How to write poetry
Poetry, the free genre par excellence! But the possibilities offered by the writing of a poem is not without constraint. The poet is more than a writer, he is ultimately a composer and artist of language. Here are some tips on how to write poetry.
1) How to write poetry: pick a style
There is such a variety of genres and styles of poems that it is not necessarily easy to choose. You will have the choice to write a poem with or without rhyme, in verse or prose, in stanza or not, of a defined length or not. It is therefore important to choose your type of poem carefully, because your writing will not have the same form for each of them.
2) How to write poetry: listen to the words
If this is your first time learning how to write poetry, you should use terse, harmonious sentences, but not clumsy lyrical flights of fancy. Choose words you know and let your pen guide you naturally.
3) Think outside the box
We are used to explaining things by rationalizing. This is a characteristic of our left brain, which likes control. What it doesn’t understand makes it anxious. But your right brain, on the other hand, is fascinated by mysteries, by the inexplicable, by what it cannot grasp…and what would it say if we let it express itself? Find an incomprehensible phenomenon and write down everything you feel about it, without ever trying to explain it in a rational way.
4) Feel the weight of words
When it comes to knowing how to write poetry, the reader expects a certain virtuosity in the use of images, metaphors, comparisons, and anaphors that will enrich your style and the beauty of your poem. Figures of speech of all kinds exist and allow you to get off the beaten track by exploring new writing techniques.
5) How to write poetry: be yourself
Be honest and talk about your life experiences. Because the more honest you are with your readers, the more the emotions you describe in your writing will shine through, and that’s what matters most when writing poems.
Poetry touches every human differently. There will always be someone who likes what you write and someone who doesn’t. It has nothing to do with your writing style. Everyone has different tastes. Consider this when you are learning how to write poetry, and the muses will reward you tenfold.