Topic: Ame's writing related thoughts and advice -Poems, The Easy Way-

[Amelita]

Have you ever felt like writing a poem but been discouraged by the thought of proper form and rhyme and all those things that make up a good, solid work of poetry? Or have you been discouraged by the (silly) claims that if it doesn't have rhyme in it, it's not a poem?


Let me help you get past that. I am not about to show you which words to use and not to use. I am not about to tell you what to write about. Those are your own challenges. I am, however, going to help you get them on paper/screen in a nice, readable way.

Keep in mind this is just one of many methods to put a poem out there. It's very likely not the best one and since it's my personal method it isn't based on any professional or scholarly rules... It's just... how I do it


Now, since that‘s cleared, here are my beginner-safe steps to writing your heart out without (the constrictions of) rhyme!


1.  WRITE SPONTANEOUSLY

When writing poetry, you are pouring out feelings and opinions in the flexible and multi-toned form of words. This can be a true headache, since there are so many ways to express a single emotion. What works best is to write down as much as you possibly can spontaneously. It will probably be flawed and awkwardly worded, but it will be the closest you can get to your heart-song. (Anyone like singing penguins?)



2.  EDIT AND ADJUST

When you‘re all done pouring it‘s time to stir. Fix those typos, rearrange those sentences… You can even write additions and take out whole chunks of words. Delete and add, but be careful not to let the tone of the poem slip through your fingers. You might have a hard time finding it once it‘s lost.



3.  READ IT ALOUD

Every poem has it‘s own rhythm. You feel/find yours best by reading your poem out loud. By doing so you‘ll know where and if to split sentences between lines and how your poem should look like on paper.  (My personal rule is, if I pause I start a new line.) This also helps you spot the words that still don´t fit and fix those difficult sentences.



4.  PICTURE IT

A significant part of telling your readers how your poem is thought, is showing them. Literally. Play with the visual part of your poem, the way you arrange sentences and words. Extra spaces, line breaks in strange places… Remember, almost anything goes as long as you feel it‘s the right way to portray your message.



5.  FINAL TOUCHES

Now, you have your poem. It‘s been edited, arranged, read aloud and you‘re quite happy with it, aren't you? What you want to do before posting it (if that is what you do) or call it finished, is to go over these four steps again. Does the poem convey the emotion/message/opinion you wanted to share? Does each part seem in context with the rest? Is the rhythm visible?



Yes? Awesome! You‘re done. And, if this is your first time, congratulations: you‘ve written a poem!

 

Are you one of those who never tried but secretly wanted to? What holds you back?
Or are you a poet? What is your poem-writing process? I‘d love to hear!

[Raphael]

Hey, Ame. I usually love being a smartass in your blog, but I can't lol. You pretty much covered it all up - poetry is a short outburst of spontaneous muse followed by the steps 2-5 you mentioned.

Or are you a poet? What is your poem-writing process? I‘d love to hear!

I am, as a matter of fact. I have published poems, sadly - not in English. The process for me is quite simple - I get a figure in my head... I start rolling it around in my mind... it shapes up, becomes more and more clear... then I sit down and write it. Then I read it and change things. The end. Lol.

[Amelita]

Hey Ris :)

When you say 'figure' do you mean something visual? Like an image or form? Or do you mean the words themselves?

I don't roll too much around in my head when I write poetry, I sort of just sit down and start writing and see what happens   Sometimes a sentence gets stuck in my head, though, and I write it down and then write around it. But usually it's exactly how I described in my post

[Raphael]

Hey Ris :)

When you say 'figure' do you mean something visual? Like an image or form? Or do you mean the words themselves?

I don't roll too much around in my head when I write poetry, I sort of just sit down and start writing and see what happens   Sometimes a sentence gets stuck in my head, though, and I write it down and then write around it. But usually it's exactly how I described in my post

I don't know what I mean by 'figure'... it could be anything. Usually is lol. The rest though is just the way you described it usually

[BeaconOfSpirit]

First off, please allow me to say that I loved this blog entry. I may be new to RP, but I write a LOT of poetry, so when I saw this piece on the blog list, I had to take a peek.

I think your methodology is a wonderful way for an aspiring poet to discover their hidden talent. I also liked your presentation; it was clear and concise, leaving little for the reader to have to GUESS, but a lot for the reader to have to think about. Wonderful job!

I am a big fan of what I call "structured free form" poetry. What that means is that I pick one, maybe two guidelines that I will follow in writing a poem... Say, a certain number of syllables per line, a certain rhyme scheme, whatever. Then, using just those one or two guidelines, I choose a topic, and run with it. I find that the added structure of having one or two good rules to follow helps me to focus.

Nice to see I am not the only poet around. :)

[Amelita]

Hi BeaconOfSpirit :)

No, you are certainly not the only poet around, we even have a poetry forum :)
Using some structure is a good thing, I agree. I've written all kinds of poetry really, but this up here is what I'd advise a person with no experience. Restricting to rules in the very beginning can be a ticket to restrained and forced sounding poems, in my opinion, as people usually tend to focus first on the rules and then on the emotion and contents. I think the various rules are for those who have already taken their first steps :)

Thank you so much for commenting, I wish you a good approval process and speedy approval :)

Ame

[crystaltears]

Or are you a poet? What is your poem-writing process? I‘d love to hear!

For me the process is slightly different:

1. Concept/Ideal - I write because I'm inspired. Sometimes the cause is sorrow, sometimes happiness, sometimes a role playing character, other times a friend. Once I feel the mood to craft a poem stir in me I examine what caused it. I hold onto that, and I decide what the writing should convey.

2. The start - The first line of the poem is very important for my process. It decides a number of things. Will this poem be free-form or a rhyming poem? What sort of vocabulary am I striking out for? Am I seeking a particular 'voice' to be present in the writing. It's all there by the time the first line is down on paper. This mainly because I can't write the first line without sitting and thinking about it. The words have to fit for me. Though admittedly I have been guilty of moving the first line to a later part of the poem during the polishing phase.

3. Write - Once the first line is down I move along with the intent of closely matching the original phrasing and the decisions that line made for me. I don't worry so much about details though.. So if I hit a snaggy place where words just don't want to rhyme for me right then and convey what I want I just write past it.. I write what I want said and go back to make it rhyme later.

4. Polish - This is the go back later part. I add nuances like punctuation and spacing in addition to cleaning up any snags I left behind.

5. Reread (and aloud) - Two rereads when I think I'm done. One to myself, the other aloud.

- Rinse and repeat the above as needed.

So there are many similarities, but I often find if I don't identify precisely the feel, message, and cause of the inspiration the poem will slip through my fingers.

Thank you for a lovely blog entry, Amelia. :)