How to Write a Poem : TIPS

Writing a poem isn't for advanced people in English because , there are different levels of writing poems and any one who desires writing a poem can do it , and can also improve his language as well by writing poems.

Writing a poem is all about observing the world within you or around you. A poem can be about 
anything, from love to the rusty gate at the old farm. As long as you are enjoying it or finding a release of tension through it, you're on the right track. Here's how to get started.

Find a spark. A poem might start as a snippet of verse, maybe just a line or two that seems to come out of nowhere, and the remainder of the poem need only be written around it. Here are a few ways to generate sparks:

Read and listen to poetry. Get inspired by seeking out the work of poets you admire. Explore a wide range of works, from poems that are widely regarded as classics to popular song lyrics. As you interact with more poetry, you'll find your aesthetic becoming more shaped and refined.

• To train your ear and meet like-minded people, attend poetry readings (check your local college or bookstore's calendar for these, or look for events you can stream online).
• Find some of your favorite song lyrics and read them like poetry. You might be surprised at how it reads on the page, instead of being spoken or sung aloud.

Think about what you want to achieve with your poem. Perhaps you want to write a poem to express your love for your boyfriend or girlfriend; perhaps you want to commemorate a tragic event; or maybe you just want to get an "A" in your poetry class. Think about why you are writing your poem and who your intended audience is, and then proceed in your writing accordingly.

Decide which poetry style suits your subject. There are a ton of different poetic styles. . As a poet, you have a wide variety of set forms to choose from: limericks, sonnets, villanelles, sestinas, haiku ... the list goes on and on.

• You may also choose to abandon form altogether and write your poem in free verse. While the choice may not always be as obvious as the example above, the best form for the poem will usually manifest itself during the writing process.

Choose the right words. It's been said that if a novel is "words in the best order," then a poem is "the best words in the best order."

• Think of the words you use as building blocks of different sizes and shapes. Some words will fit together perfectly, and some won't. You want to keep working at your poem until you have built a strong structure of words.
• Use only those words that are necessary, and those that enhance the meaning of the poem. Choose your words carefully. The differences between similar sounding words or synonyms can lead to interesting word play.
• A computer spreadsheet such as OpenOffice.org Calc, is very efficient for rearranging words and checking rhythm through columns' alignment. Put one syllable in each cell. You can transfer the text to a word processor for fancier printing when you're done.

Use concrete imagery and vivid descriptions. Most poetry appeals to the senses in some way, in order to help the reader become more fully immersed in the text. Here are some things to consider when you're constructing descriptions.

• Love, hate, happiness: these are all abstract concepts. Many (perhaps all) poems are, deep down, about emotions and other abstractions. Nevertheless, it's hard to build a strong poem using only abstractions - it's just not interesting. The key, then, is to replace or enhance abstractions with concrete images, things that you can appreciate with your senses: a rose, a shark, or a crackling fire, for example. The concept of the objective correlative may be useful. An objective correlative is an object, several objects, or a series of events (all concrete things) that evoke the emotion or idea of the poem.
• Really powerful poetry not only uses concrete images; it also describes them vividly. Show your readers and listeners what you're talking about — help them to experience the imagery of the poem. Put in some "sensory" handles. These are words that describe the things that you hear, see, taste, touch, and smell, so that the reader can identify with their own experience.
• Give some examples rather than purely mental/intellectual descriptions. As a silly example, consider "He made a loud sound", versus "He made a loud sound like a hippo eating 100 stale pecan pies with metal teeth."

Use poetic devices to enhance your poem's beauty and meaning. The most well known poetic device is rhyme. Rhyme can add suspense to your lines, enhance your meaning, or make the poem more cohesive. It can also make it prettier. Don't overuse rhyme. It's a crime.

• If you are opting for the rhyming route, there are three basic types to choose from: the couplet, tercet, and ballad stanza.
  • The couplet is two phrases that each rhyme at their end.
    This will be a couplet when the final word is penned.
    • Did you catch that meter?!
  • The tercet has three lines. 1 and 2 rhyme, as do 4 and 5, 3 and 6. As in,
    
    "My dog has a toy,
    it resembles a boy.
    A boy with a dark colored glasses.
    
    His lightning scar
    can be seen from afar
    and gee, does he love molasses."
  • A ballad stanza's second and fourth lines rhyme. For example:
    
    I just met you.
    And this is crazy.
    So here's my number.
    Call me, maybe?
• Other poetic devices include meter, metaphor, assonance, alliteration, and repetition. If you don't know what these are, you may want to look in a poetry book or search the Internet. Poetic devices can establish a poem, or, if they bring too much attention to themselves, can ruin it.

Add a "turn" to the end of the poem. Save your most powerful message or insight for the end of your poem. The last line is to a poem what a punch line is to a joke — something that evokes an emotional response. Give the reader something to think about, something to dwell on after reading your poem.

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