So You Think You Cannot Write Poetry?
Think again, you actually can
In France, poetry is part of the curriculum from middle school to high school. As a former English major, I also had to contend with it for six additional years because it was an important component of my studies.
The awful way my teachers and professors taught poetry led to my inability to read a poem without rolling my eyes for a very long time...
…Until something magical happened.
One night in January 2005, I felt the urge to write a poem. My first piece was born in half an hour — and I was hooked. I still am, 17 years later.
Ever since publishing my first book, I have been asked if I had special powers or skills. Sorry to disappoint, folks, but if I did, you would know about it!
Joke aside, I believe that anybody can write poetry. Yes, anybody.
“Ok, that’s fine and dandy, Cendrine. But how do I actually do that?”
I am glad you asked. Here is my answer in 6 steps.
Step 1: Use Prose
Prose is used in novels, short stories, letters, e-mails, etc. As an example, let me share a passage from my introduction to one of my old books, Project: Heartbeats and Elevation:
The way each individual interprets words and phrases, rhythm and sounds does not matter. It is all about firm belief; belief in the beauty of nature, life, love, and possibilities. Of course, one will always find pain, misunderstanding, as well as anger along the way. However, if one can see beyond those hurdles, the rewards will be bountiful!
Step 2: Start a New Line with Each Occurrence of a Normal Pause
Below is my rendition of the aforementioned passage.
The way each individual interprets words and phrases,
Rhythm and sounds does not matter.
It is all about firm belief;
Belief in the beauty of nature, life, love, and possibilities.
Of course, one will always find pain, misunderstanding,
As well as anger along the way.
However, if one can see beyond those hurdles,
The rewards will be bountiful!
(Capitalization is optional.)
Step 3: Experiment!
The way
Each individual interprets
Words and phrases,
Rhythms and sounds
Does not matter.
It is all about firm belief;
Belief in the beauty of
Nature,
Life,
Love, and
Possibilities.
Of course,
One will always find pain,
Misunderstanding,
As well as anger…
Along the way.
However, if one can see
Beyond those hurdles,
The rewards will be bountiful!
Have fun!
Step 4: Perfect Your Piece
Leave the poem aside for a while and let your mind wander freely. Fresh ideas should arise, including punctuation, synonyms, and (maybe) rhymes (RhymeZone may help!).
The way
Each individual re-creates
Words and phrases–
Rhythms and sounds
Matters not.
It is all about firm belief;
Belief in the beauty of
Nature,
Life,
Love, and
Possibilities.
Indeed,
One will always encounter pain…
Misunderstanding…
And anger…
Along the way.
Yet, if the eye can see
Beyond those hurdles,
The rewards will be bountiful!
(Don’t forget to add a title! :))
Step 5: Edit
Editing your poem is a very important step. Unfortunately, it is often overlooked.
Not sure how to go about it? Here are some tools to help you:
- GrammarBook.com — grammar rules.
- SpellCheck.net — free online spell checker.
- Grammarly — finds and corrects grammatical and typographical errors. (Use at your own risk though. Grammarly can be unreliable and suggest errors that do not exist…)
- Common Errors in English
- Wikipedia: Lists of common misspellings
Step 6: Practice, Practice, Practice…
…and practice some more. Read a lot to expand your vocabulary. Use yourDictionary.com, Dictionary.com, Merriam-Webster Online, Wikipedia, or Wikitionary to look up the definitions of unfamiliar words.
Share your poetry with others and ask for constructive feedback. However, do not let anyone tell you what will work for you. Always be true to who you are and NEVER compare yourself to other poets, unless you want to understand your own style.
Have fun, and do not be too harsh on yourself!
That's it for today! Thank you for reading!
---
Cendrine Marrouat is a writer, photographer, podcaster, blogger, anthology editor, and the co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms and A Warm Cup of Cozy. She has authored and co-authored more than 40 books, including The Train: A Short Story (2023), In Her Own Words: A Collection of Short Stories & Flashku (2022), After the Fires of Day: Haiku Inspired by Kahlil Gibran & Alphonse de Lamartine (2021), Rhythm Flourishing: A Collection of Kindku and Sixku (2020), Walks: A Collection of Haiku (2019-2020), and In the Silence of Words: A Three-Act Play (2018).
Cendrine's work has appeared in many publications. She is the creator of the Sixku, Flashku, Sepigram, and Reminigram; as well as the co-creator of the Kindku, Pareiku, Vardhaku, and Hemingku.
About the Creator
Cendrine Marrouat
Writer & Author⎜Photographer⎜Artist⎜Co-founder of Auroras & Blossoms / A Warm Mug of Cozy⎜(Co-)creator of literary forms
"The Train: A Short Story" is out!
Website: https://creativeramblings.com
Donations: https://ko-fi.com/cendrineartist
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
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Easy to read and follow
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Writing reflected the title & theme
Expert insights and opinions
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Eye opening
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Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
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Comments (2)
Splendid!
I only had one poetry class in high school. I remember a similar exercise. Fun class. I still have my folder from it about 40 years later! Well done!