6 Steps to Writing a Poem

Over the years, I have heard many people, especially students, say that they are unable to write poetry. Poetry is actually one of the easiest forms of writing once you know how to start since the structure, grammar, and even word order can be freely manipulated by a poet. Below is a list of things to do when you start writing a poem.

The first thing to do is think of a subject. If you are a student, the subject is often given to you. Once you have a subject, think of how you view that subject - does it make you feel happy, bored, scared, nervous, excited? This is important since it guides the words you will use once you start writing.
Write the first line. This might sound dumb, but it's important. Do not start with a title. A title summarizes the poem and says its most important message. A title should be made after you have written the poem so the title doesn't shape the poem and limit your creativity.
Now it is time to think about the structure of the poem. Do you want to use a rhyme scheme? What about the meter (the syllables in a line)? Look at the first line, that should be used to establish the meter. Count the number of syllables in the first line and try to keep the other lines to a similar length, that makes the poem seem more professional. You should strongly consider a rhyme scheme - they make the poem have a better flow and makes it more interesting; in my opinion, rhyming pairs of lines is the easiest. The last structure piece is the stanza; a stanza is like the paragraph of poems. A good stanza length for beginners is 4 lines since it allows for two sets of rhymed lines.
Now you need to write the rest of the poem. Don't worry - it's not going to be bad. To make rhyming easier, rearrange word order to have lines end with "ay," "oo," or "ie" sounds since many common words end with these. You also want to look at http://www.rhymer.com/ when you are stuck. For the meter, adjectives are your friend. Use appropriate adjectives that match the feelings in Step 1 to set the mood and fill up the unused syllables.
Now is the time to think of a title. A proper title should grab a readers attention and describe the poem in a few words. Often, a line from the poem can be used for the title. Another idea would be to give it a short (1-3 words) name after a certain metaphor or main idea in the poem.
Once you have the title, you should understand the main focus of your poem. Edit your poem and focus on word selection to emphasize certain feelings or thoughts. To emphasize a word, you can place it at the end of a line, use alliteration, or repeat it.

Following these steps will set you on the right course. Once the poem sounds right to you and gives the message you want, you know it is complete. Do not be afraid of change, sometimes the meaning changes from the original thought as you write - embrace this, fighting it will leave you unsatisfied with the final poem.

J. Murphy has been writing poetry for 6 years. He owns the website The Poetry Nook. If you want your poem reviewed and critiqued, submit it for some helpful advice. You can also view some sample poetry there for inspiration.

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