nards228
10/22/03, 11:21 PM
This post is a series of tips for any would-be poet out there. Take them or leave them, you'll realize some day that I'm right.
Revise, revise, revise. Poetry is not written, it is rewritten. Your first draft is crap. Your second draft is crap. Your tenth draft will be something approaching not crap. Keep at it and don't lose heart, just keep re-working it.
Explore. Don't write fifteen thousand poems about your ex-girlfriend. Try writing about something you think is "un-poetic."
When you come up with a subject, write down the first twenty words that you associate with it. For example, the subject "love:" kiss, clouds, candles, pink, sweet, etc. Now write your poem without using a single one of those words.
Be indirect. If you want to write about loneliness, don't use the word "loneliness" in the poem. Write about the man waiting by himself in the rain for a bus to take him home at night.
Be concise. If you can make it powerful in fifty lines, you can make it more powerful in thirty.
Be honest. Don't try to write about something you've never experienced directly until you're an accomplished poet. If you've never had a close friend die, don't write about death. If you've never been in love, don't write about love.
Be original. Titling your poem "Love" or "Death" or "Loneliness" is about as original as Spam. Give your title some serious thought because it can have serious impact on the meaning of your poem.
Be patient. You can't write a good poem every day. Sometimes you can't write a single poem in a week. You may get a flash of inspiration late at night while you're sitting, patiently waiting for an idea to come, or you may get an idea while riding the bus.
For the love of all things holy, never TITLE your poem "Untitled." Do you realize what a massively unoriginal, uncreative, amazingly stupid thing that is to do? If you don't want to title your poem, DON'T.
Think about what you're writing. Would you want to read a poem that goes, "I miss you so much / Do you know I love you / We could have gone to heaven together / Our love could have lasted forever?" No. Sweet Christ no. Read the points above about being indirect and original.
Pay attention to the formal aspects of your poem. Meaning - if you're not going to capitalize the first letters of words, you'd better have a reason for it. If you're not going to use commas, you'd better have a reason for it. Listen to the sounds your poetry makes - there are reasons poets use certain words. A great example of effective sound is "Anthem for Doomed Youth," by Wilfred Owen. When asked if he concerned himself with the formal aspects of his poetry, Robert Frost replied, "Lady - I revel in 'em." That should be a clue that maybe you should start thinking about stuff like synecdochy, rhythm, meter, and figurative language. Sound too complicated? Poetry isn't easy, and poetry isn't pure emotion.
Get feedback from other people. Share your poetry and get some criticism from people whose opinions you respect. Really listen to what they're saying. At the same time, be yourself. You shouldn't change a poem based on what one person says. It's your poem, after all.
If you're going to rhyme, it has to look accidental. Read "A Minor Bird" by Frost and you'll see what I mean. He doesn't bend his poem to fit the rhyme scheme - each word that rhymes falls into place perfectly. There's no way you could find a better word to replace it with. That's when you know you have a good rhyme scheme.
Don't think you're above the rules, because you're not. You aren't better than periods, commas, or capital letters. Read some Cummings and you'll discover that for a man who seems to be completely beyond the conventions of the language, his poetry is a celebration of grammar and punctuation.
Heed the advice of others, but find everything out for yourself.
Most importantly - never stop writing.
Rennard
Revise, revise, revise. Poetry is not written, it is rewritten. Your first draft is crap. Your second draft is crap. Your tenth draft will be something approaching not crap. Keep at it and don't lose heart, just keep re-working it.
Explore. Don't write fifteen thousand poems about your ex-girlfriend. Try writing about something you think is "un-poetic."
When you come up with a subject, write down the first twenty words that you associate with it. For example, the subject "love:" kiss, clouds, candles, pink, sweet, etc. Now write your poem without using a single one of those words.
Be indirect. If you want to write about loneliness, don't use the word "loneliness" in the poem. Write about the man waiting by himself in the rain for a bus to take him home at night.
Be concise. If you can make it powerful in fifty lines, you can make it more powerful in thirty.
Be honest. Don't try to write about something you've never experienced directly until you're an accomplished poet. If you've never had a close friend die, don't write about death. If you've never been in love, don't write about love.
Be original. Titling your poem "Love" or "Death" or "Loneliness" is about as original as Spam. Give your title some serious thought because it can have serious impact on the meaning of your poem.
Be patient. You can't write a good poem every day. Sometimes you can't write a single poem in a week. You may get a flash of inspiration late at night while you're sitting, patiently waiting for an idea to come, or you may get an idea while riding the bus.
For the love of all things holy, never TITLE your poem "Untitled." Do you realize what a massively unoriginal, uncreative, amazingly stupid thing that is to do? If you don't want to title your poem, DON'T.
Think about what you're writing. Would you want to read a poem that goes, "I miss you so much / Do you know I love you / We could have gone to heaven together / Our love could have lasted forever?" No. Sweet Christ no. Read the points above about being indirect and original.
Pay attention to the formal aspects of your poem. Meaning - if you're not going to capitalize the first letters of words, you'd better have a reason for it. If you're not going to use commas, you'd better have a reason for it. Listen to the sounds your poetry makes - there are reasons poets use certain words. A great example of effective sound is "Anthem for Doomed Youth," by Wilfred Owen. When asked if he concerned himself with the formal aspects of his poetry, Robert Frost replied, "Lady - I revel in 'em." That should be a clue that maybe you should start thinking about stuff like synecdochy, rhythm, meter, and figurative language. Sound too complicated? Poetry isn't easy, and poetry isn't pure emotion.
Get feedback from other people. Share your poetry and get some criticism from people whose opinions you respect. Really listen to what they're saying. At the same time, be yourself. You shouldn't change a poem based on what one person says. It's your poem, after all.
If you're going to rhyme, it has to look accidental. Read "A Minor Bird" by Frost and you'll see what I mean. He doesn't bend his poem to fit the rhyme scheme - each word that rhymes falls into place perfectly. There's no way you could find a better word to replace it with. That's when you know you have a good rhyme scheme.
Don't think you're above the rules, because you're not. You aren't better than periods, commas, or capital letters. Read some Cummings and you'll discover that for a man who seems to be completely beyond the conventions of the language, his poetry is a celebration of grammar and punctuation.
Heed the advice of others, but find everything out for yourself.
Most importantly - never stop writing.
Rennard