What makes great poetry

I often follow my vibes or gut feeling, but I also sometimes need to be more strategic. Different methods for different projects! Much can be forgiven if the writing is intended to remain personal. Different considerations apply if intending to read to or be read by an audience. Personally, I feel there is a great imbalance, with much that should be personal being presented to wide audience, without ever being written with them in mind.

Thank you for this article. Word choice resonates the most with me as something that can really elevate a poem.

The tongue of the bell does not strike bronze to make its noise, it strikes the void within the form to evoke the sound of emptiness. Yes, every art form is subjective and is going to have its proponents and detractors. I very been writing poetry since I was But have kept it a secret. While in college my guide dence council who was a bread loaf teacher,challenged me to enter poetry contest. I won some Awards.

But that was the only time. Its bit like Whitman. In any case, I hope you keep writing and that it brings you peace and joy. Great overview, and a very useful article. Thank you, and have a nice rest of the week, as a beautiful weekend!

Your email address will not be published. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. What Makes a Good Poem? How do you make a good poem? Bette Stevens on December 11, at pm. Sharing… Reply.

Melissa Donovan on December 17, at pm. Thanks, Bette. Sanghamitra on June 20, at pm. Excellent article.. Thank you so much…. Melissa Donovan on July 5, at pm. Elizabeth Varadan on December 18, at am. Ultimately, form can involve several things: how many lines per stanza and how many stanzas a poem has, which lines in a poem if any rhyme, whether or not lines are indented from the margin, and whether or not lines repeat. Things like line breaks and stanzas are part of formal poetic structures.

Some poets decide not to use any of these things at all and write in free verse instead. Free verse just means the poem does not follow the rules of any traditional form. The poet is free to invent whatever overall structure she thinks is appropriate for the poem being written. Sometimes these can be individual words on different lines, or poems written in paragraph format. So how does form affect a poem?

With traditional forms, readers have a clear idea of how the poem is structured. Traditional forms also give readers a general idea of what the poem is going to be about. A sonnet, for example, is usually about love or relationships. Free verse, on the other hand, can feel a lot more open and unrestrained than a traditional poem that has line breaks and a rhyme scheme. But in the end, the form of a poem is totally up to you!

For example, say you have a really pretty image of a sunset that you want to include in your poem. Start writing your poem where the inspiration strikes you. You can always rearrange lines and stanzas later.

Maybe you want to write about the joy you experience while running. Instead of worrying about saying the right thing the right way, you can start writing lines and thoughts that help you capture the feeling of running. Then you can start stitching those snippets into a longer poem. Are you going to wing it, and let a structure form on its own? Or are you going to use a traditional form, like a Shakespearean sonnet , that has a very specific structure?

The form you choose will have a pretty significant effect on your poem. For instance, sonnets which traditionally include a little surprising shift in direction about halfway through called a volta work really well in telling short stories or conveying memories. But a free verse poem may be better suited for telling a more involved story.

Keep in mind that these are just a few of the poetic forms you can use. Your poems come from your imagination, so don't be afraid to invite readers into your imaginary world. You paint pictures for their imagination, encourage them to feel certain emotions, and can even engage their other senses like smell or taste through your descriptions. How these elements interact can help create the tone of your poem. The same is true if you have people in your poem.

What are they doing? Where are they going? How are they feeling? Including these details can really help your poem come to life. When it comes to prose writing, the rules of grammar, logic, and structure often dictate what you can do. Poets, on the other hand, have the freedom to explore ideas and situations that seem random or contradictory. Oftentimes, playing with the bounds of reality can make a poem even better.

Those risks often pay out! Poems are rarely written in a single sitting. Before it began, one woman told me she was anticipating a call and might miss my set, so she was considering buying a book of my poetry was any good. I performed one piece for her, which she enjoyed, then spent my entire set with her head down and preoccupied. Turns out, she was writing a poem about how she felt when I recited mine too her earlier.

Such cool answers! I wrote a haiku for my friend when he lost his mom. I cried like everyone else was, still oblivious as to why the haiku seemed so familiar. The biggest compliment was appreciating my own writing, unbiased. Hearing people speak about how beautiful it was without who wrote it made it all the sweeter. I find fulfillment if I make the reader laugh, cry or get pissed off. This lets me know that my work is being seen.

I am a poet too. They are there for all to see and read. I can get a good indication from the comments people leave. I wont ever get rich from writing but I get satisfaction from making people smile. It seems to be working so far. Well, I agree with you that a great poem will demonstrate an excellent command of diction and syntax. Your email address will not be published. Submit Comment. I am looking forward to working with the team on getting my new novel out into the world.

Day s. Hour s. Minute s. Second s. Deadline: Friday, December 31st. Jason Ward on March 5, at am. Cracking voice, big tears, and a hug. I call that a victory. Marvin Lurie on March 22, at pm. Kimberly Ferguson on April 16, at pm. Anonymous on November 10, at pm. Nate on February 12, at pm. Anonymous II on March 16, at pm. It is a craft, as well as an art and the skills required are demanding ones, indeed! Angelina Bong on April 20, at am.

ZeroSet on May 13, at pm. Pun intended… Reply. Ted on August 5, at pm. It brought back childhood memories Reply. Khalie on September 26, at pm. Two ladies came up and said they were glad their daughters heard what I wrote about body image. Jane Doe on May 19, at am. Seema on June 5, at pm. When my friends read my poems, I got these comments: How could you express the emotions like this? Rick Ashcraft on February 4, at pm.

Oliver on April 23, at pm. Jerry Boetger on July 10, at pm. Stefanie on September 11, at pm. Jerry Boetger i would love to be able to read your poems Reply. Little Sparrow on October 18, at pm.

Shivam singh rana on November 17, at pm. Writer's Relief Staff on November 20, at pm. Brian Miller on November 25, at pm. Kamiel on March 24, at am. Erin Frary on May 15, at pm. Victoria Hunter on October 10, at pm. Eric DeVaughnn on June 13, at pm. I put that one on my wall at home. Gotta love poetry… Reply.

Garrett Marshall on June 21, at am. Hearing people speak about how beautiful it was without who wrote it made it all the sweeter Reply. Phobia or Fobia , Phrank is my friend. Thomas P. Foster on November 5, at pm. Foster Reply. Poetry is like a canvas, you can paint any picture with it. Shreya's Poetry on April 27, at am. Robert Dungey on October 2, at am.