Write poetry for love and money
Writing poetry is a great way to express deep truths and ideas in a way that can be very effective, powerful, and life-changing. If you’re just starting out as a writer, there are some basic principles you need to follow if you want to be successful in your writing.
It could be that you are writing for love or for money, whatever is behind your desire to put pen to paper, follow these guidelines and you will be on the road to success. Of course, being successful as a poet doesn’t mean you’ll get rich overnight, although you can become famous, or more likely infamous, if your poems address themes that touch people deeply.
Whatever your journey, here are my tips for creating something special in your writing.
1. Use words to capture the imagination of your audience. When the things you write take your readers into a world of self-discovery, you are achieving excellence. Example: “Overwhelmed”
“You overwhelm me with your love
Like a whirlwind on the wings of a dove
Like a waterfall that is released from a Kodak moment
Or a fireworks display that has forgotten the date
Like the moment of water in wine on July 19
Or the red arrows dancing with the clouds in the sky
Like a rainbow ignoring the sun and the rain
Do you still love me through joy and pain
Thank you my love”
2. Start in a familiar place and then walk towards the horizon.For me, this is a basic principle, because if you start where people are, you will take them with you. If there is no connection to your reader, they will not be able to identify with you and will be lost. Your poetry can express things beyond the reader’s experience, but it will be most powerful and effective if you start in a familiar place. Example: “Beyond” – written after the London bombings in 2005:
“Beyond the blue and white
Police vans are outnumbered by TV satellites.
A script without a script
Complete with Heckler and Koch
Kevlar bodies and hooded faces
Stare into the jaws of hell.
Beyond blue and white
Blood red pieces of humanity scream in terror
A controlled explosion
Like a caged animal with a view to kill
moaning bottled rage
In the next callous fist of hate.
Beyond blue and white
The madness colored mind has the moment
While a single shot
Raise an army for a cause beyond
Shot by bullets and blackouts and exclusion zones,
And a loving God!”
3. Unpack your central theme in a mind-expanding way.A good read stretches the mind and exercises the brain. Spend time formulating words that make the reader think about their meaning in the context of the whole. Regardless of the genre you write, be it humor, satire, dialogue, or commentary, this principle still holds true. Example: “Jump! Jump! Jump!” – Just by way of explanation. If you live in the UK, you’ll be familiar with the ‘skip’ – this is a place where you put your rubbish. And the title phrase is child’s play in the UK.
“It’s easy to feel trapped
Between the jump and the jump
Stuck in the middle
locked in a box
pushed out of shape
crushed by weight
bound to comply
You are expected to perform
lost in a maze
life in a haze
love out of reach
another stone on the beach
Memories like scars
dreams behind bars
garbage in your head
a time to fear
Expect!
The jump is not where you should be!
JUMP!”
4. Note the use of hook lines in the rhythm of your writing.Composers adopt this technique. Any song structure will include a musical riff or lyric that repeats itself at various intervals. Of course, this won’t work for all poetry, but the concept of bringing readers back to the central theme in a variety of ways holds true. Example: “Negotiated Agreement”
“Taking the bombers around the table
could be explosive
Too many nails stirring the air.
Choking the innocent
insult peacemakers
Talking quietly with the enemy
could be defeating
They can also egos stirring the air
clash of ideologies
Words full of hints
Putting on shoes that don’t fit well
It could be dangerous
Too many revelations stirring the air
surrender positions
walking the extra mile
But stop!
Didn’t Jesus say
‘Love your enemies
And pray for those who wrong you.'”
Time to start!
