How To Write A Good Poem — 5 Easy Steps

In this digital era, we often find ourselves lonelier than we used to be about five or ten years ago. Few people are lucky enough to have at least one friend to call, whenever feeling down. Most of us would rather love to stay inside our self-made ‘cocoon’, than to go out and make new friends.

That is why, literature and art have become essential parts of today’s world. Books don’t judge.

Poetry is a way of expressing oneself. Sometimes there are things you can’t share with anybody,but it’s being too much for you to bear that burden alone. You can easily write those down in a poem. Thus,on one side you’ll feel better and on the other,you won’t need to lower your guard and make yourself vulnerable before someone else.

But people usually treat writing poems a difficult task. Several times I have heard people saying that they can not write poems as they don’t know how to write one. Wrong. Poetry is like a song. It’s in your heart. You may not sing like a nightingale but that doesn’t mean you can’t sing at all.

So here are 5 tips to write a good poem :

Purpose

First step is to decide why are you writing this poem.It’s important to decide because your purpose sets the tone of the poem. For example, if you’re sad,the poem will be of sad tone. If it’s love,then romantic and so on.

Rhyme scheme and rhythm

Next, decide the rhyme scheme. There are different types of rhyme schemes,such as ABAB (where the first line and the second line of each stanza have same rhyme,then the third line and the fourth line have similar rhyme) , AABB (where the first line and the third line of each stanza have same rhyme) and so on. For example,

“I can’t say how I feel
Meeting you was indeed a big deal"

— As you can see here the word 'feel' rhymes with the word 'deal’.

There is another popular form,named 'Free verse’. Free verse means without any rhyme. Poems written in free verse don’t have any rhyme scheme. They usually follow their own natural rhythm. For example,

“If I knew this would happen

I would rather die
Than leaving you alone
In that dark forest,

Onto the cold hands of fate.”

— As you can see, there’s no rhyme scheme but it follows a natural rhythm on its own.

For beginners, it’s advised to start with rhyme schemes,as it’s easier. Once you get a hold,you can try free verse. Again,remember, free verse doesn’t mean you can write anything you want in any place. The words must draw a whole picture, depicting what you want to say in your poem. Free verse isn’t meaningless scribbling.

Vocabulary

Once you decide the topic, think of the words you can use. Choosing the right word is very important. You must not choose too complicated words. Choosing teeth breaking words doesn’t make your poem the best. It’s the proper use of words at proper place,which matters more. If you are stuck somewhere,feel free to check Google dictionary anytime. There you can find thousands of words,with their synonyms, antonyms. Suppose, you’re looking for a word which means 'To hide’. But you can’t use the exact word 'Hide' in your poem as it seems like a bad choice. No worries. You can use other words with similar meaning,like 'To conceal' or you may even use a different phrase,such as 'Not to show before all’. It’s the word choice which is the most difficult step while writing a poem. A single wrong choice can change the whole vibe.

Grammar and spelling

After you complete your draft, make sure to check for any possible spelling mistake or syntax error or wrong tense. These are some common errors people make. Also, poem can be of any tense,not necessarily simple present. It totally depends on the incident you’re talking about. If it’s in the past, it’ll be in the past tense and so on. But try not to mix too many tenses together,as it may confuse the readers about the timeline.

Do not bother about techniques

Last but not the least, DO NOT bother about techniques. Write what you want to. It is your creation,your poem. Therefore, you have the final say. It can be a sonnet,can be a lengthy poem or just a couplet. As long as you are willing,keep writing. Try not to make it too complicated with too many metaphors. Try to keep it simple. Let the words come to you. Let them take shape themselves. Of course you will not write as good as Shakespeare, in your very first poem. It will take time to improve. Who knows, someday you can even be a better one!

It is okay if you’re writing for someone else or just for yourself. As long as it makes you happy,the poem is a success. Not everyone will like your poetry. Unlike prose,poems have different impacts on different people. So, it’s hard to predict how someone will react to a poem. Not everyone can relate to a poem in the same way you do. So don’t be disappointed if they don’t understand what you wanted to say. Their opinions hardly matter. Be yourself.. Good luck!

(Note: Feel free to ask any question you have in the comments. Hope, you write plenty of colourful poems during this holiday.)