HOW TO WRITE A POEM

by Theresa Kufuor | Oct 13, 2022 | Scripts

With poetry, you go in with the “3 Hs”.
That’s the HEAD, HEART, and HAND.
Just to make you a creativity killer.

Poetry writing can be easy and difficult most days. But it’s the challenges you face that makes you more creative.

Sometimes, inspiration strikes and the words just start flowing out of your mind and onto the page.

Here are a few tips to help you get started and write your next poem:

1 Be sure of what you want to write about
Unless you’ve been assigned to write a poem about a specific topic, the first step in writing a poem is determining a topic to write about. Look for inspiration around you, perhaps in nature, your community, current events, or the people in your life. Take notes on how different things make you feel and what they drive you to think about.
Once you have a topic and a theme in mind, the next step is to determine which kind of poem is the best way to express it.

2 Be sure of the format of your poem.
Your poem shouldn’t necessarily have a specific format though, but by determining a format you are sure of your kind of flow.
You don’t want to put yourself in a poem people cannot relate to.

3 Be clear of your words, rhymes and rhythm.
After the selection of format, feel free to read other poems in your line to give yourself a template to follow.
A specific rhythm or rhyme scheme can trigger you to come our with incredible wordplay in your poem. You must understand yours words with meaning and make sure your rhymes and rhythms are related and understood by other readers. Don’t make pairs because you want to make a rhyme.

4 Write the poem
Now it’s time to write! Whether you opt for using a pen and paper, typing on a laptop, or tapping on your phone, give yourself some uninterrupted time to focus on writing the poem.
Don’t expect to write something perfect on the first try. Instead, focus on getting your words out. Even if your lines don’t rhyme perfectly or you’ve got too many or too few syllables to fit the format you chose, write what’s on your mind. The theme your words are expressing is more important than the specific words themselves, and you can always revise your poem later.

5 Edit what you’ve written
Once you have a draft, the next step is to edit and proofread your poem. You don’t have to jump right from writing to editing—in fact, it’s better if you don’t.
Take a break if you are tired.
Don’t stress the mind. It’s okay to take days to complete a poem. Gather more ideas during your break and come back to your poem with a critical eye and a racing hand.
If you are okay showing it to other people to read, make sure they are people who understand art. distanced perspectives, from readers and writers of different backgrounds, can offer up ways to make your writing stronger that you hadn’t considered before.