Poetry

While I have done a lot of writing over my life, I have not written a lot of poetry but I am intrigued by this form of writing and perhaps one day I will share some of my poems here. I have thought about how to write poetry and here are some ideas, which I am putting into practice in my own private collection.  If you want to know how to write poetry, the first thing you have to do is write some. See below, I think it is important to write, It doesn't matter how it turns out. Your own mistakes will become your teachers. Your own writing will motivate you to greater creativity, insight and understanding. Once you start the process, how do you improve it? Here are three tips.

1. Use nouns and verbs more than adjectives. Which is stronger: "She was as beautiful as a flower..." or "Roses wilted in shame as she passed by..."? "He looked at the depressing clouds..." or "He watched as dark clouds moved in, covering his sky..."?

2. Don't tell the reader how to feel. Let the words elicit the emotions directly, without explaining. "Which is more touching to the reader? "The tragedy touched them all," or "Men, women, doctors and workmen... thirteen people looked upon the scene... with tears in their eyes."

3. Use dramatic and emotional words. Not all words are equal in their ability to "touch" a reader or elicit emotion. "Fell," "take," and "love," will probably be weaker than "plunged," "seized," and "worship."

Look at the following lines, written three ways.

Version One

The mountains and lakes were beautiful

I looked, heard and smelled them

I felt in awe

Version Two

Mountains rise against the sky

My tiny lake at their feet

And in the centre of this totality

I see with my eyes

Hear with my ears

Feel with my heart, 

I smell and taste...

I am awestruck, Words fail, 

as they should

Version Three

Mountains rise from the mist of the lake

The scent of roses and lilacs fill my soul

An Eagle floats high above

The waves whisper to the wind

The wind whispers back

I stand in wonder, silent

Which version is better?  The perception of better is in the mind of the reader, so there is not wrong or right answer. 

If you want to know how to write poetry, start writing. But remember that all rules in poetry need to be broken at times. My advice, "Read your poems aloud to yourself and others as a final "test."