poetry writing prompt

poetry writing prompt

Exploring the Art of Poetry Writing: A Comprehensive Guide

1. Introduction to Poetry Writing

All of us have walked on the edge of a vast lake. We look forwards, expecting to see water stretch to a distant horizon and thereby define the contour of the solid, tangible land beside and beneath that water. The purpose of this guide, and indeed the goal of all kinds of poetry, is to project that same scene for the mind’s eye and leave a lasting few moments of an indelible image in the minds of your readers. In this way, poetry paints individual pictures to populate the interiors of the mind with an endless myriad of images and the insubstantial quality of ineffable whether that is, then dissolves the images and makes them reappear somewhere else and within someone else. As authors, all you want to do is provide those images in the minds of your readers and influence what they wish to feel; being open is their duty.

Poetry — arguably the most human and expressive of all the literary arts. Poetry is both the simplest and the hardest form of writing to create. It imposes absolute fidelity to the economy of words, vivid imagery, heightened feelings, and intensified thought while adhering to exacting rules. A particular combination of words produces verbal music only when arranged poetically. And these words cannot only resonate with the grammar and syntax but must also articulate what most people call a “gut reaction,” breathing life into the body of our emotions and thoughts. We might even call it spiritual, intending to encompass both the concrete and the cryptographic, the living and the eternal frontiers of human experience. With over 7 billion on the planet, it is no wonder our species has taken to the expression of poetry like moths to the flames of that intangible, but irresistible intoxicating force called “the imagined magic.”

2. Understanding Different Forms and Structures

A hexaduad is a poem that asks a question or makes a statement in six lines. The poem has a regular ABBCCB rhyme scheme. Four line poems that rhyme can take several poetic forms. A couplet, which focuses on thoughts, experiences, or emotions can have a wide variety of topics. Tercets are three line poems that may have various types. A short poem can be simple, ironic, or even prayerful. QList poems feature a wide variety of topics. Although poems that fall in the Rhyming category are often associated with the crafting of poetry, not all structured poetic forms rhyme. Some poems are constructed around sentence formation, whereas other types of poems layer lines in a variety of ways.

Now that you have had an elementary understanding about the art of writing poetry, let’s explore the art of poetry writing even further! Poetry, like other forms of the written word, can be created in a wide variety of different forms and structures. However, the best poems often reflect the person who wrote it and the experiences that person has encountered. Your first attempt at writing a poem should follow traditional structures for the type of poem you are trying to create. As you become more comfortable with writing poetry, you may find the content you write starts to stray in a variety of different directions.

3. Techniques for Crafting Powerful Imagery and Emotions

1. Writing About Your Own Life One of the qualities of poetry that isn’t inherent in other writing forms is its ability to make everything personal. Whether a poet writes strict formal structures or free forms, there is always something about the words chosen, the associations made, that bring humans into contact with other humans. They stimulate understanding and shared excitement, passion, and sorrow. Part of that is accomplished through identifying with the experiences of another person. It isn’t all that difficult. Most of the time when we hear music or see other related art expression, we say, “yes! That was the way I was when such-and-such happened to me!” The creation of the personal quality is a skill that poets have learned. They have the skills of perception, and they know and trust how to gather from their experiences and emotions. By writing sensitively, not just literally and objectively, and flushing out ideas that stimulate further ideas—usually the emotions will just naturally come to the surface.

In previous chapters, we’ve provided many different techniques you can use to begin crafting the foundation of your poem. Throughout this chapter, we focus on in-depth advanced techniques for fine-tuning your writing to facilitate powerful imagery and emotions. It’s a writing-intensive endeavor and, by definition, can’t possibly be an exact process. But by guiding you through the exact processes for creating memorable, unique images out of your experiences and ideas, we’re confident the poets in you will shine through boldly and clearly. Remember, multimedia students! Large, colorful images are best! Then your readers can experience things visually with you.

Section III—Advanced Techniques for Crafting Powerful Imagery and Emotions

4. Finding Inspiration and Overcoming Writer’s Block

Much about writing poetry is tuning in, observing, recording, and recreating lines of experience, thought, and feeling. Poetry can originate from many starting points—image, sound, emotion, concept, historical event, or imaginary situation. In fact, just about anything can jump-start a poem. Even though observing and tuning in are the tools of the poet, it’s unfair to make the conversation solely about the poem filling the silent vacuum. Yes, the poem needs to resolve something that is off-kilter or unsettling either within the poem’s construction or as a calmer situation. However, the making of the poem should always be a thrilling and engaging aspect of discovery in its own right for the poet.

Inspiration can come from the world around you or from your own life. It can also come from a phrase, a sentence, a piece of music, or a feeling. If a line or phrase reaches out to you, you can start there in your writing process. Look for the right vacuum that needs to be filled by writing or pushing yourself a little bit. A poem is often an act of discovery when the reader and writer learn something new about themselves or the world. By writing, you can learn and understand something that you didn’t understand before.

5. Revision and Refinement: Polishing Your Poems

Is the arrangement appropriate? Should the poem be in stanzas instead of a block of text? Does the white space support your intentions? You might find that the poem has acquired lines from other styles of poetry, such as syllabic or shaped poems. Are more than one poem lurking within the wording?

Is the title appropriate for the poem? Try a few others and see if the poem can support a broader title. Would a one- or two-word title be an overstatement?

After you have decided that a poem is complete, give it a final look. During this last reading, consider whether the word arrangement and line break choices are working as you intended. Small changes such as adding and deleting punctuation marks, or adding spaces can lead to significant improvements. Here are a few practical things to consider during this final step: