Improving Your Poetry Writing Skills

It has been said that everybody is a poet of sorts. All people have different perspectives about the world they live in; they have feelings that are uniquely individual; and they have a distinctive way of expressing themselves. That being said, not all people have a repertoire of literary tools to express themselves in the way that they would like to. Three simple practices that every poet should incorporate in order to get better at their craft is to read, write, and reflect on a regular basis.

Reading

Becoming a good poet requires knowing about the genre and there is no better way to learn than to read the work of other poets. Find an author that you can resonate with and that calls forth deep emotion. This will speak to the emotionally driven subconscious portion of your brain in a way that nothing else can. In addition, reading the poetic works of other authors broadens your way of thinking by introducing you to new styles of poetry that you may not be familiar with.

Writing

Poets and other creative writers must develop the habit of writing regularly. In Julia Cameron's book, "The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Creativity", she suggests a process that she refers to as "morning pages". This simple technique is accomplished by writing three pages of anything that comes to mind every morning. This "stream of consciousness" writing is not artistic or poetic in nature and should not be edited. It can be done on the computer, in an old notebook, or in a journal, but it should not be judged by you or read by anyone else. It is simply a writing exercise that points your mind in the direction of getting thoughts and ideas down on paper. The power of this free writing exercise is in the regurgitation of all that is good, bad and ugly in the present moment. It frees you from bothersome and distracting thoughts so that you can think more clearly and process new insights more effectively.

Reflecting

Poets are often stereotyped as quiet, reflective people who show their emotions quite readily. Although being reflective is most definitely a plus in poetry writing, it doesn't always come naturally. Fortunately, like many other abilities, the art of reflection can be built and improved upon. Learning how to reflect is simply paying attention to your own thoughts and feelings as well as the feelings of others. Becoming more reflective also involves learning to become aware of and trust your intuition and your gut instincts. With time and patience, you will be having meaningful reflections on every word, phrase, song, or image that you come across and translating it into beautiful poetry.