I’ve just read Emyn’s post on blog-writing and I think I’ll share them and more on another entry. Meanwhile, some friends were asking and telling me how they wish they could write poetry like the ones I do. Really, I appreciate it much that they like what I write and I just tell them they could write poetry too. It doesn’t take much talent in my opinion. It takes experience and emotions. So you’re not perfect in English grammar, then write in Tagalog.

As Emyn has put it, words are just “containers” – of emotions, experiences etc. No matter how good a writer is, if s/he hasn’t got much experience on what s/he is writing about, the piece will not work out.

While I’m not exactly the guy you could ask on how to write better poetry, here are some tips I picked up along the way from other writers as well.

The words you use need not be too deep. People don’t always have a thesaurus in hand incase they get to read a poem full of words that not even Einstein can figure out. None of the poems I write require dictionaries. I want what I write to be easily relatable and don’t have that “superior intellectuals only” label on them.

Rhyme. Poems need not rhyme as we all know but it just reads easier when words rhyme. At least try to rhyme. Even if only the last few lines on the poem rhyme, that will make the whole poem feel much like a poem. Kids only consider it a real poem if there are words that rhyme and I'd like kids to appreciate what I write too. Rhymes carry the words through an invisible melody that the readers “dance along” with. Just keep away from the “love – in the form of a dove – from above” lines please!

Experience is necessary. Even if you use big words, if the emotions aren’t there on the whole poem, it will not work out. If you use simple words but everything you felt and experienced flow through the other words, the poem is very much relatable. There’s no need in trying too hard.

Abide by the KISS rule – Keep It Short and Simple. Or Keep It Simple Stupid. Unless you really have much to say that will help the overall poem, such as letting the readers know you’ve been through a lot of stuff or letting the readers feel the same experience, then the poem can be as long as it needs to be. Try and eliminate as much words as you can until you get to the point where if you remove a word, the essence of the sentence will not be the same.

Don’t be too critical of your work. I’m never critical of others’ poems. A person’s poem is probably something they want to share. The effort enough merits appreciation. Love your own.

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This article from About.com explains more about combining the technical aspects of poetry and the emotional aspects.
(http://teenwriting.about.com/cs/writingpoetry/a/HeartOfPoetry.htm?terms=writing+poetry)


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