Would anyone like a little advice on how to write poetry from a creative writing...

  • Thread starter Thread starter irise
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irise

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...teacher? These are some guidelines for aspiring poets. Forget cliches. If something is commonly used to describe or compare it to another, it has no business in a poem. Rhyming common words like rain with pain, love with above, heart with start is all trite. You do not want your poem to read like a greeting card unless you are working for Hallmark. Use fresh imagery that you can see in your mind's eye. Show, don't tell. Use all of your senses. Try not to focus only on the overused theme of lost love, or if you must, create your original description of it. Get a dictionary and thesaurus and make sure the words you use are spelled right and mean what you actually want them to say. Dictionary.com can help you with this. Expand your vocabulary in your poetry. Never use somebody else's words or phrases in your original work. At worst, it's plagiarism; at best, you are guilty of unoriginal thinking. Reach beyond your linguistic grasp and discover new ways to describe common things. Practice sensory exercises to teach you how to find new ways to describe common objects or scenes. Proofread.
Perhaps, Ben, I should have added that I give poetry workshops for at-risk junior and senior high school students in the Orleans Parish public schools in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ergo, I am a Creative Writing teacher.
 
I want to thank you for posting this. I wrote poetry when I was young and now, 30 years later, I am trying to recapture my writing skills. Excellent advise that I plan on using. Again, thank you.
 
I took a creative writing class but only got to be in it for 2 weeks as we moved away. I am still using what that wonderful teacher gave me in that short period of time over 25 years ago!

Thank you.
 
First of all, who is Ergo?

So what about these common rules?

1. Never write on an empty stomach.
2. Only write naked if you are writing confessional poetry.
3. Do not write after taking a bath.
4. All rhyming poetry should be typed with the right finger only.
5. Ginsburg was a hack.
6. Whitman was a crybaby.
7. Always make sure you start the 3rd stanza of every Sonnet with a verb.
8. NEVER write about grape Kool-Aid
9. NEVER claim to be a Creative writing teacher and then post a highly uncreative question.
10. Snacks, always have snacks available.
 
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