How To Write A Poem

How to write a poem

       

          There are 5 simple steps to writing a poem, and yet there are so many different forms of poetry to write in. What are the steps to writing a good poem, and what makes a poem good? A poem has to use words artistically and use figurative language to form your idea. The purpose of a poem is to express an emotion, but that’s not all it can do. Poets can tell stories, teach lessons, and communicate hidden messages through poetry. When you listen to music with lyrics, you are listening to poetry. In poetry it has been common to break grammatical rules, poetry is the one place where you will not get in trouble for capitalizing something wrong or not using “correct” punctuation. The reason being, poetry is an art, and if you place too many strict rules around art, it is no longer art. However, there are still steps to creating a poem.

          Step one: Decide what you want to write about. Sometimes you can skip this step because you have been assigned a subject to write on, however if you are given the free choice of what to write on this will be your first step. Freewriting can be a powerful tool to developing an idea, writing prompts can be used as inspiration as well, often including a sentence or idea you are prompted to write about. When deciding what to write about it is often recommended to write about something that sparks a strong emotion in you, poetry is an expression of the inner soul, and if you have no emotion towards your subject, then your soul will not be represented in the poem, and your readers will have nothing to connect with.

          Step two: Now that you have chosen a subject or idea to write about it is time to decide the format you would like to write your poem in. Same as the last step, sometimes in classes you are required to write in a certain format so you can skip this step, but if you have freewill with your choice in formatting, then this will be your second step. Poetry does not have to adhere to any certain format, for instance you can write in free verse which is writing in any format you create yourself, however if you’d like to choose a specific format there are many to choose from. A haiku is a three-line poem that will always fit the same format: The first and third lines contain five syllables and the second line contains seven syllables. A limerick is a five-line poem that follows an AABBA rhyme scheme. A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem, the rhyme schemes can vary however, most sonnets still do rhyme (Shakespeare was made famous for his sonnets.) A blank verse poem only has two rules: you must follow a specific meter, however any meter you choose, and you cannot rhyme. An ode poem is one that celebrates someone’s life, an event, or even an object, ode’s are usually written in a more upbeat tone. An elegy poem is a poem that pays respect to someone’s death. A prose poem does not have stanzas or line breaks, instead it is written in paragraph form similar to a paragraph in a novel. However, a prose poem can still follow a rhyme scheme and can still have pauses and breaks in the reading.

          Step three: Now that you’ve chosen a format to write in it is time to explore words, rhymes, and rhythm. If you have chosen a more strict format for your poem you will need to read other poems that have been written in that format so that you know what rhyme scheme and rhythm you need to write in. However if you’ve chosen a format that you have more freewill in you can choose from a number of different poetic devices to use in your poem, figurative language, juxtaposition, similes, metaphors, puns, imagery, hyperboles, moods, motifs, and personification are just a few choices you have to choose from. First choose the mood you want your poem to express, next choose some imagery you would like to include in your poem. Are you writing from a third, first, or second person point of view? Is there a specific setting you want your poem to be in, are you in a school, in nature, in the middle of a shopping mall? What do you see, what does your speaker feel, are you trying to spark a change in your readers point of view concerning a certain subject, these are just a few questions to get you started. 

          Step four: Now that you have chosen your subject for writing, your format to write in, and the poetic devices you are going to use to express this poem, your fourth step is to write. Depending on the format you have chosen your poem can either be three lines or three pages long. You can write with pen and paper, typing on a laptop, in the notes app on your phone, or any other means of writing. The most important thing when writing your poem, is to get yourself in the headspace to write. This can mean finding an empty space to be by yourself, or sitting in the middle of a crowd, wherever you feel most inspired and at ease to write. You can sit in silence, or listen to music, watch a tv show, or lay in bed. Writing poetry is one of the most intimate forms of writing, for you are expressing an emotion that lives inside of you, therefore you need to give yourself room to understand yourself as you write. Do not worry about perfecting every little detail during the first or even second time of writing your poem, the most important thing is to get your ideas and thoughts out of your head and onto the page.

          Step five: Have you written the poem? Are you ready to take on the next step? If you have just now finished writing you are most likely not ready for step five. The fifth step is to edit your poem, it is advisable to edit your poem with completely fresh eyes, meaning you might want to wait a day or a week to come back to your poem and edit. Remember the rules for the format you wrote your poem in, does your poem match the description for that poetry format? Read your poem aloud, does it flow correctly, does the rhyme scheme work, is it easy to understand? Sometimes asking for peer review from other poets can be a great way to get advice on perfecting your poem, your understanding of the poem will be completely different from the understanding of your reader, and having peer review or others read your work and give feedback is the best way to make sure your poem is expressing the message you wanted it to. 

          The five steps to writing a poem are: 1.Deciding what you want to write about, 2.Choosing the format you want to write in, 3.Choosing the poetic devices you are going to include in your poem, 4.Writing the poem, and 5.Editing the poem. What makes a poem good is whether or not your readers can connect with your words, if you’ve conveyed the feelings you wanted to express, and if your poem makes sense and impacts your readers. Sometimes you write a poem simply for yourself, so make sure you are telling the story you need to tell as well. Poetry is one of the most artistic forms of writing and is used to express an emotion or idea. Writing poetry has been taught in many schools and universities however one of the most basic facts about writing is rarely taught, to write poetry you must live, for if you haven't lived you have no inspiration to write poems that your readers can resonate with. So, before you complete any of these steps make sure you have allowed yourself to experience enough life to write about.