Poetry doesn’t always have to follow rules, but studying different styles can help. Topics can be anything, and avoiding clichés is important. Reading poetry helps understand conventions and develop a personal style.
Many people find it difficult to write poetry because they are intimidated by all the rules and the imaginative language often used in poems, but one thing to remember is that poetry is an expression of one’s thoughts which means rules don’t always have to be apply. If a writer wants to start writing poetry in a certain style – writing quatrains or sonnets, for example – the best thing he can do is study the style of those poems. If a person simply wants to express thoughts in poetry form, however, the best place to start is with pen and paper.
A poem can focus on any topic, and while some types of poetry focus on specific topics, much poetry can be written on any topic the poet chooses. He or she should then decide what idea needs to be captured when he or she writes poetry and begin formulating ideas to capture that idea. Some poems rhyme, though many don’t, so if the poet is interested in writing poetry about a specific topic, a rhyme scheme may just get in the way. Try writing about the topic without a rhyme, then maybe play with different rhyme schemes in a later draft of the poem.
One of the pitfalls of writing poetry, at least for many writers, is cliché. Clichés are words or phrases overused to the point where they become almost meaningless. Phrases such as “It was a dark and stormy night” have been used so often that they often make readers’ eyes ring. Try to avoid clichés; they are often associated with melodrama and a lack of creativity; many writing teachers will tell students that if a sentence comes to the writer exceptionally easily, it’s probably a cliché.
Perhaps the most important tip for writing poetry is to read a lot of poetry. Reading poetry will help the prospective poet understand the conventions and trends of poetry and help the new poet learn clichés so he can avoid them. Reading poetry will also help the new poet develop a style of his own, as the poet is likely to identify other poets that he enjoys reading. A poet often begins by imitating the style of an established poet and then modifying that style to suit his own writing ability; this is a good way to start and your talents will continue to develop over time.
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