5 Tips on How to Craft Great Poems
This post probably came to you as a search result. You have been checking the internet for tips on writing great poems; you are here now. I cannot give you THE tips, you can only have your attention called to some important things. Good writing is a product of effort and practice. Dedication.
1.Read.
Read good writing, reading will expose you to possibilities. Read across generations.
Hear what Ted Kooser has to say:
“We teach ourselves to write the kinds of poems we like to read .The more poems you read, and the more models you learn from and imitate, the better your writing will get.”
2. Write!
You have to write. No one writes a poem by merely thinking about it. Start: a good verse here, another there, and you are steps closer to that great poem. Fold that thought or idea into words. What do you intend to achieve with this poem? Pay attention to imagery. Engage the reader’s senses. Consider your diction. Make every word count.
Write and Rewrite
3. Rewrite.
This great poem doesn’t have room for everything. Ease the burden, remove whatever is not working. Read the poem aloud to yourself. Have you stayed true to your purpose? Rewrite every problematic line. Ask questions.
4. Let the poem speak back to you.
5. Keep writing!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR‘Gbenga Adeoba studied Communication and language arts at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He is the Associate Poetry Editor at Kreative Diadem. His works have appeared in Sankofa Mag, Elsewhere lit, Juked, Connotations Press, and others. He is interested in popular culture and post-colonial literature. He lives in Ilorin, Nigeria.
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