Thinking about writing a poem for a loved one? Or merely trying out your hand? There's a budding poet within all of us just bursting to get out...we simply need a little help! So I have compiled a list of steps which might help you on the road to becoming a true poet...
Writing a poem is all about observing the world within or around you. You can write about anything, from passionate love to the monotony of everyday life. As long as you are enjoying it or finding catharsis through it, you're on the right track.
1) Carry a pen and paper with you at all times!
Inspiration can strike at any moment, and is probably most likely to come to you when you least expect. Sitting and staring at your notebook for hours doesn't tend to be very productive. So be prepared - the emotion felt at the moment inspiration strikes will only cloud in memory. Then, when you come to sit down and write, you can gather together all your ideas to create the perfect poem ;)
2) Find a spark.
A poem may be born as a snippet of verse, maybe just a line or two that seems to come out of nowhere. The remainder of the poem need only be written around it.
3) Read read read!
Read a wide range of poetry, from the classics to unheard of poets online. Any poet who has been published enhanced their skills by reading or listening to good poetry, even if they later scoffed at conventional notions of what was "good." Taking inspiration from other works is not plagiarism - you can only learn from others!
4) Don't be afraid to voice your true feelings.
Emotions are what make poems, and if you lie about your emotions it can be easily sensed in the poem.
5) Choose the right words. It's been said that if a novel is "words in the best order," then a poem is "the best words in the best order." Think of the words you use as building blocks of different sizes and shapes. Some words will fit together perfectly, and some won't. You want to keep working at your poem until you have built a strong structure of words. Use only those words that are necessary, and those that enhance the meaning of the poem. Choose your words carefully. The differences between similar sounding words or synonyms can lead to interesting word play.
6) Read your poem out loud. While many people today think poetry is simply meant to be read, it was predominantly an aural art for thousands of years. The sound of a poem is highly important, so as you write and edit your poem, read it aloud and listen to how it sounds. This is where poems can become songs. It is easier to find a tune for regular meter, so maybe you want to cut words out or put some in to get the same number of syllables in each line.
7) Use poetic devices to enhance your poem's beauty and meaning. For example rhyme can add suspense, enhance meaning, or make the poem more cohesive. It can also make it prettier. Other poetic devices include meter, metaphor, assonance, alliteration and repetition. Poetic devices can establish a poem, or, if they bring too much attention to themselves, can ruin it.
8) Save your most powerful message 'till the end.
The last line is to a poem what a punch line is to a joke--something that evokes an emotional response. Give the reader something to think about, something to dwell on after reading your poem. Resist the urge to explain it; let the reader become engaged with the poem in developing an understanding of your experience or message.
9) Take a break before editing.
When the basic poem is written, set it aside for a while before perfecting it. Take out unnecessary words and replace imagery that isn't working. It can be beneficial to come back to your poem again and again, so that you're looking at it with a fresh perspective each time.
10) Get opinions. It can be hard to critique your own work, so after you've done an initial edit, try to get some friends (preferably ones who actually appreciate poetry or they may be too discouraging) to look at your poem for you. You may not like all their suggestions, and you don't have to take any of them, but all feedback is constructive, whether positive or negative. Learn to grow from criticism; it will only help. Pass your poem around, and ask your friends to critique your work. Tell them to be honest, even if it's painful. Filter their responses, heeding and ignoring, then edit as you see fit.
Then, once you feel your poem is completed, you may want to see just how perfect it is by entering some competitions: www.winningwriters.com is a good site to look at for call for entries.
Good luck, and enjoy :) I'll leave you with one of my favourites:
All the World's a Stage
All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first, the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.
Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
~~ William Shakespeare ~~