Pagal World
Writing poetry is one of the best ways to express your emotions. Contrary to popular belief, becoming a poet is not as difficult as most people think.
If you want to learn how to write a poem that captivates your readers, you’re at the right place. Keep reading this blog to find ten proven tips that will help you write better poetry – let’s dive in!
1. Read More Poems
Reading poetry is the easiest way you can enhance your skills as a poet. The more famous poems you read, the easier it becomes for you to identify the elements that make a poem interesting for readers.
Reading more poems should not come at the cost of your work-life balance. You don’t necessarily have to spend hours and hours daily reading poetry. It’s better to set a couple of hours aside from your daily routine for reading poetry so you have plenty of time to focus on other activities.
2. Get A Journal
If you love to incorporate your personal experiences into your poetry, then having a journal can help you as a poet.
Your journal allows you to enlist the striking images from your daily routine. Doing so will make it easier to “recollect” your experiences and use them in your poetry. You can also set some time aside from your daily routine to brainstorm and jot down ideas in your journal.
Keeping a journal is not as difficult as you might think. You certainly don’t have to enlist “every” detail in your daily routine. Only include those incidents that you find intriguing and can be used in your poetry.
3. Use Simple Words
Many beginner poets have to use the most eloquent and “unique” words to increase the appeal of their poetry. There’s no denying that poetry is all about weaving uncommon thoughts, and “fancy” words make it easier to express your thoughts.
But remember that not all your readers rely on a vocabulary when reading poetry. You have to avoid using any words that can make your poetry challenging to read.
Instead, you should try using simpler words to write poetry. Doing so will also enable you to paint striking images through your poetry with everyday words and phrases.
4. Explore New Poetic Forms
Different types of poetry have enabled poets to share their experiences in a lot of ways. As a new poet, even if you like a certain type of poetry, you should not try to stick with one type. You should encourage yourself to experiment with different poetic forms.
For example, if you like to share your stories in longer narrative poems, you can try writing a short haiku instead.
Being a poet doesn’t mean you only have to address the “adults.” A great way to strengthen your poetic prowess is by writing nursery poems. You’ll learn a lot when you try to get out of the “metaphysical” world and try watering down your stories for kids.
5. Join A Writing Group
As a new poet, you will face many challenges that will discourage you from writing poems. Although you can follow useful advice online to overcome challenges, it’s not easier for everyone to follow online advice.
It’s better to surround yourself with poets who can help you with actionable advice. Spending time with fellow poets will also allow you to learn how you can improve your poetic skills.
Finding poets is not as difficult as many people think. You can join an online group to connect with poets from around the world.
6. Get Help From “How To” Books
Although joining a poetry class can make things easier for you, you don’t necessarily have to enroll in lengthy classes. The art of writing poetry can be learned from books.
The “how to” books allow you to become a better poet without spending a lot of time, money, and effort. Some of the “how to” books every new poet should read are:
- “How to write poetry” by Lavinia Greenlaw
- “How to write poetry and get it published” by Fred Sedgwick
- “How (not) to get your poetry published” by Helena Nelson
Don’t fret if you don’t have money to buy these books. You can check your local library or explore online libraries to get physical or digital copies of these books without spending a penny.
7. Look Beyond the Rhyme Scheme
Most new poets find a “rhyme scheme” or use a rhyming dictionary to write poems. There’s no denying that good rhyming can help you write captivating poetry. However, remember that poetry is not all about “rhyming.”
You don’t have to learn pairs of rhyming words to become a better part. Instead, you must learn that poetry involves much more than basic rhyming. You should improve your rhyme scheme to vary your poetry without wasting your time and effort.
8. Participate in Competitions
You might be reluctant to show your poems to other people as a new poet. It’s true that many new poets fear criticism and want to hide their work from others. However, if you take poetry seriously and really want to get better at it, you have to get constructive criticism about your poetry.
The best way to learn and fix your mistakes as a poet is to join a poetry competition. Participating in competition allows you to write poetry according to the criteria set by judges. Other than that, it also helps you connect with new poets and grow your network.
9. Become A Skilled Editor
Writing poetry is the best way to express your thoughts, but remember that you cannot express your thoughts with grammatical mistakes.
A proper editing session can help you polish your poetry and make it much more interesting for your readers. Try improving your editing skills so you can find your mistakes and fix them easily.
10. Sharpen Your Creative Writing Skills
As a poet, you should not ignore the other forms of creative writing. You should try reading and writing short essays, novels, or any other forms of creative writing that you like. Doing so will make it easier for you to express your thoughts and experiences in your poetry.
