A Guide to Writing Poetry

I’m frequently asked on Instagram how I write poems, what’s my technique or process and do I have any advice on writing poetry. I thought it would be easier to collect all the advice I’ve ever given into one condensed little guide for anyone who wants to get into poetry or simply improve as a poet.

Poetry is seen by many as a pretentious relic of a past-time that holds no value in the modern world. As technology advances and we drift further away from the root of our language, we find it difficult to do anything creative and many people won’t understand poetry and its modern applications. To me, poetry is painting with words, playing with form, seeing how far we can stretch language, it’s important to view our language as something malleable, a form to be played with and to ultimately create new avenues for our language.

So don’t be afraid to share your poetry, to explore your language in more depth, to be more creative, if you write for your own enjoyment then you shouldn’t be concerned with what others don’t understand about your art form.

1. Get inspired.

First and foremost before you can write anything you need to be inspired, to feel like you genuinely want to create something amazing and there are many places where inspiration resides, you just have to search for it. A great starting point is reading other poetry of course, from different genres and times, from traditional to contemporary, every bit of poetry will give you a better understanding of how to write better poetry and may prove source inspiration. However, inspiration can come from anywhere, whether that be dwelling in the serenity of a calm nature walk or in lying in the frames of your favourite movies, all ideas can be translated into your own writing.

2. Be original.

In our post-modern world, originality is a rare find and can’t exactly be forced; by simply being yourself and using your own voice in your writing you will be original. Having an extensive reading background and many varied influences will also help. Poetry is on the rise on social media outlets such as Instagram and has become more of a trend than an art form, leading to array of #poetry that all looks identical and is always about the same topic, either love or heartbreak. As long as you take your time to produce something genuine and not just something that sounds and looks pretty on the outside then you should be alright.

3. Practice different forms.

Take some time to learn about the many different forms of poems such as haikus, ballads, free verse, and limericks to find what you excel at the most. A lot of modern poetry tends to be free verse and it is a great form to get started with, particularly for slam poems. Find what works best for you as a writer and maybe try reading it loud to see how it would sound when spoken. Practice counting syllables and matching syllable counts for lines, or simply write organically with no restraints.

4. Have a good creative process.

What most people would like to know is the technicalities of the writing process, how successful writers actually go about writing a masterpiece. Of course this process is different for every writer, but generally it begins with an organic flow of ideas, just get your thoughts onto the page until your mind runs dry and then read back through what you’ve regurgitated onto the page – it more than likely won’t be a masterpiece in and of itself but will contain a few golden words or phrases for you dig out and use in your next draft. Essentially after the initial outburst of ideas, the process is very much a refining of sentences and words. It may take a few redrafts but eventually you end up with all the best ideas and words collected into a cohesive poem that reads well. The key to starting this process is allowing yourself to write badly at first, don’t expect your first draft to be a masterpiece, no writer produces a great piece of work without editing first.

5. Be resilient.

My final and most crucial advice is to not give up. When writing, a lot will come out of your head onto the page that won’t be any good, and frankly might just be embarrassing if anyone read it, but if you don’t allow yourself that space to grow and develop and understand that you will create bad content at some point, then you’ll never improve. Trust me, you will get better if you keep at it, it’s inevitable. If you keep reading and learning about the art form you’ll be a master at it one day; there’s no greater habit you can develop than resilience.