Getting Started - Writing Poetry #2
Finding an idea for a poem can be really exciting — but often it’s tricky to truly put pen to paper. How do you even start a poem? The blank page or computer screen can sometimes seem too intimidating to even write down one word, even if you’re excited about your idea. Here are some tips for filling that page with a poem.
Find a process that works for you.
Nowadays we have so many ways of writing poetry — we can use all sorts of programs on the computer (Microsoft Word, Pages, etc) to get our poetry on the page. But this can often be quite difficult, and set in stone: typing up your ideas straight away doesn’t work for everyone. Feel free to try things that are comofortable to you — as Roger McCough explains in the video above, he finds ideas flow more easily when he’s using a notebook.
Don’t be afraid to mess around with different ways of putting your poetry down — try notebooks, or loose paper, as well as the computer. There’s no wrong way of starting, so work with what makes you feel comfortable and most inspired.
2. Don’t be afraid to write bad poetry
The biggest thing that can hold people back from writing down that first line is the fear that it’ll be “bad”. If you are a beginner to writing poetry, don’t let the fear of not being as good as the poets you love hold you back. You are your own poet, and you’ll never know your own poetic style if you don’t take that leap!
One of my favourite things to do when I can’t think of a way to start a poem is to just set a timer for 3 minutes and write without analysing the words I’m putting down. Try writing without thinking, about anything that pops into your head! When those three minutes are up, have a look back over what you’ve just written, and circle any sentences or phrases you like. Why not use one of these to start your poem? This process, called freewriting, can really help you get past the fear that you won’t be a ‘good enough’ poet.
3. Pick an image that stands out!
If you know what you want to write about but you can’t find a way to put it into words, try reducing it into something that’s easy to describe. This works best for poets who want to write about big sweeping emotions but are struggling to really encapsulate them.
Let’s say you’re writing about love, or more specifically someone you love, but you don’t how to start. Close your eyes and think of the person you love. What jumps out to you about them? This can be most fun if you think about certain objects they use — for example, if they wear a certain type of perfume, or drink a certain type of coffee. Consider these objects or belongings and describe what they look like, how they feel.
Alternatively, if you’re writing more broadly about emotion, such as happiness or sadness, write down a sentence such as “I am sad”, “I am angry” or “I am happy.” Then replace the emotional word with something else that you instinctively feel means it — Caroline Bird demonstrates a brilliant example of this in the video above. Though it’s a workshop for high school students, I think it should be applicable to every person who is struggling to write about emotions. Most of all, it’s fun! It brings such a sense of joy to writing poetry and it can be a playful exercise to get your ideas on paper.
4. Be flexible
So you’ve tried all of these things but nothing’s working — you just can’t get your idea on paper and nothing is happening at all. If this is happening then I would say: try not to limit yourself!
Maybe if that idea is not working, today is not the day for that specific concept. Don’t see it as failure to put that on the shelf and try a different idea. Sometimes if you look at things from a completely new perspective it can produce some really exciting work you didn’t expect.
If you’re really struggling, forget about your idea for now. Go back over your notes, or freewriting, or random images with completely fresh eyes — maybe instead of love you decide to write about loss, instead of your partner you write about your grandchild. In this way, images can suddenly have different meanings and applications. You might get inspired completely anew!
5. Try some writing exercises!
I’ve included a few writing exercises scattered throughout this blog post which I hope have helped. However, remember there are so many more you can find online.
Though we will explore literary devices, and poetic structure in later blog posts, this list from the Masterclass website is full of exciting ideas. There is also this amazing list of prompts from The Poetry Society! And there’s also this brilliant selection of prompts from The Poetry Foundation. These lists may seem intimidating at first - but if you look through them calmly, you can find some great ways to start putting a pen to paper.
What next?
If you’re ready to enter your poem into the King Lear Prizes you can do so here.
If you want to read more posts about poetry, check out our Hints & Tips blog here!
If you want to know more about the King Lear Prizes generally, please go here.
If you have any feedback on this post, or any other ideas of what hints & tips could be useful to you in your poetry, please email me (Matilda!) on matilda@kinglearprizes.org. I’d be delighted to hear from you.
