on YWS and you guys critique(aka: point out EVERYTHING bad about) it until I cry. after i'm done crying, the process starts over.

and that's pretty much it.

oh and the editors also have bobble-head dolls of chuck norris on their desks.

I have sudden urges. Then i have to rush and find some paper and just write. It calms me down. But the urges happen at all the wrong times...

First, I think about my subject. Am I trying to write about a specific thing, person, place, idea? I've written poems about love, best friends, flowers, cats, and superstition so far.

Next I think about what I'm really trying to express in the poem. What emotions am I trying to create in the reader? What am I trying to bring across? How do I want it start and end? How do I want it to flow from the beginning to reach the end? I like to leave something open to the reader's interpretation in my pieces, so I usually leave something that will linger and make my readers wonder at the real meaning.

After that, it's all about word choice and structure. I like to be descriptive and use diction to my advantage so that the reader can really see what I'm trying to create, so I'm always careful to choose exactly the right word that will give the right connotation. Syntax is also very important since, when you think about it, a single sentence can be written any number of ways just by switching things around or changing the words or punctuation (or, if you're taking poetic license, spelling and such too). I also try to write to a meter, and integrate rhyme and other devices where ever I feel they will make the most impact.

Of course, I don't actually think about it so systematically ^_^;; but that's basically what my mind goes through after inspiration hits.