advice for writing better poems

[suzieq70s]

I've been working on writing poems for about 3 years now. I've got around 40 written some I really like some I think are only average. Some take weeks to write with a lot of editing. Some take only a couple of hours and need almost no editing. They just seem to flow. For me a really good poem makes you feel wether it's hope and happiness or despair and sadness. Either way they make you feel. They take you inside that moment. They grab you by your soul and they don't let go.

So any advice would be greatly appreciated about rhyme and rhythm and flow. How to drag the reader into your thoughts and feelings.

Thank you so much

 

[JahSEEuS]

Wish I could give you better advice than keep reading and writing. Keep an open mind and an open heart. Go to live poetry readings. Take a creative writing course at a local community college, or see if there are any free/cheap workshops in your area.

This website has a lot of good stuff, as far as inspiration, style, and habits of creative types, from famous writers http://www.brainpickings.org/tag/poetry/

 

[suzieq70s]

Thankyou JahSEEuS for the link above. I have a couple writers that I really like. Edgar Allen Poe and Charles Bukowski. I'm planning on studying there writings on my own. And the link you gave me will give me a good opportunity to be exposed to others as well. And I'd love to find a workshop somewhere around here. Thankyou again

 

[ForEverAfter]

PM me your location, if you like, and I'll find you a workshop.

I'm going to point out some things I think you should avoid, in order to write better poems.

1. Don't force rhymes.
You mentioned liking Poe and Bukowski.
Poe's rhyming schemes are often really complex.
The raven, if you analyze it, is mind-blowing in terms of rhyme.
But Bukowski, and company, destroyed the conventions of poetry for the better (IMO).
You should only use rhyme, when needed.
Don't try to structure poems around rhyme schemes.
Structure poems around the heart of the poem.
If rhyme works, go with it.
But don't bury the heart.

2. Like all writing, you should write what you know.
Don't write cliches. Don't write historical poems, unless you research them.
Don't try to replicate other poems, at all. Just express yourself.

3. Buy some literary journals, or check them out at your local library.
Bukowski is great - I prefer Ginsberg, though - but they are pretty old.
You need to immerse yourself in contemporary poetry if you want to get published.
(Getting poetry published isn't as difficult as you might think.)
As JahSEEus said, check out some local poetry slams and open mic nights.
Don't replicate anything you see. Let it inspire you.
Poetry, these days, is really free. You can write ANYTHING.
Poetry used to be really conventional and now it's the opposite.
You can rhyme.
You can write conventional poetry, if you like.
Or you can write ANYTHING else. It's up to you.
There are no limitations.

4. Write every day. Don't think too much about what you're writing and if it's any good.
Finish what you're writing. Don't take it seriously. If it's not good, work out what you need to improve.
You can't learn if you don't try. We learn by trial and ERROR. There is no shame in error.
If you're always looking over your own shoulder, you'll never be free to write in peace.
Writing takes practice. You can't skip ahead and just write something great.
It takes time and you will fail along the way. But, that doesn't matter.
The one thing that prevents writers from being successful is fear.
If you're too afraid that you aren't good enough, you never will be.

 

[suzieq70s]

Also some very excellent advice. Thankyou so much ForEverAfter. I do admire Poe for his complexity and Bukowski for his unconventional style. And I'm always looking for exposure to new works and new authors. Some of my stuff does feel a bit forced and I intend to some time in the furniture go back and reevaluate them. Some that I have done have been very exciting for me cause when I was done I felt like yeah that is exactly what I was trying to portray. I will say all of my poems are from what has happened to me personally and others I witnessed first hand. And yes my intention is to some day be published. I would love to some how come up with a coherent compilation of my life's story written entirely in poems.

Thankyou.again for the advice

 

[ForEverAfter]

You're very welcome.
I'll add something, about publication, since you've said that is a goal.

If you're attempting to get published in literary journals, subscribe to (and buy back issues of) all of them. If you can't afford that, go to your local library and read as many contemporary literary journals as possible. Read all of them, if you have the time... There are also online databases that contain thousands upon thousands of digitized literary journals.

Having said all that, don't try to get published in literary journals straight away.
Especially if you're not good at dealing with rejection. Get published online, first.
Even if you don't get paid, or if you get paid very little, it's rewarding to be recognized (against the competition).

If you're going to attempt to get published in literary journals, straight off the bat, start small.

Most universities have journals and competitions.
They don't pay well. Some of them don't pay at all.
But, that doesn't matter. You shouldn't be writing for money any way.
If you're successful, your work will end up printed in a journal. And, that should be enough.

There are tens of thousands of universities in the world.
A lot of them accept work from non-students.
And then there are literary journals from all over the world.
And, again, a lot of them accept work from non-residents.
Not to mention the world's online journals/magazines.

You can, if you're pro-active about it, submit stuff on a full-time basis.



Good luck to you.

 

[herbavore]

Find your local poetry community. They exist almost everywhere. Open mics. Poetry slams or just public readings can hook you up with a community of writers. There are lots of online critique forums but I find their time requirements to be too much for me. Still they can be really useful for honest feedback and learning to grow rather than shrink from criticism.

 

[suzieq70s]

Find your local poetry community. They exist almost everywhere. Open mics. Poetry slams or just public readings can hook you up with a community of writers. There are lots of online critique forums but I find their time requirements to be too much for me. Still they can be really useful for honest feedback and learning to grow rather than shrink from criticism.

Thankyou herbavore. I have so much time on my hands right now. I think I will check into the online forums for poetry