Young Writers Society

Explaining my feelings and thoughts in metaphors and breaking down this world with abstract imagery and metaphors helps me to understand it. It feels more real and authentic that way. For some reason it's easier to see the world abstractly than merely concretely. I think it's a more interesting and meaningful attempt to understand the world and myself.

Oh my god I so know what you mean by that XD

This was an interesting thread to stumble into! I think my motivation for writing poetry has changed a lot in the past 4 or so years. I used to write because of something similar to what has already been said here: making sense of reality, trying to search for truth, etc. But I've come to find that it's very hard to find truth through a poem.

For me, truth needs clarity, and clarity in poems often competes with the fun parts, which tend to be more ambiguous or straight up nonsensical. Of course, when first writing a piece, it often felt like I'd found something true to say and had said it in a way that embodies that truth. But when other people read it, they don't see the same thing that I was first seeing, and when I re-read my old poems I don't see whatever it was I thought I was seeing either - it's something else. And you know, it got tiring for me after a while trying to communicate very specific messages to readers through my poems, because people will always choose to see themselves in poetry, not to see the author - and why shouldn't they?

So I think from all that my motivation for writing poetry moved to being two things. One, it's partly about fun and creating images and sounds that are pleasing to me. Two, and this is kind of related to one, I find that pleasant, beautiful things, things that evoke wonder, tend to translate more easily from author's hand to reader's mind. I like knowing I have successfully distracted people from the tedium and torments of everyday life with something as simple as a poem about soup, or something as complex as a series of poems about a society of dragons. It gives me a sense of accomplishment.

I have always felt like writing was my truest talent in life. Not necessarily that I am a talented writer, but that if there's anything that I'm best at and most natural with, it's writing. Poetry just comes out of me. So I guess what motivates me is mostly just the drive to put those words and the imagery somewhere. Often, lines just float around in my head for days (or even weeks) and it takes a long time for them to take shape. My motifs, themes, and imagery are often the motivation to actually sit down and write.

This is an interesting question! There are definitely the up-front and "obvious" reasons of it's fun, and it lets me let out angst in a safe, semi-productive way. But something I find when I go back and read poems I've written a while ago is that I end up feeling very seen. I put this into words pretty well a couple months ago so I'm gonna just go ahead and quote myself -

The thing about reading back on poetry you've written for yourself - especially if you had kinda forgotten that you'd written that specific poem - is that sometimes it can really hit deep, because it reflects your exact experiences and your exact responses to said experiences. It's hard to find that in other people's poetry, because, yknow, they have different experiences and responses. Which isn't to say there isn't tons of value in reading other people's experiences, or that you still can't find loads personal meaning in other people's poetry - but I digress!

and

There's something really wholesome about the fact that you can write poetry, and when you read it a month or year later, you feel so seen. Seen by your past self, yes, which maybe isn't the most meaningful or helpful person to be seen by - but at the same time, it is your own view of yourself that matters most at the end of the day. And isn't it just inherently wonderful that you can essentially time travel through your writing to help and comfort different versions of yourself?? I don't know how well I'm putting this into words, but yeah. I think it's amazing, and it points to the value and importance of writing poetry for yourself sometimes, and not just for others. You don't need to share your poetry with others for it to hold meaning or worth. <3

So I think that is the biggest reason I write poetry! Poetry helps my future self feel less alone and unheard. And not to be dramatic, but I honestly think that's prettyyy powerful.