Young Writers Society

Before you write poetry, you must have at least a basic understanding of what poetry is. Dictionary.com defines poetry as:

–noun
1. the art of rhythmical composition, written or spoken, for exciting pleasure by beautiful, imaginative, or elevated thoughts.
2. literary work in metrical form; verse.
3. prose with poetic qualities.
4. poetic qualities however manifested: the poetry of simple acts and things.
5. poetic spirit or feeling: The pianist played the prelude with poetry.
6. something suggestive of or likened to poetry: the pure poetry of a beautiful view on a clear day.


Alrighty then. So poetry is beautiful. But how exactly do we make it beautiful? It's not as hard as it may seem.

Step 1

The only sure-fire way to write good poetry is to read good poetry. Read anything you can get your hands on, from Shakespeare to Dr. Suess. Different styles, different poets, different lengths. The more you expose yourself to well-written pieces, the better your own writing will be. You can't expect to play a piano if you don't know what one sounds like.

Step 2

Choose the core of your piece. It's like when you're eating an apple: you're not satisfied until you reach the very center. This can be an emotion, an image, an event, anything, really. Like prose, poetry must have a theme. The reader must walk away with some sort of insight. If your poem is mindless drivel that tells the reader nothing, it's not worth writing and most definitely not worth reading.

Step 3

First lines and last lines are important. The first line makes you want to read, the last line makes you remember.

Step 4

The language in which you choose to write your poem is important. I'm sure we're all familiar with similes, metaphores, personification, et cetera? The thing is, you can't say, "She was beautiful and her eyes were blue." Yawn. Ho-hum. Naptime, anyone? Everything you write must be with intention and it must pique your reader's interest. No wasting words. Instead, try something like, "She was a delicate flower, azure petals winking."
Also, don't overdo it (or, if you want another interesting use of figurative language, don't beat the dead cat). Don't use too many 'big words' too close together. Like, "Tintinnabulating aureate bells revertabrated throughout the egress." What does that mean?? You are taking a risk when you use words like that. Only, only use uncommon words if a) nothing else fits the rhythm of your poem or b) it is the perfect word to use in that situation. To quote C.S, Lewis, "Don't say infinite when you mean very. Then you won't have a word to use when something is truly infinite."

Step 5

Symbolism. You don't have to use it in every piece you write, but it's a good idea to have it. A symbol stands for two things: itself, and something else. The thing about symbols is that the poet never actually reveals its meaning, so they're usually universal and can stand for a lot of things. Take the poem, "I Need a Cigarette" by KnightlyAngel09. In her poem, the cigarette can stand for so many things. A lover, a drug, anything. That's the power of a symbol. It transforms itself for the reader and resonates.

Step 6

Always keep your audience in mind. You are not allowed to bore your readers, and you are not allowed to write poorly. Do as many revisions as it takes to make your poem as perfect as it can be. It's a long, demanding process, but hey. You're a writer. Isn't that what you signed up for?

Step 7

Never, ever get discouraged. The beauty of being human is that none of us are the same. There will be people that don't like your poem, and that's natural. Don't take their criticism lightly, but don't take it so seriously that it will prevent you from writing again. You're allowed to disagree with your critic.

Step 8

Write your poem, and keep writing.


Poetry Resources

The YWS Poetry Database: poetry.php

Reference.com for all your thesaurus, dictionary, translating, and encyclopedia needs.

The Glossary of Poetic Terms: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0903237.html

Poets.org for more reading of poetry

Brainyquote.com for inspiration

Thestorystarter.com, theteacherscorner.net/daily-writing-prompts/index.htm, and writingfix.com for prompts (yes, even poets need prompts )

thepoetrymarket.com for access to contests, reviews, and well, poetry markets.

Winningwriters.com for more contests



Happy writing!

'Allo Pen! Here for a quick review.

Step four rather bugged me. It's too "poet oriented" for me. I'm not sure what those terms mean (just to clarify: I don't understand "personification," but others might not know period what you're talking about), and the paragraph seemed to cram a few ideas into too little space.

Step six also feels under-explained. What do you mean by "boring our readers"? A poet/experienced writer might know what you're talking about, but somebody just getting into poetry may or may not know. Don't take that chance. Explain everything.

My problem with this is really just repeating what I said about step six. Everything here feels under-explained and quick for what you're trying to say. In my opinion when writing an article, you should make it a sixth-grade level. That means explaining all terms and making the article mostly self-contained.

The bones are good though. Just *points to above* yeah.

PM me with questions!

~Rosey

Hmm. I am not experienced in articles but now I am tempted to post one myself.
Good job on your article Splodey! *hugs and runs off to write her own article*



Kamas

Thanks Rosey. ^^ I'll edit this when some more spare time on my hands.

Yay Kammy-chan! Have fun. ^^