Poetry and how to Write it with Soul

#poems #poetry #writing #thatweirdwriter #poets

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There are certain concepts that inspire and speak to us personally. Poetry is just discovering those concepts and sharing them.

- Alexandra Lee

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I'm not going to lie, I was never a huge poetry fan. To be honest, I never even read poems until I started my instagram account a little over a year ago. That's when I was introduced to the magical and wonderful world of poetry and with that, I wanted to learn a thing or two on how to evoke emotions in my readers. So I Googled it and found that everyone has a different process, just like they do when writing a story. Isn't that helpful? Not.

I did pick up a couple of tips, and while your process to bring your beautiful and breathtaking poems to the world may not be the same as mine, I think all of these tips are valid whether you're newer to poetry like me, or you're an old pro.

When I think of poetry, I think of a few lines. Poems are short pieces of literature that usually aren't more than one hundred words or so. Of course there are exceptions, but let's use that as our average. So you have one hundred words to awaken some emotion in your audience. Hopefully you don't only awaken it, but snatch it and hold on the whole way through. Think of an emotion. What do you want your audience to feel? Should they be happy, sad, scared? That's up to you, so pick a good one.

Poetry, to me, is very similar to a short story. You only have so many words to make a lasting impression on your reader. After you have your emotion, think of a way you can write a scene where that emotion is at the very core. Think of a small detail or memory--rain, baby shoes, a puppy, a ghost.

How do those things make you feel? When I think of rain, I think of cold feet and stringy hair. But if I think of a storm, I think of blinding lightning and deafening thunder. The way you describe something isn't going to be the same way I do. We might have had different experiences when dealing with the same situations.

For example, I've completely terrified of sharks because I've watched TV shows and have heard stories of people who have been in shark attacks. You many love sharks, and therefore will describe them differently.

No one thinks about things the same way as you do, and that's what's so powerful about poetry--it gives you complete creative freedom and it can be as serious or as whimsical and out there as you want.

Once you have your feeling and scene that brings that feeling to your mind, you write about it! You might be able to come up with dozens of poems based around that feelings or theme. You may also want to experience with other emotions. I really like writing sad poems involving nature, life, and death. There are certain concepts that inspire and speak to us personally, and poetry is discovering those concepts and sharing them.

After you build up a collection of poems, you can publish them in magazines, blogs, on your instagram, or even put them together to make a book!

I recommend reading poetry to get ideas and get a feeling for this type of literature. I'm reading The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur and it's really good!

She has other books, but what I really like about The Sun and Her Flowers is the story behind the poems. They all connect and come together over the course of the book. They also evoke multiple emotions, and are broken up into wilting, falling, rooting, rising, and blooming.

We get to feel a lot of different emotions throughout this book: sadness, pain, betrayal, happiness, and many more. I like this style because it's turning singular poems and combining them into a story.

Thank you so much for reading this post on writing poetry with soul. Like all types of literature, poetry has its own structure that is unique and different than a novel or short story.

To me, poetry gives you the chance to be creative and just write down any thoughts or feelings on any topic, no matter how absurd or illogical they are.

Poetry is the ultimate creative art in the literary world because they are no instructions. There are only feelings, and how we interrupt them.

Are you a poet? If so, what are your tips for writing poetry with soul? Leave a comment!

It's been a pleasure writing for you and until next time--stay weird and stay writing. - Lexi