How to write a good poem?

Question

any hints? I've been writing, but with my bipolar disorder, I can't really think straight. I just wrote one, so I know I can do it.

Answer 1

Firslty, before I say anything about poetry, I just wanted to mention bipolar. You need to be on medication. You need to take it every day. You need to limit your recreational alcohol and drugs to as little as possible (pref none). You need to have someone to talk to who understands what you're going through - whether a friend, a shrink, whatever.

I have bipolar, and I understand how disabling it can be at times - and when you're lucky, how wonderful it can feel. I have felt alone for most of my life because no one I knew understood what I was going through. You have the ability to express yourself - and you can become quite good if you spend some time learning how.

I hope you don't think I ripped on you too hard on the other post. Feel free to not pick me as best answer, it doesn't matter to me. It's really good to have people encourage you and validate your work.... that's important! But equally important is honest advice. I hope you can see it that way.

There's been a lot of good advice here already! My two cents is that there are two parts to writing poetry - the creative part, and the refining part. You should write the way you feel. Let it come out of you, and don't you dare judge it good or bad... just let it flow. Write for pages - the important thing is that you express your feeling. The second stage is that you take what you've written and start evaluating it. Do not evaluate it before this stage! Anyways, this is where you try to make it work - if you put this part there, or maybe say this part a different way. If it doesn't work, leave it and come back in a few days with a fresh head. With persistence and consideration you can take the raw poetry and distill it down to where it says what you want it to say - and no more.

I've always been a thinker, but I always had a hard time concentrating. Medication has helped - I can now compose in my head. The other thing that helps for me is using the computer - I can type much, much faster than I can write, and that seems to help the creative process.

How to write a good poem...

Fundamentals. Understanding what scansion, beat, rhyming patterns, alliteration, homonyms, etc etc are is invaluable. Having a solid grasp of how to conjugate your verbs and looking at a sentence and reasoning what it actually means is very important. Just like with guitar, though, many aspiring poets skim over the fundamentals, and insist that they don't have to learn the scales, or don't have to learn how to count syllables, etc. Knowing what the rules are helps you know when to break them, and when to do so for maximum effect. Too many don't understand the fine distinction.

Use Imagery and Metaphors Effectively. It's nice to have a unique image or a cool turn of a phrase, but it's wasted if you don't develop the theme. I try to create an image in my head when I write, a movie. Who is doing what? What else is going on? What can I bring in to the poem to evoke the feelings of the characters, or the meaning behind their actions? This is probably the single biggest thing that I wish I could see more of in the poetry I read.

Write with Structure. That's right, I capitalized it. "Free verse" does not give you license to write like Captain Kirk talks. There is a point to the conventions of poetry, and not understanding them leaves you without that arsenal of tricks and tools. Try writing poetry that rhymes and has a certain number of syllables per line - limitations like this force you to think of ways to present what you want to say more efficiently.

Hmmm. Well, I guess that's a good start. My brain just went suddenly blank, so I'll stop typing now. I wish you luck in your poetic endeavors!

Saul

Answer 2

Happiness Poem:

Happiness is

being able to come up with a poem

without too much effort

Happiness is

When the day starts by

seeing a beautiful sunrise

Happiness is

When everything is going

like clockwork ( In rhythm )

Happiness is

proving to people who doubted

you of your capabilities

Happiness is

Getting a good night sleep

to be able to focus

--------------------------------------...

decide whether or not your poem is to rhyme

it doesn't have to

Answer 3

just continue writing    ang gulf luck to ya

Answer 4

if you can't think of a poem to write about, then put it aside and come back to it later.  Racking your brain on it will only give you a head ake; but if you need to write one asap,try taking a walk around your neighborhood; that's where I get most of my ideas.  Actually, I really write about my feelings or about the things that are happening in the world that effect me.  I hope that helps!

Answer 5

Write from the heart. Be sincere, heartfelt, and don't try so hard. Write only when you feel inspired. Also, poetry is subjective-what is good to one person would not be to another. Basically a good poem is something that someone can identify with. If it makes you feel better and it's something that you enjoy then it is a good poem. No one else really has to think so. I hope that makes sense to you.Good luck with your writing!!! =)

Answer 6

it's not about finding a structure or a method. it's about just letting it come out of you. when i write, i just write. i worry about form and structure and punctuation later. especially with more stuff running through your mind, writing is a good outlet to allow your true thoughts to flow out. That's how it is for me at least.

Once you do it enough, sometimes it feels like the pen has a mind on its own. that's always very satisfying.

Answer 7

-As with any work of writing you defintely want the reader to feel emotion. Maybe you could write about the struggles of your bipolar disorder. Make the Reader care!

-Use good figurative language. MAPS; metaphor, alliteration, personification and similes. The hardest is metaphor. If you can get throw a good metaphor into the poem you definitely have a good start.

-Vocabulary. If you use good vocabulary it will be more impressive and have more meaning. Try using a thesaurus for common words such as mad; happy; sad; said; walk; talk; etc.

-Make the poem have rhythm. Try doing some formats like ABCA; ABAB; ABBA; or anything that sounds good and has rhythm. Make it flow.

-Have a purpose. It's a lot easier to write poems when they come from good inspiration. I like to write poems that come from quotes. It's also easy to write about feelings; which are basically what poems are about.

Answer 8

what I do is I just focus on the thing your writing about! me, personally, I like to wright rhyming poems! to me, those are the easiest types! =]