3 Things I Keep In Mind When Writing Poetry.
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1. How did a situation make me feel?
*Did it make me feel happy or sad? Elated or frustrated? The feelings need to be clearly articulated.
*Can I describe those feelings in a unique manner?
*Can I come up with my own figure of speech (e.g simile) to describe a situation?
*Can I write about a situation that is not usually the subject of a poem (for instance, I’ve written a poem about my love for Jollof Rice 💕).
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2. How do I want to present the work?
*Do I want to write a short poem or a long poem? A poem with one line, a Haiku or a poem with five verses?
*Do I want the verses to rhyme or do I want them to be free-flowing?
*Do I want the tone of the poem to be serious, funny or a mix of both?
*When in doubt, simple words are the best words.
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3. How do I make the poem easy to read?
*Have I included paragraphs?
*Is the font I’m using large enough to make the poem easy to read?
*Are the graphics I’m using overshadowing or complimenting the poem?
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Some things to keep in mind:
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*If you don’t enjoy reading poetry, it is highly unlikely that you will enjoy writing poetry.
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*If your poem is too complicated and requires a dictionary for every sentence, readers will stay far away from your work.
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*As a Writer, my poems are about me expressing my feelings with the hope that readers can also relate to those feelings.
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*A lot of people I know don’t like to read poetry because they say it’s boring. It’s your job as a Writer to make your poems interesting to read.
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*My favourite poem is ‘Phenomenal Woman’ by Maya Angelou. The language she used is clear, and the poem will make you smile and make you think deeply.
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***All opinions are based on my own writing experiences***
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Thanks for reading 🙋🏾♀️
Ivie.
“When in doubt, simple words are the best words.” This one is so easy to forget!
Nice post.
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Thank you!
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