Poetry- Writing and Reading

The very short answer is: don’t write at all unless you have to. The short answer is: in numerous different ways. A somewhat longer answer is: find the way that best suits you - that comes only from experience.

But, one might reasonably ask, what different methods are there which can be tried in order to get started? Well…

Don’t Wait For Inspiration But don’t take that as an absolute which suggests that one should not be inspired at all. Of course, we all want inspiration. Yet if we wait to be inspired for the whole poem, most of us will have taken the very short answer given above and we shall write very little and very infrequently.

You probably know the old adage about any form of art being ten percent inspiration and ninety percent perspiration. It’s mostly like that with poetry. The very short answer above is saying: write only when you feel moved to write and have something urgent to communicate. But don’t expect the inspiration to carry you through the whole poem. On some occasions it will but, at least in my experience, that will not happen all that often.

Inspiration can come in various ways. At one end it can come as a complete poem; at the other, it comes simply as an idea, a concept or a way of looking at something. Then the poem has to be built around that in some way.

How To Build A Poem

This is getting to the nitty gritty of the question. The answer to How do I build or write a poem depends to some extent on what you are starting with. Suppose you have just had an idea, a concept, a way of looking at something. One might, for example, have a sudden flash of inspiration that a person’s life could be summarised by the array of cups they have in the kitchen. Okay, how might one approach the development of that?

First is to have some idea of the probable length of the poem. The cups/life idea might be interesting but it’s not going to stretch to the length of “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” It’s going to be quite a short poem. In fact, with an idea of this kind short becomes very important. Trying to stretch it out will probably result in loosing any potential for impact.

So one is thinking of a few lines, and probably quite short ones. Next is the syllabic or the rhythmic structure of the lines. A great deal can be said about these aspects and so we can say very little in this short article. The way the lines are constructed should be contributing to the overall impact or impression made by the poem. Lines may have the same number of syllables, or some lines may be long and other short. Verses, like lines may be all of the same or of differing lengths. These aspects may be part of a deliberate overall scheme, or they may be due to the way you feel the poem should evolve. Experience will usually contribute to the development of these kinds of instincts.

The poem may also be one without thyme, or with rhyme at the end of each line, or with rhyming lines alternating or rhyming every third line and so forth. Alternatively, the lines may have internal rhyming in that two words rhyme within the same line.

Consider the following poem as an example.

CUPS
Used to buy the cups in tied sets
batched identical or matching.
But that’s a now flawed memory
and for a long time we rhymed them
into pairs, merging his and hers,
protocol of shape and colour.
Now I buy only one-by-one,
each detached and unmatchable,
self-chosen oddments on a shelf

Note that: there are eight syllables in each of nine lines. There are no end rhymes but each line has an internal rhyme, though some are less obvious than others. In the first line “buy” and “tie” in tied” rhyme. Due to the “d” in tied” the echo of the rhyme is subdued or more subtle than otherwise. (Note also that there are different kinds of syllables, which we do not have space to discuss here)

Compare this poem with an alternative approach, albeit little different in length:

THE MUG-STAND
On the mug-stand (a)
handles once hung (b)
cups of pristine sameness (c)
beautiful and aimless (c)
in the song they sung (b)
at secondhand. (a)

Mugs are still hung (d)
but different (e)
shapes and colours, chipped, cracked - (f)
and spaces from the fact (f)
of life. Refluent (e)
the song now sung. (d)

Now “The Mug Stand” has a much more complicated structure. There is no internal rhyming but the end-rhymes are arranged to give sometimes stronger, sometimes more subtle echoes. The letters at the end of the lines (a, b, etc.) indicate those which rhyme with each other. The pattern is the same in each verse so that, for example, the first and last lines in both are seen to rhyme.

Notice also that the syllabic length of lines vary within each verse but have the same pattern for each verse (i.e. 4,4,6,6,5,4,). The end of any line should not be chosen in an arbitrary way, but should add something to the overall effect.

Discipline In Writing

Every poem you write should have its own form of discipline. Some people think that so-called free verse is easy to write and that one can do anything in such a poem. All this is untrue.These are ideas that contribute to a lot of bad verse.Good free verse is in many ways the most difficult to write, precisely because there is no obvious discipline enjoined on the writer by which the poem might be made to work. Yet somehow it does have to create a desired effect. Writing to a defininte pattern or rule imposes a discipline which, with some practice, will initially help one to produce rather better verse.

If you are just starting out to write poetry, do begin with rhymed verse. But try not to make the rhymes too heavy and obvious. Look for different words to create an effect rather than use the first that come to mind. Try an abab or abcabc type of structure rather than aabb.

Make every effort to avoid cliches. Using them is so easy a trap to fall into simply because they are phrases we have heard so often that they just creep or spring into our mind. A good poem has to have some degree of originality. Cliches are as irratating as fleas on a dog. Combe through the poem to discover any cliches - looking for phrases like Combe through! Are there any more in this paragraph?

When the poem is finished, it is good practice to put it away for some weeks. Then take it out and re-read it. Be severe with yourself! Remove anything which is not right (cliches, repeats of the same word, clumsy phrasing etc.) and re-work the poem until you feel you can do no better.

Then submit it to some publication which uses poetry. There is little point in writing poetry purely for oneself. Don’t be put off by rejections. Some editors may offer suggestions for improvement. Accept them if they seem valid. But keep submitting. Not every one will like what you have written. But you must like it.

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The style of writing poetry differs from person to person; long or short meters, three or four lines to a stanza. But the great thing is, no matter how a poem is written it still holds great emotion. Some techniques used in poetry are onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, rhyming, simile and metaphor.

Onomatopoeia is one of the easiest to learn and use (but not spell). The definition of onomatopoeia is a word imitating a sound. For example; ‘buzz’, ‘moo’ and ‘beep’. This can be used in a variety of ways giving the reader a ‘hands on’ feel.

One technique that you might be familiar with is alliteration. This procedure is used by starting three or more words with the same sound. An example of this would be ‘The crazy crackling crops.’ The three words don’t have to have the exact same beginning to have this effect.

The next style is assonance. It is defined as a repetition of vowel sounds within syllables with changing consonants. This is also used in many different circumstances. One would be “tilting at windmills.” Notice the vowels within each syllable sound the same.

Rhyming is probably the most well-known technique used. However unlike popular belief, it does not need to be within a poem to make it a poem. It is what it is.. a technique.

As for similes, they are often used within poetry. They are an expression that compares one thing to another. A paradigm of this would be ‘The milk tasted like pickles.’ This method is used in all forms of poetry and generally has the words ‘like’ or ‘as.’

The last but not least style is metaphor. A metaphor is a word or phrase used one way to mean another. Metaphors are sometimes hard to spot and take some thinking to figure out, but they give writers more power to express their thoughts about a certain situation. One famous case where a metaphor is used is within ‘The Raven’ by Edgar Allen Poe. In fact, not only is it found within the story, the story itself is a metaphor of memory and the constant reminder of the narrator’s loss.

These techniques are seen throughout history within both famous and amateur poems alike. To have a full grasp of poetry onomatopoeia, alliteration, assonance, rhyming, simile and metaphor should be household words.

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Poetry is more than just rhyming and prose that is in meters and verse. It is an art form. It is something that can not be judged by its cover and can not be critisized to the point where it just “sucks.” Poetry is about expression. Poetry expresses the way we feel on a certain subject through imagery and other senses. It helps us deal with our daily problems, be it good or bad.

The emotion which is put within the poem brings it life. A poem without emotion is not a poem at all but simply prose. Poetry is what makes us feel happy or sad, mad or gleeful, loving or broken hearted. Poetry is life on paper. It does not need to be of a certain subject or even rhyme.

Poetry is poetry. It has its own mind. If it flows good if not… it needs work. The rules can be bent but not broken. Our life is our life and no one can tell us what we have been through but ourselves. We know best not some stranger reading our poems. Our poetry is our life, not what someone says.

Rhyming in poetry is not always the best way to express yourself. Rhyming actually takes away many words that could have been used. If you try to rhyme it cuts your dictionary into little pieces. It doesn’t need to be this way, choose flow over rhyme.

As a result of this, poetry is defined as a way of putting flowing words together in meter and verse to show emotion or tell a story.

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So you’ve decided to crown yourself with a title that a million other people (just like you (yes, just like you!)) give themselves every day. Some people believe giving yourself such a title is equivalent to, and just as beneficial monetarily, as naming yourself Queen of England. But, there is no grace, rarely enough publicity, and only the title of Court Jester seems to be becoming for you because you are a fool among others.

What is this sacred title? Poet.

Why does titling yourself a “poet” make you a Fool? Well, it doesn’t, not in and of itself. But if you’ve only been published online, never in print—that could be a sign of your well-earned Fool status. To be blunt—that is a sign that you write bad poetry.

Why would these sites accept your work if it sucked, you ask? Maybe to raise their quota, maybe to get more submissions of the site’s particular interest, but mainly to actually HAVE something to post—most (but not all) sites are desperate for submissions. Or maybe they’re out for a profit. Come on, who among us HASN’T had something accepted by the National Library of Poetry, and then gotten all the brochures for expensive products featuring our work?

The Webmaster vs. Editor Problem: Go to any website, check it out. Can you find someone with the title of Webmaster? How about editor? Or, still yet, Webmaster AND Editor? A Webmaster does not, by any means, mean Editor. Simply because someone is a webmaster (someone who controls the site, updates the postings, etc. . . ) does not mean that the person is an EDITOR (someone who corrects the work, proofreads, re-writes, re-words, etc…) of the work posted on the site. In many cases, webmasters who are disguising themselves as editors are giving real editors a bad name. A webmaster, will too often post submissions “as is” and not give a damn about the content or presentation. However, if a site has someone who can both edit and be a webmaster then the site is moving in the right direction.

This is the main problem source. Building a website, and getting work “published” on a website is so easily done by anyone whether they have talent or not that it de-values the word “published” and lessens the role of an Editor.

Granted, the internet IS a great marketing tool for promoting your work, getting your name in the public’s eye, and getting writing experience, but have you ever asked yourself why your work is ONLY published online? Perhaps it is because no discerning EDITOR has ever seen your dribbly poems, except in browsing the web for bad poems to laugh at.

Here are a few tips that will help you to get your work published online. Hey, I figured if you’re going to be a fool about getting your unpolished work published on the internet for the world to see, I’d give a few tips to help your bad poetry stay that way, since you seem to like that way best:

1. Place the word “Love” in your title. That’s a major plus!

2. Be straight-forward, don’t use symbols, metaphors or anything that will make the reader think. Readers don’t have time to think.

3. Focus on form—(sonnets, villanelles, haiku). Since you think in form, write in form.

4. Keep your poem in a rhyme-scheme. Why? Well, EVERYONE knows that all GOOD poems rhyme, the rest can be disregarded as a post-modern mess!

5. Only write in YOUR point of view. Write exactly what you believe, never try to portray the image of someone else. Better yet, start the poem with “I”.

6. Keep your poems untitled. Readers love to be creative and imagine what the title should and could be.

7. Write in the same place. If you write in your bedroom—always write there; if you write outside under a tree—always write there—why try variety and ruin a good thing?

8. Don’t ever base a character in a poem on someone you actually KNOW. Heaven forbid you get the piece published, and have to explain to the person—“this is you”.

9. Read, but if you don’t like a poem or a poet—just toss it. Don’t even question why you don’t appreciate the work.

10. Have no structure. Poetry is about limitless expressions, right? So in that sense, make your lines and stanzas as long as you wish. Just write exactly how you feel!

11. Don’t keep a journal. Journal causes too much self-reflection and you want to write for the moment, not yesterday.

12. Use clichés as much as possible. People like to read familiar phrases.

13. Not every line of a poem is important. Just make sure you have a good first and last line.

14.Poems don’t progress, that’s the difference between a story and a poem. Poems aren’t suppose to take you on a journey to learn.

14. Submit your poems to only websites. That way, you will never have to face the fact that your poetry SUCKS, because it will only be read by the friends and relatives to whom you give the site’s URL, and your friends will never tell you that reading your poetry is greater torture than letting a small, sharp-clawed guinea pig walk on their sunburned skin.

If you follow these guidelines, and start writing, you will be a “poet” in no time. Remember that poetry HAS to rhyme, and remember that the less you practice the better you are.

Joking aside—you might want to try doing exactly opposite of the “tips” in the list. And, since many webmasters (who are titling themselves Editor) aren’t doing their job, it’s up to you to learn to edit your work before you embarrass yourself.

(This article is not commenting that ALL online poetry is not well-crafted. But the poorly crafted poetry far outweighs the well-written by a landslide.)

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Amazing as it may sound, there is a real shortage of good writers and poets. Try telling that to the thousands of writers and poets who get daily rejection slips.

As far as they are concerned, writing is virtually impossible to break into no matter how hard they seem to try.

There may be a number of reasons why they don’t succeed:

Their writing is not up to standard - as far as the particular publishers or editors are concerned;

They don’t bother polishing their writing before submission;

They knock on the wrong doors - sending materials on a random basis;

They have failed to do basic research;

The list goes on.

1000s of publishers

There are of course thousands of publishers, especially online, who are willing to publish your work without payment. Such publishers can’t or won’t pay writers or poets.

Professional writers on the other hand command handsome fees. They make a good living out of writing.

Anyone can become a professional writer. You just need the determination to succeed. If you don’t have a natural gift, you can learn to write well. This can be by self-study, online, or at a college or school near you.

High quality professional writers demand anything from $1000 to $5000 per project - and the best earn substantially more. A project may involve just one page or a few poems.

Why do most aspiring writers and aspiring poets fail?

In a recent survey conducted on behalf of http://www.WritingHolidays.com, it became apparent that most writers and poets were not willing to invest time or effort in training or acquiring the necessary skills.

The survey revealed that most writers and poets were happy to plod along by trial and error rather than investing in a decent course. They accordingly fail to reap the rewards that are there for the taking.

They remain amateur writers and poets whilst their professional colleagues cream off the best paid writing markets.

The survey compared writers and poets to other professions. Lawyers, Accountants, Doctors, etc., are all highly paid. They all undergo training before the rewards are forthcoming. Yet, most writers and poets believe that the riches will come to them without spending $1 on training or developing skills.

One per cent. of writers or poets may get lucky. They may have been “born writers or poets” - they succeed without any training. The rest slog away - hoping that one day they may make some money from writing.

The good news

The good news is that there are 1000s of paid writing markets that are waiting to be exploited. There are more assignments than writers or poets.

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Prose - a simple word that confuses so many people. What is it exactly? According to dictionary.com:

1.the ordinary form of spoken or written language, without metrical structure, as distinguished from poetry or verse.

2.matter-of-fact, commonplace, or dull expression, quality, discourse, etc.

Prose encompasses most of the writing and speaking we engage in today, including what I am writing here. It is everything from novels to blog entries to television/films and everything in between. Prose is simply a fancy literary term used to separate general writing from poetry or verse. (Though, just to confuse you, we do have prose poetry, the halibun and free verse which can muddy any clear distinction.) Prose is typically written in plain language, follows the standard rules of grammar and punctuation and is arranged in paragraphs. It often reflects ordinary speech patterns. In fiction, writers do develop different styles of writing and employ various techniques to add interest for readers, but the writing is still considered prose.

Now that you understand a little about prose, let’s discuss poetry. Most people recognize poetry if they see a traditional poem. For instance, writing that has lines similar in length (each starting with a capital letter, of course), is arranged in stanzas, and has rhyme at the end of the lines. Most of us were taught about this type of poetry around the third or fourth grade. But poetry is so much more complex and varied than that simple example. In fact, those few things don’t necessarily define poetry at all.

Poetry is much more than just a few basics such as the form in which it is written, some general meter and rhyme. Modern poetry often deviates from traditional poetic form and rules. Poetry presentation has, once again, become somewhat artistic for some poets who write in everything from couplets to verse paragraphs. These lines can also be arranged on a page to enhance the visual appeal of the poem (as in shape poems), to aid in the rhythm of the poem (adding space between words to create longer pauses while reading aloud, for instance) or to add to the meaning or irony of a poem by causing words to appear in specific places. Standard punctuation and capitalization practices are falling by the wayside, as well, for many contemporary poets.

This still has little to do with poetry itself. So, how do we define poetry? I think Iowan, Paul Engle, had the right idea with is explanation: “Poetry is ordinary language raised to the Nth power. Poetry is boned with ideas, nerved and blooded with emotions, all held together by the delicate, tough skin of words.” That, to me, is what poetry is, but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t break it down somewhat. I am not providing definitions, they are easy enough to come by.

Basic Poetic Devices

Diction
Meter
Caesura
Enjambment
Rhyme
Repetition
Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
Onomatopoeia
Personification
Irony
Imagery
Symbol
Metonymy
Simile
Hyperbole
Metaphor
Oxymoron

A quick internet search will provide you with reading material on each of these devices. Some are easier to hone than others, but all are useful if you wish to write interesting poetry verses writing simple poems.

Hopefully the lines between prose and poetry are now a bit clearer than before. Sometime in the future, I will have to address those other pesky fellows I mentioned that muddy the waters between the two. For now, whether you chose to write prose or poetry or both, I wish you the utmost success.

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