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How to write poetry

Updated: Jun 12, 2019

Today, I am not going to talk about English grammar or vocabulary to write poetry. It's too frightening sometimes to bring your nightmare to reality. But I am just going to share some tips on how to write a Poetry. Before I start with it and move to the main course of the topic just try to empty the already occupied space in your brain to fill in the tips.



1. Focus on one image or emotion A lot of new writers do triples on ideas and just start writing on it. It's not bad but many a times you land up on writing a scattered poem. It is totally fine if you get what you want. Poetry is all about effects of emotions. What's the point in writing a poem which has more than one particular interest. Many poems are big and also have multiple images and emotions, but it needs much advance skills. So, in the initial phase it's better if you keep it short. Longer the poetry more visible flaws. First of all, master the short one for your bigger picture to appeal or start getting some sense to the reader.


2. Start with one emotion Take one emotion and imagine an image which evokes your chosen emotion. It is very important to understand related images from your own life to evoke your emotion. Also, find and explore the evoked emotion through imagined pictures. Formula: Emotion to images to emotion.


3. Start with one image Take one image and see if you can connect some emotion to it. It is very necessary for you to observe images and connect emotion to it. It can be an interesting feeling to associate with that particular image. See if you can generate some optimism or apathetic distances. Don't be afraid to play around with things. Any image can evoke any emotion. Formula: Image to emotion to feelings to Image.


4. Tension There are 3 types of tension.


a. Conflict / Narrative

b. Thematic / Subtextual

c. Formal / Structural Tension is always below the surface and words are above. It is really important to understand the tension in the poetry. I am not going to go deep into this topic but let us check out the summary for each tension.


a. Conflict / Narrative This type of content puts characters to the opposition to something for example to resolve the problem of opposition you need to ask questions to poetry that what will happen?


Formula : Character = emotion + object or image.


b. Thematic / Subtextual The meaning is not very easily revealed or evident. It generates drama through the character, so you always need to find out the of ideas, feelings or images. That is why, most of its text is below and not above the narrative. Some text is naturally in opposition. For evoking or implying this opposition is a great way to add energy and life to your poetry.


E.g. Love vs Hatred, Life vs Death, Happiness vs Sadness, War vs Peace and so on.


Formula: Opposite words.


c. Formal / Structural It is the most difficult and hardest area to master. Because it has a proper form to it. Poets use a proper technical choice, break, punctuation, rhyme and so on.


Formula: Not applicable.


5. Leave some room for the reader Languages are very fascinating, as words will give direction to the things it refers to, rather than capturing the image as it is. The beauty of poetry is about what is said not what he/she did not say. Poetry opens up to each reader as per their expectation and imagination. The poetry you want to say and what you don't say.


Formula: Less = More.


Just don't get carried away by your thoughts, it will upset you in the maximum number of lines. Now I hope you understood many things about poetry. It is your turn to write now.


1 Comment


SinnerMan
SinnerMan
Jun 12, 2019

Loved this... Such detailed and apt description of the process. Bravo

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