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Poetry Writing Tips 

If you’re on my website, chances are you know I’ve written and published my own poetry book. I even did the illustrations! That was all after my love for it was sparked, then my journey really started. I will walk you through tips that really helped me write poetry, and find my writing style. I have 5 tips in total. (I also have an insane bonus tip at the end. It’s my secret, but good poets don’t gatekeep. ;))

Read Poetry!

It may sound logical to study the content of what you want to produce, but sometimes we just want to try and jump into it. The truth is, I wasn’t a poetry fan growing up. Not the traditional type. I didn’t mind Robert Frost poems, but that was because I was used to his poems. One day I picked up a book called Milk and Honey. I didn’t know who the author was, and I didn’t know it was poetry. None of it rhymed, and the beginning of each line started with a lowercase letter, which was the complete opposite of what my teachers had drilled into my mind. When I read through the pages, I was able to understand everything this person was saying. It felt like they were speaking to my soul. About 7 years later, I’m sitting in the audience next to my bestie/Mom in a packed theatre at Rupi Kaur’s World Tour, seduced yet again into her words and anecdotes. 

What I’m trying to say is, poetry has been written, and you have the chance to be reinspired by people who have been inspired enough to put the words together and write it. There are so many different poets out there, and you are bound to find one that can speak to you and your story. When they read Langston Hughes in my grade 12 class, I was surprised at how much I related to his words, and how one poet could have so many different ways of writing, that really allows you to connect to them. We hadn’t really studied many black authors in school, so it was a special experience.

Reading is so key to writing, it’s like it’s one in the same. The best authors have bookshelves filled with the books of other authors. You can learn from them, and adapt to fit your own experiences and styles.

Listen to Music

Lyrics are lyrical poems. I used to write songs all the time. I thought I wanted to be a singer. I used to hate it when people told me my songs were poetry, because at the time, I didn’t realise that lyrics were poems. When I learned this, I just laughed at myself, because how could I be so offended by people recognising my words for what they were. What did I do with them after you ask? I took the best parts and I created poems out of them and put the in my book.

Finding music that helps you write poetry is actually fairly easy. Take your favourite songs and study the lyrics. What lines stand out to you? What verses make you feel something? If you can, listen to songs with deeper meaning, and you’ll find the poems that lie within them. Honestly, this is probably one of my favourite tips. Music is accessible, and loved all around the world. Using music as inspiration is a sure way to create impactful poems.

Just Write

I feel like so many creatives wait for the perfect inspiration to start creating. But the truth is perfect doesn’t exist, and time doesn’t really work with us, so start now. Go to the dollar store and buy a notebook to write your poems down. Or use sticky notes like I did for a while, or even a notebook app on your phone. Every idea, good, bad or average should be jotted down. A quarter of my poems I don’t like, but I know I can come back to them and edit them to say exactly what I need them to. 

No idea is unusable, which is why it’s important to keep all the poems and writings that you’ve created. When you come back to them you’ll have fresh ideas to add and massage your message and theme into it. You never want to force creativity and poetry out of your mind. Instead, let it flow out of you like a river. The water in a river flows downstream and we call it a current. Your mind is like a current, so don’t try to control it and make it flow in a way it’s simply not supposed to. When you learn to simply write, it’ll free you.

Choose a style

The truth is, traditional wishy washy poetry can’t really hold my attention for long. I like being able to read the poem and know exactly what they’re trying to say. Scratch that, they make the message so clear that they no longer have to “try.” But there is something to be said for the traditional styles of poetry. When choosing your style, study what poets you like. Are they Instapoets, part of the phenomena of young writers posting viral poems on social media? Do they write short poems, or long poems, or even a mix of both? You really want to create poetry that you would want to read. Write in a way that you give yourself chills with the messaging. With so many styles out in the world, you really can’t go wrong.

Remember the rules: there are no rules

Do I have to rhyme? No. Does it have to be deep? No. Does it need fancy words? No. Poetry is the most free expression of literature. There are literally no set rules. The truth is, depending on your own goals, it doesn’t have to make sense to anyone else but you. Nobody sees the world from the same lens as you. Isn’t that amazing? That right there is your superpower. Throw literary rules out the window, including your teachers. You’re a poet, and not even English class can hold you back. 

Add Emotion to Your Work

I think emotions are so important for creatives in general. They drive you, they break you, they heal you, and in all of that, you can produce something remarkable. When I write, I make sure to feel everything; no emotion is useless or unnecessary. Make sure that the emotion you choose to fuel your inspiration is most effective to you. If it’s sadness, feel it fully, if it’s happiness, let joy light your way. Or if you’re like me, which is basically like if emotional was a person, you’d be reading her blog, then go with that. There are no wrong feelings here. 

Summary

I have given you 5 of my poetry writing secrets to do what you may with. I hope that you can embrace the art of poetry and give it a try. I did promise you my secret bonus tip, so here it goes: Mindfulness before writing. I mean meditate for a few minutes, get up and stretch, and breathe in and out loudly(and I mean loudly, I want you to sound like a ghoul) to release any mental tension. I learned this in the poetry workshop I went to before deciding to write my book The Hummingbird’s Garden. I’m going to be honest: I’m not some expert at any of this, but this is what’s worked for me, and this is how I ended up completing my book. I hope you enjoyed, and remember, life has more in store for you.