How to Write Better Poems

To be or not to be a poet? That is the question.

But another question is how to write better poems? Typically, "good" is something that is based entirely on how a person qualifies the word, "good." Good to one person may not be good to others. So technically, it all boils down to sending the right messages across and having fun putting thoughts onto paper. Below are some tips on how to write better poems:

Decide on the poem details. First things first, decide what the poem is all about, who it's intended for and what it is for. Once a decision is made, make sure that the poetry is focused on that. Next, decide on the type of poetry to write. There are several types of poetry, haiku, sonnets, limericks, free form, etc. But no matter what type is chosen, one has to stick to it till the end.

Go with the impulse. After all, poems are all about banking on emotions, so why not follow it? It something feels right, it has to be written down. Sometimes, it may seem right to have one line talk about something, and another on the next. In poetry, connection is the key to arrive at a good conclusion.

Be inspired. To keep self inspired, one has to fully indulge himself on the things he writes about. Like being one with nature in a park or garden if the poem is about nature or writing a love poem while watching the object of one's affection, sleep. More ideas may actually come to life just being around the thing or person that one is writing about.

Have a play of words. Sometimes, choosing the right words or set of words may sound better without losing the context of the message.

Be imaginative and create a wide imagination. In poem writing, one has to have a wide imagination to keep boredom out of the scene. Replacing simple and common words with symbolisms may sound more appealing and may be more fun to read about.

Save the best for last. For the final kickoff, one has to make sure that the final lines of the poem will leave a mark on the readers, sometimes it may touch them or other times, it may even move people. Ending a poem may sometimes be difficult but one has to keep in mind what his poem is all about because that is how the poem should end.

Revise. Do not be afraid of revising. Read through the poem and edit what needs to be changed. Always find room for improvement, it's for the good of the poem. Listen to poems.

Listening to poems actually enhance the one's ability to write because one can obtain information based on samples. So read the final output. Reading the poem actually lets a person classify its good or not. Poems are usually measured by rhyme or rhythm. This is why most of the time, poems are good for songs because they have coherence and rhythm even without the tune and the notes yet. Sometimes, in poetry writing, it may sound better to cut out words or statements to find the rhyme or the rhythm. But other times, cutting it too short may seem to leave the line hanging. Cutting out words may or may not help but checking on the poem lines may actually be good just the same.

Finally, by finding the best critics one would be able to gauge if the poem is good or not. Do not be afraid of rejections and negative comments because only then can one person be able to produce better results. Use it for improvement. Only then can one be able to write better poems.

Websites For Learning All About Poetry

  1. Academy of American Poets
  2. Allspirit Poetry Index
  3. Bad Poetry
  4. DayPoems
  5. Favorite Poem Project
  6. Glossary of Poetic Terms
  7. Jacket
  8. The Open Poetry Project
  9. Passions in Poetry
  10. Poetry at BellaOnline
  11. Poetry for Kids
  12. Sonnet Central